Yeren was the youngest colonel in the army before being exiled from the elvish lands. Alongside her younger sister and Captain Rayan, Yeren accidentally kills a fae prince - a people they thought faerytale.

Like her other series, El-Arifi uses the fantasy element to explore fluidity of gender and incorporate free sexuality seamlessly within her story and world.
Furthermore, we have aged up protagonists - around 30 years old! Rejoice!
In this sense, it reminded me of N K Jemisin.

”We must let the wind of change ease our flight, not hinder it.”

The magic system explanations never fully satisfied me, but the gist is: Yeren fights with drumfire that required intention to draw on magic. Lettle is a diviner, speaking prophecies by detaching from one’s mind.

Sadly, my favourite parts are also huge spoilers, so I’m leaving this review purposefully vague. Just know it’s filled with rich world-building and if you like talking animal companions - you will love this.

There’s passionate romance bordering between love and hate, deadly prophecies, poison, secrets, and royalty!

Genre - General Fiction (Adult), Sc-Fi & Fantasy, Romance
Pages - 400
Publication Date - January 23rd, 2024
Rating -
Review (No spoilers but does mention things from Synopsis)
• I ate this book up! So fast. Saara’s writing was so easy to read and enjoy at the same time! I was hooked within the first 30 pages of this book and from there I couldnt put it down. One moment I was on Chapter 4 and then I hit the end. I was so sad when there was no more to read and really hope another book is on the way.
• This book offers royalty, war, love, hate, death, magic, enemies to lovers, and more.
• Follow Yeeran, a Colonel who becomes exiled from Elven Lands and her younger sister Lettle who chases after her. Follow their journey as they are thrust into the Fae court who haven't been seen for a millennium.
• This book had me on my toes the whole time. The reason I gave this a 4/5 star rating is only because I hoped for more world building than we got. I felt it just needed some more detail. I felt it was descriptive yes but also could have had just a little more to it. I do have hope that the next book will have more world building.
• I do also really love the cover art. I think it is stunning!

Faebound was ultimately very disappointing to me. I’ve heard such good things about the author’s first trilogy (which is still on my TBR!) but Faebound didn’t work for me. I think it was originally advertised as an epic fantasy, but it is romantasy. That is no hate to romantasy, I was just expecting something different.

As a romantasy, it does the job. The romance for both couples was very insta-love, including the “enemies to lovers” one. For those playing the trope game though, there is a queer “who did this to you?” Which is quite excellent.

I found the pacing uneven; the first 50% was a slog and the last 50% jammed packed. I also felt the writing read more YA than adult, which the book is advertised as. The characters also act very young, though they are all late 20s and early 30s (there is some in story explanation for this but it was hard for me to translate still).

However, the world was so interesting! El-Arifi really said “why choose?” And wrote a whole world with Elves, Humans, AND Fae. I liked the mythology behind the races as well. I also really liked how she showed the dark realities of war and what that means for how people are raised during a neverending one.

I also loved the sheer amount of diverse characters. A+ no notes.

I received this copy through NetGalley for an honest review.

This book intricately unfolds the captivating journey of two elven sisters navigating an unfamiliar world. While the initial challenge lay in engaging with the story due to my dissatisfaction with the dialogue structure, the narrative gradually unveils a truly remarkable worldbuilding. Set against the backdrop of a magical realm where fae, elves, and humans once harmoniously coexisted, the storyline presents a modern blend of "Lord of the Rings" and "Avatar."

This fusion, skillfully rendered, effortlessly guides readers through the intricate dynamics and political intricacies of this fantastical world. The meticulous attention to worldbuilding emerges as a standout feature which provides a better understanding of the political intricacies. However, amidst this rich tapestry, my enthusiasm was tempered by a lack of connection with the main character, adding a layer of challenge to the overall reading experience. Despite this, the narrative remains a fascinating exploration of a vibrant and complex world.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Yeeran and Lettle’s relationship as sisters is so cute even when they are aggravating each other. The romances are to die for.

Saara El Arifi is an autobuy author for me... Faebound is a brilliant masterpiece and I had a great time with it.
Saara's USP is her attention to detail and the immense world building which is absolutely remarkable. I absolutely can't wait for more and to see where this adventure takes Yeeran and Lettle..

2.5
“In the beginning there were three gods.” After living peacefully for many years, they became lonely. Thus the humans, fae and elves were created. The gods granted them their greatest gift - free will. Now only the elves remain.

