
Member Reviews

It has taken me so long to write this review because I don't know how to write it? Gosh, I loved book one so much, I thought I had found myself a new insta-buy writer. Book two was OK; it had some interesting plot points but overall I kinda shrugged it off thinking it was middle book syndrome and that book three was going to blow my mind.
Well, it did.
Just not in the way I'd expected. The Ending Fire is honestly just so disappointing and its all Anoor's fault. I am not the hugest fan of Anoor but I also don't hate books because because I don't like a character. Anoor's story just fell short. It was rushed and nonsensical by the end. Her arc could have been SO good if there was maybe another book? For everything that happened and every decision that she made there needed more context. More than a single book--that was also trying to wrap up three other character arcs--could provide. Sylah did not bother/disappoint me as much in this book as I she did other readers. While difficult to read, she ultimately traded one addiction for another and never truly healed. Hassa was great, per usual, but was also kind of the same throughout all three books. She is a pretty amazing character though and perhaps not everyone needs to grow (or devolve) so drastically. I enjoyed Jond's story and conclusion (I also liked Jond from the beginning lol but I think I'm one of the few).
SPOILER:
I really did not want a HEA here. :P
I'm a little hesitant to go into her Faebound series at this point.. but I do LOVE El-Arifi's world building so I think I'll pick it up once I've given myself more time to get over The Ending Fire trilogy.
Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The explosive ending to Saara El-Arifi's The Final Strife trilogy, THE ENDING FIRE sets our characters on a path that can only end in burning it all down...

It took me a long time to read this book. I love Saara’s characters and the world she built, but I had a feeling this was not going to end happily.
From the beginning, this book reads like a gathering storm. As if the air is growing heavier every second until finally the downpour happens. It’s fast, brutal, and devastating. The end it's… bittersweet. There is comfort, there is loss, but mostly it's a new beginning.
The Ending Fire Trilogy is absolutely worth your time. Don’t miss out on this one.

Thank you, Saara El-Arifi/NetGalley, for this amazing eARC. All opinions are my own.
"Child of Fire whose blood will blaze,
Will cleanse the world in eight nights, eight days,
Eight bloods lend strength to lead the charge, and eradicate the infidel; only Gods emerge,
Ready we will be when the Ending Fire comes,
When the Child of Fire brings the Battle Drum,
The Battle Drum,
The Battle Drum,
Ready we will be,
For war will come."
The stunning conclusion to the Child of Fire trilogy,
El-Arifi makes sure you won't want to miss her finale.
Kudos 👏🏽 💐

The Ending Fire, the epic conclusion to one of the best trilogies I have ever read is finally here. I have been dreading this day since I finished The Final Strife. Because I have loved every single page in this series. It is truly top tier for me and I don’t think it gets as much love as it should.
This series has everything you could ever want in a series. Good worldbuilding, epic journeys, flawed heroes, complex politics, and a beautiful love story. It's a series that I truly think everyone should read.
Saying goodbye to these characters was not easy. But saying goodbye to Anoor and Hassa was the hardest. They are easily my favorites. Hassa easily stole the show in this book and I could not love her more. Anoor had her moments where I struggled with how naive she seemed? But I still enjoyed her arc in this book. Jond impressed me as well, I don’t think I cared for him much at first but he really grew on me.
My only issue with this book is I wish it had been longer.I do think the ending was a bit rushed and would have benefited from another book. Or maybe I just am not ready to let these characters go. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t great. It was still a wonderful ending! I truly do not think I will ever get over this series.
READ IT!

This is mental illness omg (complimentary)
Just as I predicted, everything that was built up in The Battle Drum peaked here. It’s hard to say much without spoiling the previous book but I gotta say that this is a satisfying conclusion to this epic trilogy. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, the alternating POV built the tension perfectly. There are some intense parts as well as touching moments and playful humors.
As a trilogy, I think it’s best to read The Battle Drum & The Ending Fire back to back to get a better comprehension of the story. I for one struggled to recall my memory of TBD at the beginning of this book because I’ve forgotten a lot of details and names.

The Ending Fire is a breathtaking conclusion to Saara El-Arifi’s The Ending Fire Trilogy, delivering a powerful blend of myth, magic, and revolution. The narrative intricately weaves together the fates of Sylah, Hassa, Jond, and Anoor, each grappling with their roles in a world on the brink of transformation. El-Arifi's prose is both poetic and visceral, capturing the emotional depth of her characters' journeys. The book explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the cost of change, challenging readers to reflect on the complexities of rebellion and the sacrifices it entails. The series as a whole is celebrated for its rich world-building and compelling character development.

Ending an epic series is hard but Saara did a good job balancing making the installment exciting and wrapping up all characters plots in a satisfying way. So glad to see Hassa my beloved featured on the cover and to have had this trilogy in my life.

I read this book slowly to savor it. I do not know that I have ever found this thorough of a depiction of disability in a fantasy novel. Saara El-Arifi is a master of her craft— these characters and their stories will stay with me for a long time. I wanted a little bit more out of the ending, but, for how much I relished the rest of the series, I can let it go.

Amazing!!!!
What a spectacular conclusion to the characters and world us readers came to love so much.
Also the final battle scenes were a million out of ten! HOLY MOLY!

