One of the most satisfying, well-executed conclusions to a series I've read in a LONG time!


***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

What an exciting ride this series has been! It comes with a nail biter of an ending - don't expect everyone to survive in this rebellion.

Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa are the driving forces of this story, and each experiences life-changing events in this final novel. Of the three, Hassa's story resonated more with me, and I've always felt like she was the heart of the story. She suffered an incredible loss in the previous novel, but this one brings her an unexpected and very welcome surprise. She deserves every bit of happiness. Anoor surprised me with how easily she allows her belief system to be altered. I expected her to be unwavering, but her confusion makes for an interesting plot development. Sylah spends much of the story in a sort of haze as she grieved Anoor's absence. War is imminent, her friends and so many others are in danger, but she can't see beyond Anoor.

Near the end during the battle, I appreciated that the inclusion of brief chapters from supporting characters' POVs. Even Jond's cat had a say (as they always should), which was very heartwarming. It gave a broader perspective of events as they occurred rather than being limited to the primary characters' viewpoints. The ending is powerful and perfect but came sooner than I'd expected due to the extensive character list included in the final pages.

Recommended for readers who enjoy exceptionally strong character arcs, intricate world-building, and political and religious machinations.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one was unfortunately a disappointment. I struggled to want to pick it up and ultimately forced myself to finish. I loved both The Final Strife and The Battle Drum, so it was entirely surprising that my response to this book was so different. All the characters did not feel like the characters we met in the previous two books. They are also mostly separated with the loss of some of the interactions I had loved. Sylah, in particular, fully lost her brash, fierceness. In addition, it felt like really happened outside of build up for the final events of the book that didn't really move the plot forward in any meaningful ways. Ultimately, this final installment moved this series from one I loved to one I will not be picking up again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

This was a really satisfying ending to the series! I loved seeing the growth of all of the characters and watching how they all reacted to the different realizations and traumas. Sylah was by far my favorite characters, I liked seeing her grow and realize that the whole was bigger than her love and desires.

Anoor really bothered me this book. I KNOW shes supposed to be innocent and not know about the world but come on! Your LOVE was on this drug for years and you didnt realize you were being drugged? I guess thats the power of a cult, but like damn. That really really bothered me.

Overall I was kind of disappointed with the final battle as well. Having read a lot of fantasy, I was expecting a bit more... oomph I guess? It was done in a really interesting way, and I liked having all of the different points of view, but it took A WHILE

Jond also really grew on me! I enjoyed his chapters a lot and liked his relationship and his growth. Overall a satisfying finale to a book series I loved!

3.25

I have some mixed feelings about the conclusion to this series. I thought that The Final Strife was a really solid debut and I loved the way The Battle Drum opened up the world, but I'm not sure El-Arifi stuck the landing with this one. I think I mostly struggled because of the pacing. The first half of this book felt a little meandering as they set up for the "last battle" and while I appreciated structurally how that battle was written, I think some of the key moments felt a little anti-climatic and glossed over.

While this wasn't my favorite ending, I do think the trilogy as a whole is solid and would recommend it. I like the way El-Arifi tackles big themes like climate change and settler colonialism while creating a world and magic that feels fresh and exciting.

This book was a good conclusion to a series I very much enjoyed. It had a lot more fighting and battle scenes than the other books, but that's kind of to be expected in the third and final book of a series. I love the characters and the world building, and while I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the end of the book, this was a good read.

The Final Strife was my favorite book the year it came out, and then I really liked the sequel but not quite as much. The pattern is still true with this one, it was my least favorite in the trilogy but it was still pretty good. I felt like the first half ish of the book had nothing happen, and then the ending was too fast, so I wish that the pacing had been a bit more balanced. But overall I feel good about this as a finale!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

god, where do i even begin with this one. this trilogy had quickly become one of my favorite fantasies after a strong start with the final strife. and it held on with the battle drum. i was so nervous for how el-arifi was going to finish this series, since this with where we left off, this easily could have a make or break moment.

and i truly think she managed to pull it off so well. the levels of stress i had for these characters were amplified immensely going into this final book and even up to the accumulation of the final battle. at this point i really can’t say much regarding the plot without giving anything away. but what i can say is that she handled these storylines, these characters so well.

i feel like, with the way the events ended off we’re left with a sense of closure for what’s happened but i fully believe (and hope) that el-arifi has plans to go back to this world later, many years down the line. once things have settled down from the battle and the societies have been rebuilt. and i would love to see a sequel series covers that, whether with these same characters or following new stories. i really personally want to see more from this world. so i’m keeping my finger’s crossed.

as for the epilogue, i have thoughts that i want to scream into the void so so badly. anyways, if i say more i’m going to spoil this whole trilogy. so i’ll leave by saying, please go read this series!! it is an incredible world with a unique construction of blood magic at it’s core.

Shut up shut up shut up. This was an impeccable conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies that I have ever read. I wish I could go back and read the entire series for the first time all over again. El-Arifi proves to me time and time again that her writing is beautifully crafted and builds the most fantastic worlds. I will immediately buy anything she writes. As with almost all books I do feel the end seemed rushed and could have benefited from just a bit more or even lengthened into 4 books

THIS ENDING!!!! Miss El-Arifi is now an auto buy author. I am so sad this series is ending. I have been on this journey with these characters for so long and i did not want it to end. The first book of this series is still my favorite but this was a great ending.

