ARC review!
If someone were to look me in the eye and tell me that I’d find one of my top 10 reads of the year three weeks into January, I’d laugh. But I did, and 2024 has a lot to live up to after reading Faebound by Sara El-Arifi. Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the opportunity!
After a fatal mistake ends with Yeeran exiled from her homelands, she and her sister Lettle find themselves at the mercy of the fae, long thought to be extinct. Along with their friend Rayan, they must navigate this new, intoxicating world and all of the obstacles that come with it, including love and death in equal measure.
Faebound is a masterfully woven tale with amazing world building. El-Arifi has created a story that not only centers sisters as the main characters, but also paints a world where things like queerness and disability are normalized, which (as a queer, disabled person) was refreshing and affirming. The mythology of this book is rich and I found myself wanted more of it. And those twists! I thought I could tell which way some of the plot threads were going to go, and I’m so thrilled to have been wrong about them.
Overall, this is truly a masterpiece in fantasy writing, and I can’t wait to pick up more of Saara El-Arifi’s books. 5★

I liked that the book had diversity and queer representation, and I always love a story with animals bonded to the humans (or fae etc). Maybe my favorite niche in fantasy. The world was well described and interesting the story gets off to a strong start. My constructive feedback would be to move the list of characters to the front of the book, as the character lineup was a bit confusing. I feel that the characters did need more development throughout the story, to differentiate who is who and what exactly was going on. (To avoid the need for the character index) but it would be helpful to use it as the book is read. Thank you again for allowing me to preview this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance reader's copy of the book. Firstly, when I requested this book I had no idea what it was about, I was intrigued by the title. This was really good, it took me a little bit to get into the story but once I did, the words flowed and the world was built. I enjoyed the dynamic shift that elves are different from fae and that humans are extinct. I will be recommending this to my friends who read and I look forward to the next in the series.

I am once again lamenting the fact that I have read an ARC and have no idea when I will get to read the next book. This book is so well done. In fact, it is one of the best openings to a series I have read in quite a while. If you are looking for a unique world full of tasteful representation, look no further.

Things I liked:
-The world building. This was such a unique take on fae and elves (and humans). I was immediately sucked in by the political intrigue.
The magic system is so intriguing and while I wish we had learned more about it in this book, I am hopeful that more will be revealed as the series continues.
- The characters are mostly likeable and drove the story for me

Things I didn't love:
- The romance. All of the relationships in this book could have used a little bit more on page development. While the tensions and things were there along the way, when characters gave in, it leaned way to close to instant love for my liking.

Overall, I am looking forward to seeing where this story goes. next book when?! I will also be reading all of El-Arifi's backlog because her writing is beautiful!

I don’t want to spend too much time in this review relaying the plot of the book. It’s pretty straightforward and it isn’t necessarily the barebones plot points that make this book special. It is, however, the cast of characters and the execution of world-building that makes this stand out.

I want to start by firmly asserting that this book wasn’t the 5-star read I was expecting. There were a lot of smaller problems I had with El-Arifi’s writing style that prevented it from being a 5-star book for me.

Starting with the things I loved:
Representation!! I think this book is THE standard for how easy it is to weave representation into a fantasy story. The cast of both main and side characters was full of differing gender identities, sexual identities, and levels of ability. Every character was so goddamn lovable! Especially the main cast: Yeeran, Lettle, Furi, Rayan. I think the main connection of the story is the one between the two sisters.

Worldbuilding!! This is such a unique and special take on the ever-present faerie fantasy plot line. Though I think this does have some of the predictable tropes of the faerie fantasy plots, this book adds such fresh nuance and perspective to those tried and true moments that I didn’t find myself rolling my eyes at the predictability of it all.

Lesbians who try to murder each other!!! This one pretty much speaks for itself but….. sapphic romance…. in a fantasy…. where they’re both murderous is just so…. so fantastic. Everything I could’ve ever wanted. A million times yes.

Truly adult characters in an adult fantasy!! (although Lettle did at times read a bit childish and she’s… 28…..)

