El-Arifi took a book I enjoyed and ratcheted it up to a series I'm obsessed with. The first book was a straightforward battle book - setting the scene. This book led us through new worlds, new issues, and new politics that I was not expecting. I loved the way El-Arifi looks at privilege and how it can harm those around you and limit your worldview even when you think that you're being helpful. It shows the limits of people and how they need to call themselves on the carpet or how their own trauma can lead them to using their privilege to harm others that they care about. Moreso, El-Arifi does a stunning job at looking at self-loathing and the dynamic it has with addiction.

Small spoilers:

Sylah is not recovered from her self-sabotaging and harm because she is currently refraining from drug use. She's in recovery. She is still complex. She is still needing to do the work. I was stunned at how well El-Arifi looked at a character like this.

I can't wait to read more.

This is the second book in the Ending Fire Trilogy. The Final Strife is one of my favorite books so I couldn't wait to go back to this world. It took me a bit to get into because it goes back in time but that was necessary for the story. It was another great novel and I can't wait to read the conclusion when book three comes out.

Beautiful cover! I now have all 3 books. I had to add it to my library. Looking forward to more from this author.

I could not read this book fast enough.
Sylah, Noor, Jood, Hassa, the Elders - their adventures, strained relationships. And of course The Wife.
El-Arifi casts a spell and holds me in their grasp.
So many great themes - race, gender is just a thing as is sexuality, complexity of family/found family, the parting of Sylah and Noor continues to break my heart as they continue their path.

This book picks up where we left off in The Final Strife and takes off from there. The pacing of book one was very fast; whereas in The Battle Drum, the pacing slowed down significantly. On one hand I can understand the point of the change because it allowed us to see the characters develop, but at the same time I felt it was too slow at times. I was very invested in the characters and thought the character work was amazing. They are dynamic and messy and are flawed yet have strength. A new point of view was introduced, and I really enjoyed that addition.

I also love that El-Arifi made this a queer-normative world. It made my heart so happy. There are so many revelations about the magic system and world. However, I am so impressed by the depth of the lore, history, and magic of this world. It takes skill to interweave this into the plot so effortlessly. The plot twists did keep me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting to read more. Most of them were phenomenal, but I did find some to be predictable.

There are some content warnings for this book. El-Arifi does not shy away from darker content. There is a scene towards the end of the book that will stay with me for a long time because it was so horrific and emotionally charged. It made the read very impactful. (CW: violence, torture, abuse, grief, addiction, religious bigotry, rape)

Objectively I think this is a very solid sequel. I was in a bit of a fantasy slump when I read this, so I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it at a different time. I feel like the beginning and end were the best parts of the book and the middle dragged a a bit much for my personal taste. That being said, I did have a good time with this one, and I absolutely cannot wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy!

This is a fantastic fantasy series, and I highly recommend it! It deserves more love!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FINALLY getting to this book after a year!! It was definitely a slow start, which kept me from getting into it for a while, but once i was in it was great! I liked the inclusion of more side characters, but Anoor did start to piss me off about halfway through when she just kept accusing everyone except the most obvious person!! like she reads these mysteries, how did she not get it?? Sylah was definitely my favorite because we got to explore the really cool new world! Super excited for book 3!!

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi is a gripping and challenging read that will captivate fans of fantasy and LGBTQIA+ fiction, particularly those who enjoy stories that explore themes of colonialism, revolution, and self-discovery, and are looking for a fascinating and immersive tale of adventure, mystery, and empowerment.

Well, this was amazing. I was hanging to every word, truly such a good sequel. I saw absolutely no twist coming and I loved getting to know the main characters and seeing them evolve through this installment.
I really enjoyed all the points of view, the ones from book 1 but also the new ones. I just wanted more and more.
I felt all the feelings and I truly cannot wait for book 3 which I'll be starting very soon cause the end of this one was very mean.

In the second book of Saara El-Arifi’s fantasy series, Anoor faces a murder accusation while managing her role as ruler. Sylah navigates magical threats on a voyage with her ex-lover, and Ghosting investigates mysterious deaths in the castle. Though the strong female leads and rich mythology shine, the story feels like a bridge between the powerful first book and the anticipated finale.

Absolute perfection. A great sequel to one of my favorite books from last year. Literally all the stars. I loved being back in this world as we continue our journey. Impeccable world building and character development. Highly recommend this series and I need more immediately. Love and more love

A fantastic sequel to one of my favorite fantasy books! My only qualm is that the middle of the book seemed to drag a bit, but my love for the characters helped me soldier on.

Great sequel in The Ending Fire trilogy!

I feel Saara El - Arifi did a great job with book 2 keeping the story moving along and improving on her first books themes and plot.

Cannot wait until the next book!

i was really looking forward to this sequel as i really enjoyed the first one but this book suffered from second book syndrome a little. i did like the additional povs and the new parts of the world we got to explore but parts of this book particular around the 350 page mark dragged on quite a bit. i will definitely read the third one though

4 stars
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Wow. I really enjoyed this sequel. It had been a while since I read the first so I was kind of nervous that I wouldn't be able to get back in that world. I had no issues getting right back in there.

I loved all the characters and their development in this book. The world is also fun to read about.

There were so many twists and turns that I felt like I was getting whiplash (in a good way)! I wasn't expecting some of them so I was shocked!

I can't wait for the final book to be released in August!

That godsforsaken ending!!! El-Arifi really likes those intense cliffhangers goshdarnit!

