I can’t wait for book 3😱 that cliffhanger!! This fantasy series is so enjoyable. It’s quick and fun with fae, elves and humans and of course the obeah (still not sure what they look like but I love Pila)

⭐️ enemies to lovers
⭐️sapphic romance
⭐️soul bonded animal companions
⭐️multiple pov

Cursebound starts with journal entries from Lettle which were a fantastic method to refresh our memories from faebound.

We have some new characters and point of views. There’s a real exploration on relationships and their limits, and how far someone will go for the people they love or a cause they believe in.

Lettle is such a convincing, complicated, hopeful and endearing character. I find myself rooting for her. Alder offers a
new perspective and the way he moves through the world is refreshing. Cursebound in general did a great job of widening the scope of lived experience in this world. I wish we could get a little more from Rayans perspective.

Tensions between the fae and the elves reach boiling point. War is looming and things will get worse before they get better. Yeeran, Lettle and the Jani dynasty are facing threats from every angle.
There’s some lyrical and poetic writing, but in parts the plot did feel a little rushed. There’s a lot of near misses, sinister motives and trauma explored in this sequel.

History is told by the victors, and we mine for the truth along with the characters. As always it’s interesting to see the some of our issues reflected in fantasy. The world of Mosima and beyond is polarised in both elf and fae society. A two tiered system within Mosima causes unrest. The only positive way forward is building a better world together.

Pila is gorgeous. I would die for Pila. All of the onbeahs are a joy.

The groundwork for the magic system was set in the first book, but Rayan and Furi’s link to the health of the land features frequently. There’s something beautiful about a physical representation of someone’s heart and mind. As with faebound the focus on divining and prophecies is riveting. We also dig abit deeper into the social, political and physical landscapes of this world.

We have a diverse cast of characters and LGBTQ representation. It’s a breathe of fresh air to see this in fleshed out characters vs a passive mention.

Things really unravel towards the end and there’s so many questions left unanswered that set us up for the next book.
Overall really enjoyed!

This wasn’t my usual style at all- my first fantasy book! I loved it, I loved the characters, the setting, the story- amazing! I will definitely be recommending.

Wow!
That ending? I was completely blown away. Saara does it again - I have loved all her books and this was no exception. Fast paced and fun, I loved it. The only issue I had with this story is that Furi and Yeeran are adults who made huge mistakes and hurt each other terribly but were ready to forgive each other almost immediately? Love is powerful but it still takes time to heal. It didn't seem realistic and that's why I ranked it slightly less than 5

4.25 Stars

I received Cursebound as an ARC from Del Rey (Penguin Random House) on NetGalley. I cannot thank them enough - this book was incredible.

Rating: 5/5

Cursebound was an incredible journey, the second installment in the Faebound trilogy by Saara El-Arifi. El-Arifi continues the perilous adventures of Yeeran, Lettle, and the world of elves and fae in a fast-paced, emotionally charged narrative. The richly imagined world is complex and steeped in pure fantasy, yet grounded by realistic dangers. I especially appreciated the thoughtful representation of gender, race, class, equality, and love, all woven seamlessly into El-Arifi’s concise yet evocative writing. I can’t wait to read more!

3 ⭐️ I was overjoyed to receive an advanced copy of Cursebound, as I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series, Faebound. While Faebound had some minor flaws in the writing, I loved its storyline, magic system, and inclusive representation of LGBTQIAP+ and disabled characters.
Unfortunately, Cursebound felt quite different from its predecessor. Keeping in mind that I read an ARC, the book felt extremely rushed. The plot moved quickly, leaving little room for character development or exploration of their internal worlds—something I especially enjoyed in Faebound. The lack of foreshadowing made the villain reveal feel abrupt, and their motivations didn’t fully justify the severity of their actions. Overall, something about this book just felt… different. Lightless? That said, there were aspects I did enjoy: the introduction of new characters, the inclusion of new POVs, and the rich descriptions of the setting, were definite highlights.

Ultimately, I think the Faebound trilogy might have worked better as a duology. While I’m curious to see how the story concludes, I’m unsure if I’ll pick up the final book.

- Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! -

Ahh off the back of Faebound, I knew without a doubt I needed to read the next instalment of this series. The world building in this series is truly one of a kind and following Yeeran and Lettle as they navigate through these new challenges and explore all these new emotions tied to each hurdle.

Thankyou so much for granting me the privilege of reading this amazing story and I can't wait for book 3!

3.5 ⭐️

It's nice to read a trilogy where the second book actually has more momentum than the first one. The author did a great job at taking all the world building from book one and producing a fast-moving plot.

I loved the addition of another POV it added nicely to the story and the new romance we get from it is likely to be my favourite of the series. Lettle remains my favourite character. She shows excellent character development, and I'm excited to read the rest of her storyline and more of her friendship with golan.

I still found the plot twists a little predictable, like I was waiting for them to catch up with me. Our main characters can be ruthless, and I did find that in some cases, I wished they would have taken a second to think. But that is the point the lightless have been making since book one, and it was interesting to find yourself agreeing with them.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I'm interest to see how the series ends. There's a lot of plot to fit into the last book, so it's sure to be fairly action-packed.

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This series delivers a fresh take on elves and fae with amazingly detailed and beautiful world building!

One of my favourite elements of this entire series remains the obeah (giant cat-like animal companions that the fae are telepathically linked with and can ride) and I love how unique not only each POV in this book is but each obeah is. New POVs are added in this book and I can honestly say that I loved every POV in this book (if anything bad happens to any of them in book 3 I will RIOT).

This story is set in an afro/arab inspired and queer normative world and there are both F/F and M/F main love stories as well as lots of additional LGBTQIA+ rep. This one was less romance focused than Faebound but did up the angst and conflict between the main characters as well as give all the main characters growth. The plot twists are one element that have been consistently done well in this series and I can't wait (and am scared) to see what happens book3! I also really appreciate how Saara El-Arifi is able to craft a fast moving and enjoyable epic fantasy in less than 350 pages.

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as Faebound but this remains one of my favourite fantasy series and Cursebound was still a great read.

So I liked this more than Faebound and i am super excited for the the next one. Alder was a fun addition and a much needed companion for Golan who should put Furi and Rayan in their place they were way. Out of line. I really like Lettile and hope she also puts them all in their place. Her and Golan’s Friendship is very precious and i loved seeing them work together.. The brewing civil war and the the orchestrator behind the murder attempts was super interesting and it had a unique family dynamic. I loved that the family troubles intertwine with the larger political issues. Overall. I am excited to see what happens next

Cursebound had me excited to dive back into the world of Faebound, and I really appreciated the way Saara El-Arifi recapped book one—it made jumping back in so easy. The inclusivity and representation in this series continue to be a highlight, and I love how diverse and layered the world feels.

That said, the writing in this one made it harder to stay engaged. There was a lot more telling than showing, and it didn’t feel like the plot moved forward much. Honestly, this could have been a novella to bridge the gap before book three. The new characters and relationships were interesting, but they didn’t add as much depth as I hoped.

Still, the twists kept me entertained, and I’m curious to see how this trilogy wraps up. It wasn’t my favorite, but I’ll definitely be picking up the next book!

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing me with this eARC!

I liked the first Faebound book well enough - mostly due to Yeeran's chapters and the arc that she goes through - but I think this second book solidifies my preference of El-Arifi's other series, The Final Strife.
This middle book in the trilogy felt very much that, there wasn't really a whole lot going on for the wider plot. The first and second halves of the book felt very separated from each other, though the last couple of chapters were pretty good in building the hype for the third book.
I found myself guessing the answers to the mysteries that the characters faced, and in that way it was quite predictable. My problems with the characters also carried over into this book, and Lettle still irritates me to no end. I still don't find myself believing in or caring for her relationship, and I wish we had gotten more of Yeeran instead of her. It was fun getting to know some newer characters and side characters from book one, but none of them particularly caught my attention.
The world building is amazing as per usual, and her descriptions are beautiful. I am altogether intrigued to see how the third book will go and on what note the trilogy will end on.

