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!!!

Just as brilliant as the first! I loved every second of this book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this book.

it was brilliant, a marvellous travel into another world since the first pages. The First Strife was like being punched and loving it, this is even more powerful and intriguind.
Great world building and storytelling, well developed and interesting characters, a style of writing I loved.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi

Thank you Netgalley for an arc for an unbiased 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.

5/5 stars 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The world that Saara El-Arifi has created is brilliantly detailed, and the story she tells is well written and makes you want to know more, my problem with this book is that the lead characters don’t seem to have learned anything from the mistakes that they made in the first book. I will be looking out for the third book as I need to know how the story ends.

The Battle Drum follows on from where The Final Strife left off and I loved every second of it. If you haven’t read this series yet, get on it!

I was invested in all of the POVs for this book, making it very addictive as I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to everyone. The world massively expands compared to book 1, and we are given hints as to how the history of the world lead to how we know it now and easter eggs for reveals that come later. I thought it was incredibly well done and topped The Final Strife!

While both books had some darker topics in them, for example slavery, addiction and racism, The Battle Drum was even darker with a strong theme of sacrifice. And let me tell you, Saara does not pull her punches!

This is one of the best books I’ve read all year and will continue to be one of my favourite books! An easy five stars. I can’t wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my advanced copy.

So I did something stupid and requested this one before reading the first one, which was on my tbr. I did what most readers do and thought that having this on NetGalley would mean I could push The Final Strife up on my tbr.

I sadly ended up dnf-ing the first one and feel super bad for requesting this one now. I'm very much in the minority when it comes to this book so please just ignore this review!

Again, so sorry!

How excited was I to be lucky enough to receive this ARC! As the second part of the Ending Fire trilogy ‘The Battle Drum’ picks up where ‘The Final Strife’ left us and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. A book that I could not put down and finished all too quickly. We return to the world of Sylah, Anoor ,Hassa and Jonh and join them on their adventures, which get even darker this time with some serious revelations. The world building was fabulous and had me totally immersed. No spoilers, but you certainly won’t be disappointed as this book was even better than the first. The only problem is I now have to wait for the final part of the trilogy. It can’t come soon enough.

Saara El-Arifi is never going to stop blowing my damn mind. This was the PERFECT continuation from The Final Strife. The first chapter got straight into it, and from then on I was hooked.

The Battle Drum provided some of the most intriguing, truly unanticipated twists I’ve come across while reading fantasy. I’ve had to read this again after knowing some of the twist’s because they were so unexpected, I knew El-Arifi hinted at them, but my brain isn’t smart enough to put the hints together the first time around 😂

The created world was beautiful, the new places we encountered were described with such lyrical expertise that you could see the world falling piece by piece into your mind. The intricacies of the world building, character development, and the use of perfectly intertwined plot lines throughout this novel have worked beautifully to paint the picture of the world and allowed us to fully enjoy the complexities of each characters journey. I found myself often mind screaming at the characters not to make certain actions, I was thoroughly enthralled. If I had to give a comparison for the level of world building skill this book has, I’d say think along the lines of The Poppy War or An Ember in the ashes.

Saara El-Arifi should be a household name for epic fantasy lovers, both The Final Strife and The Battle Drum are works of art.

Enjoyable fantasy series. This is the second book in a fantasy saga; probably best read in order, with at least one more book to come. This second book continues to follow the well rounded characters and intricate story line and unique world/history/magic/religions and sects. This second book seems to be a bit more serious, humour and banter between characters is still present but more spread out. But maybe that’s needed as murder and the hunt for knowledge heats up. Like the first book there is a cliff-hanger ending. I want the next book to come soon!!! Thank you to Harper Collins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine.

Wow.

If anything, I enjoyed this even more than The Final Strife, which was always going to be difficult. They’re such different offerings that it’s hard to compare. Book one is more The Hunger Games style with the competition, whilst this one covers the aftermath of the trials.

I loved the different view points and the slow unravelling of all the plot points. I found Anoor very difficult to like, which was a surprise as she was favourite character in the first book.

