3.5 star rounding up. I liked this book. The plot and characters were interesting. There were some good twists and I loved the animal companions. I feel like there could have been more development and explanation of the magic, I’m not really sure how the drumfire and fae magic works. I also guessed a few of the twists, but that really didn’t bother me. I’m definitely curious about where things will go from here and I hope to continue with the series when the next book comes out.

4.5 stars

I enjoyed Faebound a lot more than I thought I would. I heard it was heavy on the romantasy side of things, but I disagree with that. While there is romance, I do not think it was the most prominent aspect of the story. The story El-Arifi wrote was incredibly lush. The craftsmanship behind the world building and lore was so intriguing. I really liked how bits of the world, lore, and magic system were revealed all throughout the story. I never felt too bogged down by the details and it never felt info-dumpy. I thought the characters, all in their late 20’s to mid 30’s, were well fleshed out. Yeeran and Lettle really worked as the main two POVs. Their sisterly relationship was so relatable at times. The side characters were also really interesting and I think we learned so much about everyone. I did think they were a little rash at times, but there was a lot at stake. The book definitely dragged at times when it came to the pacing and the end honestly gave me whiplash because so much was being revealed. I also thought it got a little predictable at times. That being said, this wa such a unique fantasy book and I really had a great time with it. I am excited to see what happens next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5/5
I can see where the hype for this book is coming from. It has many components that make a good fantasy story; you have fae, elves and human lore. Romance, dual pov’s and good diversity. A lot of fantasy books start with trying to give you all the information in one go and that can get hard to get into the story. With Yeeran’s and Lettle’s story there were stuff happening from the get go. Some of the lore lack more explanation but I’m guessing it’s been saved for the next book.

SPOILERS

With that said I gave this story a 3.5 because once we are introduced the Fae the story shifted to the romantic relationships between Yeeran/Furi and Lettle/Rayan. I prefer when there is romance in the fantasy stories I read but here both relationships were very much insta love. Furi went from hating Yeeran for killing her brother to calling Yeeran her starlight. I would have understand if they had stay in more of a physical relationship for a while and then developed feelings for each other because for the first half of the book all Yeeran was thinking about was returning to Salawa. And with Lettle and Rayan they have barely spent time with each other and their were thinking about love already at the end. Overall it was an entertaining story with potential to grow as we get more books.

Thank You to NetGalley, Random House publishing for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Faebound is a sapphic Romantasy following two elven sisters - one soldier, one seer - who are imprisoned in the fae realm.

I loved the queer-normative setting and the sibling relationship between the two POV characters. The writing quality of Faebound is significantly better than a lot of popular romantasy books. Unfortunately, the plot was very predictable. I saw every twist coming from miles away, which was really disappointing. I’d recommend this book for readers who enjoy fae romance and don’t mind not being surprised by the plot.

(3.5 / 5 stars)

5/5⭐️Ladies and gentlemen enemies to lovers fantasys are alive and well in our year of 2024. Thank you to Netgalley Im so so happy to have received this arc, this was one of my most anticipated releases for 2024. I haven’t feel so giddy and in love with a book like this is a long time. The plot twists went SO HARD. They came from every angle and just slapped you in the face. I need to see the rest of Yeerans journey immediately!!
Having two point of views between two sisters was very interesting and new for me. I liked being in both their heads but it was frustrating seeing how they saw each other and the way they should’ve just talked it outttt😭😭 Out of the two I can absolutely say Yeeran was my favorite. She was my girl, her and Furi. She did so much for her family while having someone (Lettle) constantly disregard her and not appreciate everything she did. I’m not gonna lie I didn’t love Lettles character. I reallyyy wanted to but with I couldn’t with her internal dialogue and the way she treated Yeeran and lots of things she did that are spoilers.
I was up until 3 AM giggling kicking my feet over these scenes. KNIFE TO THE THROAT. If you’re someone who hates when the enemies become lovers too quick this book is for you. They GENUINELY hate each other at first and for a gooddd chunk of this book. Them breaking down their walls happens very very slowly, and even when theyre doing that the banter is top tier. The tension these characters have is like nothing I’ve read before. You genuinely can’t tell if they’re gonna start making out or killing each other… my perfect enemies to lovers. Like the little things mean everything. Not only was the slow burn and the romance as a whole amazing, but the fact that it’s SAPPHIC?!?! It makes everything better. It elevated it to a wholeee new level. All the relationships in this book were so special then the plot twists came and threw most on their heads and the ones that mattered lasted.

This book was PHENOMENAL. Saara El Arifi is a master of storytelling that is compelling and powerful. From its inclusivity to how well paced it is. I loved all the characters and how their stories interwine! Finishing this book was bittersweet. Cant wait for the next book! Once again, Arifi took the fantasy genre to the next level!

3.75 stars

Thank you, NetGalley for providing this ARC for review.

Yeeran, a warrior in the elven army, has only known a life of violence. After a fatal mistake, she is exiled from the Elven Lands, along with her sister Lettle. In the wilderness, they encounter the long-lost fae court, forcing them to confront their loyalties and desires.

