Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book. I loved this book, I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I wanted to but this book was so much better, the build from the first bus is fantastic and can't wait to read more from this autor. 4 stars

The Battledrum is a second book that absolutely destroys second book syndrome. 🗡️It doesn’t only build on plot points and characters from The Final Strife but it also expands to a much larger scale. It takes the parts I loved about book one and somehow makes them even better. While reading The Final Strife I just instantly fell in love with El Arifis story telling, the voice of her characters and the tangibility of the world. It is so hard to write a review for this book without including spoilers for both books. There are so many layers to the story that leave you spinning with each revelation. It is impossible to put this book down, every chapter feeds more and more clues and knowledge - completely changing everything you thought you knew about this world.

What an absolutely fantastic sequel! I loved this book so much. A very big reason for this being the incredible world building and exploration of magic that was done in this book. It was unique, gritty and vicious- putting me on edge throughout the story.

I also really enjoyed some of the character and their relationship developments. Especially, Sylah - she was my least favourite in the first book but she just shines so brightly in this one. I really didn't like her and Jond's relationship previously but this book added so much layer to their already complex dynamic. Plus, they go on an epic adventure/journey and it was such a treat to read.

On the other hand, Anoor's character definitely took a nose dive for me. I didn't like her questionable choices and lack of agency almost throughout the book. As a result hers was my least favourite pov. On the other hand, Hassa's pov is so full of heart. They have got their priorities straight, is extremely loyal and is a fantastic friend and confidant. I have so much respect for their character and my heart broke for them after that brutal ending.

Speaking of the ending- again it was so good. I guessed a few stuff about a certain character but was still not prepared for how hard everything would hit. I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the final book.

The Battle Drum certainly has some really interesting ideas on how to expand the world and stakes of this series, drawing from epic fantasy, dystopia, and even post-apocalyptic storytelling. I don't know that the world completely hangs together, but I did enjoy seeing various new locales and elaborations on the magic system. I do think that this has more of a one-time read feel than book 1: in The Final Strife, every twist added new depth and meaning to the story, while here they feel like they actually strip complexity from the characters in favour of shock or advancing the plot, although that doesn't mean a new revelation or turn isn't enjoyable. Juggling three very distinct stories (with different tones and arguably in different genres entirely) was always going to be hard, and it really relies upon previously built love for Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa (and intrigue about the main newcomer). If I am being honest, I was disappointed with both the storytelling and the style, which remains a little blunt and is paced slightly haphazardly, and had hoped for a little more from the followup to such an interesting story - still very much invested in these characters though and in the finale to come.

I'm not sure l've ever cried at a book before but holy moly those last few chapters were close .... I can't wait to read this and The Final Strife again before the third book comes out, that's the best compliment I could give a book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harpervoyager UK for providing me with this ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Battle Drum is the sequel to The Final Strife with Anoor in the Wardens’ Empire as a disciple, Sylah braving the ocean looking for help and Hassa trying to find answers in the shadows.

"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 .”

I was absolutely swept away by the first book in this series and was really happy to dive into this sequel! I do have to be honest, just like the first, this book is a very heavy book to read and I definitely needed to be in the right mindset to read this book.

The book has quite a slow start and it took me some time to get into the story, despite being thrown in the middle of the story right from the start. Around 25% the book picks up and I started to really get invested into the story!

This book has multiple POV’s, just like the first, which I really like! It gives such a wholesome feeling. Especially since the book follows along with three characters, more than those three have POV’s. Once the story picks up, some of the chapters also end on cliffhangers, which makes it soo hard to put the book down because the next chapter follows another character.

One thing I have to say, is that I find it a bit of a pity that Anoor and Sylah are separated the whole story. Their growing relationship didn’t really have a chance to grow, just like the friendship of Sylah and Hassa wasn’t seen since they weren’t together. I wonder when they all finally reunite! I also though Anoor was quite easily swayed in this book. I loved her growth and strength she found, so that seemed a bit out of character to me.

I loved the progression of the relationship between Kwame and Hassa! It was everything and I loved it!! and then my heart was ripped out and stomped on T_T

I liked the new characters we met in this book and learning about the other color blooded people! It was really interesting to see and how deep the authors imagination goes! I was once away swept away by the amazing world-building!

While I loved the worldbuilding and am still in love with the characters, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the plot. While I understand it needed to happen like this, I found the story to be a bit predictable.