This book is from the POVs of Yeeran and Lettle, sisters in the Waning Clan of the elves. Yeeran has just been promoted to colonel (in her mid thirties thank you very much!) in the Waning army. Lettle is loving her life as a sassy late twenties seer. A grave mistake forces Yeeran to leave the tribe, followed by Lettle and Captain Rayan. After Yeeran accidentally kills a fae prince (they were alive?!), they are taken captive by the fae.

This was my first foray into Sapphic romantasy. I appreciated the natural representation of varied peoples and relationships. Unfortunately I couldn’t get into the book. I wasn’t overly invested in the characters or their stories. The story picked up at the end, so I may read next book.

Thank you Random House Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐️

I enjoyed the world building of this book! From humans to elves, fae, and captivating animal-bonding relationships, the story was brimming with rich elements.

The overarching storyline was a delightful blend of war, politics, romance, and fantasy— seamlessly woven together. In the end some of the characters fell a bit flat for me, but overall it was an enjoyable read! 🤩

My favorite part of Faebound is how rich and dynamic the world-building is. The author paints a vivid picture that truly immerses you within the story. The cast of characters are also incredibly diverse, and each one experiences a radical shift in beliefs as the truth of their realities is revealed.

Themes of power, identity, and family - both blood and found - flow throughout the story, intertwining even the most unlikely of companions. I was thrown for a loop several times as the author included multiple twists that kept me on my toes and created an intoxicating sense of urgency and tension. I had a hard time putting the book down because I could not wait to find out what happened next.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the others in the trilogy! I also loved the author’s writing style so much that I’m going to be reading their backlog as soon as my TBR gets a bit smaller.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fantasy, character diversity, LGBTQ+ representation, books that center around different species (this one has fae, elves, and humans), and war/battles.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - 4.25 Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley for an e-arc of Faebound!
DIVIDED BY BLOOD.
IMPRISONED BY FATE.
BOUND BY DESIRE.
WELCOME TO THE INTOXICATING WORLD OF THE FAE

There was a lot to enjoy about this book - the world, the characters, the diversity, (even the cover art). I'm definitely looking forward to the next two books for more character development and romance. Yeeran, Lettle & Rayan made this book an easy read, I flew through it!!
This book tells the story of sisterhood, romance, character development and realization 💙

Highly recommend!

I had a really hard time getting into this book, but I can’t really point to any one thing in particular that bothered me. I can easily see why people would really enjoy it, but it just didn’t click with me and I didn’t really connect to or love any of the characters. There were punctuation issues that bothered me and took me out of the story a bit, too. I didn’t fully understand the magic system either and wanted a bit more of an explanation there. Overall, it just wasn’t the book for me and I struggled to pick it up. I’d give it 2.5 stars.


Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was NOT prepared for the immersive world building and emotional dynamics of this storyline!

I primarily read fantasy/romantasy and this is heavy on fantasy with character/beast bonding, dialogues between character and beast that is unheard by anybody else. Unlike fourth wing where Tairn is dry humor and poking fun at Violet, this bonded creature is filled with wisdom that had me desperately highlighting from the moment they bonded until the end.

The war storyline, political evolution between the three primary groups in this story and the lore of the magic is written so well that you catch yourself gasping when the plot inevitably twists and turns.
Bravo Saara! You did it again!
If you enjoy high fantasy with Fae, Elves, Humans and tons of world building add this to your TBR immediately!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for review.

I was really looking forward to this book given the early reviews I had seen, but I will say I did not like it as much as I would have hoped. I struggled to get into the story in the beginning and found everything to be somewhat surface level, but as it went on I did enjoy it more. The diversity and representation in this book is really great and was one of my favorite aspects. I would rate it as 3.5 stars. I do look forward to seeing where this series will go and will continue reading the next installments in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.25 Stars - a wonderful writing style and an incredibly unique magic system and world.

This story follows sisters Yeeran and Lettle. Yeeran is a colonel in the Forever War, the war between the elven tribes for control of the crystal mines beneath the field. Elves, fae, and humans used to walk the earth, but neither fae nor human have been seen in a millennium. A costly mistake on her first day as colonel leads to Yeeran's banishment. As one's sister does, Lettle follows her into banishment. In the lands past their home, they discover the fae court,

First things first, I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. It was incredible. The magic of humans, fae, and elves are all so unique, and the use of drums by the elves to channel magic was something that I have never seen done before. In addition, there was such a diverse cast of characters, and they are all fleshed out fairly well. Even the villains aren't entirely detestable. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a unique magic system and a wide range of characters represented.

