"There are no villains in any battle. Only believers... But I tally the suffering and I pick my side. I choose to fight... I choose life over death."

So I ~knew~ The Battle Drum was going to take us far beyond the one island we'd known in The Final Strife, but it was something else altogether to see it for myself. Proceed knowing there are spoilers for the first book if you haven't read it yet.

Not only do we follow Sylah, the Ghosting elders, and Jond on an aquatic journey past the Tannin and onward to those who may know how to stop the Tidewind, but we also get background about what the hell was going on with Loot in the first book through a new POV character, Nayeli. Nayeli lives in yet another land that will be new to readers, the Volcane Islands. Her story is a harsh one, in some ways dictated by a cult that demands pain and sacrifice for their God. Nayeli is the most promising crafter at the Foundry, but the prophecy that guides her people demands that everyone have children. The ambitious and workaholic Nayeli is aroace, but she finds herself landed with an abusive husband and constant pressure to produce a child. It's hard to watch, needless to say.

But don't worry if you yearn for familiar things. Anoor and Hassa remain in Nar-Ruta. Anoor's planned sweeping legislative changes are stymied when she's framed for murder. She gets to embody her favorite fictional detective to work out what really happened, but it's a lot less fun when her life is on the line. Hassa's spying now encompasses what the Elders need to know and what could help Anoor. She starts teaching Anoor and her associates the Ghosting sign language, investigates why people are being murdered in a very particular way and left for the Tidewind to cover the evidence, and gets a sidebar romance, as well, so it's safe to say that she's extremely busy.

This is a TOUGH book. The emotions are everywhere for the characters and for the reader. There's something about watching them living during apocalypse that hits in a very particular and bad way given the state of the real world. Then there are the violence and horrors of living in an empire to finish the job. Our characters are not at their best here, and can we blame them? One good turn doesn't mean we can count on a lifetime of joy and good times. There's still the grind of evil to contend with as well the lesser but just as impactful struggles of being a human. There's survival and there's love that doesn't always run pure. There's devotion to a cause and a yearning for purpose, even if it runs counter to someone else's. It's a complete mess, in other words. This book has suffering and it has tragedy. I am deeply afraid of what will happen in the third and final book, but I care too much not to find out. The series is just that good. Thanks to Del Rey for my copy to read and review!

Every character in this book frustrated me more often than not, but that’s the hallmark of a good believable story right?

For me, this sequel absolutely shines in its character work, and I thought it was very exciting to see Sylah, Hassa and Anoor all go off on their own personal journeys. These three ladies all absolutely have my heart, not because they are so perfect and loveable, but exactly because they are so relatable in their deep flaws and human messiness. And the entire cast of side characters also just pops off the page with personality, offering plenty of characters who you can love, hate, love to hate or hate to love. At times I didn’t know if I wanted to hug, strangle, shake or slap them all (okay maybe except for Jond, who gets his own POV here; he definitely deserved to be slapped), but that is exactly why they feel like real people to me and why I am so invested.

The second book in the Ending Fire Trilogy, Saara El-Arifi delivers again. This is a satisfying follow up to The Final Strife. It deepens the reader’s understanding of the characters all while forcing each of them to confront the realities of both themselves and their world. You won’t want to put this one down.

3.75

I think this is a really strong sequel and a really fascinating world that Saara El-Arifi has created. I love that this sequel expands out on the world and the connections that were being made, and the lore is really interesting and makes me want to immediately pick up the finale. I love the addition of the new points of view, and I liked that we got to see more of Hassa. Also, bonus points for having a recap of the first book at the start of this one and for writing it in a way that made sense to the world.

That being said, I struggled through the middle of this book. As a whole, I think the pacing is really uneven. When it’s interesting, it’s really interesting but in the slow periods I struggle to stay focused and take care about what’s happening. I think if you struggled through the first book, this is still worth picking up because of the way it expands the world, but some of the issues I had that first book still exist here.

I am so in love with this series. I love the secrets and mystery and all of it. The way El-Arifi writes and world builds is just phenomenal. And I cannot get enough of her works. The ending made me cry. The pacing of this entire series has been perfect so far and I cannot wait to see how this wraps up in the final book

El-Arifi took a book I enjoyed and ratcheted it up to a series I'm obsessed with. The first book was a straightforward battle book - setting the scene. This book led us through new worlds, new issues, and new politics that I was not expecting. I loved the way El-Arifi looks at privilege and how it can harm those around you and limit your worldview even when you think that you're being helpful. It shows the limits of people and how they need to call themselves on the carpet or how their own trauma can lead them to using their privilege to harm others that they care about. Moreso, El-Arifi does a stunning job at looking at self-loathing and the dynamic it has with addiction.

Small spoilers:

Sylah is not recovered from her self-sabotaging and harm because she is currently refraining from drug use. She's in recovery. She is still complex. She is still needing to do the work. I was stunned at how well El-Arifi looked at a character like this.

I can't wait to read more.

