i was really looking forward to this sequel as i really enjoyed the first one but this book suffered from second book syndrome a little. i did like the additional povs and the new parts of the world we got to explore but parts of this book particular around the 350 page mark dragged on quite a bit. i will definitely read the third one though

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!!!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House for this digital ARC. The thoughts expressed below are entirely my own with no outside influence.

As was demonstrated in The Final Strife, the author once again flexed their remarkable talent for weaving together this deeply layered story. The storytelling is rich with beautiful folklore, and it stands apart from other stories in the genre. There were heavy themes of colonialism, revolution, and the thin line between religion and cults.

Tension increased EXPONENTIALLY throughout the book. To say I was on the edge of my seat is not an exaggeration. Then the ending left me with the same feeling I had when I walked out of the premiere of Avengers: Infinity War (in the best of ways).

Real life Diane after finishing The Battle Drum: “NOOOOO WHAT STOP. NO. WHAT. UUUAGGG.”

There is a scene involving storytelling that piqued my interest. The reader was introduced to the concept of “waxing fables”. In essence, this is a story that is told orally, but there is a little bit more added to it each time it’s told. While it may seem this is an ineffective way to communicate, there’s an explanation that I found incredibly unique.

“Especially if everyone’s changing it each time. Because what is truth but collective belief?”

Like whoah. That’s deep.

Another example of an idea that I thought was explored really well was the concept of being a “villain”. The idea is that in battle, there is no villain. The side you choose in war is a matter of perspective. Those involved need to weigh the values that are most important to them and whether they’re worth fighting for.

“There are no villains in any battle. Only believers,” Jond admitted. “But I tally the suffering and I pick my side. I choose to fight rather than let the Ending Fire take us. I choose life over death.”

I felt the characters are a little unlikeable, but in a way that was realistic? When considering the circumstances of their environment, I’m not sure it’s possible for a character to be likeable (besides Kwame, he’s a sweet baby angel). However, there was a redemption arc that I was pleased to see. Honestly though, I did giggle at the (but they’re nice to animals!!!) trope.

The depiction of the deep struggles with addiction were not at all sugar-coated. The author showed the reader that detoxing is messy business both in the physical and mental sense.

Overall, I had a great time, and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to pick this up. I cannot wait for the final installment to this trilogy. I rated this 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Wow. I enjoyed “The Battle Drum” even more than “The Final Strife”. I am extremely excited for the final installment. The story was expanded so much more and flowed so well. Strong female leads, religious cults, painnnnn and so much queer representation. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book of a trilogy, and the 1st book, The Final Strife, was without a doubt one of my favourite books from 2022. So I was waiting for this one, both with excitement but anticipation that it might suffer 2nd book syndrome. It absolutely did not suffer. Good grief, it was incredibly good. As with The Final Strife, we have different religions, history, castes (by blood, literally) and culture. Saara El-Arifi weaves through differing points of view, that as before, I found fascinating. I didn't want to leave a perspective, only to find myself immediately drawn into the new one with ease. Saara El-Arifi just knows how to foreshadow events, that you don't necessarily see until it is hitting you like a blow to the chest. In this book, I felt Hassa was the stand out character, but with Anoor and Sylah still being strong contenders. Flaws and strengths are remarkably built and left me longing for so much more. Strong characters though are only one part of it. The world building feels exquisite. It is magical and vibrant and so expansive. I felt it all. The lore was also exceptionally well poised throughout. If there was one slight niggle, and this is me being ultra picky, I felt a couple of things towards the end were perhaps a little more rushed than it deserved. But the rest is just so good, it really doesn't detract for me. It might for others though. I truly want so many others to read this book. I said in a review I did on The Final Strife, the book is exquisite as its cover. The Battle Drum is as exquisite as its cover. I can't wait to see it being unleashed to the world. You're in for one heck of a treat. Just take a deep breathe first, clear the calendar, have snacks and drinks to hand, because you're not going to want to put this down.