Now, the main reason that I didn't rate this book four stars - it was so insanely predictable. Like insanely predictable. While I really liked these characters at points, they were so blind that it was frustrating. Every prophecy was obvious, and every plot twist was visible a mile away. Everything was spelled out, and the only people that couldn't see it were the characters. This got really frustrating really quick, because if they would just sit for a moment and think about what was going on, a lot of grief and headache could have been spared on their part.

The second reason that it was rated lowly is that there were some serious inconsistencies and plot holes.

1) In this world, the Forever War has been raging so long and so brutally that there are places on the field (or most of the field) where the blood literally does not drain away. Ever. It's called the Bleeding Field. So you'd think that for a war this long and brutal, you'd need a huge freaking population to sustain it, right? But there are just a few main cities, and small settlements throughout. And the big thing is that at one point one character crosses the majority of the field by camel-pulled carriage (and this is a HEAVY HEAVY carriage) in FOUR HOURS. There is no way that a population to sustain this war the way it is described could be contained in this area. They would all be dead and there would be no one left to fight.

2) One of the characters in this book, Lettle, at one point decides to start learning the language of the Fae, a language that is so difficult that despite the fact that it is a central point of their culture, some Fae can never learn it. Lettle - the same one who is seeing all these obvious hints towards the "plot twists" and such yet cannot see anything - somehow attains a conversational level of the language in a matter of weeks. Saying "conversational level" actually diminishes the proficiency that she attains. She is able to translate obscure words in Fae for the group that are not at all what a beginner should understand (ex. she translates the word for "mist before the storm" and understands conversations after like two weeks). She is also able to read a book of folklore without a dictionary to translate at one point. Learning a language does not work like this, and it just didn't make any sense. Frankly, it wasn't even necessary to the plot.

Overall, I really liked the magic system and cast of characters. If you don't mind the predictability and consistency, then it really is a cool read!

Thank you for the ARC! My review is below...
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Since bursting onto the scene with her novel The Final Strife in 2022 (which came out of nowhere to be my #3 book that year), Saara El-Arifi has been on my radar, and apparently has been cranking out hundreds of pages of finished fantasy each year since. Her followup last year, The Battle Drum, was another 5-star book for me, where El-Arifi managed to broaden the world she had created significantly and successfully, while still creating a path back to a conclusion where other more experienced authors (George R. R. Martin, anyone?) got themselves into trouble when trying the same thing. With the third book in the trilogy, The Ending Fire, due out later this year (and already a pre-order for me), I certainly didn't expect more from El-Arifi before that. But up popped Faebound, with a brand new world and set of characters (and, it seems, the potential for a sequel to follow); I was excited to give it a try.

The novel introduces us to a world in which, at one point, three races existed: humans, elves, and fae. As we open the novel, all that are left are the elves, who are embroiled in a never ending civil war among their tribes they call the "Forever War". We're introduced to a trio of main characters: Yeeran, recently made a colonel in the Waning tribe's army; her top captain Rayan, a longtime friend and fellow soldier; and Yeeran's sister Lettle, who is different from her sister in many ways but the person for whom she cares the most in the world. When Yeeran makes a tragic decision in battle, she is banished from all elven lands, and Rayan and Lettle go in search of their friend and sister. No one has seen fae or humans for more than a thousand years, but that is about to change. Without giving too much of the story away, I'll simply say that the trio find themselves in the land of fae, with both their lives and their freedom on the line.

Like with her previous novels, El-Arifi once again amps up the creativity she employs in crafting worlds, societies and a history to support them. Where The Final Strife books delve deeply into commentary on class and prejudice (with the ingenious device of using blood color to distinguish class), Faebound does so at a slightly reduced level. Whether that's fae vs. elf, or within the fae community, where those that lack a certain ability are derided for being "Lightless", El-Arifi explores those societal prejudices.

One area free from prejudice in these worlds is gender and sexual orientation. As she has done in the past, El-Arifi makes a point to include broad representation across genders and sexual orientations, and I'd say she reached a personal peak in this one. I appreciated her efforts at inclusion, but it was pretty heavy-handed, almost to the point of distraction. However, given the complete acceptance among characters of all genders/identities/sexual orientations (with more than a dozen different examples to prove that point), the lack of prejudice was commentary in and of itself.

