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.

An extremely satisfying ending to an amazing trilogy--a trilogy that has entered my top 10 favorite fantasy trilogies list.

4.75 stars! So happy/sad to finally finish this series! I think it was a solid finale to the series, but something was missing, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it felt a bit rushed? I feel like if the series was 4 books that might have given more time and not had to rush but that doesn't change the fact that I loved this book, and I would recommend the series to anyone!

An exciting conclusion to the Ending Fire trilogy! Each book in this series has just gotten better and better, and I was so sad to say goodbye to these characters. Surprisingly, Jond became a favorite character in this book (mostly because of his cat). The expansion of the world that we saw in The Battle Drum really paid off in this book, as everything started coming together. The worldbuilding in this story is some of the best I've ever seen.

This was a solid series.

The world building and character arcs for each of the installements were handled really well, and give everything it needed to give. The worldbuilding is on another level. The magic system and how it is embedded into the worldbuilding is *chefs kiss*.

Now as a finale, I think there were some parts about the ending that were a bit rushed, but it doesn't really take away from how well everything else was built.

All in all, a really good series, and I hope to read more from Saara El-Arifi in the future.

Thank you to Orbit and Netgalley for an e-copy.

4 stars
Thank you netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this series and this book was really good!

I enjoyed the prepping for the War and of course the War scene. The multiple point of views were fun to read. My favorite was Sylah and Anoor.

I'm kind of hoping the author writes another series in the same world. Here is to hoping!

Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the e-arc!
The epic conclusion to the Ending Fire trilogy is finally here! This series is such an amazing read and I have been wanting to know how this is going to end since the moment I started this book. The ending fire trilogy is an adult queer fantasy series that takes inspiration from African mythology with tons of action. Avoiding all spoilers but this brings the same level of quality and enjoyment of the first two books bring. This book starts pretty close to where battle drum leaves off, and our characters are immediately plunged into the chaos.
Overall, I was really satisfied with the ending, and if you are looking for an amazing fantasy series, then you should 110% be checking this series out.

What an ENDING! Justified use of the word Epic.
Sylah - though she must find Anoor, she works for the rebellion
Jond - pushing hard to work with Kara and gather an army
Anoor - so lost
Hassa - she is my favorite character; strength and passion
Tragedy and hope coming together. Love this series!