The Final Strife

A clever take on racial tensions in a fantasy setting. Racism is often a challenging topic to take on, and this one takes it a step further by making the colour of a persons blood literally the defining characteristic of their social standing. With 3 castes of people living in the empire the tensions between the haves and the have nots are cleverly manipulated by those at the top. The reveals and twists cleverly act to undermine the social order and the basis for the regime, but also the motivations of some of the rebel characters as well, creating a wonderfully murky moral picture despite the obvious bias of the society.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. The very real oppression, the politicking and the hidden agendas all work together to produce a fascinating cocktail. Very much looking forward to see where this series goes

A book full of excellent world building and interesting ideas, I definitely feel like I learnt something. I really enjoyed the two main characters and their developing relationship. The main character swears brilliantly and the dialogue is really fun.

I found the plot of the first half of the book a little prosaic, however the second half of the book really kicks in and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Edit- Just found out that all the violence in this book really took place in history. Which has blown my mind.

This is a story about an Empire divided by the color of blood. If your blood is red, you are worthy. If it's blue, you're nothing. White blood, and you are maimed and silenced. The Empire is wrong and it must fall.
This book follows three women from different backgrounds with a common goal, to topple the Empire.
I loved these characters so much! The story is fantastic! It's got African mythology, Arabian mythology. It's action-packed with some political intrigue. So much to love. I'm definitely reading the next one.

I received a copy from net galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.