This was not the fantasy romance I was expecting! There was hardly any romance which is very confusing because it was marketed as a Fantasy Romance. The was no world building at all. You were launched into the story. The characters read much younger than they were aged. Writing was also to clunky for my style.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this! I could have sworn I posted a review, but as it seems to not be here again...

Faebound is certainly a different read on fae and elves than I'm used to, in typical Saara El-Arifi manner. Drum magic especially.
Strong and complex familial bonds were the forefront of the story, but I'm not sure that they were enough to pull together the very strong romances which are quickly solidified and made obvious endgame.
I'm not quuite sure if I brought the strength of their connections, but they'll be growing in future books.

I feel the dressing up and make-overs a bit too on the nose (part of the ways we will show our control is give you a gorgeous dress and styling you consent to?) for beauty work, but... makeovers are important, I guess.

I do look forward to seeing how the world will expand!

Thank you for the arc but I'm so disappointed. I was just endlessly bored with it. The characters didn't do anything for me. The romance was the most unbelievable romance I've seen in a while. It was just flat. The coolest part of this was world but still it was lacking so much substance for me I just found it dragging.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review of Faebound. This is the first book that I have read by El-Arifi but it will definitely not be the last! I adored Faebound so much that I immediately went out a bought a physical copy once I was able. Yeeran and Lettle reminded me of my relationship with my younger sibling. I enjoyed the world-building in this novel, the cover was gorgeous, and I believe that the characters were well-written. I can't wait to get my hands on the second novel!

I have had a hard time writing a review for this book because how to do I put into words how amazing it is? I love sapphic books but I LOVE this sapphic book probably most of all! The relationship dynamics the politics and magic system! All of this is just to die for and written so well. I need this book in every single format like yesterday!

This book was AMAZING!! I loved the storyline and the characters were were interesting. The world building was well done, and I can’t wait for the next book!

This was a really enjoyable, easy to read fantasy that managed to be diverse, exciting. an enchanting and fascinating fantasy about the cost the power, family, finding your true love, and courage.

I had a hard time with this one... The premise had so much potential but feel flat for me. I found it hard to keep up with most of the time 2.5 rounded up

This book wasn’t for me. I found the writing to be a bit odd and hard to follow. The storyline was a bit confusing. I had high expectations since a lot of people talk about it. The romance also wasn’t something I’m used to.

Such a unique concept that I am excited to see continued - My initial readthrough I was a little confused by everything going on, but on my second take I fell deep into the world and loved every bit from the worldbuilding to the characters and kept reading with baited breath every turn of the page. Love!

this was alright. this was my first el-arifi book and i found it a bit lacking. the concept had a lot of potential and the writing was beautiful, but i couldn't connect to the characters and the plot didn't interest me that much. overall, i was a bit underwhelmed.

thank you netgalley and del rey for the arc.

I ended up getting this on audiobook as well as the kindle copy. I really liked it and will be requesting the second book in the series if it is available! Thank you for the ARC netgalley :)

Faebound is a fantastic read, featuring lush worldbuilding, a gripping plot filled with political intrigue and magic, and compelling characters. I adored both Yeeran and Lettle and their sisterly bond. Their dynamic, filled with challenges and arguments, showcased a beautiful relationship where they would go to great lengths to protect one another.

That said, I felt both romances could have benefitted from more development. Without giving too much away, Yeeran's romantic relationship progressed a bit too quickly considering their history. One moment they were enemies, and the next, they were lovers—it felt a bit sudden given their context.

The plot was intense, and I loved the elements of prophecy and riddles. It was a thrill trying to piece everything together, and I’m pleased to say I predicted many of the twists before they unfolded. It was truly spectacular, and I enjoyed how everything connected, leaving me eager for what’s next in the series.

This is an outstanding beginning to a new series by El-Arifi, and I can’t wait to see where she leads us next in this world.

Thank you so much to Del Rey and Random House Publishing for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

An overstuffed and overly sentimental fae fantasy with major character issues. I thought the worldbuilding was very fresh and intriguing, especially the truth of the Elven drums, but unfortunately the characters were very conflicting, which in turn, hurt the plot. There were too many barely used and discarded characters. Like the twist with Komi was pretty obvious, though Komi spent so much pagetime being drunk that I could not take the threat of the character seriously at all. For being one of the main characters and having the epilogue scene, I feel like I knew nothing about Rayan at the end. But even the other three main characters were not written well. So many emotional moments are rushed and not given enough time to breathe. If one of the tensest moments between one of your main couples is resolved in two paragraphs, only to be followed by a smut scene that’s five times longer, then how am I supposed to empathize with anything these characters are going through? There was also so much sulking and storming off alone that the world didn’t even feel truly dangerous for how willing these characters were to be alone. The use of prophecies was also a major crutch - Prophecies felt like a crutch, they were all so obvious to the reader that it felt more frustrating to read. It would’ve been a much more organic read without the prophecies. I think the inclusion of prophecies also made Lettle an extremely baffling character— for someone who believed so wholeheartedly in prophecy, when the prophecy affected her true love, she began seeking any measure to resist the prophecy. The mystery with how the Fae were driven out by Afan’s curse was probably one of the most interesting parts of the story, but I guess further development is being saved for the sequel. Ultimately, even with the interesting premise, the actual characters and plot development made it difficult to like the book.

This fell a bit flat for me. I think I went in with such high expectations that nothing could live up to it. The storytelling was rich and I liked the characters but the writing felt almost disconnected at times.

This just wasn't for me. For a fantasy it had a very slow start and I wasn't able to get into the story. I really wanted to like it and I'm sure many fantasy lovers will love it.

Unfortunately didn't connect with the writing style. Had trouble following the different gods and people. Read as more historical, was expecting a style more close to other romantasy comps. Just didn't connect, will work for others!

Spectacular work by El-Arifi. I'm looking forward to following her work. She's definitely a new favorite author!!

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Loved the worldbuilding but did not love the execution. The gender dynamics and queer romance were great, but overall the lead queer relationship felt toxic? I don't think I'll keep following this series.