This book picks up pretty soon after the events of The Final Strife and is high intensity from go. Once I got into it, I found it impossible to put down and kept waiting for each reveal because oh my gosh! So many things are making sense and so many things are in motion and GOSH! I don’t have words just screams because I love this book, this world, and cannot wait for the finale! I cannot believe some of the choices made and my heart hurts, but I cannot wait to see how this is going to wrap up, especially as I feel like things aren’t as some believe them to be. Just, ahhhhhh!!!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House for this digital ARC. The thoughts expressed below are entirely my own with no outside influence.

As was demonstrated in The Final Strife, the author once again flexed their remarkable talent for weaving together this deeply layered story. The storytelling is rich with beautiful folklore, and it stands apart from other stories in the genre. There were heavy themes of colonialism, revolution, and the thin line between religion and cults.

Tension increased EXPONENTIALLY throughout the book. To say I was on the edge of my seat is not an exaggeration. Then the ending left me with the same feeling I had when I walked out of the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War (in the best of ways).

Real life Diane after finishing The Battle Drum: “NOOOOO WHAT STOP. NO. WHAT. UUUAGGG.”

There is a scene involving storytelling that piqued my interest. The reader was introduced to the concept of “waxing fables”. In essence, this is a story that is told orally, but there is a little bit more added to it each time it’s told. While it may seem this is an ineffective way to communicate, there’s an explanation that I found incredibly unique.

“Especially if everyone’s changing it each time. Because what is truth but collective belief?”

Like whoah. That’s deep.

Another example of an idea that I thought was explored really well was the concept of being a “villain”. The idea is that in battle, there is no villain. The side you choose in war is a matter of perspective. Those involved need to weigh the values that are most important to them and whether they’re worth fighting for.

“There are no villains in any battle. Only believers,” Jond admitted. “But I tally the suffering and I pick my side. I choose to fight rather than let the Ending Fire take us. I choose life over death.”

I felt the characters are a little unlikeable, but in a way that was realistic? When considering the circumstances of their environment, I’m not sure it’s possible for a character to be likeable (besides Kwame, he’s a sweet baby angel). However, there was a redemption arc that I was pleased to see. Honestly though, I did giggle at the (but they’re nice to animals!!!) trope.

The depiction of the deep struggles with addiction were not at all sugar-coated. The author showed the reader that detoxing is messy business both in the physical and mental sense.

Overall, I had a great time, and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to pick this up. I cannot wait for the final installment to this trilogy. I rated this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Wow. I enjoyed “The Battle Drum” even more than “The Final Strife”. I am extremely excited for the final installment. The story was expanded so much more and flowed so well. Strong female leads, religious cults, painnnnn and so much queer representation. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book of a trilogy, and the 1st book, The Final Strife, was without a doubt one of my favourite books from 2022. So I was waiting for this one, both with excitement but anticipation that it might suffer 2nd book syndrome. It absolutely did not suffer. Good grief, it was incredibly good. As with The Final Strife, we have different religions, history, castes (by blood, literally) and culture. Saara El-Arifi weaves through differing points of view, that as before, I found fascinating. I didn't want to leave a perspective, only to find myself immediately drawn into the new one with ease. Saara El-Arifi just knows how to foreshadow events, that you don't necessarily see until it is hitting you like a blow to the chest. In this book, I felt Hassa was the stand out character, but with Anoor and Sylah still being strong contenders. Flaws and strengths are remarkably built and left me longing for so much more. Strong characters though are only one part of it. The world building feels exquisite. It is magical and vibrant and so expansive. I felt it all. The lore was also exceptionally well poised throughout. If there was one slight niggle, and this is me being ultra picky, I felt a couple of things towards the end were perhaps a little more rushed than it deserved. But the rest is just so good, it really doesn't detract for me. It might for others though. I truly want so many others to read this book. I said in a review I did on The Final Strife, the book is exquisite as its cover. The Battle Drum is as exquisite as its cover. I can't wait to see it being unleashed to the world. You're in for one heck of a treat. Just take a deep breathe first, clear the calendar, have snacks and drinks to hand, because you're not going to want to put this down.

I had planned to read book one before getting to this one but I just never made it happen. every time I pick it up I out it down, I guess I have to be in the right mood to read it so it'll take a bit until I get to this installment.

'the final strife' is sweetly and frequently referred to as my favourite book of all time. as such, picking this one up left me apprehensive, when you love a book to the point of complete irrational thought and obsession it becomes difficult to fall to the ideology that the sequel could be anywhere near as good.

but! the battle drum was, of course, my favourite book of the year. saara el-arifi's writing style is captivating and gorgeous and her world building is so expansive and carefully layered that you fall in love at every turn.

Saara knows how to make you FEEL every emotion possible. I will never forgive her for this ending and what she did to a character that had tremendously grown on me <3 but the fact that she caused me to sob and stare at the ceiling for hours speaks in and of itself.

as well as that, this book is so twisty!!! there is so much going on!!! I'm not expecting any of it!!! but when the reveals all turn and the consequences arrive everything clicks firmly into place. it's gruesome and gentle and heartbreaking and healing and somehow somehow somehow, saara captured the magic again.

this book expands on the previous one by a large margin, offering fresh perspectives and enhancing old ones. what becomes part murder mystery, part journey, mostly political and firmly a little fucked up - Saara captures it all, every element you could need.

I'm so excited to reach the conclusion of this series and so utterly heartbroken I'll ever have to leave a book series that means so much to me behind.

also I would like to become the founding member of the rascal fanclub!! sweet angel deserves the world!! if anything happens to her in the next book I stg!!