This sounded so interesting, but when I read it I struggled with the writing and wasn't able to get very far. A promising premise, but the execution didn't work for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I really loved Aziza- her character, her background, the story she followed - but honestly the boys felt a little too archetypal for me. Aziza had a depth to her outside the boundary of the role she played in the story: she had a mission (flying solo to protect humanity from the fae), she had an origin story (two witch parents who died under mysterious circumstances when she was too young to remember them - which makes them loom large in her mind and inspires her), she had a fear (of losing anyone who went to bat for her, besides her grandpa who could hide behind strong magic), and she had a change of heart (when she lets the boys in, first as grudging allies and then as friends).

But the boys weren’t all that interesting. Leo was too perfect, though I love the way everyone is always like “but true love before the age of 16???” So at least that isn’t just ignored. But the rules of the curse are weird and don’t make sense because if the rules from the beginning of the curse were the same as they are during the plot, then most of the plot simply couldn’t have happened. It felt too convenient.

And Tristan feels like he does all his growing off-screen. Other stuff will happen in other POVs without him present and he’ll come back different and ready to push the plot along

I am sure others will enjoy this book. The Buried and the Bound is a book to have on your list for sure. The cover fits the book perfectly.

So good! I work with kids and teens who are ALWAYS asking for horror and it is sometimes hard to find horror which is really relatable to them. This book is awesome! Fey as they traditionally were - dark and scary as well as magical and enchanting. The protagonists are all teens and while they are dealing with nightmare inducing curses and fearsome creatures, they are also dealing with things all teens know and many have to face in their own life - separation from parents, loss of family members, school, coming out to family and/or friends. Overall, a great start to a dark fantasy series and I hope that the following books live up to the opening.

I was hooked on this story from the very first sentence. The first few chapters must have had me under a spell because I could not put this book down. The writing was terrific and the world-building was phenomenal. I haven't been this interested in Faes in a long time!

The story follows the three POVs of Leo (a kind-hearted boy), Tristan (a lost soul) and Aziza (a hedgewitch) as their individual quests intersect and they grow closer. The magic was incredibly vivid and well crafted. The juxtaposition of horror and whimsy had me simultaneously amazed and at the edge of my seat.

Rochelle Hassan has found a new fan in me and I cannot wait for the sequels!

Aziza El-Amin is the only hedgewitch in her town of Blackthorn, Massachusetts. She closes the doors between the fae realm and the human realm, returning lost fae creatures that would cause humans serious harm otherwise. While on patrol one evening, a group of black beasts attack a holiday market. Aziza manages to save a young man's life, while witnessing another young man seeming to communicate with the beasts. Leo Merrit, the boy she saved, asks for her help in breaking his curse, where he has forgotten his true love. But, something evil is threatening their town, growing stronger in the forest, existing in a world between fae and human. Aziza, Leo, and the other mysterious boy may be the only three who can save everyone.

An addictive story with a plot that pushes forward while leaving so many mysteries to be found. Everyone is hiding secrets, ones that could cause harm, that threaten lives, that will lead to trauma and death.

The adults in this book were unforgivable. The only real adult to help was the librarian, who could only do so much because she too was being controlled. But, I despised Leo's parents for all they did, because none of it was justified. All it did was hurt their son and daughter. They knew it all and did nothing, did not help in any way for a certain someone (and it broke my heart). I am not sure what they think might happen if Leo ever gets his memories back and realizes just what they did and what they failed to do.

I absolutely loved Aziza. I loved her determination, her mistrust, but also her desire for true and lasting friendship. Leo is a ray of sunshine, willing to help Aziza in any way if it means finding his true love. He also truly cares about Aziza, his sister, and his awful parents. And sweet, sad Tristan. I wanted to wrap him up, to save him, to have one person see his pain and hug him. Everything he did he did in fear, in desperation. If any of the adults in his life had helped, or cared in any way, none of this would have happened.

The story was dark, the villain truly horrifying. The beasts brutally killing people in order to feed her. Her growth, her hideousness from all her evil and her twisted magic. She uses Tristan, cajoles him into a deal at his lowest moment, when he is desperate for anyone to notice him and help him. The suffering he endures at her hands, as he tries to escape by any means necessary. His fear for those he truly loves, but has no way to help.

This book honestly is so emotionally deep. I was in tears half of the time, heart breaking from all that these three must go through. This book is dark, truly chilling, but so well written. Be prepared to be enraged, to be scared, to be awed by the resistance and power of these three teenagers. Wow!

