Faebound was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and it lived up to and exceeded my expectations. I was immediately taken by the author’s lush writing style that was descriptive and full, but without feeling overly flowery. Right off the bat I fell in love with the world and the characters.

The world building was intricate and unique, but unlike some first fantasy novels in a series it never felt like the world building was dragging on. Sometimes when I’m reading a new fantasy series, it feels like you have to drag through the first book in order to get your feet under you, but Faebound perfectly balanced giving us lots of information about a really creative and unique world without ever feeling like an info dump. Small facts about the world were woven into conversation and through the actions of characters, so it always felt natural. I also really enjoyed how well the author balanced showing the good and the bad things in every setting we encountered. We get to see magical, fascinating worlds, but we also get to see the bad things too, without shying away from them or underplaying their impact on the world.

The characters were equally well done, and the way the author used the sisters as foils of each other was intentional and so well done. There were multiple times where the sisters were remembering things from their past in different ways, and the differences really helped to develop them and show us how they think and feel.

One of my favorite inclusions that I don’t see frequently enough in fantasy was an on page explanation of how Trans individuals transition within this world. It was subtle, and fit perfectly into the interaction it was included in. I hope to see more fantasy novels including this going forward.

My biggest complaint with the book was that all of the foreshadowing felt a bit too heavy handed, and therefore many of the twists and reveals were easy to guess, but honestly my enjoyment of the book wasn’t even impacted that much by knowing things were coming. I am confident this will end up being one of my favorite books of the year, and I look forward to picking up this author’s backlist.

Saara has created a world where elves are the main character while fae and humans are considered fairytales; creatures of the past. That is until Yeeran, an elven warrior is exiled and soon captured by the very fae that haven’t been seen for a millennium. Yeeran’s sister Lettle and her former war mate Rayan venture to find Yeeran only to be assigned the same fate…imprisonment in the fae court. Together, they face danger, shocking revelations, and new love that makes them question everything.

One of the key things I’ve enjoyed about this author in her previous works and this one is her ability to right multiple POVs that are individually interesting. I was invested in both Yeeran and Lettle’s separate journey. They were both learning new things, facing danger, developing feelings, and practicing magic. While working toward the same goal to escape the fae court and return home, their separate stories kept my attention because of their uniquely different personalities.

Saara is also so good at creating complex yet easy to understand worlds. I found the lore and magic to be compelling. The lore in particular is written in a way that tells a full story, but not in a heavy info dump sort of way.

There are plenty of twists, turns, lies, and betrayal which is always a major plus for me. I also really appreciate the social commentary on incomplete and/or forgotten histories and its negative effects.

Some things that didn’t work for me are the “romance.” Yeeran and Lettle each have blossoming relationships, but there wasn’t enough development to make them believable. Also, I wish the magic system was more flushed out. Lastly, prophesies are a big part of the plot. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it worked in favor of the story. They were pretty obvious, yet it took longer than I think reasonably necessary for the characters to figure them out.

Simply put, I enjoyed the journey overall and I’ll definitely read the next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for the advanced eARC.

In "Faebound" by Saara El-Arifi, the elven sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, along with the elf Rayan, find their lives intertwined in an unexpected journey. A grave error leads to Yeeran's banishment from the elven lands. Soon, the trio is captured by the presumed-extinct fae, transported to their realm, and imprisoned. As prophecies unfurl, foretelling events that will reshape both elven and fae domains, the characters must navigate a world filled with ancient secrets, magical prophecies, and an impending change that will alter the fate of the two lands forever. "Faebound" weaves a tale of redemption, discovery, and the enduring bond that transcends realms.

**Plot and Storytelling (4/5):**
The plot started abruptly but gradually captivated me, maintaining a medium pace without any dragging moments. The predictability of some prophecies was a slight disappointment, but overall, the storytelling effectively immersed me in the world of "Faebound."

**Characterization (4/5):**
The main characters were richly developed, however a particular character's twist (no spoilers!) could have benefited from more backstory. The representation of gender fluidity and diverse relationships added refreshing elements to the story.

**Writing Style (4/5):**
Saara El-Arifi's descriptive and readable writing successfully navigated a complicated fantasy world. Well-structured chapters and multiple points of view enhanced the storytelling experience.

**Originality (5/5):**
"Faebound" stands out in the fantasy genre with a unique magic system and the evolution of traditional fantasy elements. The incorporation of various races and cultures added to the book's originality, leaving me eager for a sequel.