This is the second book in the Ending Fire Trilogy. The Final Strife is one of my favorite books so I couldn't wait to go back to this world. It took me a bit to get into because it goes back in time but that was necessary for the story. It was another great novel and I can't wait to read the conclusion when book three comes out.

Beautiful cover! I now have all 3 books. I had to add it to my library. Looking forward to more from this author.

I could not read this book fast enough.
Sylah, Noor, Jood, Hassa, the Elders - their adventures, strained relationships. And of course The Wife.
El-Arifi casts a spell and holds me in their grasp.
So many great themes - race, gender is just a thing as is sexuality, complexity of family/found family, the parting of Sylah and Noor continues to break my heart as they continue their path.

This book picks up where we left off in The Final Strife and takes off from there. The pacing of book one was very fast; whereas in The Battle Drum, the pacing slowed down significantly. On one hand I can understand the point of the change because it allowed us to see the characters develop, but at the same time I felt it was too slow at times. I was very invested in the characters and thought the character work was amazing. They are dynamic and messy and are flawed yet have strength. A new point of view was introduced, and I really enjoyed that addition.

I also love that El-Arifi made this a queer-normative world. It made my heart so happy. There are so many revelations about the magic system and world. However, I am so impressed by the depth of the lore, history, and magic of this world. It takes skill to interweave this into the plot so effortlessly. The plot twists did keep me on the edge of my seat and kept me wanting to read more. Most of them were phenomenal, but I did find some to be predictable.

There are some content warnings for this book. El-Arifi does not shy away from darker content. There is a scene towards the end of the book that will stay with me for a long time because it was so horrific and emotionally charged. It made the read very impactful. (CW: violence, torture, abuse, grief, addiction, religious bigotry, rape)

Objectively I think this is a very solid sequel. I was in a bit of a fantasy slump when I read this, so I think I would have enjoyed it more if I read it at a different time. I feel like the beginning and end were the best parts of the book and the middle dragged a a bit much for my personal taste. That being said, I did have a good time with this one, and I absolutely cannot wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy!

This is a fantastic fantasy series, and I highly recommend it! It deserves more love!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

FINALLY getting to this book after a year!! It was definitely a slow start, which kept me from getting into it for a while, but once i was in it was great! I liked the inclusion of more side characters, but Anoor did start to piss me off about halfway through when she just kept accusing everyone except the most obvious person!! like she reads these mysteries, how did she not get it?? Sylah was definitely my favorite because we got to explore the really cool new world! Super excited for book 3!!

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi is a gripping and challenging read that will captivate fans of fantasy and LGBTQIA+ fiction, particularly those who enjoy stories that explore themes of colonialism, revolution, and self-discovery, and are looking for a fascinating and immersive tale of adventure, mystery, and empowerment.

Well, this was amazing. I was hanging to every word, truly such a good sequel. I saw absolutely no twist coming and I loved getting to know the main characters and seeing them evolve through this installment.
I really enjoyed all the points of view, the ones from book 1 but also the new ones. I just wanted more and more.
I felt all the feelings and I truly cannot wait for book 3 which I'll be starting very soon cause the end of this one was very mean.

In the second book of Saara El-Arifi’s fantasy series, Anoor faces a murder accusation while managing her role as ruler. Sylah navigates magical threats on a voyage with her ex-lover, and Ghosting investigates mysterious deaths in the castle. Though the strong female leads and rich mythology shine, the story feels like a bridge between the powerful first book and the anticipated finale.

Absolute perfection. A great sequel to one of my favorite books from last year. Literally all the stars. I loved being back in this world as we continue our journey. Impeccable world building and character development. Highly recommend this series and I need more immediately. Love and more love

A fantastic sequel to one of my favorite fantasy books! My only qualm is that the middle of the book seemed to drag a bit, but my love for the characters helped me soldier on.

Great sequel in The Ending Fire trilogy!

I feel Saara El - Arifi did a great job with book 2 keeping the story moving along and improving on her first books themes and plot.

Cannot wait until the next book!

4 stars
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ARC.

Wow. I really enjoyed this sequel. It had been a while since I read the first so I was kind of nervous that I wouldn't be able to get back in that world. I had no issues getting right back in there.

I loved all the characters and their development in this book. The world is also fun to read about.

There were so many twists and turns that I felt like I was getting whiplash (in a good way)! I wasn't expecting some of them so I was shocked!

I can't wait for the final book to be released in August!

That godsforsaken ending!!! El-Arifi really likes those intense cliffhangers goshdarnit!

This book picks up pretty soon after the events of The Final Strife and is high intensity from go. Once I got into it, I found it impossible to put down and kept waiting for each reveal because oh my gosh! So many things are making sense and so many things are in motion and GOSH! I don’t have words just screams because I love this book, this world, and cannot wait for the finale! I cannot believe some of the choices made and my heart hurts, but I cannot wait to see how this is going to wrap up, especially as I feel like things aren’t as some believe them to be. Just, ahhhhhh!!!!!!