Thank you so much to Roaring Book Press for a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Great story! I definitely see this being a fave for young adult readers! The LGBTQ+ rep is nice to see, and the story had an interesting plot.

The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan is the first book in a young adult fantasy trilogy. As the only hedgewitch in Blackthorn, Massachusetts—an uncommonly magical place—Aziza El-Amin has bargained with wood nymphs, rescued palm-sized fairies from house cats, banished flesh-eating shadows from the local park. But when a dark entity awakens in the forest outside of town, eroding the invisible boundary between the human world and fairyland, run-of-the-mill fae mischief turns into outright aggression, and the danger—to herself and others—becomes too great for her to handle alone. Leo Merritt is no stranger to magical catastrophes. On his sixteenth birthday, a dormant curse kicked in and ripped away all his memories of his true love. A miserable year has passed since then. He's road-tripped up and down the East Coast looking for a way to get his memories back and hit one dead end after another. He doesn't even know his true love's name, but he feels the absence in his life, and it's haunting. Desperate for answers, he makes a pact with Aziza: he’ll provide much-needed backup on her nightly patrols, and in exchange, she’ll help him break the curse. When the creature in the woods sets its sights on them, their survival depends on the aid of a mysterious young necromancer they’re not certain they can trust. But they’ll have to work together to eradicate the new threat and take back their hometown, even if it forces them to uncover deeply buried secrets and make devastating sacrifices.

The Buried and the Bound is complicated in all the best ways. The town and the laws of magic for this series are fed to readers through out the book, as some of the characters learn for themselves, or are taught. Every character has more to them than might first appear, and while some of the surprises I guessed early on, I thought the slow reveal and getting to know each other parts of the story were very well done. There was a nice balance between the 'normal' teen angst with the mafic and danger that flows through the entire book. The dynamics between Aziza and Leo, and then with the others and families led to an engaging and sometimes stressful read. I was very glad to see the resolution and thought some of the most important questions were answered, but I must admit that there is so much more I want to know. I look forward to a continuation of this story.

The Buried and the Bound is a well written fantasy novel that left me looking forward to the next installment.

Completely unexpected. THIS BOOK was SO GOOD!! Omg. I was thinking this was just going to be another zombie YA with a fun story, but no emotional depth...BUT BOY WAS I WRONG! I was like....crying of laughter with so many up and down emotions. I loved every second. I devoured every word on every page. I couldn't put this book down!!!!

The concept of the world/magic system intrigued me enough to request the ARC. That same world/magic system made up what I most enjoyed about this book. I also appreciated the unique aspect to character relationships that Hassan presented with the cover trio. The plot let this promise down. Although I think the book could have balanced both the hag and the curse, too many things fell too easily into place in the plot against the hag while not enough attention came the way of the curse. Then came the unsatisfactory resolution to the curse plot line which made me wonder why Hassan had even bothered with it. Ultimately, endings often color an experience which this one certainly does and not favorably.

I saw that it was ok to say in a review that I can just say if I liked the book and bought it for a friend.

I really enjoyed this novel because it was different than what I am used too, I liked reading it and did buy it for my friend who lvoes these kinds of books..

Buy it for the gorgeous cover, read it for the compelling plot. I love the characters and while there will a handful of fuller moments it was generally a very great page turner.

The Buried and The Bound is my dream young adult fantasy. Its a got a totally bad*ss teenage girl lead who happens to be a witch, a sweet cinnamon roll boy with a curse and a deeply sad and angsty gay boy whose bound to a forest hag. Also, it explores fae magic which is my favorite sort of magic. In this book, our world borders fairyland, and our characters explore both, fighting curses and desperately trying to save the day. The writing is beautiful, the characters are brilliant and the world feels at once comforting to me, a fae lover, and totally unique.

By far the best part of this is the characters. There's Aziza, the the witch who has to guard the border between fairlyand and the human world, Leo, who was cursed to forget his true love, and Tristan, bound to a hag and the saddest boy ever (for good reason). There's an incredible romance between two of them, with the angstiest setup I have ever read. I gasped out loud when I realized what was happening. If you want slow burn, this is the ultimate example. If you to be sad and frustrated, this is for you. If you are a Ronan Lynch/Adam Parish girlie, or even a Kaz/Inej girlie, you must read this. I think it the most genius romance setup ever, and it makes me physically ache for book two.

Needless to say, this is a five star favorite. I need it to be hyped up, because it is so perfect. It has something for everyone, and I can not believe I don't see it every time I open Tik Tok. This is a necessity for my library, and every YA library. I will be impatiently waiting for book two.