The things I didn’t love:
The romance: I think that the branding/marketing of this (aka the author blurbs and publicity praise) makes this seem like it’s romantasy. And I think that’s a mistake. Because if it is supposed to be a romantasy, the relationship development is poor. It’s a lot of “you’re hot and I’m hot and we’re in the same place so we’re in love.” I think the central relationship, as mentioned above, that is most developed is the one between Yeeran and Lettle. Once I stopped focusing on the romantic relationships and focused more on this sisterly one, I found the story much more fulfilling. But as a romance reader, this falls short in a lot of ways by my standards for fictional relationships.

The writing style: I haven’t read The Final Strife so I’m not sure if this is El-Arifi’s normal style or if they’ve done something different for their adult fantasy but I found the prose to be kind of bland. I don’t know, I love an immersive writing style for a magical story like this and it all felt very matter-of-fact in tone. Additionally, the way that this was set up in dual POVs meant there was a lot of repetition of information. For example, in one of Yeeran's chapters we meet one of the queens and we’re told she’s Furi’s mother. Then in the next chapter Lettle meets her and repeats the same information. Though I get it’s staying true to what the characters actually know, this happened multiple times. And because the POVs are 3rd person and the tone of the prose is very muted and neutral, it felt like repetition.

I felt that the writing lacked emotional impact at crucial times. Sometimes the narration was so detached that i was being told Lettle was sobbing, for example, without feeling the emotional impact of one of the main characters sobbing.

Lastly, and I’ve seen a lot of other people commenting on this, the book was so predictable. I think this predictability was more obvious to me because of the less exciting style of prose. Because the prose tends to downplay the excitement in the story, the big ‘twists’ feel anticlimactic. Though there are many fantasy stories out there that I feel are predictable and I guess the twists, those twists are often presented with high-impact, high-intensity prose. Because I felt that the prose here was muted and toned down in emotional intensity, the twists, though predictable, were less exciting.

Now I don’t want the overwhelming criticism to seem at odds with the star rating. I do think this story is GREAT. I think the story itself is fun and the world of the story is so amazing and interesting to read about. I think there are just stylistic choices that deterred me from falling in love with this. It’s also possible that since this is a series, I will find more enjoyment in later installments now that I am familiar with and connected to the characters.

I think that so many people will absolutely LOVE this book and there’s so much here that I think puts this fantasy far above others despite my many criticisms of the writing style.

A series to keep your eye on for sure!!!

4.5 Stars!
“And where there is value, there is power, and where there is power, violence will always brew.”

I cannot say enough good things about this book! This West African lore-inspired world with elves, fae, humans and drum-magic, centers around an incredible diverse cast of all races, sexualities, and genders.
The main characters are elf sisters, Yeeran and Lettle. One is a warrior and the other practices divination. These are the kinds of female characters I want to read about! They are incredible and strong, they take care of themselves and each other, and do what they need to survive. Their relationship with each other throughout the story is probably the most realistic sister dynamic I have ever read. Outside of the sisters, the cast of characters we meet throughout the story are written just as in-depth, and getting to read all of their stories was a joy. There is also a fantastic balance between the steamy romance and the fantasy world building that I really appreciated.
This plot, wow. Saara wrote the type of story that leaves breadcrumbs for you to piece together later, and because of that, this was an incredibly fun read. The was she brought all of the pieces together was fantastic, especially because there were details/twists that I could not predict, but were all clearly well thought out.
Finally, lets talk about the world building (because I could go on and on but I won’t)! Saara has created an incredibly developed world, complete with a rich history. The elves, the creatures we are introduced to, like the Obeah, the districts and lands we move in and out of, all part of a world that we will only learn more about as the series continues.
This was the steamy BIPOC fantasy of my dreams and I loved it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

This book was phenomenal!! I loved the magic system and the fact that it had fae AND elves AND they can bond with a creature…sign me up!

Lettle and Yeeran are born and raised on the battlefield and it’s all they’ve ever known. Until exile leads them down a whole new path and meeting a whole new people in a whole new land.

4/5 stars for me and I would highly recommend.

I absolutely adored this book and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the series goes! I found the world building to be so interesting and accessible. It easily drew me in and I found myself wanting to learn more. Going into it, I thought it was going to be more romantasy but I found it being the perfect balance between the genres for my preferences.

Having the main characters POV be from Lettle and Yeeran made so much sense and I loved seeing the sisters relationship. While they were the main focus, all of the side characters I thought were really well developed. There were quite a few twists in the end so I can’t wait to see where the author takes the story next!

