I had just finished THE BATTLE DRUM and so happy I had this ARC available to pick up immediately. This series needs to be talked about way more. I would never have guessed from the first book we'd have ended up where we were with THE ENDING FIRE but it was so immaculately done that it always made sense. How the world grew, how the character list grew, how the information we, the readers, and the characters grew and changed. THIS is what fantasy series are all about.

One thing I especially appreciate about this series and Saara El-Arifi's writing is creating very flawed, generally unlikeable main characters that we are somehow still invested in. Sylah is the "lead" of this series (although by THE ENDING FIRE it feels much more of an ensemble cast) and she is such an idiot. She is stubborn and gruff and rude. But she has still grown and learned from her mistakes (but still makes them! Because HUMANS!) And every second of it I was rooting for her, I loved that little asshole.

On top of Sylah, we have characters that I HATED or were positioned as generally "antagonist" characters that grew to be one of my favorites by the end. For a plot-driven series, the character writing was just exquisite because they carried so much of the emotion and engagement for the readers. And I KNOW that Saara KNEW that based on the final part of this book giving us glimpses of all the different POVs from these side characters - and just grinding my heart up in the process.

THE ENDING FIRE was also just non-stop action. We had two books to set up this truly epic finale for Dusters, Ghostings, Wardens Army, the Blood Forged. There are just so many big moments we had been waiting for that this book GIVES. I never wanted to put it down but I also didn't want it to end. It was such a lovely, bittersweet ending but I couldn't have hoped for it to be any other way.

A good conclusion to the sandstorm story. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it before its release. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Ending Fire picks up right where The Battle Drum left off. I love that we get a quick refresher of what happened in the last book right at the beginning. Summaries should absolutely become a normal thing in series, especially those that are published over a span of years. The way it was handled here as a griot tale was the perfect way to incorporate it.

This is a solid conclusion to the series. Probably my biggest critique is that the chapters are short, and we don't stay with a single POV for more than one chapter. The constant shifting was a bit jarring and I never felt truly settled in the story. Characters are what I really gravitate towards and connect with most, but I felt distant from them. For me the disconnect came from the continuous POV jumps and the pure amount of plot that had to happen to get the story to the climatic final battle. There were parts that I felt needed more space to breathe to get the depth and impact they deserved.

Anoor should have had an incredibly compelling storyline, but hers was the one I actually looked forward to the least. It felt very expected, easy, and obvious. I enjoyed the other three main pov quite a bit more. Jond getting to exist and grow outside of Sylah's shadow was a breath of fresh air. A definite bonus to his storyline was being able to explore a few more parts of the world. Given where he started, it’s crazy that he ends up giving dangerous, dense as a rock, lowkey soft boy vibes and I'm not even mad about it. Sylah's character arc throughout the series felt most complete and well crafted. It felt the most natural and I believed it the most. Hassa finally had the chance to shine that I've been waiting for. She has always been an integral piece, but in the first two books she felt more like a supporting role providing important connections and details. Here it felt more like she was driving her own story.

The final battle was a bit of a miss for me. The additional POVs were unexpected. The new perspectives worked for being able to flit around to catch the action, but I also felt like it further emotionally removed me from our main characters and I think part of that was we just didn't spend all the time in the trenches with them.

Despite what it may sound like, I did really enjoy this and recommend the series! I was a little underwhelmed by the conclusion, which tainted my overall impression. Personally, I found the other two books to be stronger but did very much like the series as a whole!

3.5 stars, but I can't give a half star.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC! I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fantastic end to the trilogy. I loved seeing this world and final conflict from all the characters" view points, it greatly enhanced the character development . The multiple POVs really brought depth to the characters and the reader was able to understand all the internal struggles and motivations. The author wrote a well thought out and complete ending to this epic fantasy.

The groundbreaking ending to this trilogy. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and loved every second of it.

It’s so hard to end a trilogy in a way that feels like closing the story in a thematically complete way, and yet The Ending Fire pulls it off perfectly. Mostly told through the multi-POVs of our main characters - Hassa, Jond, Anoor, and Sylah - we follow their separate journeys as they have to prepare for a war where they will all meet on the battlefield. Perhaps as allies, perhaps not.

The romances done in this book felt real and genuine, and honestly I was surprised by how much I liked Jond in this book as compared to the other two. I liked him! I didn’t want him to die during the battle! His chapters didn’t annoy me! It takes a skilled writer to take a character who I didn’t like during the first two books and allow him to grow as a person until I enjoyed watching his journey throughout this novel.