Also, I don’t know why I though this series was a duology, but I was convinced this book would end this story and was so confused how so much was unknown and how much had to be resolved…. That’s when I found out it is a trilogy, so I am really looking forward to this last book and seeing how this story will end!

I also predict that Hassa will be on the US cover of the third book! Since Sylah and Anoor are on the first two haha.

Overall, The Battle Drum is an amazing book, with lots of action, worldbuilding and suspense. It is very heavy, but so worth it!


SPOILER THOUGHTS
I think it will be on the Vulcanic isles. I also was so frustrated that Sylah went back to find Anoor and Anoor just left…
I knew quite early on that Yona was actually Wife and the whole big reveal thus fell a bit flat to me ☹

4.5 ⭐️

This books picks up directly after the events of The Final strife. This doesn’t suffer from second book syndrome, as it expands on your knowledge of the world of the Warden’s expire, without feeling like you have been dumped with loads of world building. I also like how the characters have been introduced as you start to see how the author has woven the different aspects of the worlds together. Giving the reader pieces of information bit by bit.

Hassa is still my favourite of the characters that we follow and her story is truly heartbreaking. I hope her character finds peace in the last book.
The most surprising character in this book was Jond. I really disliked his character in book 1 and I really like the redemption arc that he has been given, as you see a softer side of him. I look forward to seeing how his character evolves into book three.

Once again Saara El-Arifi is the master of a jaw dropping cliff hanger.

Now, THIS is how you write a sequel! I’ve made it no secret that I adored The Final Strife, but I somehow wasn’t prepared for how incredible this sequel was going to be. The Battle Drum takes everything that was amazing about book 1 and just cranks it up to eleven.

This book picks up almost immediately where the last one left off and we hit the ground running. The three main female leads are all off on their own personal journeys, desperately trying to stay alive in a world where death is lurking around every corner and nothing and no one can be trusted at face value.

The pacing slows down significantly compared to the wild rollercoaster that was book 1, which was exactly what was needed for this story and these characters to develop to their full potential.
I am just so emotionally invested in this story because the character work is simply THAT good. Everyone, from the main protagonists down to the most minor side characters, just jumps off the page with personality and that makes them feel so vibrant and alive.

The three main female leads absolutely steal the show though. I really appreciate that they all have such realistically messy personal journeys and that they are all equally flawed yet strong in their own unique ways. At first I was a bit nervous about the fact that some of my favourite characters were separated in this instalment, but that concern quickly flew out the window once I started reading. I did end up preferring two of the storylines over the other, but there wasn't a single dull moment in this book for me. It doesn’t matter who is together on page, every single character interaction and scene just hits. El-Arifi has a true gift for creating compelling and complex relationships, of all natures, that tug on your heartstrings in the best way possible.
Also heck yes for a queer-normative world, give me allll the queer love!!

There was also a very intriguing and mysterious new POV introduced in this sequel that I absolutely loved. I had SO much fun trying to figure out who this person was and how their storyline would interweave with all the others.
If you pay close enough attention, you can pick up on the breadcrumbs and puzzle the pieces together yourself, which made for such a satisfying and rewarding reading experience. This book is just full of crazy twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire way through.

Speaking of crazy twists and turns… the revelations about the world building and magic system were absolutely phenomenal. I already loved this world from the few glimpses we’d gotten of it in book 1, but it was truly awe-inspiring to realise the full depth and breadth of this world here.
There’s so much mystery and intrigue woven into the history, lore, religion and magic of these lands, and I loved seeing everything start to unravel as our characters made some truly shocking and earth-shattering discoveries.
Familiar tropes like prophecy and chosen ones are also incorporated into the story in new and clever ways to create one of the most exciting and unpredictable fantasy stories that I have read in a while.

Now, fair warning, El-Arifi does not shy away from the darker and more disturbing content. The stakes are immensely high and I really appreciated that the characters really have to deal with the repercussions of their actions here. There were some absolutely shocking and gut wrenching scenes in here that are branded into my memory forever, but that made this read all the more impactful.
Difficult themes of racism, discrimination, disability, gender/sexual identity, addiction, toxic (familial) relationships and religious zealotry are also explored in meaningful and deep ways without ever feeling on-the-nose or overbearing.
With effortless grace, El-Arifi has crafted a fun and entertaining fantasy story that still tackles some heavy real-life issues. And while this might only be her second book, I wouldn't hesitate to call her a master of her craft already.