Thank you to Balentine Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy crap...this book, this book was wonderful. I needna few days to process it. There will be a more in depth review coming soon after I take a few days to digest this book.

First of all thank you for this ARC!
Fantasy is my far my favorite genre to read, so naturally I was drawn to this book. It had great world building and magic system was very interesting. It had such a diverse cast of characters which I great enjoyed.

I loved both Yeeran and Lettle, and thought they were both great FMC. They both had two very different perspectives in story, and as a reader I appreciate getting both of their POV’s. Yeeran was by far my favorite. She was in no way perfect, but I loved her anyway.

The writing style was a little hard for me at times. I found it to be a bit robotic and slow. But the book picked up in the second half. Overall it was a good read, and an enjoyable book.

⭐️ 3.75 rounded to 4 stars

In Faebound, two Elven sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, become imprisoned in the world of the fae after being exiled from the Elven Lands. The fae haven’t been seen for a thousand years, and Lettle and Yeeran must lean on each other as they try to navigate this unfamiliar world and work to find their way home.

This was such a fun read - I really enjoyed the overall story and the writing of the book. There is an incredibly diverse cast of characters, including race, disability rep, and LGBTQ+ representation. El-Arifi’s world building is descriptive, immersive and a good starting point for future books in the series. The lore is compelling, well-thought out, and woven throughout the story - I look forward to learning more as the rest of the trilogy unfolds.

Unfortunately, the romance aspects of this book do feel a little rushed and shallow - I would have appreciated more buildup in the relationships before being told that the characters love each other. It felt like Furi went from hating Yeeran to being in love with her too quickly, and there wasn’t an opportunity for me to see or understand how/why they fell in love with each other. Further, Yeeran gave up on Salawa somewhat quickly after obsessing about returning to her for half the book. Rayan and Lettle’s relationship had a little bit more substance to it but, it still felt like it was missing something.

Additionally, some plot points were way too predictable - I would have liked for some of the clues to be less obvious, so that those parts of the story would have been a little more compelling for me. I often found myself reading because I enjoyed the ride and not because I needed to know what happened next. How did none of the characters realize that Komi was A(Komi)do until the last 50 pages of this book? And how did Lettle not realize that her prophecy was referring to the two queens?

Despite my criticisms above, I really enjoyed Faebound and look forward to Book 2! The rich world-building and the glimpses we got of some of the relationships really made reading this worthwhile for me.

I’d recommend Faebound to any romantasy and fantasy readers looking for

🧝🏽‍♀️Sapphic Romance
⚔️Epic Fantasy
💛Sibling Bonds
🗺️ Diverse Cast

⭐️rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this! It was a great fantasy following two elven sisters with dual POVs. It was a fun world to learn about with complex and interesting characters, different species, intriguing creatures with magical bonds, different kinds of magic, and legends and prophecies.

I think El-Arifi did a good job world-building. It wasn’t too difficult to follow as you learn the new and interesting world she’s built. There’s always something new you learn or uncover, but it feels balanced and helps the book flow, and it’s not too overwhelming to follow the fantasy world-building.

It was a little slow in the beginning, but the plot and action picked up once they came across the long-lost fae. And there were also twists and turns that you don’t expect, I definitely was surprised!

All in all, I liked this story and the world El-Arifi’s built. The cliffhanger though!! I thought the epilogue was satisfying, but aghhh I wanna know what happens next! This is the first in a trilogy that I’ll definitely be continuing and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Omg I loved this book sooooo much. I will say it took me a little while to get into it, but once I did i was hooked! I am so glad I stuck around to be teleported into such a beautiful, magical world. I loved the sisterly love in this book and at the end when I saw she dedicated it to her own sister I about started crying 😭 and while the world is magic and and enchanting, it also has some very relatable elements of real world conflicts, such as our quest to all live in harmony together. Some spice too if that is your thing! I also loved the lgbtqia+ 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ representation. All around a gorgeous book!

This is my first read by this author. What drew me in was the cover and the fact that it's about fae. This book is different than other fae books I've read. It feels like a dystopian in a lot of ways, but I don't think it's marked as one. The beginning was a bit slow and it dragged at some points but overall I enjoyed the story and am interested to see what happens next.