Rating: Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars
Overall, I had a fantastic time with this series, and I am so glad I read it!
The Ending Fire wraps up the stories of Sylah, Anoor, Hassa, and Jond. I think that this is such a cool world, and I loved how much of it we got to see. I think that overall the ending was a pretty solid one.
The characters we follow throughout this series are flawed characters, so they make some really bad choices. While it could be frustrating at times to read, I did very much appreciate that there are realistic consequences for those choices.
I think that the author did a fantastic job building the connections and interpersonal dynamics between several of the characters, and ultimately I loved the story itself. I loved the world and the characters, and I am so glad that I read this series. It is an excellent version of the rebellion, standing up to the oppression type of fantasy novel.
And honestly, the representation in this is incredible. I absolutely loved seeing a bilateral upper limb amputee as a main character. It was glorious. I can count on one hand the number of characters I have ever come across in SFF with that specific disability, and the other 2 are side characters. I thought that representation was handled thoughtfully and with care.

One of the most satisfying, well-executed conclusions to a series I've read in a LONG time!
***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

What an exciting ride this series has been! It comes with a nail biter of an ending - don't expect everyone to survive in this rebellion.
Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa are the driving forces of this story, and each experiences life-changing events in this final novel. Of the three, Hassa's story resonated more with me, and I've always felt like she was the heart of the story. She suffered an incredible loss in the previous novel, but this one brings her an unexpected and very welcome surprise. She deserves every bit of happiness. Anoor surprised me with how easily she allows her belief system to be altered. I expected her to be unwavering, but her confusion makes for an interesting plot development. Sylah spends much of the story in a sort of haze as she grieved Anoor's absence. War is imminent, her friends and so many others are in danger, but she can't see beyond Anoor.
Near the end during the battle, I appreciated that the inclusion of brief chapters from supporting characters' POVs. Even Jond's cat had a say (as they always should), which was very heartwarming. It gave a broader perspective of events as they occurred rather than being limited to the primary characters' viewpoints. The ending is powerful and perfect but came sooner than I'd expected due to the extensive character list included in the final pages.
Recommended for readers who enjoy exceptionally strong character arcs, intricate world-building, and political and religious machinations.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This one was unfortunately a disappointment. I struggled to want to pick it up and ultimately forced myself to finish. I loved both The Final Strife and The Battle Drum, so it was entirely surprising that my response to this book was so different. All the characters did not feel like the characters we met in the previous two books. They are also mostly separated with the loss of some of the interactions I had loved. Sylah, in particular, fully lost her brash, fierceness. In addition, it felt like really happened outside of build up for the final events of the book that didn't really move the plot forward in any meaningful ways. Ultimately, this final installment moved this series from one I loved to one I will not be picking up again.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!
This was a really satisfying ending to the series! I loved seeing the growth of all of the characters and watching how they all reacted to the different realizations and traumas. Sylah was by far my favorite characters, I liked seeing her grow and realize that the whole was bigger than her love and desires.
Anoor really bothered me this book. I KNOW shes supposed to be innocent and not know about the world but come on! Your LOVE was on this drug for years and you didnt realize you were being drugged? I guess thats the power of a cult, but like damn. That really really bothered me.
Overall I was kind of disappointed with the final battle as well. Having read a lot of fantasy, I was expecting a bit more... oomph I guess? It was done in a really interesting way, and I liked having all of the different points of view, but it took A WHILE
Jond also really grew on me! I enjoyed his chapters a lot and liked his relationship and his growth. Overall a satisfying finale to a book series I loved!

3.25
I have some mixed feelings about the conclusion to this series. I thought that The Final Strife was a really solid debut and I loved the way The Battle Drum opened up the world, but I'm not sure El-Arifi stuck the landing with this one. I think I mostly struggled because of the pacing. The first half of this book felt a little meandering as they set up for the "last battle" and while I appreciated structurally how that battle was written, I think some of the key moments felt a little anti-climatic and glossed over.
While this wasn't my favorite ending, I do think the trilogy as a whole is solid and would recommend it. I like the way El-Arifi tackles big themes like climate change and settler colonialism while creating a world and magic that feels fresh and exciting.

This book was a good conclusion to a series I very much enjoyed. It had a lot more fighting and battle scenes than the other books, but that's kind of to be expected in the third and final book of a series. I love the characters and the world building, and while I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about the end of the book, this was a good read.

The Final Strife was my favorite book the year it came out, and then I really liked the sequel but not quite as much. The pattern is still true with this one, it was my least favorite in the trilogy but it was still pretty good. I felt like the first half ish of the book had nothing happen, and then the ending was too fast, so I wish that the pacing had been a bit more balanced. But overall I feel good about this as a finale!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

god, where do i even begin with this one. this trilogy had quickly become one of my favorite fantasies after a strong start with the final strife. and it held on with the battle drum. i was so nervous for how el-arifi was going to finish this series, since this with where we left off, this easily could have a make or break moment.
and i truly think she managed to pull it off so well. the levels of stress i had for these characters were amplified immensely going into this final book and even up to the accumulation of the final battle. at this point i really can’t say much regarding the plot without giving anything away. but what i can say is that she handled these storylines, these characters so well.
i feel like, with the way the events ended off we’re left with a sense of closure for what’s happened but i fully believe (and hope) that el-arifi has plans to go back to this world later, many years down the line. once things have settled down from the battle and the societies have been rebuilt. and i would love to see a sequel series covers that, whether with these same characters or following new stories. i really personally want to see more from this world. so i’m keeping my finger’s crossed.
as for the epilogue, i have thoughts that i want to scream into the void so so badly. anyways, if i say more i’m going to spoil this whole trilogy. so i’ll leave by saying, please go read this series!! it is an incredible world with a unique construction of blood magic at it’s core.

Shut up shut up shut up. This was an impeccable conclusion to one of my favorite trilogies that I have ever read. I wish I could go back and read the entire series for the first time all over again. El-Arifi proves to me time and time again that her writing is beautifully crafted and builds the most fantastic worlds. I will immediately buy anything she writes. As with almost all books I do feel the end seemed rushed and could have benefited from just a bit more or even lengthened into 4 books