The conclusion to the Ending Fire Trilogy picks up right where we left off in book two, with Anoor grappling with her newfound identity, Sylah hoping to reunite with Anoor, Jond recovering from his life choices and learning who he is without Sylah, and Hassa just trying to get by in the Warden Empire. With point of view chapters from all four characters, the world sprawls out farther than we've been before in new and interesting ways. We get to see more of the Zalaam's power, more territories on the mainland, and more ways people in the Warden Empire fight back against oppression.

In the biggest plot twist that I certainly didn't see coming, I found Jond's POV chapters to be the most interesting. I liked Kara's character and plot line and was excited to watch them interact as they traveled across more of the mainland to recruit allies for their part in the war. Hassa's chapters were also equally engaging, and I found even the early parts of her story to be redemptive and enjoyable--she certainly deserved much of what she got in this book after two books of being subjugated to awful treatment and experiences. At the end of this book, I felt like all of the loose ends got tied up and I felt mostly satisfied with where we'd be leaving the characters. There were a few character plot lines that I thought got tied up too tidily, and in the moral dilemma I always face, I wasn't so sure I found the casualty list to be that believable after a war of that scale. While the actual Ending Fire war takes place over the last 25% of the book, it felt much shorter than that and I felt like there was something missing from it that made it less tense and suspenseful. The closest I can put my finger is the shifting POV chapters--rather than focusing solely on the four main characters we've been reading for the earlier parts of the novel, El-Arifi adds a bunch more voices from side characters and even Rascal, the wild cat that Jond finds! I think I would have enjoyed more POV chapters from the main characters and more development of Anoor's final plot moments.

Overall I enjoyed this series immensely and look forward to reading anything else this author publishes in the future!

4 stars.

This was a solid conclusion to the Ending Fire trilogy. Let's start with the good: the way things concluded in this novel were exciting, made sense, and were ultimately satisfying. That being said, I do kind of wish the ending had been a little less neat as there were some poignant moments that ultimately felt a little undermined. That mixed with how particularly Anoor's plot line developed just left this not as amazing as The Battle Drum. This is still a fantastic trilogy and I would highly recommend people give it a go. A unique blood-based magic system, tropes that get turned on their head, and the bonkers reveals (particularly in book 2) all made this one of the best new fantasy trilogies I have read in recent years.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a review copy via NetGalley.

I have been so honored to be allowed to enter the world of this author & her surgical ability to dissect the wrongs in the world with this incredible trilogy. I have been blessed to continue walking the path of these characters on to the third book in perspectives I can really feel. IMO this book is a must read.
Set in a world of a rigidly structured caste system created by the least worthy of its inhabitants with a lie based on both birth & blood color. The very colonizers stole all of their science from the very people they persecuted, enslaved & mutilated. Cutting out the tongues & cutting off the hands of the Ghostlings of the clear blood at birth so they couldn't speak or work in their full capacity.
The griot are the storytellers that play the drum & give evidence of what has passed before them to now. It can get them murdered & has with so much truth the overseers don't like so told in riddles most times. Just enough to maybe live another day to teach.
8 different blood colors ran of the peoples in 8 boats that crossed the sea to then enslave the clear bloods for their land & knowledge. The Ember red & now rulers, the Duster blue now workers the only two of the boats that survived until a couple yellow bloods have surfaced. Yellows have their agendas in these stories both a king of criminals, Ananzi who came over accidentally & became a Crime warden or in control of all crimes and Yoni, his sister a warden of law her house. They are Zalaam, She who had come over the seas young to marry into the Embers & find the Child of Prophesy & Fire. Chosen is her granddaughter, but not by blood. Noor, of the blue blood, who was left in another childs place with a warden. The wardens child that by name became one of the Stolen, to be trained to fight the regime. The regime which in turn tried to track down the babies throughout their existence & murder them all. Now Yona has taken Noor off with the disciples group & their vile vials of blue duster marrow sucked from unwilling victims for the worst sort of blood magic. These are used for strongest magic to fight against the wardens & destroy them in war. Sylah, one of the Stolen reds came back in town trying to find her lover Noor of the Blue blood. Syla finds Hassa instead. The ghosting & lover to Sylahs fellow stolen Kwame & tells her all she knows including of Kwames fate of being ripped apart on the rack by wardens. Hassa is further crushed with the news. The Zaleem are bent on total destruction & others are trying to stop them from level of fanaticism & not be persecuted more.
This is the book of finalization of the trilogy. It isn't just tying ends together but of many new things & fleshing out characters & relationships, but it never ends. One end brings another beginning for something. The issue of a ruling caste abusing its power in this case the Embers of the red blood when multi bloods had fled their shores in search of freedom landing & learning from the Ghoslings of the clear blood then enslaving them into the lowest cast & silencing them by cutting out their tongues & keeping them from their own bloodwerk by cutting off their hands is a good example of societies downfall philosophies. So we need to look at the real goals behind the scenes.
It is a good modern multifaceted & encompassing smorgasbord for thought told in a tribal manner with and especially for peoples that can relate to the under hierarchies it shows & makes you feel. I'm not gonna spoilt it for you but say, it had things in it that even made me cry for people & animals alike then I'm getting on my high horse, or emu in this case. I feel emus only lose their dino torch to caraways that are the most dangerous, vicious birds in existence.
Politically you see it now, you saw it hard in 2015 but started when reagan got in & then went flying wild with bogus third parties literally being financed by gop hardliners like Nadar & Stein & even Bernie. The DSA [that I equate with the Zaleem with same goals], sounding altruistic while expecting to rule in the same heavy handed way as their original idols the Bolsheviks] has many decent ppl that are/were serious about social equality & change with a better society & social justice, but the talking head propagandists still shovel shit & have hard edged forced parameters. They're are still tone deaf elitists serving bad koolaid for the masses. Their mo literally came down to watching & aiding things getting more oppressed & worse for people as a whole to use that to make others rise up, using them as their fodder while so much was destroyed. Then they would put on their designer protest clothes to mouth off to authorities because at worse they would be arrested with daddies lawyers card in their back pocket so out before sun moved a turn. Luckily people were able to see clearer the next round but the losses were astronomical for Indigenous, Blacks, any other minority or religion other than mainstream.
The Bolsheviks with Lenin in lead stole & bastardized Marx teaching that were naive & easily used by wannabe dictators & the elite to throw off the monarchy to take its place. Hitler was tight with Stalin & took a lot of ideas of fascism from Russa for his own but flipped it to uber psycho racist dictatorship as did other countries grasped at nationalism at that time. He was the most well known Christofascist. All the little countries biggest legitimate fear was to be invaded by Russa except Germany, then they were afraid of Germany too.

