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.

Thank you Random House for this ARC! I absolutely adored Faebound and found this world to be so mesmerizing, but unfortunately I found Cursebound to be lacking. I thought many times there were pivotal points in the story that were too brief or jumped over. It was almost as if the author could have gone further with some of the scenes she created but couldn’t figure out a way to weave them into the story. I didn’t find myself connecting with the characters as much as I was in Faebound either and at times got bored or annoyed with them. Overall, I love the world building and will continue with the trilogy but felt this book did not compare to the first.

A bit of a rocky sequel that seems to promise a satisfying finale to the trilogy.

It's a testament to Saara El-Arifi's talent that my least favorite book by her is a three star read; her worst (in my opinion) still remains better than a lot of the books in the same genre. She's such a gifted writer - one of my favorites - and my conflicted feelings on this installment don't change that.

With that being said, unlike Faebound, I found this book incredibly difficult to get through. It wasn't bad, by any means, but it felt so... empty? for lack of better terms. Like the characters and plots were all there only because they had to be, not like the story was actually a real, breathing thing that could stand on its own. The dialogue felt clunky, the romances grating, and the political decisions felt like they were being made by a really dumb teenager.

I understand this makes it sound like I hated this book and I promise that I didn't. I didn't enjoy it, but I think a lot of that is due to it hitting a bit of a middle book slump. The world is still incredibly intriguing and I love the conversations about the twisted historical records.

I just felt like this book could have been better and I'm sad it wasn't.

The end... however... that was a good twist and I can't wait to see what she does with it in the finale.

Overall, while this disappointed me, it was still very much okay and I would definitely recommending giving it a try - especially if you loved book 1 and don't mind too many romances, with very little development.

Cursebound is the excellent sequel to Faebound, in the Faebound trilogy. Sisters Lettle and Yeeran have been reunited, but Yeeran soon undertakes a quest to warn her tribe about the dangers encroaching on them. Lettle wrestles with prophecy and attempts to unravel the mysterious clues left for them. As Rayan and Lettle’s relationship deepens, it is tested by assassination attempts. Furi finds her reign challenged by a shadowy revolution. Can the four work together to break the curse that binds them?

In Cursebound, Saara El-Arifi builds on the rich world of magic introduced in Faebound. This is a beautiful, yet dangerous, world where fae, elves, and legendary obeah exist. I love the strong bond of sisterhood between Yeeran and Lettle, even when tensions rise between them. Their relationships with Furi and Rayan are further explored and I can’t wait to see what happens next with them! El-Arifi excels at bringing lovable characters to life. The plot twists, complex politics, and new characters make Cursebound impossible to put down. The obeah are my favorite companions (especially Pilah!). I'm looking forward to reading the next installment! I would highly recommend Cursebound for readers who seek lovable characters, rich magical worlds, and treacherous politics.

Thank you to Saara El-Arifi, Del Rey, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

I really enjoyed Faebound, and was super excited to dive into Cursebound. Unfortunately, this just didn't hit the mark for me. Still enjoyable, but wasn't as good as the first.

Romance felt a bit rushed and forced, it wasn't as great as the first book overall. BUT I will still be recommending this following along for book 3.
The pacing made it feel a bit lackluster and stagnant at times. Overall I still had a good time and loved being back in the magic world again. The third acts twists did hit and kept my attention!

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! Fair warning: this review will contains spoilers for <i>Faebound</i> (Book 1 in this series)

This book picks up directly after <i>Faebound</i>, with Yeeran leaving Mosima to warn the Waning Army of Crescent’s deal with the Fae. Meanwhile, Lettle grapples with the fact that her lover is stuck in Mosima until she can break the curse that sets his family line free.

We’re also introduced to some new characters and relationships that, while enjoyable, make the story feel cluttered. Oftentimes, the second book in a trilogy feels like the path from point A to point B instead of being point B (if that makes any sense at all) and I definitely felt that with this book. Not a lot happened plot wise or romance wise between any of the couples.

I fear this book suffers from the same issue I had with <i>Faebound</i>, nothing happens in the middle. There’s plot at the beginning and plot in the last 20%, but between that the book is slow and it switches perspective so often that it just feels choppy.

I also wish a specific issue would have been focused on. Either the issues within Mosima or the issues outside. By including both, they are fighting for control over the story and it really doesn’t work.

However, the new world building and prophecies that set up the plot for the next book are very intriguing. Somewhat predictable, but intriguing nonetheless.

I also enjoyed the romance between the couples for the most part. The new couple which I won’t name but is pretty easy to figure out was great, if a little fast. I enjoyed the steadiness of Lettle and Rayan’s relationship but I can’t help but wish that some of their steadiness was given to Yeeran and Furi and vice versa.

Overall, I am excited to continue this series even if this book wasn’t the absolute best. I feel like it has set up a really intriguing final book and I’m excited to see where prophecies lead.

