A sweeping, character-driven sequel that deepens the fae and elven conflict, Cursebound delivers political intrigue, forbidden magic, and emotional stakes—though some pacing issues hold it back.

✨ A warrior torn between love and duty 💫 A seer desperate to break an ancient curse 🏹 A world of fae courts, prophecy, and war

El-Arifi’s storytelling remains compelling, with Yeeran and Lettle’s journeys pulling readers into a richly woven world of alliances and betrayals. The romance and tension are gripping, though some plot twists feel predictable, and certain sections slow the momentum.

If you love fae mythology, morally grey characters, and high-stakes fantasy, this is a strong continuation of Faebound!

The saga of elven sisters, Yeeran and Lettle continues in “Cursebound,” the sequel to Saara El-Arifi’s romantic, fantasy “Faebound.” Torn apart by war and the division between elves and fae, Yeeran and Lettle seek to uncover the truth at the heart of this conflict. But in doing so, the sisters put their lives, and their own hearts, at risk. By far, the most striking feature of this trilogy is the world building. El-Arifi crafts an intriguing world loosely inspired by African cultures and geography, a refreshing take in comparison to the more euro-centric stories of elves and fae. “Cursebound” introduces new characters, including the nomadic Alder, who falls right in with our found family. The plot is relatively straightforward but the unique world and the endearing cast of characters make this series and entertaining read for fantasy enthusiasts.

Okay. Okay. I am still reeling. After absolutely devouring Faebound, I was equal parts thrilled and terrified to dive into Cursebound. Sequels can be tricky, right? But wow, did Saara El-Arifi stick the landing. This book is rich with tension, secrets, and oh-so-delicious drama. It’s everything I loved about book one...but darker, twistier, and even more emotionally charged.

The stakes are so much higher this time, and El-Arifi doesn’t hold back. We see the fallout of choices made, with characters pushed to their breaking points (sometimes literally). The world expands in fascinating ways, especially with the deeper dive into fae politics and curse lore . And the magic system? Still fresh and beautifully complex. There’s also something deeply satisfying about the way El-Arifi builds on earlier foreshadowing without ever spoon-feeding you. You feel like a clever little reader for catching on, and I live for that.

I won’t spoil too much, but the dynamic between Yeeran and Lettle burns. Their relationship is still gorgeously complicated - equal parts love, duty, betrayal, and longing. That slow burn tension sizzles in every scene they share. At one point I just muttered “kiss already” to myself like a lunatic. If you like morally grey decisions and characters who are deeply, achingly human even when they’re not, this book delivers.

A favorite quote that knocked the wind out of me:
“Power isn’t about who holds the blade - it’s about who everyone believes will use it.”
(Chills. Literal chills.)

The only reason I’m shaving off half a star is that the pacing dipped just a smidge in the middle, just enough to make me glance at how many pages were left before it picked up again like a runaway cart down a mountain path.

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️ There’s more heat this time, with a few steamy scenes that aren’t overly graphic but definitely turn the tension up a notch.

All in all, Cursebound is a triumph and a solid 4.5 stars from me. Gritty, emotional, and utterly unputdownable. If you loved Faebound, you need to see where this story goes - you won’t be disappointed.