Also, I really enjoyed how the last section of this book was written for the battle. I won’t spoil it, but it really brought the big picture into a much smaller window to get a glimpse of everything going on during all the chaos. So often I see authors struggle with battles and wars and they get lost in too big of a picture, losing the impact of anything that happens. That does not happen here, and while it was written in a decidedly different way than the rest of the book, I felt it really added the personal perspective to everything going on and made the battle feel like it was going just as quickly to us (the reader) as it was to the characters, without losing any of the impact.

Overall, if you fell in love with this story and these characters during The Final Strife and The Battle Drum, you will love how this trilogy ends and feel complete by the last page. It’s so hard to wrap up a story as completely as Saara El-Arifi does here, but so often throughout this book I was connecting story threads from both the first and second book to see them finalized here in the third. I don’t believe that there was one thing left unfulfilled with either character or plot threads that were woven throughout this trilogy by the end, and I will be holding this trilogy in a special place in my heart for years to come.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The 3rd novel did the classic approach to finishing a series by having all the characters split up for 80% of the book. Being a bit of a Jond hater and having him away from Sylah actually made me like him a little. He’s a good person when he isn’t obsessing over Sylah. I liked that Hassa got a good amount of focus and had a storyline outside of her friendship with Sylah.
Anoor’s storyline was of no shock because of her upbringing. I was hoping for something unexpected from her. I won’t spoil it so I’ll be broad when I say I wanted her to reveal that she knew all along and has been doing things behind the scenes to flip the situation.
I wasn’t a fan of the fighting happening at the very end of the story. Going into the novel I thought there would be more fight scenes and sooner so this was lackluster. What saved me from being bc completely bored were the additional characters. I enjoyed getting to know their personalities and the ways in which they interacted with our main cast.
Overall, I thought the 1st book was great and the two others were ok.

The Ending Fire concludes Saara El-Arifi’s wonderful trilogy of the same name. It brings all the exciting plotlines together to immerse the reader in a conclusion like no other. There is suspense, deceit, sacrifice, love, friendship, and all the other emotional connections Ms. El-Arifi’s readers have come to expect from her books. I was also surprised how many new characters, relationships, and even locations, were able to be introduced successfully in a final installment, showing Ms. El-Arifi’s ability to fit in with the great fantasy world builders of the last 50+ years. No past character or place goes untouched either, so the reader is not left wondering what happened to their favorites when the dust settles. I will say I did not find myself a huge fan of the format used in last chapters, moving around each main character’s POV, as it seemed to fragmented for my taste. However, that is just a personal preference and not a reflection on the writing itself. All in all, I would highly, highly recommend this series to fantasy readers and am looking forward to the next installment of Ms. El-Arifi’s Faebound trilogy, as well as anything else she writes in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this book.

This was the best finale to a fantasy series I have read in a really long time. The pacing was exceptional. The character development blew me away. These characters will forever have a special place in my heart. Thank you so much to Random House and Saara El-Arifi for letting me read the ARC.

The stage is set for a cataclysmic showdown in the final installment of Saara El-Arifi's Ending Fire trilogy. With the Wardens' Empire teetering on the brink of collapse, the author promises a high-stakes conclusion filled with political intrigue, heart-wrenching choices, and epic battles.

The return of beloved characters like Sylah, Hassa, and Jond, alongside the introduction of new threats, ensures a complex and dynamic narrative. The promise of a clash between the Wardens and the rising rebellion, coupled with the looming presence of the Zalaam and their powerful new leader, Anoor, creates a thrilling tapestry of conflict.

As the world is engulfed in flames, both literal and figurative, readers can anticipate a satisfying conclusion to this ambitious series. El-Arifi's skillful world-building and rich character development, combined with the promise of epic battles and shocking twists, make The Ending Fire a highly anticipated finale.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a STUNNING conclusion to the series, the entire thing was so action packed I didn't want it to end. A more formal review will be available on my Goodreads.

I love Saara El-Arifi's writing, and I LOVE this world she has created. This finale was so fast-paced in the best way. I'm always sad to finish a series like this but I am glad to be getting closure on this story. I hope to revisit these characters and this world again!

I loved this, what a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy! I am really sad to say goodbye. Every single book from this series was great and I was never disappointed. I really love Saara's writing style. I cannot wait for Cursebound and I am really excited to see what else she releases in the future.

A suspenseful finale to a great trilogy. I'm actually sad to see these characters go. One of the more perfect series I've experienced.

At first, the amount of POVs was very distracting, I couldn't concentrate and remember how the story ended in the previous book. There were three different places and a lot of important things were happening at the same time. But from the first quarter of the book on, I got used to it and it became entertaining.

I liked how the religious manipulation was worked out.