I am absolutely obsessed with the first two books in this series, so when I got an ARC for this one I was beyond excited! I reread the first two books in preparation for it and on second read they both were still incredible!

I will say that out of three in the series this is my least favorite, but it was still fantastic! It definitely had the epic, final, everything coming to a head, vibe that I was looking for and expecting going in.

I loved getting to see more of this incredible world that the author has created. She also did a fantastic job of answering all the questions that had been set up in previous books.

One of my favorite parts of this book was getting to see new sides to characters that we’ve been following for so long. As well as seeing new relationships develop which gave us so much new insight into the characters.

I was debating going between 4 and 5 stars for this book mainly because I felt that the last 3rd of the book felt very different from the first 2/3rds. It felt almost like a different book, but I can understand why the author chose to write it in that way. I decided to rate it 5 stars because overall it was exciting, incredibly captivating, and I couldn’t put it down.

I would 100% recommend that anyone who loves fantasy read this series. It has easily jumped into my top 3 favorite series and I just want everyone to read and enjoy it!

I received a a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.

Such a satisfying ending (heh see what I did there😏) to this fantastic trilogy. It wrapped everything up so nicely and I even this Anoor redeemed herself in the end.

Jonds POV was actually a favourite for me in this book which surprised me but his character development was top notch. Also rascal is too cute!😫

As always Hassa has my heart as well and I will miss her!

The cover for this book is absolutely gorgeous and captures Hassa perfectly.

I really liked this trilogy, but I think the last book is my least favorite (4 stars vs 4.5/5). That said, I still really enjoyed myself and would reread this entire trilogy again!

The characters were my favorite part. They’re all complex and flawed and interesting. I grew to care about characters I used to hate (Jond) and started to get irritated by characters I used to adore (Anoor).

By the end I was rooting for the entire main cast and had a pit in my stomach because I was so stressed!!

I loved seeing how the different characters grew and changed through this trilogy, but something about this finale left me feeling… unfulfilled?

My biggest gripe is that in the last section of the book (the climax!!) we get a lot of one off POVs from side characters we met through the series… this was so frustrating to me. There’s SO much happening and we spend so many chapters away from our main cast!! I just kept going “okay please let’s get back to it.” I understand the utility of putting these POVs in and I feel like it did add to the story, but the way it’s executed is clunky… especially considering this isn’t how the rest of the trilogy was written!!

Overall I love this series. The worldbuilding was excellent and unique, the plot was entertaining, and the characters were brilliant. I’m not entirely satisfied by the ending, but sometimes that’s life!

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.