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.

It's been over a year since I read the second book, and sadly I did not have time to reread the first two books. As a result, I think my reading of this book probably suffered a little bit as I tried to figure out who everyone was and where they were. That said, I listened along to the book, and the narration was perfect and I eventually found myself drawn back into the world. After finishing this, I definitely want to go back and listen to the whole thing. It's possible my rating on this book will change, but for now, it's a strong four stars.

In terms of the story, I was hoping that Sylah and Anoor would reunite sooner than they did, but that was just because I felt they belonged together. In reality, I thought the author did a great job developing the characters of not just the major characters, Sylah, Anoor, Jond, and Hassa, but we got to know some other secondary characters very well, especially Yona and Kara.

In terms of romance, I obviously loved Sylah and Anoor each thinking the other was dead or lost and yet holding out hope. But Jond's slow realization of his own love story made me laugh with glee, even as the pieces started to fall into place and realized what an idiot he was, lol! And not a romance, but definitely love, Hassa's story moved me greatly.

After finishing this, I absolutely want to go back and reread the entire series, probably sooner rather than later.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

In The Ending Fire, the final book of the trilogy, we follow each of the characters as they embark on different quests to save their world in the way they believe it needs to be saved.

I enjoyed Anoor's story in this book, though she was frustrating at times, but it was part of the larger story of showing what happens when people believe so deeply and wholeheartedly in a cause. I thought Saara did a good job of depicting how someone can sink deep into a group's beliefs.

I was not a fan of Jond's story arc for most of the book. I was hoping his character would gain some depth but he was reduced to a whining, pining mess for much of the book. Sylah wasn't much better. Though they both made up for it towards the end of the book.

I was excited to read more from Hassa's point of view, and I would've liked this book to center more around her instead of centering a lot on what Hassa did for others.

Some of the new characters and side stories were way too obvious and too easy to figure out, in terms of who the characters were or what was going to happen, though there were still some elements that were surprising.

I enjoyed the fast pace in the last part of the book, and enjoyed all the points of view, especially from the minor characters.

I really liked the way the book ended in the epilogue. I won't say much more so I won't ruin it.

Overall, somewhat satisfying end to the series, though the book lagged at times.

I've found writing this review really difficult. 'The Final Strife' is my favorite book of all time and I refer to it that way frequently and always. 'The battle drum' highly followed in my expectations - with its expansive worldbuilding, plot twists and exceptional emotive ability and character growth. But, 'The Ending Fire' as an ending to my favorite series, fell sadly a little flat.

For the first half of this book I was certain it'd become a new favourite but then we reached the main battle scene. Which was spaced out into so many different short chaptered POV's. It was a nice way to close off as many storylines as possible but it felt like the reader was dragged behind trying to find their footing. Our central cast had so little time together, their actions barely reflected their attitudes in previous books and mostly: this ending didn't feel worth it for all the pain and suffering that lead up to this point. It was half open and half sad and had so little answers which I'm sure was a personal choice for the author but one I hated - I think after over 1500 pages, these characters deserved more hope, more time together and more answers. And as a reader, I think we deserved more closure.

But despite my disappointment, this book was still phenomenally written and phenomenally told, it was less twisty than the others but still had some really interesting scenarios. The many POV'd ending was one I'd not seen before which was certainly interesting even if it might have lead to the rushed conclusion. And this series will forever be the one I point to when people ask for books with exceptional worldbuilding.

The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi is the last book in a trilogy and it was 100% worth the wait. Syla is a fantastic protagonist, the prose is beautiful, the world-building is expertly crafted, and the ending left me near breathless. Fantastic!

Thank you to Del Rey and the author for the review copy. My opinions are my own.

This was a fantastic conclusion to the Ending Fire Trilogy. I loved the growth that Anoor, Sylah, Hassa, and Jond go through to get to the end. This is the Ending Fire that everything has been building up to through the first 2 books. I loved the full circle that they went through and the parallels that showed up from the first introduction to the characters.

The story touches on the inherent racism based on blood and looks at what happens with fanatical devotion with out looking at the bigger picture.

Highly recommend the entire series.

This was a deeply satisfying conclusion to the trilogy. We are given a chance to see how characters react to each other's choices from the previous books and how it shapes relationships moving forward. The reader is able to feel connected to past books. The characters remain consistent and well-developed. The way plot lines have been weaved over the three books come together nicely. A larger picture for readers to enjoy is created. The actions from characters throughout the books are explained. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Love the cover! I now have all 3 books in my library! Cant wait for more from this author. Run to get this series!

4.25 stars rounded up!

This was an impressive and beautifully written finale to an equally impressive and fantastic fantasy trilogy. The Ending Fire gave us a lot of character development and a truly satisfying conclusion to this epic story, expanding on all fronts: the intricate world-building and magic system, the magical creatures, the political landscape and religions, and the character relationships.

The Ending Fire focuses on Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa. Anoor is prophesied to be the savior of Zalaam and bring the Ending Fire, but her new allies/disciples aren't who they seem. Sylah has returned and reunited with Hassa, who informs Sylah that the Zalaam are bringing war. Sylah cannot see past her love for Anoor, while Hassa is desperate for Sylah to think not just of her love but of the rebellion as a whole.

The story did start out a bit slow, but it did lead us to faster-paced second half, full of action and plot development. There were a few predictable moments, but overall it was very strong, with consistently high stakes. I really enjoyed the romantic angst between Sylah and Anoor. I'm a sucker for sapphic angst and yearning, and Saara El-Arifi brought a genuine sweetness and tenderness to this relationship that tugged on my heartstrings. Each character arc was also handled with great care.

However, the ending felt a bit rushed and didn't leave me feeling fully satisfied as I'd hoped - almost like it should have been four books long rather than trilogies? I know the publishing industry has really been pushing for trilogies these days, but each series has its own requirements.

In any case, I really really enjoyed this hugely unique series, and I can't wait to read what Saara El-Arifi puts out next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Saara El-Arifi for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.