I immediately need book 3.

"Ready we will be, when the Ending Fire comes."

In the second instalment of the The Ending Fire trilogy, The Battle Drum , Saara El-Arifi takes us back to the Warden's Empire first introduced in her epic debut The Final Strife. Keeping to its roots of Arabian and Ghanaian myths, the series depicts an oppressive caste system based on blood colour - but all is set to unravel in this instalment.

The Battle Drum picks up the baton from where The Final Strife left off and sprawls its spider web of cultures, religions, and histories to breathtaking depth and detail (and oftentimes to disturbing effect) as Sylah travels across continents to gather allies for her beloved Anoor. Meanwhile, Anoor and Hassa find themselves embroiled in much mystery and espionage of their own as they get tangled in a series of murders that later expose many a surprising twists and revelations that bring everything full circle.

While El-Arifi sets the stage to the brutal, present reality in The Final Strife, she takes us into a dive into her world's magnetic, twisted origins in The Battle Drum - leaving her leading ladies Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa in their penultimate positions to make their choices. For better or worse, I look forward to how The Ending Fire will unfold in the final instalment of this trilogy.

The Battle Drum sees Saara El-Arifi hit her stride in her craft as a writer. With much mind-bending revelations, sinister existential dread, and doom on the horizon; she sings a haunting prelude of the end time cometh as history, religion, and past crimes are laid bare, colliding before the very world's wrath.

It is now available for pre-order, set for official release on 25th May 2023.

Thank you, HarperVoyager, for giving me an advance review copy of The Battle Drum! I am grateful to have been provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

"When the Child of Fire brings the Battle Drum,
Ready we will be, for war will come."

Even better than the first, I’m still loving these characters especially Hassa, I want her to be my best friend!! I just couldn’t put this down, I loved the murder mystery element this one had.
Can’t wait for more!!!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the e arc

I read the Final Strife when it was released and absolutely loved it. I think I may have loved the Battle Drum even more. I just love this world. Having such strong (in multiple ways) female characters in a book is one of my favourite things to read. The magic system is great and feels unique. The story itself is both entertaining but also makes you question and think about possible parallels with things in real life. Brilliant book!

A good continuation to a great book - we find ourselves following our man characters as they may navigate their way through a corrupt world in attempt to make it better and make the truth known.

It was a slow start and I found myself struggling with it, but over all really enjoyed it.

*Thank you to Netgally for the advance copy of The Battle Drum by Saara El Arifi.*

This is the <b>second installment in The Ending Fire Trilogy</b>, one of my most anticipated readings of the year and it didn’t disappoint at all! <u>I loved this sequel even more than The Final Strife and I devoured it within days.</u>

The <b>pace</b> is perfect. With <b>fast and action-packed scenes</b> that will keep you wondering and making theories as you read. It has the perfect <u>balance between intense and painful scenes, and funny ones</u>. I can say with certainty this book has made me gasp, scream, and laugh.

The <b>world building</b> is amazing and you get to slowly discover more parts of this world and the complex web that connects its continents. In this book the author’s vision is vibrant and unique, full of the <b>African and Arabic folklore</b> that we were already familiar with from the first book and with <u>new elements that widen the imaginary of the trilogy</u>. The City of Rain and Volcanic Islands will forever be in my mind.

The <b>magic system</b> is also one of my favourite things in this book. Mixed archaic concepts (blood magic, plain and simple) with some science fiction elements. The novel provides an interesting way of seeing the same magic from different angles.

<b>The characters are top notch</b>. I was really excited to reunite with Anoor, Sylah and Hassa but I was surprised to find out that <b>my favourite character in this book was a new one!</b> This point of view is well-constructed and full of mystery. I won’t reveal more but these chapters are the ones that kept me on edge, completely mesmerized with the story.

In the last book Anoor was my favourite, but if I must choose between the main three characters, I will say that <u>this time around Hassa won my heart</u>. In my opinion, she was the one that grew the most and had the most interesting arc.