All in all, I think this is one of the better sequels that you will find in the fantasy genre. If you liked The Final Strife, then I truly can’t see how you won’t enjoy The Battle Drum. These characters have secured a place in my heart and I truly can’t wait to discover what they are up to next, even though I have a feeling I should prepare for emotional destruction.
The Ending Fire trilogy is quickly becoming one of my all-time favourites and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I devoured the final strife. It made my heart glow and feel genuine excitement for what was to come.

This book ripped out my very heart and soul. I have never cried so much reading a book in my life.

The beginning for me was a little slow as it was introducing a new perspective/new worlds and culture. After the first 100 pages it is non stop.
The last 100 pages are the real heartbreakers.

The worst part about this book is that I have to wait for the third one

4.5 stars

THE BATTLE DRUM takes the world and assumption of THE FINAL STRIFE, and blasts them all apart, introducing a world that's far larger and that runs on very different rules to the ones the characters thought they knew.

So many assumptions and truths are turned entirely on their head this book, with lots of "wait, what?!" truth bombshells leading to twist after twist, revelation after revelation. Some of the characters journey beyond the Warden's empire, bringing an entirely new world into focus, but there are just as many reveals and flipped truths back in the Warden's empire. It makes for an exciting read that changes you entire perspective on the story - and where you think it might go. I have been really struggling with reading the last week (illness + lots of travel) but this book really pulled me in!

There are five narrators this time - Sylah, Anoor, Hassa, and Jond return as POVs, with the addition of a new narrator, Nayeli.

Structurally, the POVs were used very atypically, which was fun. Instead of interspersed POVs flicking between the various story lines (the books can largely be divided into three "theatres of story"), each of the "theatres" is followed for 2-5 contiguous chapters in each part of the book. Only once you've finished with one "theatre's" tale for that act, do you move onto the next, in order of Sylah and Jond, Anoor and Hassa, and Nayeli. It means you can sink into each part.

Nayeli is sort of a backstory and world-expanding narrator, unconnected to the others and giving an insight into the great threat this book introduces. Her story also happens in the past (relative to the others) but you are never quite sure how far back in time she is, as she approaches the Warden's empire. By the end, it all clicks with how exactly she is related to the others and the overall story, and then makes you wonder how exactly the series is going to end. Her POV is one of answering some questions - and posing a lot more - which makes it engaging despite it's separation from the others.

I am excited to see how it all ends now in the finale!

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

A good sequel expands the world, continues the story on from what came before and keeps you engaged. The best sequels twist the additional world building and the new direction of the story in such a way that it circles back to everything that came before and sneakily links everything together so perfectly that you’re left floored. That is exactly what Saara El-Arifi has done here.

The Battle Drum is a phenomenal follow up to the fantastic The Final Strife.

We return to the Warden’s Empire and the malevolent Tidewind with a handful of new mysteries unravelling, splitting the 3 primary protagonists on journeys of their own. Anoor as the newly appointed disciple of her mother, the Warden of Strength, wants to use her position to help all the people of the nation, not just the ruling class, but suddenly gets accused of a murder and has to work to prove her innocence. Hassa, as ever working in the shadows is also still in the Warden’s Empire and stumbles across another string of dead bodies with their own mystery. And Sylah has of course set off beyond the borders of the Empire to uncover the secrets of the outside world and hopefully find help to stop the Tidewind before it destroys all.

Rejoice because there is a handy recap at the beginning of the book to catch us up to speed with the key events of book 1! Though I personally felt all was immediately familiar anyways as El-Arifi’s storytelling immediately sucks you back in. Through Sylah’s mission as well as Anoor and Hassa’s personal quests we’re introduced to new places, new faces and new reveals about the deeply rooted history of the world and it is all wonderfully compelling.

There are some additional perspectives added to the mix too, one being a known character who supplements Sylah’s chapters well and another point of view from a character all new, an outsider, who adds much in terms of intrigue, worldbuilding and the magic which is meticulously expanded on in this sequel.

It’s always fascinating to see when an author shows how multifaceted their magic system is through how it is interpreted and used differently across cultures and locations in their stories. At times it did feel like there were a lot of moving parts in this book but trust me the way everything falls into place is so so clever just be patient with it, I’m definitely not getting over it anytime soon!

Some things to expect from the first book that are the same here are that sometimes the chapters aren’t chronological and will take you back in time a little but this doesn’t throw you off too much. In fact past and present work hand in hand beautifully in the story but I shall say no more.