Thank you so much to Ballantine, Del Rey for giving me access to an arc of this. More of my review to come but I thoroughly enjoyed this!

WOW! this was easily a 5 star read for me! The world building was immaculate, the characters were so detailed and had so much depth to them! From the very first page I knew that this was going to be one of my favorites. I loved the lore that this world was built on, This story had a lot of adventure, a little spice and great dialogue. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this series brings us!

I loved Yeeran's story line, it broke my heart to see how much the elves struggled and how young many of the army were. When Yeeran finds herself having to fight for survival, I found myself very disappointed in Salawa for making the decision. As the story progressed, I couldn't help but feel that Salawa was just using Yeeran and never really cared for her in the way that Yeeran loved Salawa. I hope the next book brings us some resolution between the two and that Yeeran finally sees that Salawa is no good.

While Furi may have kept secrets, I am hoping that she is able to make amends with Yeeran because I absolutely love them together.

I am very interested to see how Rayan and Lettle's stories pan out, There was so much tension and mystery around their story arcs and boy was I in for a surprise when more secrets were revealed. I am anxious to see how Lettle's reading pans out in the end.

Overall, this was a phenomenal story and I cannot wait to eat up the rest of this series.

Long ago, three goddesses made the fae, elves, and humans. Meant to live in harmony, the three groups fight until there is only one human left. As punishment, the fae are forced to live in an underground city.

Yeeran and Lettle are sibling MCs who have to leave their homeland, and, through a series of mishaps, have to live amongst the fae in the sparkling city of Mosima.

The sisters have different skills, but they work together to try to make their way home.

Positives: the magic system, diversity, political drama, and world-building

Needs Improvement- I was sure this was going to be a five-star novel for me, but I was disappointed by how well I was able to guess the ending.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the book and eagerly anticipate book two of the series.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the eARC of Faebound.


'Faebound' is an adult high fantasy with a diverse cast in a queer normative world of unique magic and fae where two Elven sisters are on a journey to find themselves and their place in the grim world of the Forever War they live in.

I really enjoyed so many of the fantastical ideas in this book. The drum magic is not something I had seen before, and the mythology and social worldbuilding kept me turning pages every time a new twist was introduced.

However, the writing style in the first 30% had me threatening to DNF several times. Part 1 could have used another thorough line edit to remove redundancies in the storytelling and concision of the explanations of worldbuilding elements that led to what felt for me a very rough experience. That being said, the twist at the end of Part 1, leads to my favorite moments of the rest of the book.

Yeerin and her perspective chapter were easily the best parts of this book. I believed her feelings towards her romantic interests and felt for her conflicted emotions every time. I wish I could say the same for Lettle. I definitely appreciated her role in the story and her disability rep, but her romantic narrative just felt like a barrel of unearned tropes spilling out onto the page out of nowhere more often than not.

All and all--by the end of the book I was invested and intrigued to see what the next installment in this world will hold.

Faebound by: Saara El-Arifi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Wow! I don’t even really know where to start, I truly loved this book!

About: Two elven sisters become imprisoned in the intoxicating world of the fae, where danger and love lie in wait!

Favorite quote:
“You are the fire of my heart, and the best of my drum. I am yours under moonlight. Until the rhythm sings no more.”

Favorite Character: It’s so tough to choose! I love Lettle for her fire spirit and her loyalty and love for her sister! A few times she was really stubborn and I didn’t love those moments with her, but Rayan would swoop in and make up for it. I loved them both so much.

What I loved: the fantasy was thick in this one and I LOVED it. The twists of everyone’s past was so good, I definitely had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times from the juicy information!

What I disliked: I can’t stand when a character gets mad at someone for keeping a “secret” (that really doesn’t affect them) yet they are also keeping a secret from that person and are totally fine with that… hopefully that makes sense. So that situation happens and I didn’t love it, but it was such a small part of the book, it doesn’t change my view as a whole.

I’m ITCHING to read the next one!!! I just cannot wait for the rest of this trilogy.

This was such a magical read. I loved the world building and magic system and especially liked the use of prophecy. While I was able to pick up on some "twists" others took me by surprise and really made the back end of this book fly by. I can't wait for book 2 to see where everyone ends up.