I was excited for this book. I enjoyed the first two books of El-Arifi’s The Ending Fire trilogy. I love the diversity of the characters, and I enjoy the writing style. I am always wanting to continue the story. Unfortunately, this book was not as good as her other two. The twists were not surprising. The prophecies in the book give away some of the plot. I knew what was going to happen when the characters didn’t. There’s only one twist of the prophecy that wasn’t what I was expecting, which could be me not paying attention to details.

The world, the magic, the different races, all of those were good and interesting. I just wanted more. The plot seemed slow, and there wasn’t much happening for a while. I wanted more of the magic explained. I wanted to know more about the fae and their bond with the obeah. This is considered romantasy but it focuses more heavily on the romance than the story and worldbuilding. There was insta-love which is rarely my cup of tea. I wish the book focused more on the plot and lore.

Despite its negatives, I flew through this book. I was entertained, though left slightly disappointed. I’m happy to continue reading El-Arifi’s work just for the inclusivity of her writing. Gender does not matter, sexuality does not matter, and neither does skin color. Those are replaced with species discrimination and hatred, but you need some conflict to arise to tell a good story.

I’m looking forward to the sequel and hope it will be better than Faebound.

Thank you Netgalley and Random Publishing House for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 ⭐️

I enjoyed Faebound! The beginning was a little slow and took me awhile to be intrigued by the plot but the plot does ramp up towards the end of the story. I enjoyed the world building, unique magic system, magical creatures and the romance. I feel like Yeeran’s character lacked a little depth but hopeful we will get more in the rest of the series. Leetle and Furi’s characters were what held my interest in the story (and ofc the mysterious Rayan). Overall a good book 1 and will most likely continue the series!

Quick Thoughts Reviews:

Hi friends! The snow is gently falling outside my window & my kids are still asleep so besides the puppy intermittently barking & squeaking his new alligator toy, this is a peaceful morning indeed.

Today I’m coming at you with three quick thought reviews—

❄️ The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow. Alix’s writing is stunning & marvelous, this story had me thinking me about doors in a completely new way, the twists & turns keep you on your feet, & the last chapters offer solace for the previous hurts. My fave book of hers I’ve read yet. 5 ⭐️. (Qualifies for my “read a book about books fiction or nonfiction” spot on the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge.)

❄️ King & the Dragon Flies by Kacen Callender. This book! I hadn’t realized how very limited my previous middle grade reading experiences have been. Tackling the topics of grief, racism, abuse, Black masculinity, homophobia, and Queerness, this book has such a way with emotion and imagination & the language will grab you and not let go. 4.5 ⭐️. (Qualifies for my “read a middle grade book with an LGBTQIA main character” spot on the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge.)

❄️ Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. The premise of this one—two sisters are taken hostage in Faerie, a place where they are viewed as enemies—is so interesting & I love the Queer rep (more of this in fantasy, please!). But I didn’t feel totally invested in the characters or the story (YMMV). 3.5 ⭐️. Out 01/23. (Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.)

📖 are any of these on your TBR or have you read any?

[ID: the three book covers are on a When Harry Met Sally backdrop—Sally & Harry are squatting over a wood floor & looking at the viewer.]

I was very excited about the release of this book but I was let down upon reading it. The story right off the bat starts off with no world building and not many details about anything that was happening. It was too bland and everything in the story was too obvious. While the magic system originally felt like a good idea ended up falling flat for me because the book overall wasn't enjoyable.

Faebound was an entertaining read and one that I was glad to do. It is an easy read, everything is explained in a way that is easy to digest and is able to keep your attention for the duration of the book. I will say that this story is easily predictable and I would have liked to see more development within the romantic angles this story possesses. The reader is thrust into these relationships and did not show true growth which is something I love while reading. Overall, I am looking forward for the next book to come out.

I was hugely excited to begin my NetGalley ARC journey with Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. After a strictly holiday romance December, I was itching and ready to hop back into a romantasy. Faebound did not disappoint. Faebound has all of the hallmarks of what I love about romantasy -- incredible world building, magic, beautiful relationships, and some spice. It was a perfect Romantasy to start the year where my TBR is brimming with them! 

Faebound is the first book in a trilogy series that follows the intersection of a world where fae, elves, and humans are the children of three gods. When the series starts, we meet Yeeran and Lettle -- two elven sisters in the midst of a Forever War between Elven armies. When Yeeran is exiled from the Wanning Lands, the sisters stumble upon the truth and start to unravel a puzzle they thought were only true in Faerytales. 

Overall, this book was a 3.75 stars for me. I was struck by El-Arifi's beautiful world building, descriptions of magic, and queernormativity. But, the pace and action is less intense than other popular romatasies on the market right now, and in some ways -- that can make it feel like Book 1 is all a set up for what is to come. I struggled a bit with what felt like lack of intensity or build to an all out, action-packed finish but that by no means should be equated with a lack of action, intrigue, or heart! In a lot of ways the pace really gave enough space for world building, understanding the history of the tension that Yeeran and Lettle were living in, and enough space to unravel the puzzle of the prophecies. However, it also led me to be able to put the book down more than I want to. 

