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.

I love Saara's books every time, and this was no exception. This book builds so well on Faebound, and has some crazy twists in the already unique worldbulding that absolutely took my breath away.

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi is the action packed sequel to Faebound and it's set in a world full of magic and intrigue with a bit of drama. We follow several characters throughout the story and they are all trying their best to break free of the fae curse that was placed upon Mosimer. The first thing that i enjoyed was the pacing, while i found Faebound to be a bit hard to get going into the story, Cursebound immediately throws us into the action. I think this book is a bit more focused on the plot and there's not much world expanding which was totally fine but a bit overwhelming at times. The set of characters are compelling as ever and I was rooting for them between all the twists and turns. The tension builds nicely throughout the book and i was hooked instantly and until the end.

Overall this was a great book with an unique storyline and a great book, and for me was better than it's predecessor. This book was intriguing and quite entertaining and i cannot wait to see where the next installment will take us. I recommend it to all that enjoys fantasy with a political and romantic subplot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Del Rey for the Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book.

Faebound, the first book in this series, was actually one of the first ARCs I requested and received. I really enjoyed Faebound and was so happy when Cursebound was announced so soon after. At the end of Faebound we see Yeeran depart on a journey outside of the cursed but protected boundaries of the Elf’s underground prison.

Cursebound is a continuation of the two sisters on a mission to unite their old Elven tribe with the newly discovered Fae royalty. The romance continues, though remains fairly stagnant throughout the story. Unfortunately I do think this book suffers from gap filler middle book syndrome. I see a trend in Fantasy series where the book(s) in the middle of the series tend to drag for me, they offer very little plot development, typically featuring more focus on character building and politicking. We start this book and end this book with the Fae in the same position; allegedly non-existent in the eyes of the Elven tribes. We learn a lot more about a pre-Forever war era where humans, faeries and elves coexisted. There were more talking animal familiars, magical bonds and less drum magic which was a bummer for me because the drum magic is what I love, it’s unique and interesting.

I will definitely continue this series but I did not seem to connect with the story as easily as I did the first. Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for my copy; all opinions are my own. Cursebound is out now!

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi was full of all the magic of the first book, Faebound, but with new discoveries that I couldn't predict. It was a page turner and I couldn't wait to see how things turned out!

dnf
i just couldn’t make myself finish it. i was already skeptical with faebound but i thought it’d get better in the second book but then it didnt

DNF @ 40%.

This one really hurts. I loved Faebound, the first book in this series, and I love The Ending Fire trilogy by this same author. However, when I read this book I didn't feel any of the magic that I felt in Faebound. The first book was a promising start to the series, and maybe it's just me (I hope it is!) but this one really felt like a totally different book in terms of plot structure and writing style. I wouldn't even call this middle book syndrome, but rather it felt like a rushed draft, rather than a final version. A lot of telling, not showing. I did like the unique style of using Lettle's journal to recap the events of the first book (more series should include recaps!), but then the story proceeded to keep rehashing events and plot points from the first without propelling the action forward. I really tried to give this one a fair shot, but at 40% I ultimately felt like I had to cut my losses and DNF. If I hear great things about the finale in this series, I may come back to this book one day. El-Arifi is a great author that I have loved other books from, so this one is absolutely the exception rather than the rule.

Cursebound is the action packed sequel to Faebound, set in a world of magic, intrigue, and drama. There are several characters we follow in this story, all trying to break free of the fae curse that was placed upon Mosimer. In between that, there is a plot to kill those that are closest to the new King and Queen.

I was not a fan of Faebound. I thought it took too long to get to the point of the book. Where Cursebound is different, is the immediate throw into the action. The whole story was intriguing and entertaining, and I am very excited for the next installment.
In saying that, I do critique the ‘recap info dump’ at the very beginning of the book. If people have read the first book, then they are fully aware of the lore and plot. It read a little like a novice.
The other thing that stood out was how easy it was to guess who the bad guy was. I was reading and waiting for the characters to catch up with me.
Overall, the storyline was unique and intriguing. This was better than the first book in my opinion, and I am excited to read the next installment.

I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys political intrigue, on a lighter note. This is fantasy with a political and romantic subplot. If you like these tropes and genres, then pick up Cursebound!
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House-Del Rey for the Advanced Reader’s Copy (ARC) of this book. All opinions are my own.

This author's other books are so compelling and engaging, and this one....just isn't. The first in this series was lackluster in terms of worldbuilding, pacing, and character development, but there was enough potential to keep me reading. This one--I had to drag myself through to get to the end, and it was a chore most of the way. I won't be picking up the finale to this trilogy, but I'll kepe a copy of Book #1 (Faebound) on my classroom shelf for my students to read, if they so choose.



***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

Cursebound was an absolute standout. The worldbuilding was rich, the characters were layered and compelling, and the twists kept me on edge. Every chapter delivered something unexpected, and the emotional depth really hit home. I was completely immersed from beginning to end. If you're into powerful storytelling and unforgettable magic, this one’s a must-read.

What I love so much is that we picked up right after the first book's ending. Thank goodness. I hate time jumps when there is a cliffhanger in the previous book because we get lost in the storyline. Thankfully, we can immediately jump into Yeeran's capture. It's a bit of a doozy. I expected it because a former lover never forgets. Messy love, always remember, isn't good for Yeeran. I won't say that I feel for Yeeran because her actions are reckless. So many times I wanted to shake my head at Yeeran constantly doing the same thing when she shouldn't.