"Rebellions are like fires—something needs to burn to make a flame."

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Saara El-Arifi deserves every kind of award because how is every book she writes fantastic?

I'm actually incredibly emotional to be at the end of this trilogy, but here's my attempt at writing a coherent review (kindly ignore the distant sounds of my sniffling, please <3)

There are no words for how excited I was when I got approved for this ARC and I can only say that it met every single one of my expectations. Every ounce of excitement I felt for this book was rewarded with the kind of story deserving it. Even with me being locked in a horrendous reading slump, I was either reading this or thinking about reading it.

The story picks up just a bit after where The Battle Drum left off, with our characters each dealing with their own challenges as obstacles upon obstacles get thrown their way. We follow some characters to explore parts of the world we haven't seen before (each beautifully crafted) and others to more familiar places.

One of my favorite aspects was the way each of the main characters was given some sort of closure (or not) of a full-circle moment without the book ever feeling like it was trying to force me to experience that 'end-of-series' emotion that so many finales seem to attempt to manipulate their readers into feeling.

I will admit to struggling with Anoor's naivety a bit more in this book than the previous installments - but I also can't pretend I don't understand the decisions she made or the path that led her to where she was in this book. She was in character the entire time, it was just a bit tedious to read about.

My only other (slight) criticism is that I almost felt as if this book was too short or rushed. That isn't to say that I think it wasn't well-crafted but rather, I wish more time had been given to certain experiences/developments/characters. There were so many things going on in this book and not a single page was wasted; I just wish it could have been a bit longer.

That aside though? This is the kind of finale that makes you feel a bit hollowed out at the end, which is one of the biggest compliments I can give it. I love this series so, so much and it's really bittersweet to know that it's over.

I'm wholeheartedly grateful for the chance to read this and I can't wait to read every book Saara El-Arifi writes from now until the end of time.