The characters and their development are again equally frustrating and fascinating to follow. Anoor probably annoyed me the most out of everyone with how naïve she seemed at times but as I mentioned before when everything clicks into place just wow I have so much to say but also want to keep my mouth zipped because spoilers…

Hassa is still my favourite character and I thought I’d end this review by stating that Saara El-Arifi I do not forgive you for chapter 50, HASN’T MY BABY SUFFERED ENOUGH!?

Anyways, I enjoyed this sequel immensely and will now be eagerly awaiting news on the big finale that is book 3 because it is without a doubt going to be epic!
Final Rating - 4.5/5 Stars

Thank you Harper Collins for giving me the chance ahead of publication to revisit this amazing world created by Saara El-Arifi. I loved the first book and was so eager to read the next part. It doesn't disappoint! If you liked the first novel you will really enjoy part 2. This time Anoor and Sylah are parted to follow different quests - Anoor to try and solve the mystery of who kills her adopted mother Uka Elsari which in turns leads to more plot twists and unexpected betrayals worthy of her favourite fictional detective Inspector Abena (and just wait til you find out who the author of those stories is!) Sylah travels over the sea with a crew of Ghostings to discover the origins of the deadly tidewind and the history of how peoples with differently coloured blood and ways of using magic have caused all the problems she faces in her homeland. She uncovers hidden truths about her magic and determines to unite all the different tribes to face down the dangers. Back home Anoor finds herself slowly sinking under the weight of so many betrayals. This is an excellent follow up and I cannot wait for part 3!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible sequel to The Final Strife. Packed full of action, emotion and determination, Sylah and Anoor continue to uncover the secrets of the Empire. Are there more blood colours? What is found beyond the Empire? With even more points of view than the first book, the plot is addicting and exhilarating. You begin to explore the other Islands, their communities and cultures. This entire book was just beautiful. Also it’s a sapphic fantasy, so why would you not love it.

The Final Strife was one of my favourite reads of last year, and I've been endlessly recommending it ever since. So, The Battle Drum was one of my most anticipated reads of this year, and it did not disappoint in the slightest. This book was enthralling, I found it incredibly hard to put down, such a page turner!

The ending of The Final Strife saw Sylah and Anoor separate, with Sylah heading to far off unknown lands, and Anoor staying behind. It was so weird having these characters separate, after they spent so much of the first book together. But oooo the angst, how delicious and delighted - but painful! God, not to ruin it for anyone but (spoilers) I need their reunion!

Sylah and Anoor both had interesting journeys within this book. Sylah spent a large portion of it knocked out and dying . . .

Sylah was dealing with the pain of finding out the truth (and later, more truths!), learning how to live with her addiction, and reckoning with the actions of her ancestors, and how to cope with that - and how that impacts the way she acts now.

Anoor's felt so angry. Angry at the truth she found out, at all the things still being kept from her, frustration at those around her and not being able to do more . . . Anoor began to make enemies of those left around her, breaking trust and loyalty. And how this book ended for Anoor?! Oh. My. God. I AM SCARED FOR HER! She's been sucked in.

One of the most frustrating things about this book (in a good way!!) was seeing answers being given in one characters POV, which the other characters - across the world - didn't know! I was yelling. I could see what was going on, because I was privy to all the information from all the characters, but they couldn't! They didn't know! And the mistakes they made because of that! The things they let slide because they didn't know! I was yelling! I literally got up at one point and paced the house because I was so frenzied/anxious/excited/stressed.

I do love how all these pieces began to come together. The information from one side of the world would begin to be pieced together from the other . . . reveals made earlier in the book would get even more revealing . . . things from the first book would be brought back in and investigated deeper. Ugh. So good. So clever. Amazing. I loved it.

I loved the new addition of Nayeli's POV. And AHHH! The reveal! I did catch on, and omg. It was so good. And so daunting. This made me so scared for so many characters, because so many of them still don't know the full truth.

This book ended on a cliffhanger and I can't wait for the third book, even though I'm so scared to see what's coming. All of these characters have trials coming their way and it's going to make my blood pressure skyrocket.

Also, I love Hassa. I always love her chapters.

And let's not forget Jond (and the kitten!!), I won't deny that he has sucked, but I liked how this book delved deeper in to his complexities, and why he made the decisions that he did. There's redemption for him yet.

I enjoyed the mixture of POV's in this, as long as the additional parts at the beginning of the chapters (i.e., diary entries - they revealed so much!).

