This could be one of my favourite series I've ever read. I genuinely can't wait to dive into book 3 (it's staring at my from my bookshelf as we speak) but I realised I hadn't updated my Netgalley!
I can't remember specifics apart from being blown away about the details and the tension these books hold. It is such a remarkable series, and Saara is now one of my authors to watch!
Thank you for the eARC!

This series is getting better and better. The character development, the WORLD BUILDING, the discoveries in this book were amazing. So many favourites in this series but Hassa supremacy forever, she is such an iconic character.

Only negative is that at times it felt a bit slow but the ending more than made up for that.

Cannot wait for the final instalment.

A perfect sequel. Saara El-Arifi can do no wrong. Incredible characters, captivating world building. One of the best series I’ve read in a long time.

Wow wow wow, I thoroughly enjoyed the battle drum even more than the final strife I think. The world really opens up in the 2nd installment and we have an extra two perspectives also which I enjoyed. Hassa is my favourite she's so loyal, boisterous and fierce. The story is kind of split this time between the wardens empire and the new land we're introduced to, it was funny to me that after a few chapters in one land following those characters I really didn't want to go back to the other characters until I'd read a chapter or two and then felt the same the other way around. The revelation at the end was enthralling and has me flying through the last 70 pages. Bring on August when the last book of the series comes out 💙

The second book following on from the final strife. And a great ending, it continued with the wonderful world building.

Phenomenal world building, some excellent characters you want to get behind and root for and a plot that’s twisty and intriguing as hell.
But I am a bit disappointed; I really thought this was a duology and hence, that cliff hanger is a big annoyance. We are no where near resolution of any threads but book 2 continues the adventures of our favourite leads Sylah and Anoor ( I have only listened to the audiobooks , so I frankly don’t know the right spellings for thier names!) The character evolution arc for Sylah is very satisfying but Anoor kinda gets short changed. There are a couple of more important PoVs here - Hassa, the ghostling and Jond, the erstwhile Sandstorm warrior and Scylla’s childhood friend, now her prisoner. The plot moves forward quite a lot, with the new revelations and discoveries and there’s a a very satisfying plot twist in the end that really blew me away but the overall story of the ending fire and child of the fire, is not even close to being finished. Will eagerly await the last book in the trilogy.

I really love these books, they have so much tension and pain in the pages. I was so gripped during the climax of the book, feeling the character's pain as my own. It does mean though that when it get brutal, it gets really brutal.

I've put in a warning about this in my review of the Final Strife, but I wanted to put another one in here. When I say these books are brutal, I mean they are BRUTAL. Read the trigger warnings and if you do not like anything listed there, pick a different book to read.

I really loved the murder mystery element of the book, but I wish it had been more carefully crafted. It felt like the ending was a bit rushed up with everything else that was happening. The name of the murder was just dumped there and it didn't feel so shocking or like a big reveal at all really.

Still the rest of the ending was really good and it left a lot of open threads for the next book. And I have THEORIES!! I really can't wait for the next book to be released.

The most important thing to know about this book is that, when you finish it, the fact that you have to wait for the third book in the series will cause you genuine pain.

Not having Sylah and Anoor in the same place for this story was devastating for me personally, but the world building, magic, religion and cultural complexity kept me so engaged the entire time (even if I was yearning for a bit of romance). I would absolutely recommend this book and this series to anyone. It’s quickly become one of my favourites ever.

I could not wait to be back with Sylah and this did not disappoint one bit. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down.
Absolutely brilliant
Now to wait for book 3

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Firstly I LOVED the recap of the last book at the beginning - more of this for multiple-book series please! And while this did potentially suffer a little bit from middle book syndrome in the sense that a lot of the action and exposition was setting up for the final chapter, I still really enjoyed it. The world-building was impressive, and there was some good character development, particularly between Sylah and Jond. I felt Anoor's character took a bit of a backwards slide that wasn't completely necessary, so I'm waiting to see how that one pans out. And always more of Hassa, please! Looking forward to reading the conclusion of this series.

Incredible world building and balance between plot and character. I loved returning to all the leading ladies and discovering more of the world and relationships each person is curating. I can't wait for the next book!

Loved this book just as much as I loved book 1 . The plot was interesting and the characters had my heart. I can't wait for book 3 which will be a while but hopefully worth it.

