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A review by mitzee
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Another great addition to the series. More lands explored and more of the lore revealed, a lot of twists. Now I can’t wait until the next book!
Including summary for myself
Sylah crosses the ocean with The Elders (and Jond but that is unplanned) to find the mainland. Sylah and Jond end up captured and taken prisoner by what seem like slave traders. They manage to escape and eventually find out that those people were being harvested for bone marrow. In this land, the people The Elders sought have a better magic than just runework that was used back where they came from, it’s called deathwork here and it’s more powerful.
Sylah is excited that she found these folks. They (Sylah and Jond) learn about the Zalam (Salaam?) which is the name that these people gave to the islanders with red blood. Jond also reveals that he knew some of the folks that Anoor is dealing with are also part of the secret rebellion (The Sandstorm) and fearing for Anoor’s life, Sylah leaves the magic mainland immediately to sail back to Anoor - leaving on the cusp of a battle that the counsel was planning.
Meanwhile back at home Anoor has set up her shadow court with Goryn, Kwame, and Hassa… as well as someone who Goryn found and recommended. She needs them after Anoor finds her mother, Ooka, murdered in her office and is framed for the murder. Anoor has to use her shadow court to help prove her innocence since she’s put on house arrest until her trial. The whole time it feels like Anoor is basically being played by everyone, first her shadow court, then the wardens disciples (don’t know why she trusts them) and then her grandmother, Yona (also not sure why she trusts her either). Yona turns out to be the psychotic religious freak who left the mainland with her brother - she calls herself The Wife.
Hassa and Kwame’s relationship blossoms in this book. But on a fact finding mission, to learn how Leo (Sylah’s adoptive mother and Anoor’s biological mother) died, they get separated. Kwame is caught as they discover that the government is harvesting bone marrow at “treatment” centers. Leo died from a tide wind out in the street. Kwame is ripped on a rack and poor Hassa couldn’t do anything about it. But she’s definitely angry now. After the ripping a grio (storyteller) hands her a book. It’s very mysterious.
At the end, Yona reveals herself to be Nayeli, and that she’d been looking for Anoor - the prophesied “child of fire” - for the whole time. Ooka, Yona’s daughter and the former Warden of Justice, had been a twin and apparently Loot, the Warden of Crime, was the other twin. She had sacrificed Loot to the tide wind when he was born but apparently he had been saved. Anyway, now the disciples/the sandstorm agents, and Anoor are with Yona/Nayeli/The Wife and Wife wants to sail back to the mainland (just as Sylah had arrived back in town)
Including summary for myself
Sylah crosses the ocean with The Elders (and Jond but that is unplanned) to find the mainland. Sylah and Jond end up captured and taken prisoner by what seem like slave traders. They manage to escape and eventually find out that those people were being harvested for bone marrow. In this land, the people The Elders sought have a better magic than just runework that was used back where they came from, it’s called deathwork here and it’s more powerful.
Sylah is excited that she found these folks. They (Sylah and Jond) learn about the Zalam (Salaam?) which is the name that these people gave to the islanders with red blood. Jond also reveals that he knew some of the folks that Anoor is dealing with are also part of the secret rebellion (The Sandstorm) and fearing for Anoor’s life, Sylah leaves the magic mainland immediately to sail back to Anoor - leaving on the cusp of a battle that the counsel was planning.
Meanwhile back at home Anoor has set up her shadow court with Goryn, Kwame, and Hassa… as well as someone who Goryn found and recommended. She needs them after Anoor finds her mother, Ooka, murdered in her office and is framed for the murder. Anoor has to use her shadow court to help prove her innocence since she’s put on house arrest until her trial. The whole time it feels like Anoor is basically being played by everyone, first her shadow court, then the wardens disciples (don’t know why she trusts them) and then her grandmother, Yona (also not sure why she trusts her either). Yona turns out to be the psychotic religious freak who left the mainland with her brother - she calls herself The Wife.
Hassa and Kwame’s relationship blossoms in this book. But on a fact finding mission, to learn how Leo (Sylah’s adoptive mother and Anoor’s biological mother) died, they get separated. Kwame is caught as they discover that the government is harvesting bone marrow at “treatment” centers. Leo died from a tide wind out in the street. Kwame is ripped on a rack and poor Hassa couldn’t do anything about it. But she’s definitely angry now. After the ripping a grio (storyteller) hands her a book. It’s very mysterious.
At the end, Yona reveals herself to be Nayeli, and that she’d been looking for Anoor - the prophesied “child of fire” - for the whole time. Ooka, Yona’s daughter and the former Warden of Justice, had been a twin and apparently Loot, the Warden of Crime, was the other twin. She had sacrificed Loot to the tide wind when he was born but apparently he had been saved. Anyway, now the disciples/the sandstorm agents, and Anoor are with Yona/Nayeli/The Wife and Wife wants to sail back to the mainland (just as Sylah had arrived back in town)