thank you to netgalley & random house publishing for a copy of this book in return for an honest review !!!!
yall. omg. i haven’t read many book series before but this is the first time ive loved the sequel more. because DAMN this ended up being scrumptious!!!
compared to the first book, the plot is more engaging, with more stakes and tension. the characters are developed a lot more, making them feel more realistic (although i’ll be real and say rayan does not fall into this category… he just feels like a placeholder if im honest). the mysteries built up in this sequel are not only more interesting, but more of a mystery, with more danger for the characters. also this book delves into the politics of not just the fae kingdom but the forever war in the elven lands, and not only was it interesting but it was engaging and not cut & dry which was great. the amount of shocking plot twists increased, and i think they were done a lot better compared to the first book. like there were certain moments i was reading and fully pulled a “😨” face. the plot with the authority was done a lot better than the first book’s overarching mystery, and although i worked out the mechanics of the mystery in this sequel just as fast, it didn’t feel as cheap. not only was it more gradually explored, but the amount of layers related to the authority plot kept me gripped even though i knew most of the facts regarding said plot.
i’m actually shocked by how much i liked this because the first book was simply ok. it was interesting but simple. but this? this has a lot more depth which was great. however, i did have a few issues, but i think these issues were generally more personal than an actual issue with the book.
for one, the book at points felt like a rehash of book 1. i don’t want to spoil what exactly happens, but it felt like the exact same plot beats was followed with lettle here. sure they were done ‘better’ in this book but it still doesn’t negate the fact that the plots of both books was the same except with the culprit & the motive(s) being different.
speaking of plots, i did think that there were a bit too many going on at once. to be fair, by the end most plots were either nicely wrapped up or explained enough yet still allowing room for book 3 in the series. but there was so much going on at times i couldn’t keep up. we have alder’s plot, then the authority plot, then the berro plot, then the forever war plot, then the grimoire plot, then the yeeran plot, then the fates plot…. i could go on. at times i almost couldn’t keep up so much was going on.
also if im honest, some plot points felt a bit… contrived? a lot of times i was reading and it felt like i was more so reading a self-insert fanfic. at times the book was giving “my name is ebony darkness raven and i am the most beautiful girl at school but also i have these two hot boys i have to choose from and also im super smart and super fast and super athletic and also im the queen of vampires”. elements at times felt forced and it kept breaking my immersion.
honestly though, what critiques i have about this book are mostly personal. but sadly they are what held this book back from being a 5-star for me. however, that isn’t to say i didn’t completely adore this book. it’s rare that after i finish a book i still go back and think about it, and yet i still keep thinking back to what happened throughout this book. it’s living in my head rent free.

Whilst I enjoyed Faebound and will want to read the conclusion of this trilogy, it unfortunately has fallen a bit short for me. I absolutely LOVED Saara El-Arifi's Ending Fire trilogy and the world building and lore here I have also enjoyed and has a lot of promise. I am interested into why humans have disappeared and how the story will be resolved. I also enjoyed the twist with the obeah which I didn't see coming. However, other plot lines I did. From the very off I had correctly guessed who had betrayed them which was a little disappointing. Also there was a lot of build up of the eleven tribe led by Yeeran's ex and former chief and the threat of them discovering the fae, but the fight was over in the blink of an eye and the tension with it. I felt that storyline could have been more developed. I also really struggled with the romantic plot lines and how the characters seemed to brush over killing family members or exes quite easily, the love stories felt a little forced and undeveloped which meant I couldn't really be fully behind them.
So some issues but some good world building and I will look forward to reading the conclusion.

This was so good. I loved the plot and characters. It was paced perfectly. I didn't wanna put it down and was on the edge of my seat. I had waited so long for this sequel and it was incredible

This book was kind of a let down for me. I loved the world building and the characters but the story is overtaken by lackluster romance.

I really loved the first book so I was super excited to get the arc. I was unfortunately let down by this one though. I felt like it was really dragged out and was not nearly as good as the first. It took me till the end to really start to enjoy it and by that time it was over. I am hoping for a better 3rd book because the end did make it seem promising.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for a copy of this arc.

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi shifts focus to Lettle and ups the politics and tension, but loses some of Faebound’s magic. Loved Adler’s POV, wasn’t sold on Lettle, but Pila remains the best. Mixed feelings, but still eager for book three!

This book picks up right where the first book - Faebound - left off. Thankfully there was a recap included in the beginning. While Faebound was focused more on Yeerin and Furi, this book it was Yeerin’s sister Lettle’s time to shine. While Yeerin is off trying to prevent a war, Lettle is caught up trying to break the curse that binds the fae to their lands while also attempting to hold off brewing civil discontent. If you liked the first one but wish it had more politicking, scheming and war, you will enjoy this book.

I feel like Yeerin was kind of pushed to the sidelines in this book to help advance the overarching plot of the curse of the elves. She and Furi have several scenes that are clearly emotionally charged but ultimately fell flat for me. Lettle did most of the heavy lifting in this book. I got nervous for a bit, I was suspecting Gohan of being a bad guy but thankfully my fears were unfounded.