**Emotional Impact and Resolution (5/5):**
The book evoked strong emotions and ended on a cliffhanger, leaving me eagerly anticipating the next installment in the series.

**Overall Rating 4.5/5**

3 ⭐

I liked Faebound, albeit not as much as I had expected to. There were aspects I really liked and some I did not. The premise and plot were intriguing, but I was kind of disappointed in how it was executed. I found I did not enjoy her writing style; the sentence fragments were a little distracting for me. The pacing felt odd at times–sometimes too fast, and others too slow. I think both romances were supposed to be slow-burn, but they ended up feeling rather forced and rushed for me. Character building/growth is often my favorite part of any book, and it felt like the characters in both romances did not really get to know each other well, suddenly jumping from lust to love. Additionally, while the characters were among the oldest I’ve read in romantasy, they sometimes felt the most immature.

The plot, while very predictable, was still enjoyable and kept me engaged. The world-building is decent, but it does leave the reader with questions that are left unanswered, such as exactly *how* fraedian crystal is used as a warmth/light source. I know this is fantasy, which allows for *some* suspension of disbelief, but I still would have liked some sort of vaguely scientific explanation. I think where this book really shines is in the lore/mythology and magic system. As much as I love the romantasy genre in general, there are some elements that can be overdone. In my opinion, El-Arifi incorporates a truly unique and fascinating magic system into the Faebound world, which attracted and kept my interest. There are different types of magic available to the different groups of people: elves, fae, and humans. Within those branches of magic, there are different ways of harnessing and using magic. I loved the idea of magic being shaped and channeled into drumfire or being interwoven with the magic of another user. Also, the queernormativity? *chefs kiss*

All in all, I enjoyed this read and it makes me excited to read more afro/arab centered fantasy. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book!

Imagine the dragon relationship dynamics in fourth wing mixed with the girl killing a magical creature and must live with the fae as punishment vibes from ACOTAR. That’s a glimpse of what this is. The representation is fantastic in this book! I also really loved the inclusion of all the characters pronouns at the end.

The reason this does not get 5 stars for me, is because it did feel like a bit of a set up for the 2nd book. I have a feeling the second book will be absolute fire though and at that point I will be very attached to the characters. I was also able to guess all of the twists except one which might’ve been the most obvious?? Iykyk. But overall a really fun read that has the setup to be an amazing series. 🫶

I could not put down this fast paced fantasy with its unique magic system , prophecies ,and great romance I was hooked from the first page. This book follows Yeeran an elf recently promoted in the military. After Yeeran sister Yettle foretells seeking glory in the east Yeeran makes a rash decision causing the loss of some of her troops. To punish her the Chieftain exiles her. Little feeling it was her fault sets off with a solider under Yeeran to find her and bring her back. In their exile the three elves discover the fae are not gone as they had believed. We follow multiple POVs as the sisters try to find a way to survive and look for an opportunity to make it home again.

I really enjoyed this fantasy especially the magic system. In this book the 3 races the humans, fae, and elves were each granted separate gifts from their respective gods. The fae were gifted the ability to pull and push things with magic, the elves were gifted ability to see the future through seers, the humans were able to speak magic. I really enjoyed out the creation myth told through out the. Ok was intertwined with how there magic worked. I also really enjoyed the characters in this book the romance between Yeeran and Furi was great and I loved Yettle. My only issue with the book was the ending. I felt like it was a little anticlimactic and it felt like it kind of defeated a main plot point of the story. With that being said I can’t wait to read the next in the series. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book!

I’m currently in my fantasy era, and this book was everything I needed! First and foremost, this book has a sapphic relationship! Overall, the premise of this book is really interesting! The writing was lush and descriptive. I adored the political intrigue and the fae realm. The magic system was incredibly unique. The twists had me shocked!

I am always a big fan of a dual POV and both perspectives were enjoyable to read. I loved Yeeran, Lettle, and their bond to one another.

I look forward to reading more books by this author! I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for their next fantasy read!

This was very enjoyable. The fantasy elements were so good, I really liked the lore and magic system. It was a bit more simplified writing wise than I expected but I was very invested in our main characters Lettle and Yeeran, I'm excited to see where the next book takes us. I wasn't really into the romances, they were fine! I was a bit more interested in the sisters and their relationship which I think we could have had a bit more of but this is a trilogy so there's plenty of time. Overall, it's a great start to a trilogy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t know if the hype affected my appreciation for this book, but I wanted to love this one more. It had everything I could ever want in a book—a queer-normative society, BIPOC characters, sapphic romance, fae, elves, magic, war—but the writing style was all about telling, not showing, and the dialogue was clunky. The story was intriguing but I wasn’t excited to read about it due to the writing style. I absolutely LOVED Lettle!