This sequel to The Finale Strife follows Sylah, Anoor and Hassa as they investigate the true history of the empire and try to find a cure for the brutal force of the tidewind.⁠
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Sylah is forced to leave her beloved Anoor and travel with mistrusting Ghosting Elders. She explores new lands and finds some answers while further questions pile up. Anoor becomes the Disciple of Strength, but her rule is brief. When accused of a murder she did not commit, she has to use her wit to clear her name. Meanwhile, Hassa is investigating the mysterious deaths in the city…⁠
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The Battle Drum is an exciting read. It continues the themes from The Finale Strife, adding even more action and secrets. The world-building in this series is incredibly detailed. In the second book, we have new fascinating locations to discover, complete with language, culture and beliefs. I was blown away by the intricate web of connections between them. Some plot twists here will make you question everything you thought you knew about the world of The Ending Fire trilogy.⁠
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Moreover, I loved all three of the main heroines. Each has a distinct character, and their narratives reflect that. I enjoyed exploring new lands with Sylah. I liked that Anoor had a chance to use all her knowledge about fictional detectives and that she had to act on her own without Sylah’s protection. Hassa became my favourite. She was given more space in this book, and I adore her strength and loyalty. Now, I cannot wait for the next book!

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi is the hotly anticipated sequel to The Final Strife that took bookstagram by storm last year.

I was intrigued by the first book so was looking forward to jumping into book 2, and I will be immediately honest - it is not the book I thought it would be. The relationships built in book 1 are not the same in book 2, and as we know Anoor and Sylah separated at the end of book one and there is MUCH pining.

There was a good level of worldbuilding in this book as we went out into the wider world and discovered there is much more out there than previously thought. We are even given a new POV that I think is being set up as the big bad for book 3 which could be very interesting.

For me however, pacing was a real issue in this book, she's a chunky gal and at 5-600 pages it did take a real effort to keep pushing through. I also felt that a returning character was just there to give Sylah someone to talk to who was also an 'other' but perhaps they will have more to do at a later point.

There were certain parts of this book that I really liked and I do think that the author is a great writer, I just wanted them to be a bit more succinct I suppose.

Will I pick up the third installment? ,,,I honestly don't know yet.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC.

The Battle Drum was bloody glorious. It didn’t falter with second book syndrome but thrived. Every page, every chapter was full of drama and shocking reveals. You can just tell there is so much more to come in book three.

I didn’t see any of the twists at all and had full blown gasps of shock, cursing and sobbed into a pillow at stages. I absolutely loved all the character arcs and the new characters introduced. I really appreciate the seamless inclusion of lgbtq+ characters without requiring to state that within the book.

‘Every day was a battleground. And every day she won.’

This book felt a bit darker than The Final Strife and had some real visceral, grimdark moments.

‘Like an eggshell life can bloom from broken things.’

So to conclude, pick up this series, it’s bloody good. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to live up to how brilliant The Final Strife was but this absolutely does so for me. The world-building is just first class, the depth of history and culture that's been created really ground the world and allows the characters to shine on their journeys.

I'm wary of spoilers so don't want to say too much about the plot but I especially loved getting to spend more time with Hassa in this book and her development and growth as a character. There were so many great twists and turns as this progressed and I'll be desperately awaiting the final installment of this incredible series.

I have been anticipating this sequel ever since I finished The Final Strife as an ARC last year, and it did not disappoint! Such a fantastic sequel - no sign of Second Book Syndrome here! So many secrets and twists coming to light, it was a rollercoaster ride of a book. Once again, the author handles her characters masterfully, effortlessly switching POVs and even providing us with a fourth and fifth POV in this book, and still managing to keep them all distinguished and captivating. There were a couple of pacing issues in the middle, but those were really just minor and didn't take away hardly any of my enjoyment.

The worldbuilding in this series is unreal, and I loved getting to see more of the world in this book, expanding from just the one country that we saw in The Final Strife to a whole continent. Saara El-Arifi has put so much time, effort, love and care into this world and you can really see that on that every page.

I was shocked by the plot twists in this book - there's a lot of dark moments, and the big reveal at the end really surprised me! I hadn't expected that at all, and I was so happy that all of the hints we'd gotten throughout finally made sense! I'm really excited to see how this trilogy will end - I need it in my hands right now.

A lovely sequel, one of the best I’ve read in a long time.

Definitely more world building and development of characters

Oofh! That was a second instalment if I do say so myself! This was fast paced, faster than the debut of the series? Possibly! We develop the characters further, the magic system runs rings and the plot progressed so so well.

I haven't enjoyed a series as much as this one in a while, it ticks all the boxes. What you thought you had in book one, you gain further in book two. I'd urge any reader to get their hands on this series.

Thank you NetGalley for an e-arc of this book. Unfortunately the format of this book made it hard for me to read. I couldn't use my Kindle for it and it was hard to read such a long book on my computer. It is a very interesting series and I will definitely look for this in the shops.