I had planned to read book one before getting to this one but I just never made it happen. every time I pick it up I out it down, I guess I have to be in the right mood to read it so it'll take a bit until I get to this installment.

'the final strife' is sweetly and frequently referred to as my favourite book of all time. as such, picking this one up left me apprehensive, when you love a book to the point of complete irrational thought and obsession it becomes difficult to fall to the ideology that the sequel could be anywhere near as good.

but! the battle drum was, of course, my favourite book of the year. saara el-arifi's writing style is captivating and gorgeous and her world building is so expansive and carefully layered that you fall in love at every turn.

Saara knows how to make you FEEL every emotion possible. I will never forgive her for this ending and what she did to a character that had tremendously grown on me <3 but the fact that she caused me to sob and stare at the ceiling for hours speaks in and of itself.

as well as that, this book is so twisty!!! there is so much going on!!! I'm not expecting any of it!!! but when the reveals all turn and the consequences arrive everything clicks firmly into place. it's gruesome and gentle and heartbreaking and healing and somehow somehow somehow, saara captured the magic again.

this book expands on the previous one by a large margin, offering fresh perspectives and enhancing old ones. what becomes part murder mystery, part journey, mostly political and firmly a little fucked up - Saara captures it all, every element you could need.

I'm so excited to reach the conclusion of this series and so utterly heartbroken I'll ever have to leave a book series that means so much to me behind.

also I would like to become the founding member of the rascal fanclub!! sweet angel deserves the world!! if anything happens to her in the next book I stg!!

This is the second book in The Ending Fire Trilogy inspired by myths of Africa and Arabia, which continues Anoor, Sylah, and Hassa's stories. The three work towards uncovering the truth of the empire's past, along with providing some additional unexpected twists and turns.

Saara El-Arifi has a strong talent for world building, but this book suffered from too many POV characters spread out in too many places, and some of the pacing issues in The Final Strife only got worse in this one. It felt like Annoor's character development in book 1 was undone and her arc started from scratch, and Sylah was unconscious for the majority of this book. They are the characters I was most interested in, so I was disappointed by their lack of presence. And I guess Jond was supposed to have a "redemption" arc by "saving" Sylah in this book, but then in the end it reveals he's been lying to her the whole time? Am I supposed to feel bad for this guy?

I really do think this series still has potential to be great, but I just think it needs some heavier editing. I find it hard to believe that no one took a red pen to some of these paragraphs and said, "Cut this whole thing out and nothing will change." So many repetitive scenes!

You know when you read a book and you absolutely love it, but then after enough time has passed, you start to wonder "was it really that good?" only to pick up the sequel and go "oh, yes, yes it was that good."

The Battle Drum was that book for me. I loved the final strife so much, and was scared that maybe I built this world up a little too much in my mind. On the contrary, this was even better than I remembered/expected and Saara El-Arifi is officially an autobuy author for me.

Read this series for:
- Complex moral discussions around class, race, and more
- Sapphic yearning (LOTS of yearning)
- A queernormative world
- Fantastic plot twists
- Past-paced plot
- and more!

-----5/5 stars!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

It was nice to get back into where we left off with these characters. I really enjoyed The Final Strife, it was a wonderful debut and beginning to a trilogy that I know would be meaty and substantial. The Battle Drum was definitely meaty in the way that there were a lot of things happening. I feel like part of The Final Strife that made the book so great was the character work, and there were full character arcs that evolved. I can't really say that the characters went anywhere else in this book. Nothing wrong with plot heavy books twos because thats usually what has to happen in order to get to the third book, but I did really want a little more character work for all parties. Thats a me thing, and thats ok. The audio book was great to listen to, and I am looking forward to book three in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to TT: https://www.tiktok.com/@manda.lyn_reads/video/7279423415356820782?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7264539609161778731

I really think this one was me. I know I'm not a huge fan of sequels, and for 40% of this book I was having a good time. But the end half felt so random and unconnected, I was missing my characters being together and solving things, and the whole setting changed. I'm really hoping this is just middle book slump and book three will be so amazing, becuase I did truly love book one in this series.