This was extremely fun! It was easy to read with entertaining characters, a cool world, and a great sister relationship. Also, I adored the animal companion parts. I thought the romance was fine, if a little rushed, but there are other aspects of the plot too and I really enjoyed those. Can’t wait for the next one!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is an excellent start to what I think will be an incredible series! This is a fantasy story told in dual points of view between two sisters- Yeeran, a colonel in the Elven army who can wield drum battle magic and Lettle, a diviner who uses the deaths of magical creatures called obeah to tell the future.

Yeeran is exiled from the Elven lands after disobeying orders and getting soldiers killed. Yeeran asks a loyal captain of hers, Rayan, to watch out for her sister as she is exiled but Lettle instead follows her sister into exile with Rayan tagging along to protect her.

As they try to hunt a huge obeah so that Yeeran may return with honor to the Elven lands, the group is captured by the fae. The fae were previously thought to be extinct and the group is thrust into their mysterious world.

I really enjoyed this book! The amount of diverse, queer representation is phenomenal! I thought the world building was also excellent- really immersive, but not overwhelming. Of the two sisters, I definitely enjoyed Yeeran’s chapters more, but I liked having the switch of points of view as it really allows the reader to see what’s happening from different perspectives. I will definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love reading fantasy novels based on folklore and mythology from other places in the world besides Europe. Faebound is an African based fantasy with mythology mixed in.

Faebound is told from the POV’s of Elven sisters Yeeran, a warrior, and Lettle, a diviner. Neither agree with the other’s life choices, but they love each other fiercely and support each other despite their differences.

You enter Faebound with Yeeran’s POV and listen to her doubts and eagerness to prove herself as the Waning Tribe’s youngest colonel. Salawa, her lover, tries to encourage her by telling her she deserves the role. There is something in the way Salawa speaks that she seems important, but you just aren’t sure how important she really is. The next morning, Yeeran’s eagerness to prove herself worthy of the role of colonel, causes her to make a detrimental mistake. You then find out how important Salawa really is in the aftermath of her mistake. She is granted a fate worse than death, exile, at the hand of her lover.

Lettle’s POV really starts as she’s watching her sister be carted away, while screaming and fighting for the freedom of one of the Waning Tribe’s most loved officers. She sets off on a mission, determined to rescue Yeeran and bring her home. Lettle is met with an unlikely companion, Rayan, her sister’s capitan. Together they trek through the Crescent Tribe’s land, track Yeeran, and they all find themselves captured by the Fae. People who had supposedly disappeared millenia before.

Once they’ve been captured, you enter a world that should be perfect, and it would be if you weren’t trapped there. You read a story of impossible magic, enemies to lovers, death, tragedy, betrayal in unlikely places, and so much more.

There is representation of different types of disabilities, sapphic love, lgbtqia+ peoples who just were, and even dementia. This was such a beautiful world and I loved immersing myself amongst the characters, the story, the magic, and the culture and traditions. Not to mention the cliffhanger at the end will hopefully make you want book two as badly as I want book two.

A well written novel but overall it's a pretty underwhelming story. I was just not feeling the story, it left me wanting so much more. I think that the writing was done well but overall this is just another fantasy novel that follows the usual tropes.

Unfortunately, this is not a book I can recommend. The premise of the story itself had potential and many unique elements. Also, I can see the important social commentary this book attempts.

My main note is that I felt like I wasn't trusted (as a reader) to do my job - and, as a result, it was all "tell" and no "show." Everything was explicated for me.

Let's start with something positive. I think there would have been an easy fix here for an editing team that wanted to publish this story: (1) remove the spicy/explicit scenes (of which there were only a couple) and (2) bill this read as a YA novel.

But as a book for adult readers (with adult characters!!) it missed the mark.