I also liked being able to see the war through other perspectives. We got to savor every little part of the battle. We saw a lot of people die, even those we didn't know that well but we knew had been important in the revolution.
I'm not going to lie, there were two POVs in particular that threw me off.

I honestly don't know how I feel about the ending. Both the way the main relationship was handled and the ending left me with a bittersweet taste. The book itself felt like a season finale, like that last chapter where the final battle happens. I guess that was the idea and it turned out really well.

Overall I enjoyed it and each chapter left me wanting more, but I wanted more of Anoor and Sylah.

The Ending Fire picks up right where we left off in book The Battle Drum, we see our 3 main ladies go through hell and back, especially our sweet naive Anoor. I spent way too much time being annoyed with her until I figured out what was happening, and then my heart broke.

I especially loved the different POVs we get during the great battle, the characters' small back stories, and how they were handling where they were was so great. ESPECIALLY RASCAL! That was just too cute and a much needed small break from all the intense scenes.

This book could have been 100 pages longer, and I would have loved it even more. It was so good I couldn't put it down. Exactly what a third book is supposed to be. I just needed MORE and didn't want it to end.

Thank you Del Ray books and NetGalley for the eARC

This is a stunning conclusion to a stunning trilogy. It was so satisfying to watch the three original main characters from book 1 completing their arcs, though it was a gut-punch to read at times.

This is one of my favourite series of all time and I am so happy to have read the finale! I can't believe it's actually over.

All of the extra world-building and expansion from book 2 came into play here as we follow our four main POVs as each try to prepare for the upcoming war in their own way.

This book is gripping, devastating, hopeful and humorous and I already want more from this world. The characters are flawed and realistic and I routed for all of them. There were definitely a lot of times where I just wanted to shout at one of the characters and shake sense into them but their actions made sense given their personality, history and the events in the book.

The final quarter or so of this FLEW by as everything built to a dramatic climax. I was hooked! I particularly loved how in this section we were given POVs from other characters too (my favourite being the cat) which was a really nice way of seeing what was going on elsewhere in the war in locations far away from our main characters.

I will never stop recommending this series to people! I find the world so fascinating and really hope we get more from this world in future, whether that be set in the future or the past, I'd be interested in either. There is so much scope for more books, this world and its history (and I'm sure future) are vast!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this eARC to review.

This was definitely a satisfying ending to the trilogy even if I did agree with all of the choices made. I especially love the final part of the book and how she wrote it. If you've been along for the ride since The Final Strife then buckle up because you are in for wild ride!

Thanks to NetGalley & andom House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. I was so excited when I was sent this--I've loved the first two books in the series!

This finale to the trilogy doesn't disappoint. It's so clean and well written in that there's no major cliffhangers or unresolved character tension to be solved in another 8 books, it just...ends. Which is so rare for me to see with books these days, it's always a teaser for ANOTHER book and then another...and it never ends! So, thank you, Saara El-Arifi for creating a fantastic conclusion to a captivating trilogy. I wouldn't mind another book set in this fantastical world, but I'm happy that my favorite characters had their storylines wrapped up.

I'm really quite pleased with how this trilogy fared out--it never slowed down, it just kept rolling with the punches. Thing is, the punches aren't like...involving killing multiple fan favorite characters just for funsies, every character had a purpose from beginning to end. I was pleasantly surprised to root for one character who was originally a jerk in the first two and see their character progress and evolve beyond their flaws. I loved the drama with Anoor and her grandmother. I loved Sylah's persistence and stubborness. Honestly, I love all of the characters, but if I *had* to pick a favorite, it would be Hassa. She really gets to shine with her ingenuity and resourcefulness here which I love.

I won't spoil too much of the ending fight, but I really liked how Saara El-Arifi handled it. Each chapter was a POV of a different character--some we've seen before, and some new ones. I thought it was a really great way to showcase the fight from different perspectives, from enemies to allies. It felt like a very natural progression and I usually hate war/fighting chapters in books because it's just like "He hacked and slashed as the hash-slinging slasher and stabbed people." for 5 pages which gets silly after a while. Not this one--the ending fight was so compelling, I kept having to put the book down to process all the DRAMA.

Okay, last notes, I just really appreciate how hard Saara El-Arifi goes with the different commentary--especially on colonialism. I also like that it's not entirely bleak--it's hopeful. It ends on a great note and I can't wait to get my hands on the physical copy in stores later!

Brilliant trilogy!

Fantastic conclusion to the series. I especially loved the various POV’s in the last quarter of the book. I half expected everyone I love in the series to be killed, so we’re coming out on top! This is going out as one of my favorite series of all time.