Thanks to Del Rey for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

A bit too slow paced for my liking so I ended up DNFing. Hoping to return to this when I have a bit more focus.

This was an amazing sequel that truly built on the first book. The character development for all the characters was so good and the plot lines were so intriguing.

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi has one of the best endings to a book 2 I’ve read in a long time. There are new POVs and while at times I wasn’t sure of that story line, the way everything pieces together makes it more than worth it. I adore Anoor and her character growth. And Hassa continues to be my fav. If you feel the story is lulling, stick with it! The ending is worth it.

This book was a great continuation to the trilogy.
It has world building. It's action packed and unpredictable
Highly enjoyed this read.

Be sure to read Book 1 to fully grasp storyline.

I raved about Saara El-Arifi's first novel, The Final Strife. The Battle Drum is second in the series following Anoor, Sylah, Hassa, and Jond on their individual journeys toward their fates. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn't read the first book yet. If you haven't, stop here and know that book two is also good, go read them both.

At the end of The Final Strife, Sylah leaves her beloved, Anoor, for the Ghosting sanctuary on a mission to get to the fabled mainland and find assistance. Anoor has just won the trials to become warden disciple, the role Sylah was supposed to have won in order to bring revolution to the empire. Hassa, the Ghosting woman, has befriended Anoor as well and stays on in her household as a servant, her untouchable status making her nearly as invisible as her clear blood. Jond is taken prisoner by Sylah, unwillingly dragged along on her quest. So The Battle Drum begins: the core group is separated and face their own destinies, which lead to some thoroughly surprising results and more than one unexpected twists. I always appreciate a book I can't predict, and this fits the bill.

The Battle Drum does drag in places in the way sequels often do. I put it down to read other things more than once, because some of the journey and intrigues slowed the pace for me. However, the various detailed development of multiple facets in the story that occurs during the first half of the book is important for the characters during the events of the second half, and when they tie together toward the end it's a chef's kiss of brilliance.

Overall I love El-Arifi's writing style, which brings out all the emotions of the characters as they move through their universe. The unexpected tenderness of a new romance is just as effective here as the occasional brutality is, both graphic and implied, there. As the story progresses we discover hidden secrets and tragic sacrifices right along with the main group, and by the last third of the book I was back to having trouble putting it down.

The world-building in this novel is fascinating. The way magic works and how it affects daily life is well developed. The way the climate is changing to more deadly events like acid rain, tidewinds of sand that scour bodies to bone in a few hours, torrential flooding rains, and tsunamis all feel uncomfortably familiar to real life, and provide a rich backdrop for how the societies work in the different lands of this universe. The Battle Drum is a bridge of growth and transformation for all the main characters, which sets the stage expertly for book three. I can't wait to read the next installment.

The battle drum is the sequel to the final strife, three women seek the truth in the empire's past. The truth reveals leads to the power to ignite a war. Anoor is accused of a murder that she didn't commit. It's up to Anoor to clear her name and fights a political battle without Slyah. Slyah the warrior is off to fight. The men in this series play secondary. it is rare that the women making the decisions and fighting the battles. At times I felt this sequel is both very YA and Adult Sci-fi fantasy. I'm looking forward to the third book in this series.

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

Wow! This was an action packed sequel with so many areas of note. Hassa is still my favorite character and without her there would be no revolution coming for the Ghostings. I love Hassan’s strength and how she sees everything. Sylah and Jond had some crazy adventures in this book and Jond has had his redemption in this book. I really enjoy that Sylah is so jaded and she just goes to work to make things happen and she is a strong character who won’t let anything knock her down again. I am fearful for Anoor’s future as it felt like she was really being manipulated in this book and she has so much potential to be a force of change in this world. This was a great sequel and a new character was introduced who is really going to make some crazy stuff go down in the next book. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! I hope Hassa gets a happy ending because after the ending of this book she really needs it.