I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I raved about Saara El-Arifi’s first novel, The Final Strife. The Battle Drum is second in the series following Anoor, Sylah, Hassa, and Jond on their individual journeys toward their fates. Spoiler alert for anyone who hasn’t read the first book yet. If you haven’t, stop here and know that book two is also good, go read them both.
At the end of The Final Strife, Sylah leaves her beloved, Anoor, for the Ghosting sanctuary on a mission to get to the fabled mainland and find assistance. Anoor has just won the trials to become warden disciple, the role Sylah was supposed to have won in order to bring revolution to the empire. Hassa, the Ghosting woman, has befriended Anoor as well and stays on in her household as a servant, her untouchable status making her nearly as invisible as her clear blood. Jond is taken prisoner by Sylah, unwillingly dragged along on her quest. So The Battle Drum begins: the core group is separated and face their own destinies, which lead to some thoroughly surprising results and more than one unexpected twists. I always appreciate a book I can’t predict, and this fits the bill.
The Battle Drum does drag in places in the way sequels often do. I put it down to read other things more than once, because some of the journey and intrigues slowed the pace for me. However, the various detailed development of multiple facets in the story that occurs during the first half of the book is important for the characters during the events of the second half, and when they tie together toward the end it’s a chef’s kiss of brilliance.
Overall I love El-Arifi’s writing style, which brings out all the emotions of the characters as they move through their universe. The unexpected tenderness of a new romance is just as effective here as the occasional brutality is, both graphic and implied, there. As the story progresses we discover hidden secrets and tragic sacrifices right along with the main group, and by the last third of the book I was back to having trouble putting it down.
The world-building in this novel is fascinating. The way magic works and how it affects daily life is well developed. The way the climate is changing to more deadly events like acid rain, tidewinds of sand that scour bodies to bone in a few hours, torrential flooding rains, and tsunamis all feel uncomfortably familiar to real life, and provide a rich backdrop for how the societies work in the different lands of this universe. The Battle Drum is a bridge of growth and transformation for all the main characters, which sets the stage expertly for book three. I can’t wait to read the next installment.
No Pithy Phrase 