Chose not to continue reading this series as the premise was no longer for me and the writing style wasn't one that I enjoyed.

Cursebound picks up shortly after where Faebound left off - Yeeran leaves Mosima to warn Waning tribe of impending danger, while her sister Lettle tries to find a way to break the curse that binds the fae (so she can return home).

A lot of positives for the first book still apply here - I enjoyed the overall story and still want to see how the series ends. This was a quick read (when I actually picked it up)! I thought the story moved relatively quickly and didn’t really drag in many places.

That said, I think a lot of the problems I had with book 1 still remain… I don’t really feel anything for most of the characters or their romance. Often times I feel like I’m told that the main love interests are in love (through side characters) but, I’m not shown that through the MCs actions. I also still felt that some things were very predictable but, there were some surprises towards the end that have me excited for book 3.

This was a great sequel to Faebound, book 1. The writing and imagery make this series excel. I love the characters and was happy to be back with them on their adventures. I really appreciated Lettle's journal at the start to help recap the first book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I love Saara El-Arifi's writing - her imagination, imagery, and writing are so beautiful and well executed. Her writing is whimsical yet real and it's just a joy to read.

While I still did not love Cursebound as much as I loved her Final Strife (The Ending Fire Trilogy), I did enjoy it more than Faebound. It still lacked the depth of The Ending Fire, but it felt closer to that level of quality than book 1. I was able to easily guess at the "twists" and "reveals", but they were still satisfying in their own ways and I really did enjoy the character and world development. It did feel a little bit like an over-correction; while in Faebound I felt like we were just expected to take things on faith for a lot of big plot points and foundations, Cursebound overexplained certain things and that made those "twists" easy to guess, but it was still good.

I am very excited to see what comes next and how she will wrap things up in book 3, especially with the addition of the new conflict and characters.

Overall I do recommend this though it is not the jaw-dropping, incredible level of The Final Strife. But I am anxious for the sequel and think all fantasy lovers will fall in love with the Faebound trilogy too!

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for this ARC! I was reached out to about this second book, which delighted me as Faebound was one of my first and still one of my favorite ARCs to have received!

I found myself so quickly reabsorbed into the beautifully crafted world of the Fae and the Elves. I missed all of the characters, their personalities rich and captivating from their first introduction — including the new faces we come to know and love! There was so much tension and beauty in this story; I find El-Arifi has beat the curse of the slow moving and uninspired middle book! I was consistently on the edge of my seat, with both smiles, tears and gasps. My only negative feeling about this book is the waiting between now and the next release! I cannot recommend this series enough; I wish I could scream from the tallest point in the world and let all hear my proclamation. I suppose my Instagram following will have to do instead!

I really enjoy Saara El-Arifi’s writing and world building.

Unfortunately, I found Cursebound less compelling than the first novel in the series, Faebound. Some of the big themes felt unresolved, likely left for a third book, but this made the story feel incomplete. The final twist also wasn’t as developed as I’d hoped.

Overall, I’m still curious to see how this series wraps up.

I was very glad to see the characters again and also glad to see that any relationship strifes at the end of the last book were not magically fixed. I also enjoyed that realism of how trauma affected the characters and how they respond to new situations. Lovely continuation, can’t wait for the next installment!

4.25 stars

oh how saara el-arifi did not disappoint us in book two of this series!

it picked up perfectly from the ending of faebound, there was action pretty much from the get go & i love the constant switching of multiple povs & the new ones we obtained added so much depth to the existing characters & plot! i was eating up all the crumbs we were getting and last 150 pages were a whirlwind with plot twist after plot twist! and that ending had my jaw on the floor!

i loved how we got to see more politics in general in both the elf & fae land, following topics of segregation and hierarchy of classes.

there is definitely something for everyone in this series! from the romance, to the found family & the suspense & action!

i have high hopes for the final instalment!

a big thank you to Del Ray & Netgalley for providing this anticipated e-arc!

Miss Saara can do no wrong!!! This is how you do a plot twist! Her writing is always consistent and keeps me on my toes!!

Incredible sequel to Faebound, I love the recap at the beginning in the form of Lettles Journal, although it was a little repetitive as I read these back to back, I can appreciate how helpful this would be for those that wait between books.
I absolutely adore the characters throughout and the new POVs in book 2 add depth. I can't wait for the final installment in this trilogy.

book twos in trilogies scare me because they usually always feel like filler

i’m so glad this one was not that

from the budding new relationships to the trails of breadcrumbs leading into an explosive final chapter, this book was packed and i loved every second of it

alder discovering his place in world after being a nomad for so long was heartwarming and i just want to hug him and tell him everything will be alright. plus i love him and golan. they better stay together in the final book

the tension presented between lettel and rayan, as well as yeeran and furi felt natural and not like it was forced for the sake of tension. i wanted to physically crawl into the book and shake them all.

i am absolutely loving this series and i can not wait for the conclusion!

Faebound was in my top 10 reads last year, so I was practically foaming at the mouth when this was released. While some sequels fall victim to the dreaded second book curse, Cursebound seems to overcome that.

