The Final Strife
Book One of The Ending Fire Trilogy
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4.5 • 11 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In the first book of a visionary fantasy trilogy with its roots in the mythology of Africa and Arabia that “sings of rebellion, love, and the courage it takes to stand up to tyranny” (Samantha Shannon, author of The Priory of the Orange Tree), three women band together against a cruel empire that divides people by blood.
“A game-changing new voice in epic fantasy . . . There are no Chosen Ones here, only bad choices and blood.”—Tasha Suri, author of The Jasmine Throne
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Oprah Daily, Autostraddle
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.
Book One of The Ending Fire Trilogy
Don’t miss any of Saara El-Arifi’s searing Ending Fire Trilogy:
THE FINAL STRIFE • THE BATTLE DRUM • THE ENDING FIRE
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We were enthralled by this first volume in an epic fantasy series inspired by Ghanaian and Arabic legends. In this world, only the red-blooded Embers can use their blood to perform magic, and they use this advantage to remain at the top of a caste system, ruling over the blue-blooded Dusters and transparent-blooded Ghostings. Anoor, a secret Duster raised by an Ember, wants to enter the contest to become one of the land’s rulers, but she’s a mediocre fighter and she can’t do magic. Enter Sylah. She’s a secret Ember raised by a Duster—and with her training, Sylah might actually have a chance. Prepare to be fascinated by this tale of violence and passion as Sylah battles to bring down the whole ruling system. If you love fantasy world-building, do not miss The Final Strife.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
El-Arifi debuts and launches the Ending Fire series with a fast-paced epic fantasy inspired by Ghanian and Arabian folklore. The Wardens' Empire maintains a violent social hierarchy based on the color of one's blood. There are three classes: the Embers, the red-blooded elite; the Dusters, a blue blooded second class; and the Ghostings, clear-blooded slaves with virtually no rights. Scrappy heroine Sylah lives among the Dusters, working in their fighting rings while struggling with addiction to deadly joba seeds. But Sylah has a secret: she was born an Ember. She and 12 other Ember children were stolen as babies by a Duster-led resistance called the Sandstorm, who hoped to raise them "to destroy the empire from within." A brutal massacre of Sandstorm's ranks left Sylah the sole survivor, and she's lost all hope of a revolution—until someone she'd thought long dead walks back into her life. Now Sylah works to pick up the pieces of the rebellion with help from her friend Hassa, a clever and resourceful Ghosting, and Anoor, the Duster with whom she was switched at birth. El-Arifi keeps the pages flying even while building an intricate secondary world, allowing readers to learn its rules through action rather than exposition. This sets a high bar for the series to come.