What really stuck out to me was Saara El-Arifi's queernormativity throughout the novel. While many of the characters engage in relationships outside of herteronormative partnerships, these queer love stories aren't called out as different. It was beautiful to read intense, complicated love between two female characters -- and for gender expression and partnership to exist without comment throughout the novel and in this world. 
Overall, I loved falling in love with this world and these characters. I'm excited for Faebound to be out in the world and to hear what others think about it. I definitely will be continuing on in this series. 

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader Copy  via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and freely given.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

I love fantasy and I am afraid I have a high standard now for this genre. I found this book to be very predictable and at times I felt like it was a story I have read before. Saara was able to create is super fun world with a lot of potential but the story fell flat at times.

let me start by saying 2023 was the year of romantasy for me, and coming off of some other fae/dragon/magic-adjacent books set the bar high. that being said, i loved the idea of this much more than the execution. let me hit the good before the not-so-good first, though.

this is a queer romantasy. the story is filled with gender fluid characters and societies, lgbtq+ relationships, and they/them pronouns used in a way that doesn’t feel cringey and forced (iykyk). there is also really great disability representation with one of the main characters, lettle, which i loved. also i enjoy the animal and fae/human/etc bonds in books, which this has aplenty.

BUT (and here comes the not-so-good), the story felt really clunky at times. certain parts of the magic and world building were fully fleshed out and detailed while others were still half-baked, which left me wanting more from the details that make romantasy books such fun reads. i also could not connect with a single character and thought they were all rather unlikeable. the twists were pretty predictable and my goooooodness the sex scenes were cringe. long story short, i found myself wanting to hurry through this one just to check it off my list.

for those that like more fantasy than romance, maybe this will be your cup of tea. i think i still prefer my romantasies to be a bit raunchier (lol).

thanks to @harpercollins and the author for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This is one of those times when judging a book by its cover pays off! Faebound is definitely going to be one of the most talked about Fantasy reads of 2024 and I’m excited for the well-deserved hype.

Following sisters Yeeran and Lettle, elves in a world ravaged by civil war, we embark on a journey in exile that brings the sisters to places they believed only existed in storybooks. Most notably, they encounter creatures of the past that they believed were extinct (fae and humans) and find a path to world peace along the way.

Now I’m not a fantasy girl, but I can say it was not hard to get drawn into this book. The world building is immaculate and the author provides plenty of twists and easter eggs to keep readers talking for days. The writing was so immersive and descriptive I often found myself dreaming about the worlds, characters, and stories after a late night reading session.

This book is definitely going to compete with the fantasy heavy hitters that have taken over our TikTok and Instagram feeds and I, for one, am excited to see a fantasy novel featuring a diverse cast of characters enter the scene.

Faebound was written so beautifully. It is such a magical story and unlike anything I have ever read. I was blown away with every character and I loved how everything unfolded. I can’t wait to continue their journey.

My rating:⭐️⭐️

Spice level: 1.5 🌶️

Read if you like:
▫️dual POV
▫️fae and elves
▫️magic
▫️sisterly devotion

Thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Saara El-Arifi for this ARC.

I was really excited to read this book because it was really hyped and I’ve seen it everywhere. And…everything about it was disappointing.

It started off strong with engaging characters, good world building, and an action-driven plot. The idea of drum warfare using magic was a new idea that I was excited to explore. Divining using animal entrails and magic was an interesting concept. The best part of the book was the obeah.

However, the writing was stilted, clunky, and strange. It made the story a bit boring and difficult to engage with. The action and the characters felt too removed from the reader. There was no chemistry between the characters and they were all suddenly deeply in love without any buildup and it felt jarring. The romance was cringey at best. The love scenes felt forced and wholly unnecessary.

The plot twists and big reveals were laughably obvious. I mean, the evil warlord’s name is Akomido and he’s been missing for 10 years, and they meet a man who has been a prisoner for 10 years and his name is Komi and they don’t immediately figure out that they are the same person? Secondly, Golan is the only person who is mentioned using squid ink and harps on how it’s poisonous if ingested, and then the queens are poisoned by squid ink…obviously he had a part in it.

This book had a great idea, and was poorly executed. I had high hopes, but I won’t be continuing the series.

I have a feeling this has potential to gain Fourth Wing popularity. It's a very easy chill romantasy read, but the world building is actually really really good (a rarity in a lot of romance/fantasy novels). I do feel like the actual romance portions of it went from 0-100 REAL fast, and I'm not sure that it's actually love and not just lust. It gets pretty spicy so if you're not into that be aware. The majority of the plot happens in the last 15% of the books, and I feel like the pacing of that could be a little better.

Overall, it was a quick, fun read but I don't know that I'd recommend it for anyone not interested in getting into fantasy via the romance genre. The way that all the major plot points were contingent on the romantic interests/characters is what makes me say that.

I didn’t love the writing style here. Felt like the first couple chapters were really going for shock value rather than world building

I adore Saara El-Arifi's writing! This is another fantastic book and I'm so excited to see where it goes next. Loved the worldbuilding, in particular!