I suspect most adult readers will, like me, be thrown off by the writing/storytelling choices here. Throughout this read, I found myself thinking, "Wait, that was way too easy," or "You're telling me we're just supposed to accept that and move on?" Characters that should be bitter, healing from trauma, or untrusting at the very least -- quickly put their faith in strangers that so clearly didn't deserve it. Those who should want to resist a turn of events almost immediately accepted their fate without the fight we're used to in a fantasy novel. Those characters who should have been met with suspicion were easily trusted and accepted, perhaps with a brief pause. Riddles featured heavily in this work, but were stated and immediately solved on behalf of a reader. Even forgiveness--during a war and with lives lost-- was effortless. The potential love interests were outlined from the first few pages, and relationships were entered into without hesitation (when, based on the narrative detail and plot structure, there should have been).

There has to be something believable or familiar in a book to make it worth reading (be it a plot twist or an emotion), even in -- maybe especially in! -- a fantasy novel.

Regardless, I appreciated the opportunity to review an ARC copy of this work.

Thank you to the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I think my main feedback for this book is I wish it was in first person POV versus third person. I feel like the characters lacked more emotion and development being third person versus first. I also have no idea was obeah are supposed to look like still.

The author built a beautiful magic system and world-building. I also like the connections faebound have with the obeah.

I really liked this one. Yeeran is taken by the Fae for killing one of them, although she couldn't possibly have known the consequences of her actions because they didn't know the Fae existed! Her sister Lettle goes after her, of course, and Rayan the soldier goes as well. Thrust into a hostile, hidden Fae world they must all figure out how best to survive. I loved the magic system here, and also how there were bonds made between Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan with their Fae "comrades". It was great to see them learn and discover themselves in the face of prophecy. So many unexpected turns!

Not sure exactly how I want to rate this book & might change it as a star rating doesn't capture everything that was or was not successful. On one hand, the world building is really interesting, detailed, and intricately crafted. The characters feel distinct and recognizable. Cannot emphasize enough how much I am looking forward to seeing parts of this world come together in the rest of the series. I really liked that Lettle and Yeeran as sisters still see their tribe and the war so differently from each other, which added a lot to their clashes over other things—divination, Salawa, etc.

On the other hand, my problem with this book is that I wanted more. As as avid romance reader, I think the romances in this book (which I really liked, to be clear) needed way more development. As a lover of court intrigue fantasy, I wish the excitement and tension of the scheming and politics in last act had run throughout. The things that had been planted throughout the story to result in that exciting last act weren’t enough, and were too few and too obvious and the result was that the pace felt too slow. While I enjoyed learning about the world during act II, I kept thinking like, the clues aren’t warranting this much time, so maybe we could fill the time with more relationship development? But that too was stilted.

Part of my frustration might just be a writing style/person taste issue. The narration was quite explicit about the emotions of our close third pov characters Yeeran and Lettle. Which is fine, it doesn't have to be a puzzle or anything, but if you want the psychic distance to be small, then it has to feel small. And somehow even though I was told exactly how they were feeling and what they were thinking, I didn’t feel close to them. The narration was too matter of fact about everything.

The third act was the strongest and made me much more excited about everything to the point where I think I am quite likely to continue with the series but the middle lagged in a way that was a bit frustrating.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!
This was an interesting read! The story is a little slow paced, but I very much enjoyed the history of the elves, fae, and humans. The sisterly bond between Yeeran and Lettle is one for the ages; their struggles only making them stronger. And the political strife, with a war raging on for so long, was both gripping and heartbreaking. Overall, I did enjoy this book!

A Forever War. Three Gods Asase, Ewia, and Bosome. Fae, Elves, and Humans are destined to live together peacefully. After powers are distributed to each. Elves are the only ones who remain. Two sisters were imprisoned by a political war. When Yeeran a colonel for the Waning Army is exiled. Prophecies are fulfilled and faerytales come true.

This book started very slow in the beginning, but after Yeeran is exiled the book picks up very quickly. The author does a great job of explaining the world-building and explaining the history of how the war came to be. I loved the representation throughout the book such as LGBTQ and it's rare to find fantasy books that have BIPOC female main characters. There was betrayal, murder, found family, and forbidden romance. I do agree with other reviewers that there were parts where the timing was off for certain situations. But I think overall the author did a great job of tying everything together at the end. I can't wait for the next book in the series and I'd highly recommend it.

I found Faebound to be an engaging and original story. I enjoyed the world building that links the Fae, Elves and humans and the magic system that tied characters to a companion. The dum magic was also well developed and has it's own twist. This was intriguing as the political system opens up yet more twists that kept me guessing and complicating the plot and all of the relationships. I thought this fantasy was compelling and will certainly be looking for the next book in this series.