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A review by meg_lowde
The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This definitely gives debut vibes and unfortunately I liked it less and less upon each reread. The writing style didn't quite click for me, and the pacing varied quite a bit, sometimes dragging and sometimes feeling rushed.
Sylah and Anoor's relationship developed too quickly for my liking and lacked depth. Add in Sylah's relationship with Jond and things get messy - it's difficult to believe that she's developing deep romantic feelings for Anoor when she is actively sleeping with him for the majority of the novel and has feelings tied up there. Yes, polyamory is a thing but it never felt like it was going that way and wasn't something I was a huge fan of.
Then there's how Anoor and Sylah meet and the way Anoor treats Sylah which sours things further for me. She seems a little naive with how she expects Sylah to act given she essentially forces her to work for her and comes across as more manipulative then might originally seem, so it feels odd that Sylah develops such apparently strong feelings for her.
Hassa seems more of an afterthought to expand the world and provide an excuse for Sylah and Anoor to be separated in the next book, and that whole ending felt incredibly rushed.
This definitely had promise - the world it proposes is quite interesting and I am curious about the tide winds and the world building. Sadly the characters and their relationships, alongside the writing style, aren't completely working for me alongside that, hampering my overall enjoyment.
Sylah and Anoor's relationship developed too quickly for my liking and lacked depth. Add in Sylah's relationship with Jond and things get messy - it's difficult to believe that she's developing deep romantic feelings for Anoor when she is actively sleeping with him for the majority of the novel and has feelings tied up there. Yes, polyamory is a thing but it never felt like it was going that way and wasn't something I was a huge fan of.
Then there's how Anoor and Sylah meet and the way Anoor treats Sylah which sours things further for me. She seems a little naive with how she expects Sylah to act given she essentially forces her to work for her and comes across as more manipulative then might originally seem, so it feels odd that Sylah develops such apparently strong feelings for her.
Hassa seems more of an afterthought to expand the world and provide an excuse for Sylah and Anoor to be separated in the next book, and that whole ending felt incredibly rushed.
This definitely had promise - the world it proposes is quite interesting and I am curious about the tide winds and the world building. Sadly the characters and their relationships, alongside the writing style, aren't completely working for me alongside that, hampering my overall enjoyment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Fatphobia