3.5 stars rounded up. This definitely suffered from second book syndrome, as it was a clear set up for the final installment. But much of this was forgiven for the incredible spicy spectacular made-me-drop-my-kindle twist/reveal at the end.

This book started slow but picked up steam once all of the characters reunited. Some of the characters' decision making was deeply questionable but I suppose it did propel the plot along. I continue to be intrigued by the magic system and worldbuilding but frustrated by the instalove and obviousness of certain reveals (though not the biggest one!)

I'm not in love with this series, but I really do like it, and I think there's a lot for others to love too.

Thank you to netgalley and random house for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cursebound is the second installment in the Faebound by Saara El-Arifi and it continues the adventures of Yeeran and Lettle. The story is packed full of intrigue, deceit, conflicted relationships, and wonderful new characters. Every time you turn around there is a plot twist or a new direction you could not have expected. The world-building continue to impressive with wonderful descriptions of new spaces and myrhology.

My favorite addition to the plot though has to be Alder. With all the overt drama that the book is filled with, I feel like Alder and the journey that he and his story takes is no less shocking at the end, but the flow is slower and subtler, so it balances out the rest.

Overall, a great next adventure in this saga. Things are building up to what I can only imagine will be a tremendous third and final book; and I can't wait.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley and DelRay Publishing for early reading in exchange for my honest review!
Oh. My. Goodness. Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi is the second in a trilogy, following Faebound. I feel like it can be easy to lose the story in a second book. HOWEVER, that is simply not the case here! In Cursebound, we follow a very similar cast to that of Faebound, along with a new friend. Cursebound does a phenomenal job of balancing our primary story, with character development, major shifts in the politics in the story, as well as individual relationship development. This book is so nicely paced and such a beautiful balance, it was not easy to put down. The story will keep you on the edge of your seat and then you'll be forced to reread it and pick out any piece of information you may have missed originally, then a third read through just to enjoy the beauty of the world! I cannot recommend this series enough and am already eagerly awaiting book three!

I thought this was a great follow-up to book one. The author did a good job balancing old problems while introducing new issues to keep the tension. And the last two chapters?! I'm excited to see where this goes in book three.

3.5 ⭐️

I have mixed feelings about this one! I really enjoyed Faebound and had a lot of fun with it. Cursebound definitely has some of the same elements that made the first book in the trilogy a five-star read for me, but it also has quite a few issues.

The main characters and underlying conflict of the story were still strong in my opinion. I enjoyed learning more about Yeeran, Furi, and Lettle, and seeing how these characters interact with each other and their changing circumstances. I also think the steadily increasing threat from the elves and the mystery surrounding the humans were consistently engaging and well-paced throughout the book. Romance and spice also remained highlights, with new and established relationships feeling deep and genuine with incredible chemistry. Yeeran and Furi remain one of my favourite romantasy couples ever!

However, outside of these areas, Cursebound did face quite a few issues. Firstly, I don't think exposition was handled very well. There were far, far too many instances of entire chapters just being one character explaining something to another, or catching another character up on something that happened off-page. This wasn't something I noticed at all in Faebound, and I was surprised by how awkward a lot of the dialogue felt because of it. Secondly, there were so many characters that were just underutilised or underdeveloped. Without getting into spoilers, there are four major examples I can think of where interesting characters were either killed off needlessly or were barely present until they appeared again at the end of the book for the sake of a plot twist. All of these characters were also ones that were built up a lot in Faebound, so to see them wasted in this way just felt like such a letdown.

Overall, I think if you enjoyed Faebound, you'll still enjoy reading this. I know I'll definitely still be reading the third book in the series and am excited to see how the overarching conflict is resolved. However, I do think it is a lot weaker than Faebound and I did have quite a few issues with exposition and undeveloped characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an eARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At this stage I will gladly read anything Saara El-Arifi writes and Cursebound did not disappoint. Book 2s in a trilogy can be sometimes miss the mark, however, this doesn’t seem to apply to El-Arifi. Similar to The Battle Drum in The Ending Fire trilogy, she upped her game in Cursebound. For some reason, I wasn’t expecting things to level up the way they did and I also wasn’t expecting the twist that came as well. I always love when a book surprises me. It has created so many questions!!

I loved that we got to know certain characters from book 1 better and I loved the new characters introduced as well as the focus the political elements of the story got in this book. I’m very much looking forward to book 3.

Thank you for allowing me to read this ARC, NetGalley and Del Rey.

This book started off right where the other one left off. Yeeran ran off to warn the elves to try to prevent war. Leetle is still in the fae court. trying to break the curse.