We also get a new POV in the form of Adler, and I am interested to see how his arc wraps up in the final book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for this ARC in exchange for my review!

I was so excited to get my ARC after reading Faebound. This novel picks up shortly after the events of the second book and keeps the same pace as the first. It was a fast paced book with twists and turns, some more obvious than others, and continues the story of Lettle and her sister Yeeran as they try to bridge the gap between Fae and the Elven tribes.
I really liked that we got to see more of the Fae lands as well as the lands that lay beyond the Elven tribes as well. The descriptions made it feel as if you were walking along some of the characters at times and really added to the reading experience. I also loved that we got to see more of the magic system in this novel as well and it helped to solve a lot of the confusion that I had with the first book.
While this novel is labeled as a romance I really enjoyed that the romance plot lines weren't at the forefront of the novel and like the first book, they blended in naturally with the main storyline instead of being the main focus.

I am really excited to see how this trilogy will end and cannot wait for the next book to come out!

I was excited to get to this one because I really enjoyed the first book in the series. The lore of this world is very cool, and I love learning more about the history between the humans, elves, and fae. We got a new POV, which definitely added to the story. I adore the representation we get in this book, including POC, queer and non binary characters and relationships, and disability rep. However, I feel like a lot of this book was telling and not showing, which kept me at a distance as a reader. I also got frustrated with the characters just not talking to one another, which added problems. I am still going to continue because I am interested in finding out how this ends, but this one definitely suffered a bit from middle book syndrome.

I had really quite enjoyed Faebound, book 1 in this series, having found the POV characters all very intriguing and the world building so interesting. Sadly, my enjoyment was a little bit less so in book 2 as I felt it overall suffered from the dreaded middle book syndrome.

POV characters all remain the same (with some new additions!) this time round though I found myself getting so annoyed with Lettle, her chapters were a bit of a chore - her 'seer' abilities and prophecies are all a bit meh. That being said the overall story was great ad pushing in a very interesting direction!

Although this totally seems negative I did enjoy the book! I just wasn't AS enjoyable as book 1, however! I think it sets up the final of the trilogy to be GREAT so I have super high hopes to how everything will conclude.

Thanks as always to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

The story was very unique and the representation was fantastic. Although there were so many characters and so much going on, I had a very hard time understanding the story.

I loved the first book in the series, so was super excited for the newest installment. I loved the rich world building in Cursebound. I plan to recommend to all my romantasy loving patrons at the library.

I loved Faebound and couldn’t wait to read Cursebound.

Loved that Cursebound picked up right where Faebound ended. Loved the multiple POV, the continued world-building, the beautiful writing, the unique plot and storyline (though the world can be quite brutal), and I really just love the characters in this series. Excited to continue reading the series and ready for book 3.

Thank you Del Ray and Netgalley for the ARC!

The fact this series isn't more popular will annoy me until the day I die. I love the depth this sequel added to the series, it doesn't fall into the dangerous "second book" syndrome that often happens. I loved the more information we have learned about how the world works, but also the drama happening between everyone. The sister's relationship was focused more on during this book, but also the other familial and platonic relationships. I really loved the betrayals that were happening/are happing during this book, it felt believable but also made me feel like I was stabbed in the back.

Book 3 now?

this was a phenomenal sequel to Faebound! there was a quick recap in the beginning which just honestly makes me want to give it 5 stars because BLESS YOU! if every author did this I wouldn't have to re-read the first/other books in series. anyway, this was just as good as the first book with vivid magic, characters, and a compelling story that I flew through. I'm both so excited and sad for the third book to come out and come to an end, but I have high hopes for another literal stunning read.

Sadly I didn’t get around to downloading directly from netgalley but was given the opportunity to do so. I have read the book and it was magical. I looked absolutely everything about this book. The characters, story line and ending. Would definitely recommend to others who love fantasy

I sat with this book for a while because I don’t know how I feel about it. I enjoyed one characters point of view way more than the others. It’s a solid book two, but some thing was lacking for me. I’m still looking forward to the rest of the series.