A GREAT follow-up to faebound! So many twists and turns and I really like the universe that Saara El-Arifi has created. I do go back and forth about whether or not I like some of the characters though.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

While I was not a major fan of the first book in Saara El-Arifi's Faebound trilogy, CURSEBOUND was a much better story. I enjoyed it a lot more and found that it added some necessary depth to the series that I feel was missing in that first book. That doesn't mean that it isn't without its own set of problems, however.

I still believe CURSEBOUND suffers from a pacing issue. There is a lot that happens in a very short period of time, too much in my opinion. There is very little time to absorb all that happens. It's a bit like attempting to drink from a fire hose. You can only sit back and let it all play out, but it is coming at you so fast that you miss things.

Plus, when the action is nonstop, there is no time for character development. The characters remain about as one-dimensional as they did in the first book. There is some growth there, but it is not as much as I would expect in book two.

The other issue I have with CURSEBOUND, as I did with FAEBOUND is all the insta-love. Almost every character experiences love at first sight, even if they fight it or deny it at first. I know it is a story about fae and therefore entirely fictional, but all the instant love connections are a bit too much even for a story about mythical beings.

Thankfully, CURSEBOUND ends with a major reveal, the type that completely changes the story. It makes me excited for the third book, even if I still have issues with it. The story at its heart is good, even if I struggle with the execution of the telling. I am curious to see what happens with our newfound knowledge and where it all goes. However, these are just my thoughts. Ms. El-Arifi won awards for FAEBOUND, so obviously, others see something that I am missing.

This was an interesting sequel to Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. As with a lot of 2nd books in trilogies, this one felt like a lot of set up for the coming finale. But I liked that it is a very character-driven follow up. In Cursebound we see our main characters grow themselves and their relationships in meaningful ways. We were introduced to an important new character as well, adding a third POV to the story. El-Arifi. has created a very diverse cast of characters in a very diverse-normalized world (in terms of gender expression, sexuality, disability). The plot was a bit slower in this book. Although there was some political intrigue, there was relatively little action and excitement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey for providing a digital ARC of this book!

A great sequel to faebound, I love the continuation of the world building and the faced pace of the book, can't wait for the next one!

This installment didn't hit as hard for me for a few reasons. I feel like the majority of the elements that I found enjoyable were also present in Faebound and just carried over into this book (the Fae's world, the animal companions etc.). Nothing in this book alone really dragged me deeper into the world. This was definitely meant to be more of a character driven book, but I feel like maybe I don't like the characters enough as individuals for that to really work for me. I appreciated the effort for political intrigue and the plot twist (that I did see coming but I still feel like it was executed well enough to not have been annoyingly obvious). I think the ending set the third book up nicely to be a lot more plot forward and something I think I might enjoy more if I were to continue with this trilogy.

Such a good sequel to an amazing book by Saara! I like how fast paced this novel was, and the continuation of the world building. There was some insta love that threw me off, but that is the only complaint I can find. Excited for the next!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

I wasn’t ready to love Cursebound more than Faebound... but I did. This sequel ate—more tension, more twists, and a lot more Lettle being That Girl. The world is still a bit much sometimes (so many threads!), and I did side-eye a few insta-love moments. But the magic? The drama? The stakes?? Yeah. I’m locked in. Book three can’t come fast enough.

A great installment in the series. Not as action-packed as the first one, but I appreciated the further development of the characters. I can't wait to see how it's all wrapped up!

I love these sisters. I love these character but goodness Yeeran I would like to think a little more sometimes. Overall fun read!

saara el-arifi writes books that are so inclusive yet so gay at the same time. (aka books for me.) i spent a whole year thinking about the sequel to faebound and it did not disappoint. i cannot said until book 3.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC, I got the first one as an ARC last year and instantly got pre-approved for the second one and THANKS for that because I loved this book.
I’m also a little late on the review but on time for Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈
As with the first book I LOVE all the type of representation in this series, lesbian, gay, nb, trans and everything in between that assimilates to our reality.
This is my first series by El-Arifi, The Final Strife’s currently on my shelf though, but I enjoy so much the fierce way her characters are written, even the antagonists in the sense that they do what they do because they’re passionate and completely believe the purpose behind their actions.