I didnt know this would be a trilogy, but as I was reading I realized this book was not going to end and wrap up. The ending was a major plot twist also. The first half of the book didnt feel very cohesive, the second half was much much better. The last few chapters had me holding my literal breath. I was on the edge of my seat.
The romance felt a bit rushed, maybe a tad forced on some parts, but I'm not really a romance critic. I was more here for the fantasy part!
I did see some of the betrayals coming, and some of the plot was predictable.
As with the first book I LOVEEEE Obeah. Some parts of this book felt like it was very YA mostly with some of the characters who can't seem to get it together. (ahem Furi).
I love Leetle, and Yeeran, both of them hold their own, in similar but extremely different ways.

I am ready for book 3!

The second book in this trilogy sees the two sisters separated as Lettle is in the Fae Court desperate to find a way to break the curse and Yeeran is traveling back to the Elves to convince them that war with the Fae would be a disaster.
This for this reader felt very YA as at times the characters feel very juvenile particularly Furi who I admit is the character I had least empathy for. I cannot even say that I liked Rayan very much simply because he just didn't feel fleshed out enough. I think the only Fae here that resonated and felt real to me was Golan and I loved that ahem new characters could bring emotion and romance to the story. Without a doubt my favourite moments were when we got points of view from either Lettle or Yeeran who truly carried the story .
This ends with a surprising plot twist which going forward will be interesting to unravel because how on earth did that happen but hehe my lips are sealed ! The final pages leave lovers in turmoil, an answer that honestly was easy to predict and happily I'm pleased to say a moment for Furi to actually be a grown up ! If you enjoyed the first book than this will surely be a delight as we catch up with characters, discover something that is astounding and worry about what will happen in the next book.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Listen, Linda! Listen!

The story picks up where book 1 left off. Yeeran abandoned everything and everyone to warn the elves. Pila is still my fav.. just can’t beat the banter.

We are introduced to some new characters and get to know some old ones better. The first half of the book was a little choppy and felt somewhat disjointed. But at the halfway mark, everyone returns from their respective quests and the real party begins. *pun intended, you’ll get the reference later*

I’m not trying to give anything away, but the second half makes the adventure all worth it. Still love the whole crew, just would have loved some more character development. I could have easily read another 100 pages and wouldn’t have batted an eye.

Definitely worth the read, the emotions and anticipation! I hope you all take the time to enjoy this one! I’m read for book 3!

Last but not least, thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroup #DelRey for providing me a copy to review!

This book follows on from right where book 1 ended and I found it fairly easy to remember what had happened and get used to the characters again.

Cursebound expanded on what we'd learnt in book 1 about the world and we also gradually uncovered more secrets and deceptions.

Like book 1 there was some humour in Cursebound. I'm particularly a fan of the Obeah and their sense of humour when talking through the bond, it always makes me chuckle.

This book really builds up towards the end as we finally get the answers we've been looking for. However, this leads to more questions which has made me desperate for book 3!

While this series isn't the most epic or deep, I find it entertaining and the world is fascinating so I had a great time.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for this copy to review.

this is great!! I really really like how the magic world is described, it really makes you feel lile you're there. The romance looks again kinda rushed, almost forced... but it's not a romantasy so we could have expected it. I spent the entire book questioning things and they all got explained in the last FIVE chapters. I think i actually read them without breathing! Can't wait for book three

🩵 LGBTQ+ Rep
🪘 Diverse Characters
🩵 Bonded Companions
🪘 Unique Magic Systems
🩵 Elves VS Fae

2.5⭐️ rounded up.

~ series spoiler-free ~

Unfortunately, this one didn't hit the mark for me, at least not as well as the first book.

While I really do love the representation in this story and world that Saara El-Arifi has created, this sequel just felt like it was lacking some heart.

We start out by following Yeeran and Lettle on some new journeys, but those journeys feel kind of... haphazard. I felt that the plot was a little jumpy, and while I was hoping to feel more emotionally attached to the characters in this second installment, they fell flat for me. I feel like rather than learning from the mistakes made in the first installment, the characters doubled down and made the same mistakes in the sequel. Whereas I was hoping for certain relationships to bloom, they felt stagnant and devoid of feeling. However, there are some wonderful new characters introduced and some twists + turns I didn't see coming. I do really love the Obeahs and their sassy attitudes!

While I appreciate the uniqueness of these books, I'm not sure if I'll pick up the third installment of this series. I found that while there are some big developments and revelations, the characters are too detached from those occurrences that it dulls any impact for me as a reader.

I did want to add that the author gave us a wonderful recap of the first book in the epilogue, and I appreciated this so much!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an eARC of this book!
Cursebound was an excellent return to this completely unique world that El-Arifi has created. She has masterfully been able pull together threads throughout the story to keep the pace action packed and left me chomping at the bit for more. These characters are all so well thought out and complex that it was a joy to get to be within multiple perspectives (and I don't usually say that, it's normally a big pet peeve of mine in fantasy books, but not so here). I can't wait to see how this trilogy will wrap up, the plot twist cliffhanger ending was not one I saw coming!