Picking up immediately after the events of the first book, sisters Yeeran and Lettle have gone their separate ways as Yeeran tries to negotiate with her former lover and leader of the elven troops, back home. However, things do not go as planned and she quickly has to pivot in order to save herself and the people she cares for in her new home.

Lettle is adjusting to life as the king’s consort, while also struggling to come to terms with the prophecy that was revealed in the last book. Despite having her hands full, Lettle is faced with new challenges and must fight for survival, as a secret group seeks to bring her harm.

Once reunited, the sisters must find ways to eliminate the danger against Lettle, unite the realm, keep war at bay, and navigate their feelings towards their respective partners.

Cursebound further elaborates on the lush world building from the last book and introduces new, pivotal, characters that continue to push the plot forward. I cannot wait until the third book is out!

Major thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC. I can’t wait for my special edition to get here and add the physical copy to my shelves!

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing a e-arc of this novel.

In this part 2 of the faebound series, we continue with some of the world expansion seen in book 1, as the characters go on another adventure. I liked the new characters that we met and would love to get even more of their back stories. I really enjoyed the mystery of Alder and hope there is more of him in the next installment.
I also liked diving into the lightless and wished there was more insight into them as full characters. The plot twists, particularly the last one was a nice touch and will really help to expand the story in the next installment. We contnue to receive prophecies in this book but they are all mostly cleared up fairly quickly. I'm still not the biggest fan of Yeeran or L as they both come off a bit juvenile and naive. Yeeran makes choices in this novel that does not resonate with what I would expect of someone that was previously a leader in her people's military, and Lettle still refuses to communicate pressing knowledge.

Also, naming the magical creatures a word that is literally the name of a spiritual practice contunies to be very off-putting and continually took me out of the story. Naming the creatures Obeah is the same as naming them Christianity or Buddism. It's very strange and I really don't understand why this choice was made. I've searched online to find other meanings for the terms, but they all lead back to it being an Afro-Caribbean spiritual system. I can only hope that based on the reveal we got at the end of this book, it will all make sense in the next novel. I also couldn't connect the way I wanted too with these characters.

4/5 ⭐️ I still love this world and learning more and more of the politics about the different people that are set up around the world! Of course the sisters are my fave but I wish there were more interactions with each other but I understood the flow and pacing of where the story was going! Love the banter, humor and action scenes in the story! I’m happy it’s a trilogy because I’m very interested to see how this ends

I enjoyed this second installment a lot more than the guest! I appreciated Lettle’s character arc so much, especially as she was extremely unlikeable to me in the first book. I think the pacing was also much smoother in this installment.

Wow!!!! I also got this arc for the first book and loved that I was one of the few (many) who received the book early.

Cursebound immediately follows on from Faebound. This book was full of twists, turns, betrayals. Honestly so entertaining and kept me on the edge of my SEATTTTT.

I loved how topics such as segregation, class were mentioned. I feel like it’s very reflective of the world’s current and past history, making it even more relatable.

I do think the story is well paced and descriptive.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

The second book in the Faebound series, Cursebound follows sisters Yeeran and Lettle as they work to unravel the curse that binds the fae.

Cursebound is an excellent second installment; it takes time to raise some stakes, really dig into characters we met in the last book, and flesh out the world and the conflict from book 1. El-Arifi's writing is just as engaging as ever, and the characters and their arcs -- though annoying at times -- were a joy to read about. An aspect I appreciated about this book was that, while the romantic relationships between the characters were still vital to the story, it felt substantially more balanced between romance and other fantasy plot than Faebound. The story digs thematically into segregation, classism, and sets the stage for what I hope is a fantastic finale to a solid trilogy.

I did struggle at times with the way the characters just would not communicate effectively with each other. While miscommunication is a normal human thing, I think sometimes it can feel a little forced or heavy-handed in books, and the miscommunications in Cursebound did cross that line a bit for me. Even so, I think this is a solid example of a strong book 2, and I'm so looking forward to the finale!!

Cursebound
By Saara El-Arifi
Narrated by Nicole Lewis
4 ⭐️

Book 2 in the Faebound trilogy leans heavily into politics inside and outside of Mosima. POVs become more distinct and bonds thought to be solid are strained. I really enjoy learning the lore unique to each being’s group and how the past and fates are impacting the present. A solid plot twist awaits at the end of this one which leaves the reader even more antsy for the conclusion book 3 promises. I don’t lean one way or the other as far as eyeball reading vs audiobook. Both are equally excellent. I’m still a big fan of this series and am excited for book 3.

Thank you NetGalley, Saara El-Arifi, and Del Rey books for a copy of this eARC.

I really enjoyed this!!! It was fantastic to see our MCs continue on in such a magical and vast world.
The world building was so well done and built on such a good foundation from book 2.
I loved all the twists and turns we got, and I didn't see a lot of them coming.

I could not get into this book, so it is not for me. I did like the cover art and I did like the overall plot I read in the description.