While spending a little less time on societal prejudices, El-Arifi fills that extra room with a significant uptick in romance, to the point that I would easily classify Faebound into the emerging category of "romantasy", akin to books like Fourth Wing (which I happened to like a lot!) and, perhaps a more direct comparison, Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses. I haven't read "ACOTAR", as it's affectionately abbreviated by readers, but I'd wager that fans of that series might also enjoy Faebound given what I suspect are some similarities. There is romantic tension throughout, with burgeoning relationships and multiple will-they-or-won't-they potential couplings. And, once "will they" wins out, there's a decent amount of pretty descriptive sex. There's "lots of spice", as they say, and if that's your thing, there's a good chance Faebound is one you might like.

Unfortunately, hot fae/elf sex is not so much my thing. While I appreciated the level of creativity in the world-building and the layers of thoughtfulness incorporated into crafting the elven and fae societies, I thought the plotting of Faebound wasn't quite as intricate as with El-Arifi's other books. While the novel is complete and could be read as a stand-alone, it does lend itself to what I expect will be a sequel. If that happens, I'm not sure I'm up for more of this world; this was a high-3- / low-4-star book for me, and from my perspective, The Final Strife series is more my style. If you read The Final Strife and found yourself wishing for more sex and less violence, then Faebound might be for you; otherwise, I think The Final Strife and The Battle Drum are better books in multiple ways, and I'd focus first on that series.

A really interesting take on fae and elves. I liked both of the protagonists (even though I enjoyed Yeeran's romance more), and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Also: I want an obeah!!!

This book….was MAGIC!!! There are numerous thought provoking themes but most of all, the world building. Dear me, the world building! El Arifi is now one of my favorite authors because of her ability to make you feel like you were thrown into the story, without leaving your bed. I find myself dreaming of my very own obeah.
If you are into fantasy books where the world is created like a painting, sister bonds, sapphic love stories, also a MF romance, magical creature communication. Oh man, I could keep going but I do NOT want to spoil anything.
I’m going to sun this up with, READ THIS BOOK! Easily one of the greatest fantasy books I’ve read in a long time!!

Unfortunately, this book did not keep me hooked. The beginning of the book was too much “telling” with barely any “showing.” First chapter specifically was very little to do with characters and was too heavy-handed with the info-dumping.

Faebound is about two elf siblings who will do anything for each other and get caught up in a war they never expected. It is in both of their POVs which is great as it gives both perspectives and the reader is omniscient with both characters thoughts and ideas. One of the things that was most disgusting to me throughout this book was the absolute amount of diversity, I have never experienced that in another book, ever. That was definitely not missed on me! It was so easy to follow and more books should follow the lead of this in its diversity of characters as well as relationships, the author was amazing in that aspect. The language used was different than most books, but I suspect it is due to the storyline. I appreciated how much Yeeran Lettle loved each other but also had their vast differences and complications throughout. The map was incredibly hard to read on the e-book, though I'm sure this can be fixed. I also would have loved a pronunciation guide. On to the story line- I felt like I wanted more. There were times when I did get a bit bored and there were also times when the story felt rushed- especially near the end. This is a first book in a series so the book is not finished with a bow in the end, but this was not unexpected and I was not left with more questions than answers. I definitely did NOT see some of those twists coming and was shocked! This book contains enemies-to-lovers tropes as well as a slow-burn, in my opinion. I did wish for more magic, but that is just my personal preference, as well as more character development, though there was definitely development there in some aspects. This book is for adult fantasy/romance readers, though has more fantasy than romance. I am giving this book 3/5 stars, I did finish the whole book and while it wasn't a great book, it was good and kept me interested and following the story the entire time.

Well... it wasn't quite The Final Strife, but I enjoyed it.

It lacked some of the complexity I would have expected from the author but I loved the fae realm descriptions and the multiple forms of magic. The relationships between the animals and the humans were so unique. This book had lots of varied representation. And I loved the history of the fae, the elves, and the humans (even though the prophecies were decently predictable). My biggest complaint was that the book didn't seem to know exactly what I wanted to be. At parts, it read romantasy and at others it read military fantasy. I think for the sake of the plot it might have been better to delve into one of those more deeply. I loved the tension between both Yeeran and Furi and Lettle and Rayan. But tension can only get you so far and I feel like the relationships were all built on physical attraction and being attracted to people you shouldn't. Like, I enjoyed the banter but once they got together, it was lacking some chemistry. Besides that, the book was a quick enjoyable read. I wouldn't call it particularly memorable, but I had fun with it.