Faebound is filled to the brim with twists and turns. Parts of this story are WILD! Ugh and I loved the romance between the characters. El-Arifi did such a wonderful job world building and creating deep, well thought out characters. If you are a fantasy lover, you will eat this up. Even if you are new to the genre, this is an easy read to consume and get into. I think this is going to be really popular this year, it's just so good. I'm obsessed. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of Faebound. It was truly a pleasure reading this.

I wanted to love this book. Everything I heard about it made me think it was going to be an entertaining time at least. I hated this book so much.

First, the writing is awkward; it doesn't really have a good rhythm, it's really stilted. And I really don't pay attention to writing styles. But this one just grated on me so much that I just couldn't feel immersed in the story. The dialogue felt so clunky and not natural. The worldbuilding just doesn't make sense - I didn't understand why the war was happening, why there was such a wide spread problem with famine once they lived in apparently a tropical setting (there is a rainforest!) where they could plant food since they had climatic conditions to do so and hunt. The big war that's been happening forever (called the Forever War) always happens in one specific region and the other places are not affected by the war. What?! I have no clue about the cultures of each elf tribe - it's never explained. And if you don't want to be spoiled about the story, don't read the prophecies (they happen really early on). It's really easy to understand what they are saying it's going to happen.

The characters - oh dear. Lettle is just one big tantrum. That's all that she is. Yeeran is a colonel and she is so freaking naive and horrible when it comes to strategy. But there is nothing more I can tell about them because honestly they are just bland characters. And we are supposed to believe they love each other because they are sisters but we never see them really interacting, we never see it on page. The insta-lust and insta-love are unbearable. In less than 100 pages, we already have 2 cases of insta-lust between two couples that didn't even know each other. In the same sentence that one of the sisters is saying how much she hates the other person, she says how hot this person is.

And someone needs to explain to me why does a people that sees another as their enemy tells everything the other wants to know: their innerworkings, their strategy, EVERYTHING. And why do this same enemy when imprisoned is able to make outrageous demands and everything that they want is given to them?? They have no leverage, they are a prisoner, they are despised and even so they still get everything they want just because.

But a lot of people seem to really like this book. So, maybe it's me but this one made me mad.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Faebound was one of my most personally hyped books in quite sometime. What is there not to love? We see strong female and nonbinary characters, non-heteronormative relationships and what I consider to be a unique magic world.

This book sounded amazing, but it just didn't hit for me.... Like I said earlier, the world is very cool. The book begins by explaining the different races and their spiritual beliefs but then quickly delves into the story by focusing on the elves and how their war conflicted society is like. We know right off the bat the general reason for the war: resources. How refreshing is it to actually KNOW this from the beginning)

Unfortunately though, the first 2/3 of the book felt extremely slow and somewhat repetitive, which honestly made me think "How did this happen to these characters... again?." I got a glimpse of the drama in the beginning and then it honestly is just boring??? for a good chunk of this book. I felt like I was reading and there was really no progression to the story until the last little bit when things really ramped up.


There is a large piece of information towards the end of the book that I was genuinely surpsised by, and had me wanting to know how the story progresses. Personally, I think that will come as a fun shock to many readers and honestly gave it an extra star for my review.


Overall, it is a solid 3/5 star book. I'm intrigued to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is YA fantasy and I actually enjoyed the first half of it even though it's not my go-to genre. The world building and character introductions were good but during midway of the book it didn't compell me to keep reading. I didn't have a yearning to keep finding out what's next. I always felt something was missing. Therefore I DNFed at the mid mark.

The world-building in this book is so descriptive and beautiful, that I enjoy the complexities of the fantasy elements. If you like stories with magical links to magical creatures THIS book is IT. I love the Obeah, and Pila was my favorite character to read about. I also am a big fan of seeing a large range of diversity in the fantasy genre, I feel we don't get these types of books as hyped up as we should. My major warnings for this book would be the pacing and the character development. This is slated to become a series, and after the ending, I'm excited to see where the story goes, the beginning was quite slow and the ending felt a little rushed. The character development kind of suffers due to the pacing but I think that will be rectified once we get more books. But overall I did enjoy my read, and I loved the overall theme of unlearning prejudices that have been spun to fit a specific narrative, which was powerful! 3.75 rounded up to 4 stars!

(Thank you for the ARC! I enjoyed Faebound! I'll share the below review to Goodreads, The Storygraph, and Amazon, and will link to the review.)

What an amazing take on fae and fae lands! The worldbuilding is astonishing. It’s simple in that it’s not cumbersome to explain or set up, yet the world has so much depth and intrigue. It’s one of the best fantasy worlds I’ve read in awhile. The description of the magic system is, again, not burdensome, and we only get the details of how it works: drum beats (amazing), divination as a practiced skill, and links to nature and creatures. The world described isn’t a nice place: poverty, endless war, and corrupt powers plague the elven lands; the fae lands - though resources are abundant and shared equitably - are hostile, close-minded, and militaristic. The war is a well-developed backdrop for the plot, and this is definitely a plot-driven book, though I would have liked more depth to the characters.