I can’t wait for the 3rd book on this saga!

I enjoyed this sequel a little more than I enjoyed the first book. Lettle is still my favorite character and I loved the addition of Alder. He was funny and charming and really helped the narrative. Furi's POV was surprising to me but I felt it was also something the first book lacked in. I liked being able to see her thoughts/perspective on everything that was happening. She should have had a POV in the first book too honestly so I could better understand how she and Yeeran came to love each other so quickly. What I did not like though was how fast Golan and Alder came to love each other in this novel. As it was with the first book when I felt like Furi and Yeeran happened too fast, the same can be said for these two. I could see the inklings of their relationship when they first met but I've never been a "love at first sight" trope kind of girl. I knew Alder would have no qualms about Golan being Lightless or vice versa with Alder being elven (spoiler: he's actually not but that's a different story) but I still expected Golan to have some qualms about jumping into a relationship especially since his last one ended very badly. All this to say that, I'm glad the prophecy about Rayan and Lettle finally came to light but I don't think it's fair for Rayan to be this upset when he literally put Lettle in a situation that nearly got her killed. They both lied about something but this shouldn't be what breaks them apart.

I really enjoyed the second book even more than the first! Great world building, lots of angst and political intrigue. A great mix of love interests mm, ff & fm. I love how it combines the worlds of elves vs fae and humans. Looking forward to the conclusion.

I did not need to reread Faebound in order to read this. I enjoyed the introduction of Alder in this book. Wonderful world building and complex characters make this story. I really love being immersed in this world and cannot wait for the third installment.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
4 stars

I loved this continuation of this series, and I also loved how much the world expanded with this book. Also, that cliffhanger??? How am I supposed to wait for what comes next???

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc! I read Faebound about a year and a half ago, and this was a really great sequel job done by El-Arifi. I find that the issues I had with the first book persist -- remaining so frustrated with the sisters' relationship, the magic system not capturing me enough. The plot twist and addition of new characters was a treat. So thankful for this early access.

This book was fantastic. El-Arifi did the second book so brilliantly. Pacing was brilliant, characters were developed. I loved this book.

Ho avuto problemi con il ritmo della storia, un po' come era successo con il primo libro. Alcune cose (come lo scontro) sono state tirate via mentre altre sono sembrate trascinarsi.
Speravo in una ripresa in questo secondo libro, ma purtroppo non c'è stata

Cursebound is a richly imagined continuation of the Faebound trilogy that still struggles to find its rhythm. The worldbuilding remains vivid, and the sisters Yeeran and Lettle continue to feel authentic as they wrestle with political intrigue and personal conflict. Alder’s introduction adds welcome depth and fresh tension, but too often the story feels like it is merely laying groundwork for the finale.

The emotional stakes are clear—power, loyalty, and the bonds of family—but the pacing is uneven. Some scenes build genuine suspense, while others slow to a crawl, leaving me waiting for the narrative to regain momentum. There are moments of true magic in the prose and glimpses of character growth, yet the plot frequently feels like it exists only to bridge to the next book rather than stand on its own.

If you loved Faebound and want to spend more time in this world, Cursebound will satisfy that urge. Its strengths lie in the lush setting and characters you care about, even if the execution sometimes falters. I’m curious to see how Saara El-Arifi pulls everything together in the finale, but on its own this installment earns three stars.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book before its publication date.

I loved Faebound, and I was so excited to get to read the next book in the series. It did NOT disappoint. Now, unfortunately, I have the long wait until the final book in the series in order to find out what happens to some of my favorite fantasy characters. I was caught by surprise a few times by things that happened in the story, and even found myself gasping out-loud one time.