I wasn’t ready for what was coming in the <b>third act of the book</b>. It was intense and painful, full of information and twists that connected every small dot. The plot was rounded, and every question was answered by the end of the book. However, it opened more intrigues that I will look forward to untangling in book three!

If I must mention anything I didn’t enjoy as much, I’d say that Anoor’s arc was a bit dull. The mix of literary genres of the story didn’t do her justice and kept her wandering through the book without a purpose. I also believe some of the most crucial moments of the story could have had more of a build up so the reader could process the feelings. (TONS OF FEELINGS)

However, these things didn’t change my overall opinion of the book. <b>This trilogy is now one of my absolute favourites and it’s exquisitely well-written. </b>

For me it’s important to get to know different voices, different cultures and to understand my privilege as a white woman (even when I try to be as woke as possible) and that’s one of the reasons why I deeply love this book. Because it moved me and taught me things that other books didn’t. The book exhumes angriness, queernormativity and respect for those who are different but equals at the same time. It was a great journey (and a wild one) and I’m not sure how I’ll manage to wait for the third one.

<u>Go read The Final Strife and The Battle Drum, it might just become one of your new favourite trilogies too!!</u>

5/5
Rep: queernormative world

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy of The Battle Drum. My review is posted on my Instagram, at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CrkmMAgLWNR/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

REVIEW:
- My immediate reaction after finishing this book was that I need the third one immediately! The ending was outstanding.
- This book was a journey, and the first half or so was definitely a slow burn as the world expands and we learn more about its history and people.
- I would say it was more character focussed than plot focussed, which I quite enjoyed (as the characters are so well-written), but meant that it felt slow overall. It really picked up in the last 100 pages or so though, and ended on such a high that now I can't wait for the next book.
- I loved that we started to learn more about the magic system, and I think if it is explored further in the next book and we get to see it used in all of its forms, it will make for a really epic final installment.
- One gripe I had was that because lots of cliffhangers are used after revealing snippets of information which we as the reader know are significant but we can't quite see the relevance without the bigger picture, it meant that the cliffhangers didn't really have their desired effect.
- However, these did all contribute in the build up to the "wow" moment when all of the pieces snapped into place and we finally understood the significance of certain characters and how the story all comes together, that made for such a great ending.
- Overall, I highly enjoyed this sequel and I will most definitely be picking up a copy of the third book as soon as possible!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Battle Drum
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 2 of 4 of The Ending Fire trilogy
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Saara El-Arifi
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: LGBT Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 25th May 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 26th April 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4.5/5

“I just want you to know, want you to understand. If, one day, you allow yourself happiness, and if that person you choose is me . . . I will be there. But you’re not choosing anything but self-destruction. I look at you and I see a flame, the same fierce and loving woman I have known nearly all my life. But fire’s nature is to burn those around it.”

The Battle Drum is every bit as epic as The Final Strife. The second book in this series uncovers some truths and yet mystery and intrigue still linger in all corners of this trilogy.

Again, this series continues to draw on African and Arabian culture which I have adored reading in fantasy. Saara El-Arifi once again proves that her imagination has no bounds and her storytelling demonstrates this impeccably.

The Battle Drum follows the three fierce female characters that we’re introduced to in The Final Strife, Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa. Sylah’s storyline was once again my favourite, even though in The Final Strife she was generally alone and in The Battle Drum she’s accompanied by her awkward frenemy and ex-lover, Jond, I thought this made her POV more enticing because their dynamics were honestly hysterical. But Hassa is such a powerful character in her own right, too, and it was really fun getting to know her character a bit better in this book. Anoor continues to annoy me a little.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have that mind-blown feeling at the end of this book that I had at the end of book one, but this book is phenomenal even missing that and I truly believe this series overall will be a 5/5 for me. It is created and written in such a realistic and finely tuned way that I find it impossible not to be immersed.

I know that this book hasn’t even been published yet but I can’t wait for the conclusion to this series. In this case, I’m Sylah and The Ending Fire Trilogy are my joba seeds.

—Kayleigh🤍
@ Welsh Book Fairy🧚‍♀️✨