I thoroughly enjoyed this ya fantasy story way more than I thought going into it. It's the kind of story that feels familiar in the best way. This story was very fast paced which I loved and made it a quick read. There is found family, evil fae, curses, LGBTQIA+ representation and LOTS of angst.

The story is told from 3 different perspectives Tristan, Aziza and Leo as they all are trying to solve their own problems that are interconnected. If they want any hopes of making it out alive they have to work together. My heart was hurting for these characters. Aziza is a girl about her business and, I would not want to cross her!

The progression of the story was spot on and I did not see a lot of the twists coming. This story was well written, my favorite part being that the author did not spend much time telling you about the world rather showing you. There were no long drawn out explanations or detailing.

I will say this is not for your casual light fantasy reader and requires a general understanding of fae folk and magic, otherwise I can see some readers having a hard time grasping on the the concepts. Especially because things move so fast.

The Buried and the Bound is a fantasy adventure, centered on the mythology of the fae mixed with more conventional magic; the three main characters are all tied to magic in some fashion. Aziza is a hedgewitch, responsible for keeping the gates to the fairy realm closed, and return stray fae back through the boundary. Tristan is a homeless teen, one year into a decade-long bondage to a hag, who promised him a wish - a broken curse - for his service. Leo, along with his parents, lives with a curse; he has lost his true love, and all the memories surrounding his lost love. They don't know it, but they are all bound together by their various relationships with magic.

Leo is searching for magic to break his curse, and the curse on his parents; he meets Aziza by chance as she tracks down random fae and returns them. Aziza is searching for the reason the boundaries between her town and the fairy realm are breaking down; only when she meets Tristan does she realize that there's a hag involved. Their various searches are intertwined, which they realize as they meet and compare information. The only way to address their various problems is to defeat the hag - but that is a dangerous task that could kill any of them, or even all of them. Only through cooperation can these three reach their goal - and only if they can learn to trust each other soon enough, before the hag drives them apart.

3.5/5 Stars

Aziza is the only known hedgewitch in her town. She spends her nights patrolling the borders between the farieland and the human world to ensure her town's safety. Leo was cursed a year ago when he turned 16 to forget his one true love. Leo enlists the help of Aziza to break his curse, in exchange for helping her on her patrols. Along the way they meet a young necromancer named Tristian, who is in debt to an evil hag wanting to steal Aziza's magic. They decide to work together to defeat the hag and break Leo's curse, once and for all.

I listened to this on audio, which had multiple narrators. I will say that it took me a little to get into, and at the beginning I thought it was dragging a little. I think the character development was well done, and I enjoyed Aziza as a main character. I loved how no non-sense she was and how fiercely she protected the ones she loved. Leo was probably my favourite of the three. He was just so sweet and caring. Tristian wasn't my favourite, but he definitely grew on me as the story progressed. I liked the dynamic of Aziza, Tristian and Leo. They had great found family vibes. I was equally invested in all three of their voices, and I really loved their adventures together.

I will probably continue with the series, but I also don't think I'll be too upset if I don't.

✨ Review Tour - The Buried and the Bound by @rochellehassanbooks ✨

✨ YA Coming of age/fantasy
✨ Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
✨ Publication: TOMORROW 01.24.23

"Love was unmistakable. It suffused him, like light. It had changed him. He couldn't remember being changed. But he had been."

✨ I am so glad teenagers will have access to "The Buried And The Bound," by Rochelle Hassan. It's the type of book that I wish I had growing up. Not only was the writing lush, imaginative and unique, but the topics talked about between our MC's is relevant and important. All while they battle the hag of the woods. All in a days work. Also, Aziza is such a stunning character. She is strong, takes absolutely no crap, and gets it done!

You will enjoy this YA Fantasy if you enjoy:
❤️ Multiple POV
❤️ Fae, Witches, & Necromancers without the romance of other Fae novels.
❤️ Queer rep/coming out talk
❤️ Fun magic system
❤️ Curses

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now this is what I love in a fantasy. A clearly explained world and magic system that weaves perfectly throughout an action-packed plot. Aziza is awesome and Leo is adorable. The book comes to a satisfying conclusion while still reserving some mystery for future books.

I wasn't holding out much hope for this one to start with. But then I received it in my Owlcrate so I thought I would give it another try. I made it a few chapters into this one and found that it suffered from being too forced and descriptive in some parts and not enough descriptions in others. The writing felt stilted in places and it just didn't flow right. In the end this just felt like the author was trying to hard.