I felt like the only character I could really “see” was Lettle, who is determined to get home, but I couldn’t understand why or what connections she really has to home. Yeeran and Rayan’s motivations were rather vague to me too. I think another chapter or two in the beginning of the book to give something to root the characters’ motivations in would have helped me understand everyone more. I don’t necessarily feel like these characters are flat, I just feel like we weren’t shown as deep into them as we could have been, and the potential was there. I also think the romances fell a short for me because of this. Read this book for the world and plot, with the romances as a little side thing. I hope we’ll get to see the characters a little deeper in a sequel since the world and setting is already described.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC. These are my opinions given freely.

I was expecting a lot and once read, was a bit disappointed. I will say what I’ve liked first…
- Saara has brought us a new world and she was able to give us its information without info dumping on us, thank you for that. It is more unique while including elves and fae.
- The diversity
That’s about it.

There are spoilers below.

What I didn’t care for.
- Everything was so predictable. Lettle couldn’t tell who her prophecies were about, but I could a mile away. Is she just oblivious? Hopeful?
- All of the “wow” and “climatic” scenes felt everything but, it felt rushed and moved on. Where is the drama?!
- It started out feeling like a military fantasy in the beginning, then trickled to just a regular fantasy, and then a romance fantasy after 200 pages?
- Maybe this is intentional but Lettle feels young and immature, when I think she’s supposed to be an adult. I do not feel like she had much character development
- Her relationship with Rayan felt a bit pushed and rushed.
- Why isn’t Lettle telling anyone about her prophecies? Especially if she thinks she’s going to harm her beloved Rayan? None of that made sense.
- Yeeran & both of her relationships didn’t make sense either. I felt almost blindsided and confused about her and Furi’s sudden relationship and closeness. Maybe it was just the fighting tension and Furi knowing everyone and Yeeran is new? I felt we could have had more relationship building between them.
- I’m also confused how Yeeran is going to ask Furi to come OUTSIDE of Mosima, when Yeeran knows she literally cannot!?
- Just 310 pages and it took a week to read. It was difficult to want to pick up and continue. Will I read this again? No. Would I read the sequel? I’d give it a try to see if it gets any better.

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

If representation is what you want/need in a book, Faebound is perfection. The fact that I am not familiar with this author and have not seen recommendations for this book on social media is shocking! I genuinely enjoyed every page.

Yeeran and Lettle are sisters. They grew from poverty into the lives they are currently living and the fact that Saara has written this so matter-of-factly just adds to the magic of the story. For a lot of people, this is their every day. It isn’t an epic revelation from nothing to something because that’s the world we live in…and that’s the world Yeeran and Lettle live in as well. From prejudices to blatant hate between Fae and Elven races, these sisters persevere.

Yeeran is exiled from their Waning community by her lover and left on the outskirts of Elven lands. Her sister and a very likable tagalong, Rayan, follow her. The twists and turns the story takes from there are surprising and it kept me hooked. I was constantly needing to know what would happen next.


The world-building is perfect. It’s clean and concise. I could picture all the settings in my mind. There is some romance but it isn’t the forefront of this book and that’s okay. At times, it did feel like the story was slightly rushed and I wanted just a little more from the author or characters. That is why I give this book 4 stars. Otherwise, I highly recommend giving it a chance!

This is the first book in a series, so as always if you don’t like reading unfinished sets I’d say hold off. There isn’t a cliffhanger but the end does leave you wanting more.

Show Saara El-Arifi some love on social media if you love this book!

⭐ 4-4.5!

This book fits comfortably within romantasy as a genre, almost to it's detriment, but really shines when exploring it's magical world. I thoroughly enjoyed how normalized being queer was in Faebound, even between multiple cultures, and I never found myself bored with the relationships on page or their unique powers/weapons. Magical fae animals are always a favorite of mine, especially if you can ride them or have them as companions, and that is definitely in this book (love it).

The reason why I say the book fits almost too close to romantasy is because the story beats of the book can feel predictable at times, especially if you're an avid reader of the genre, a fact I was mainly neutral about as Faebound did it much better than the majority of it's peers. It's a unique take on the fae, but with the story you'd expect. This really is not a political intrigue story or one about an extremely complicated world, which I liked, but if you're seeking that type of fantasy I would look elsewhere. There also were times that the dialog felt stilted or immature, especially for the age of the characters involved, but it did not harm my experience. I still read the book in a couple days.
The book, overall, feels like quite long setup for another book entirely. I will definitely be buying/reading the second when it comes out.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this fantasy book! The fantasy world building was pretty good, a little confusing once they get to the underground faeworld but the characters were great. I appreciated the diversity in the book and the morally grey characters. I have lots of questions I hope get answered in the second book!

Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Elves, humans, and fae clash in this fantasy world.
-
Action! Romance! Politics and ideological differences! This book has it all. A (relatively) high fantasy, this story deftly balances all the qualities many fantasy stories lack: authentic character development and characterization, gradual yet extensive world building, and medium-paced narrtaive with twists and turns.
I gasped audibly at times, and was hooked more than usual. Definitely recommend this!

