Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

40 reviews

olivia918's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Slavery, Drug use, and Drug abuse

caseythereader's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Death, Drug use, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Vomit, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Death of parent, Murder, Drug abuse, Addiction, Child death, Medical content, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual content

rafri's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Murder, Drug use, and Gore

Moderate: Slavery, Racial slurs, and Hate crime

Minor: Kidnapping and Death of parent

zaqlovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Even though the book is definitely published and has a freaking sequel out. I would love to thank the publisher for giving me early copy on netgalley to review. 

In a world where everyone is segregated by their blood. We’re following Sylah,  whom I can’t recall her blood type is someone who struggles with keeping a job and her addiction to drug known as joba seeds. In the aftermath of finding out someone whom she thought was dead, she finds Anooor. The daughter of warden of strength. Making a deal we’re following the both of them as they navigate trying to help one another accomplish their goals.

So far I really love the world building, the characters and overall how rich the descriptions are. It just screams living and breathing. Even the characters feel like people who you meet in real life. I love realistic characters in a non realistic world.  I also like how it’s handled with our mc having to find a way to get her stuff done. I’m really into this book.

And don’t like I can’t believe it took so long to get to to this book. There’s literally a whole sequel out. I’m not requesting for any arcs until I finished the ones I have. 

My favorite character has to be Hassa, she literally has to put up with Syrah like a lot. Of there’s so many characters who I find interesting but definitely she stands out.

I’m surprise how in depth and interesting this book was. From the characters, the lore, its world, and overall how everything affects one another.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves really high fantasy novels with so diversity that i can’t describe this story in one word. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence, Slavery, Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Torture and Child abuse

tahsintries's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, and Torture

Moderate: Grief, Slavery, Genocide, Blood, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Gore, and Racism

dreyy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Addiction, Confinement, Abandonment, Blood, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Xenophobia

moonchild_cos's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Classism, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Ableism, Alcohol, Genocide, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery

Minor: Grief, Vomit, War, Body shaming, Bullying, and Sexual content

bookcaptivated's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Confinement, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Murder, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Colonisation, Slavery, Ableism, and Alcohol

Minor: Medical content and Stalking

_james_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Violence, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Torture

Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Kidnapping, Excrement, and Toxic friendship

booksalacarte's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

The Final Strife- 3.5⭐️ 3🌶️

Red is the blood of the elite, of magic, of control.

Blue is the blood of the poor, of workers, of the resistance.

Clear is the blood of the slaves, of the crushed, of the invisible.

Sylah dreams of days growing up in the resistance, being told she would spark a revolution that would free the empire from the red-blooded ruling classes’ tyranny. That spark was extinguished the day she watched her family murdered before her eyes.

Anoor has been told she’s nothing, no one, a disappointment, by the only person who matters: her mother, the most powerful ruler in the empire. But when Sylah and Anoor meet, a fire burns between them that could consume the kingdom—and their hearts.

Hassa moves through the world unseen by upper classes, so she knows what it means to be invisible. But invisibility has its uses: It can hide the most dangerous of secrets, secrets that can reignite a revolution. And when she joins forces with Sylah and Anoor, together these grains of sand will become a storm.

As the empire begins a set of trials of combat and skill designed to find its new leaders, the stage is set for blood to flow, power to shift, and cities to burn

✨My Opinion✨

Slow burn

Sapphic

Missed legacy

Classism

Revolution

Slow paced

Switched at birth

Grumpy sunshine

Rivals to lovers

It was a good read, but not mind blowing. I am happy with continuing the series, but not desperate for the next book.

The backstory and world building was expansive and very thorough. I was amazed by how in depth everything went. It was really well done. The magic system was unique in its introduction. I’m looking forward to reading more about it.

It was slow going for the first half of the book. The plot finally getting traction didn’t make up for the lulls, in my opinion. 

I was a little put out with things being mentioned multiple times before being physically described, case in point; Erus. I didn’t even realize it was a giant sand lizard until it was being ridden when Sylah delivering the dresses… I thought it was like a camel or donkey. I still don’t have a clear mental picture of what it looks like, or how it pulls a carriage! 

The main characters could have been flushed out a little more. Sylah was very hard to like. Really hard. Most of the book is her dealing with addiction and grief. Her personality beyond that was pretty petulant. Anoor was childish as well, but I would have enjoyed a more solid arc into her maturity. I often forgot that I was reading new adult rather than young adult, until the in the story spice happened.

Disability rep, but only because of mass mutilation as infants. Brutal, but I guess I understand how it plays into the plot. Hassa was a great character that wasn’t explored more until the second half of the book, and even then seemingly as a throwaway addition. Her story line was more compelling than the main one, by far!

I wish that the trials would have been more prevalent in the story telling. They felt really important in leading up to them, then glossed over when we finally got to them. It would have been great character building to see them more thoroughly through Anoor’s eyes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Colonisation, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship