5 ⭐️ good lord was this a wild ride. If you liked the final strife at all just BUCKLE UP. This is one of those stories where the lore is doled out at a phenomenal pace making it a fun time to theory craft as you go. I cannot WAIT for more people to get their hands in it because it is phenomenal. There are some strong trigger warnings for this one, so if you are sensitive to those definitely look them up. I’m still just shook, Saara El-Arifi is a master at foreshadowing, all the pieces are there and whether you guess things or not, the reveals are just so good. I have literally no idea what could happen in the sequel and that is so exciting.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED this sequel! I was on the edge of my seat, trying to put together all of the puzzle pieces -- and there were MANY!

This got very dark a few times -- the body horror left me shouting out loud and getting shivers all over.

I love the world-building in this series, particularly the history and lore. I am FASCINATED with all of it and cannot wait to find out more in the next book!

As marvelous and hard to put down as the first book! I hope there will be more to this universe even after this story line ends! I feel there are so many stories to be told about the people of the different colored blood.

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi is a great science fiction and fantasy novel that is the second book in the amazing trilogy: Ending Fire.

I really enjoyed last year’s novel that was the first book in this trilogy, The Final Strife, so I was obviously excited to pick up where it left off for the follow up.

This second book did not disappoint. Excellent, strong, resilient, intelligent, imperfect yet relatable main female characters continued to draw me in. Action, suspense, drama, unveilings, mysteries, and emotions and passion are all present.

Sylah, Hassa, and Anoor are all excellent characters that are vividly drawn and are all going through many trials and tribulations within themselves, each other, and all around them. In this second book, we get to delve more into the depths of the original characters through alternative POVs, and the author also adds a few new characters as well. It will be interesting to see how these new additions will add to the richness and the complexity of the narrative. The internal and external struggles continue to be present and develop along with the intricate and addictive plot.

I love how the author continues to draw this alternative world and the characters, culture, customs, and history within it. It feels as if there is a universe steeped in history, yet feels futuristic at the same time.

I really like how things are picking up speed and am really looking forward to the final book to see how it all turns out.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Del Rey/ Random House Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/23/23.