All in all, I loved this. And I can't wait for the third. I hope it'll be like 1k pages long.

What a book! Sometimes in trilogies I find that the pacing slips off for the second book, but fortunately The Battle Drum does not suffer from this. Right from the get go there is excitement and action and shocking reveals throughout that completely change your perspective on what this story is about. I wasn't as fond of Sylah and Anoor in this book, but Hassa and Jon were standout POVs for me. I love Saara El-Arifi's work. The attention to detail is incredible, the dialogue engaging and humorous, and the world building top notch. I eagerly await to conclusion to this trilogy!

5 Stars!

Synopsis: Sylah is on a mission to the mainland to try a stop the tidewinds. Anoor is a disciple who is trying to make a difference. Hassa watches over Anoor and investigates some odd happenings in the Empire. But all three of them soon find themselves learning more secrets than they bargained for, and the implications are dire.

TW/CW: Violence/Death/Sacrifice/Racism/Colonisation/Religious fanatics/Abuse/Drug Addiction/Kidnapping/Miscarriage/Slavery/Ableism/Mutilation/Drug withdrawal/Others may be present.

Rep: Bisexual MCs | Sapphic MCs | Trans MC | Non-Binary side characters | Black MC | PoC Cast |African/Arab Cast | Disabled MC | Queer Side characters

Book Review for Book 1: The Final Strife (The Final Strife Trilogy #1), by Saara El-Arifi

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK 1

How do I even begin? If you read my review for the first book you will know that I was an instant fan of this series. And this book (book 2) only served to strengthen my love for it!

So this book is absolutely full of new secrets, twists and turns and I cannot talk much about them because it is spoilers and you just simply have to experience it! So this review will be shorter but I will tell you why I loved this book!

So we still have our main POV’s of Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa. But this time we also have a new and intriguing POV that we slowly learn more about through the chapters. The multiple pov works particularly well with the breadth, depth and flow of the story. Now that our characters are split up to succeed in specific goals, the multiple pov maintains the connection between the threads and keeps you intrigued by slowly letting you piece things together before the reveals. The addition of the new pov is particularly intriguing because we do not know this character, we know nothing about where they are and their worldview, and it manages to give us such a personal view of their world while also allowing us into the wider beliefs, society and structure of where she is.

I loved all of the pov’s that we had and I think they all worked incredibly well to convey this story and maintain tension and secrecy until the time is right for the reveal.

The prose is equally engaging and gorgeous. From the gorgeous descriptions to the downright horrifying creations and images – absolutely every element of the prose is so well written. El-Arifi knows exactly what it is they want to convey and knows exactly how to evoke intense emotional connections to the characters and their situations. I went through so many emotions reading this book, I was completely and utterly absorbed in the characters stories and experiences.

Ok so moving onto the actual story/plot. So we launch into the story following on from book 1. Sylah is on her way to the mainland, Anoor is a Disciple trying to initiate change, and Hassa is investigating strange occurrences in the Empire. And there is a fourth thread that I WANT TO TELL YOU ABOUT BUT I CAN’T. Anyway, I absolutely loved all of the plotlines – they worked so well and came together in such surprising yet consistent ways that made all the seemingly random secrets into a cohesive larger picture that is shocking and leaves you in suspense for book 3! I won’t go into details but I will say that El-Arifi has managed to capture the themes of colonisation and racism and power so utterly well through each of these threads.

What I really liked though was that even in the scheme of these larger and important themes, we still get to see the characters personal struggles and fights. We still see Sylah and her addiction, her struggle with Jond, her love for Anoor. We see Anoor fighting for better, but slipping into herself at times and having to remind herself to be better and do better, that she can, Hassa is fighting the battle of the ghostings but we also get a much more personal view of her and her in this book – AND OMG EL-ARIFI YOU BROKE MY HEART HOW DARE YOU. Honestly this book broke me, and I CANNOT wait for book 3.

Of course, we still get the wonderful core characters of the story but we also get introduced to so many more and every single one was intriguing and captured your attention.

Overall, this book was an excellent second instalment in this absolutely amazing series and I cannot recommend it enough!