The most disappointing series conclusion I’ve ever read (and dare I say most disappointing book I’ve EVER read?). Considering when I finished Atlas Complex and thought there’s NO WAY my heart couldn’t be shattered AGAIN in the worst way possible, this… well… it’s happened again just months later for a series I would’ve ridden at dawn for.

Full of blinding obvious plot holes, huge inconsistencies, and ridiculously easily wrapped up scenes, I can’t even imagine WHYYY HOWWW this turned out the way that it did.

If you’re coming into read this book cause you heard it was sapphic and Queernorm, note that the majority of the book is a cis hetero romance with SO MUCH cis hetero spice. And let me tell you SEA does not write good spice.

The sapphic couple who knew each other for 3 months in the previous books pretty much spent 90% of this book apart and when they reunited I could only think “go girl give us nothing.”

Honestly, the only thing this book gave me was the ending of my fire for SEA.

This was an absolutely epic conclusion to a trilogy that I just cannot get over. I will be thinking about this book and the ending till the end of time. First of all the cover of this book is absolutely stunning. There is no one else who could've raised the cover of this trilogy and had it make any kind of sense. The content within the novel was the same stellar writing and pacing as the first two books. I loved all of the representation we got with these novels and the ending was in my opinion absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to read this author's next book.

What an outstanding conclusion to this trilogy. I don't think I've read such rich fantasy series in a hot second that impacted me the way this series did, and how all the threads wrapped up together. You can tell ms el-arifi had a #plan. and she was gonna get us there.

I really enjoy the lead of hassa I’ve been waiting for her moment and the author nailed it. The world building continues even in the third book. The level of betrayal happening was so engaging, but.Anor she is the most annoying character. And I just do not understand why she continues to not grow and have brain cells to make common sense decisions and to be taken advantage of like that, so frustrating.

[ 3.5/5 stars ]

Power defined by blood is the foundation of the story - beyond the fantastical elements, El-Arifi develops the social aspects with expertise. Colonialism, politics and classism reign the narrative and as one is caught up in the spider's game, one becomes emotionally attached by the episodes of betrayals, sacrifice, love and forgiveness. When new grief feeds old grief, plenty of battles (and drum noises) sustain the story as the characters take their place in the war to come. How devotion and beliefs can drift people apart?

With lyrical prose, El-Arifi focuses on the side characters' arc, which might play with the expectation of those wanting more of the main characters. The relationships are crafted with care, real in a way that easily draws one into their complex interactions. It isn't until the end that the convergence of people/events becomes rewarding.

My issue is that there was overly romantic touch in the narrative, with characters making passionate decisions while I also yearned for further development of a particular character. This novel suffers a bit from the lack of momentum, detracting from one's full commitment to the story. For this hopeful person, I found the ending gratifying albeit rushed (although it might feel too convenient for some readers).

THE ENDING FIRE was a solid conclusion. Regardless of its flaws, I had a great time with this visionary African and Arabian-inspired fantasy series.

I’ll give this a solid 3.5 stars! I’m sad that this trilogy is complete and I’m glad I got to finish the character arcs. I just didn’t feel as connected as I did in the first two books. That could be a me problem and not a problem with the book though

i'm convinced anything written by this author is going to be outstanding the way in which they write their storytelling mixed with myth as well as like fantasy is 10 out of 10 the blood drum and the final strife were amazing and the ending fire with the perfect way to end a trilogy!
Arifii really knows how to weave a story that explores every characters back stories, as well as their journeys. I I cheered, cried for every character throughout the whole entire book.

Saraa El-Arifi never ceases to amaze me, and I am so impressed by this conclusion to the trilogy. The world surrounding the characters is fascinating, and the characters even more so. El-Arifi writes complex, morally grey POV characters who don't feel like heroes or villains, but they're never just ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations. Sylah, Anoor, Jond, and Hassa are deeply characterized and leap off the page with distinct voices and will live long beyond their adventures on these pages. My only criticism of this book is that some plotlines resolved themselves too easily off-page seemingly for the sake of convenience.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

(( 3.5 ))
Honestly, this was my least favorite book of the trilogy. I was annoyed majority of the time by the characters, which I'll say means good writing. One character had the longest chapters & I don't know why. I do think things tied up nicely. Part 5 was soooo good. I thought all the POVs would be too much but no, it gave such an introspective view.
Hassa was my favorite from Book 1 & it stayed that way the entire series. I will be buying these & recommending them!!!!


I did receive an e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley(:

Saara El-Arifi has not spent a single day of her life caring about my emotional wellbeing, and it shows. I thought that the Final Strife was objectively good, but I wasn't able to fully connect. The Battle Drum was one of my absolute favorite books of 2023. This installment really chewed me up and spit me out, and I am still trying to process that it's over.

I have so much love for this world and these characters, as flawed as they are. This finale was a rollercoaster. The final battle scenes, the multiple POVs, the chaos and the loss. El-Arifi does not pull punches or sugar coat things for her characters or for her readers (which we should all know from Kwame). The only thing that I perceived as a weakness in this last book is that there were too many good ideas and not enough time to properly explore all of them. So much was happening, and she created such a complex world so there were some things that I felt like I wanted more from. So much was happening that I disconnected a bit from Sylah and Anoor as I was trying to keep up with how fast things were moving.

Overall, I'm happy with where our characters ended up and I'm so happy that I got the chance to read this gorgeous trilogy. Would 1000% recommend.