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Yeeran is your typical strong willed and strong bodied warrior whose badassery is as strong as her stubbornness. I worried that her sister, Lettle, would fall to the wayside for Yeeran’s character, but she actually stands strong as her own lead with her own development.
Rayan is almost too good to be true, but I’m not complaining. He’s a great side character who contributes tot he story but doesn’t overshadow the strong female leads.
And Pila! Always down for animal sidekicks.

Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I the third person POV, the beautiful scenic imagery, and the strong usage of figurative language.
There are also layers upon layers of commentary and psychology - othering, tribalizing/group think, oppression, the “purpose” of war, etc. Each character provides a different take on these themes and motifs.

Recommended to fans of high/dark fantasy.

loved this story so much. This was my first book by this author and the writing style was great. Thank you for the gifted copy in exchange for a fair review.

Grateful for the copy I received from @NetGalley.

There was a lot in this story that I enjoyed and some that I think could have been improved.

This story has strong female characters, magic with bonded animals and a lot of adventure which I enjoyed! I think it was a little predictable with the foreshadowing in the story giving the reader too much of the plot but there are also aspects of the ending that I really didn’t see coming.
There isn’t a lot of spice in this one but I think what is in the book could have been better written with it just feeling a little clunky.

Overall, I’m interested to see where this story goes, looking forward to the next book and overall enjoyed this one.

I appreciated the diversity represented in the relationship constellations and I feel like it will connect with many readers. The world building was rich with detail that gave the reader insight into the understanding of the cultures and customs these magical communities held. The story was a slow build so it was challenging to stick with at times particularly in part 1 but part 3 pulled all the threads together and it finished on a high note.

Thank you Del Rey for providing the arc for an honest review via NetGalley.

One of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read! I devoured this book and fell for the characters I loved this so much! HIGHLY RECOMMEND 🫶🏾🤎🤎🤎

Saara El-Arifi's ability to full immerse the reader into a fantasy world filled with themes of love, redemption, & growth while also tethering us to reality of War, Destruction, and Social & Political Structures is unlike any other.

This book is for Adults and Young Adults, but is easy to read and follow. Our story follows three Elves Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan with the focus of the world being told through Yeeran and Lettle. Eventually these Elves are captured by the Fae as we were told in the beginning were not our friends, but very much our foes. The story allows the reader to see both sides of the coin and watch as Yeeran, our War Captain, dismantles their view on War, The Fae, Spirituality, their Upbringing, and most importantly the Obeah.

I cannot wait to see what is in store next as this is a Trilogy. I feel we will start to see the story told through Rayan's eyes along with Yeeran and Lettle as well. Saara provides detailed descriptions for all of the Primary and Secondary Characters that we meet along the way.

If you are looking for a Fantasy Novel that is LGBTQIA+, Uses Gender-Neutral Descriptors, Includes People Of Color as the Main Character, Disabled Characters written with integrity, then Faebound is the book to read!

Faebound is a beautifully written book full of LGBTQ representation. The book builds a wonderful world easy to get lost in and gives you characters who are easy to fall in love with. The books has some of the same things we love about ACOTAR and Fourth Wing but with a refreshing take. The book follows Yeeran and Lettle Elvin sisters who are forced to explore a new world and question everything they once thought to be true. They’ll be forced to question their loyalties and make friends they never knew they needed.

3/5 stars. thank you netgalley & the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. i'm about 75% completed with the book and fully understand my opinion is not going to change between here and the end.

some things that really worked: the enemies to lovers trope, the sapphic romance, lgbtqia+ representation, disabled representation, black characters - everything in between. i think all of these were well developed and awesome, adding to the story and fantasy setting.

what didn't work for me was the character development and world building. these characters had an excuse for everything and by the end, i'm not even sure they learned anything. "i didn't know" was said over and over and these are grown characters, not young teenagers or in their early 20s. there is a lack of accountability that i think had the world been fleshed out more, we could've dived a bit deeper into this.

lettle was actually the worst, i cannot believe how whiny this grown adult was. and her love interest was... lackluster to say the least. that could've used more fleshing out as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review~

Faebound was such a fun ride! Perfect for readers looking to transition into adult fantasy -- gripping, unique, and readable. At it's core, it is a story about survival, discrimination, war, and allegiances.

Fantasy can be tough to get into, but I found the world-building, which rests on a folklore within the novel itself, easy to engage with. Loads of different identities and representations were woven into this novel., but it never felt heavy-handed or pandering; queer identities simply existed and are normalized. The use of prophecies made it extremely easy to guess the plot twists, and the story itself hit beats of a typical (maybe predictable?) fantasy, but even so, I still really enjoyed my time with this novel.

The characters felt distinctive and unique; the world-building & magic system interesting. The addition of Lettle's journal at the end of the book was a nice touch, too.

I found some parts to be a little repetitive (how many times can Lettle trip?!) and the pacing slow at times.

Faebound is a great addition to adult fantasy and I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

I wanted to LOVE this, however, I could not get over the clunky writing and the strange pacing. Also there were sooooo many convenient points in the book that I just started to skim it. Everything felt a little to obvious which makes me believe that if this was changed into a YA book, it would have succeeded.