*I received an eARC via Netgalley from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review – thank you!*

The book starts with a résumé of the previous book, done as oral history in the style of the griots who are the storytellers of this world. This brings you right back into the story by reminding you not only of the characters and plot but of the atmosphere of the setting.
Within the Wardens Empire, the blue bloods are the workers and the red blooded the elite able to do the magic that holds the empire together. But there are two other sorts of blood, clear for the Ghostings that were the original population of the Empire, and yellow a colour never seen before until the crime lord Loot is killed.
The narrative starts up immediately from when it left off. Sylah is travelling to dangerous lands to try and find a solution to the increasingly deadly storms that come at night in the Wardens′ Empire. But she is accompanied by her former friend and lover, and now enemy, Jond, and she has to rely on the Ghostings who want to get back their land. After a sea crossing that has its own horrors they arrive in an inhospitable land where it seems they will never find the help they need.
Her lover Anoor, a secret blue blood who can work magic, stays and tries to slowly change the established social order, although without the support of her mother, one of the current Wardens. But when her mother is killed she has to find the murderer while under suspicion herself.
Hassa, the Ghosting spy, helps Anoor to further the cause of Ghostings, but also finds love amongst the red-blooded. What will the future hold for this relationship?
Another character also joins the narrative across the sea, Nayeli, a skilled metal worker in the Volcane Isles whose blood is yellow. Ambitious and driven she becomes zealously devoted to her god, Kabut, when her brother is lost at sea.
I enjoyed the first book in this trilogy but thought this one was even better. The revelation that there are eight different shades of blood, and the new characters and locations make the tale even more fascinating. The book does end with characters setting off in new directions, but it′s not really a cliffhanger. I′m still eager to read the next one!

I had a copy of this book early through Netgalley

Fantastic follow-up from El-Arifi after The Final Strife. Thrilling fantasy world building and cannot wait to see where this world goes next. Likely to stock all of El-Arifi's titles to come.

I reread Saara El-Arifi's The Final Strife to prepare for reading this sequel and I would very much recommend at least doing a refresher if you're planning on reading book two. This sequel drops you right back in the story after the shocking revelations at the end of the first book and keeps on revealing more and more about this world and just how little our characters know.
I suspect those looking for more of Anoor and Sylah as a pair might need to adjust their expectations as this book has the two of them operating quite separately. I was expecting this to bother me but I actually found it very impactful to see how the two of them coped without each other and while I am not usually one for excessive yearning I found it balanced with the wider plot in a way that was still enjoyable.
While this book does lack the structure of the competition from book one and thus it is a little bit harder to feel anchored in the plot, the deadlines imposed on Anoor's half of the story definitely helped with that but I would suggest going into this book knowing that it is a tad more meandering than the first book.
I do think this book requires the same level of suspension of belief that book one asked for. In book one you really do have to let go of all the science behind how blood works and why it is red in the real world, in book two I think it's more about letting go of your understanding of plant matter and natural disasters. If you manage to just let the story take you I think you'll have a better time.
I found myself very much hooked on this story by the time I reached the last few chapters, though the first half og the story was a tad slow. I'm very interested to see where this story will go in the next book and how various disparate aspects will come together. I think the true strength of this series is the fact that Saara El-Arifi is not afraid to tackle situations and relationships that aren't necessarily good or bad but often somewhere in between. It makes for fascinating character work across the books and means that the story feels very multifaceted as well as something quite real (even in a world with giant flower buildings). I look forward to reading more in the future.
My rating: 4 stars
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Thank you Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with the arc of The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The Battle Drum is the sequel to The Final Strife and it picks up from the first instalment, continuing the themes and plots that emerged during the first book. The book follows Anoor, Sylah, and Hassa on their separate journeys to hunt down the truth of the empire’s past.
Hassa continues to be my favourite protagonist of the series, as a Ghosting, oppressed by the Embers, rulers of the Warden’s Empire, she is a spy within a world of plots and oppression. I totally adore that despite all the pain and suffering she has and does experience, she is loyal and kind to a fault. I absolutely love how she cares for those around her, shielding, protecting and guiding. She totally has my heart. Like the Anoor and Sylah, she is taking a journey for help, aid, freedom and truth.
The world building in The Battle Drum continues to plot this fascinating world, brought to life by the new maps, characters and locations.
In contrast to Hassa, Sylah is the warrior, she continues to carve her own path, creating a route for all within the Wardens' Empire. Her struggles are internal and external, including her addiction and the resulting struggles that result from that. The emotional journey and depths to which El-Arifi takes us are truly emotional.
El-Arifi continues to deliver a compelling story that definitely does not struggle from 2nd book syndrome and I’m already desperate for the next book in this series.
4.5 Stars!!!