I really wanted to like this, but it just wasn't for me. I read the first book and found it a little slow. Was hoping this one would be better, but I am just not a fan of the pacing! It feels like it took half the book for anything to happen and even then, everything felt very anticlimactic.
Just not for me.

This was a twisty and fast paced sequel! The conflict between the elves and the fae escalates and tensions are higher than ever within Mosima as well. There are more POVs in this book including a new one from an elf named Alder, who I thought was a great addition and whose POV actually became one of my favorites.

I appreciated that this was on the shorter side which ensured that it didn’t drag as second books sometimes do. There were some predictable twists, but a really great unexpected one at the end!! I’m really enjoying this series and am definitely looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Betrayal. Assassination attempts. Sweet reunions. Comedic relief.

Cursebound is the sequel to Faebound written by Saara El-Arifi.

This book picks up where the first leaves off & I’ll echo what I said in my review of the first book that going in with less info is better. I love this world & learning about it. We got a new character (Alder) and new POVs in this one (Alder & Furi). Our obeah friends were the best of course & it was so nice to be reunited.

I think this book is a great bridge between the first and final novel, but I will say I didn’t love it as much as the first book. However, there are some great twists and it kept me interested. I think this book has great lgbtq representation as well in a natural way that doesn’t feel forced.

Thank you so much to NetGalley & Del Rey Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I’m invested and can hardly wait for the finale!!!

I want to thank the author and netgalley for this ARC. This book caught my attention and was quite captivating.
I loved the world of magic.
The book didn't disapoint it was a fun read with a lot of action. I am excited to continue this series

This book was, of course, incredible. At first, the added points of view threw me off, but once I settled in, I quickly acclimated. Much like the first book, this one explores powerful themes like division, prejudice, inclusivity, and representation, all while delving into the characters' struggles to break free from old patterns and do better for themselves—even when it feels like they’re stuck.

Danger, betrayal, murder, and death. Political intrigue. Mysteries upon mysteries. Being cornered with no clear way out. This book is a wild ride, still full of the unique magic system from book one, but with new discoveries that take everything up a notch. Tied together with romance and characters you can’t help but root for, this series is the kind you can’t put down.

Yeeran and Furi—there's undeniable chemistry between them from the start, but also a division that runs deep. They love each other, but can they truly be together? Yeeran is torn between two versions of herself and the loves that have come with them. She’s found a life she loves in the chaos, but the question of where home is still haunts her. Furi, meanwhile, is weighed down by responsibility thrust upon her too soon. She struggles with grief, loss, and emotions she can’t express, leaving her in a constant state of instability.

Lettle and Rayan fell in love gently in the first book and that follows into book two, but it feels like they settled into comfort too quickly. I feel like they aren't seeking to explore each other or go deeper with how they know one another. When faced with challenges, it’s unclear whether they can overcome them. Lettle is fighting to make things better, even as she faces more danger than the others, while Rayan is navigating the heavy responsibilities of being king and trying to figure out who he is in this new role. They’d do anything for each other, but the question is: will they surrender every part of themselves to make it work?

I won’t go into Adler and Gohan too much, as they weren’t in book one, but I love them..

This book has everything—layers of complexity, character growth, and that gripping sense of tension that makes you turn pages. It's a series that's impossible to put down.

I was so interested in this series but I actually DNFd the first book because I couldn’t get into. With that I will not be reading this one

I think it’s just a temporary DNF for now since I think the plot and premise is strong and I’d like to give it another chance soon

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey/ Random House Publishing for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
All I can say is wow! The second book in series can really make or break it in my opinion and this one definitely made it! I was so pleasantly surprised on the plot and growth of the characters from book 1 to 2. Dare I say I liked this book more than book 1! There were so many details and action packed scenes shoved into this shorter book but at the same time it didn’t feel rushed. This is such a great addition t the Faebound trilogy and I am so excited to read the last book once it’s out!

This was alright but I don’t think I’ll be continuing after this since I also didn’t love the first one that much either unfortunately. It had similar pacing issues as well as character development problems.