Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for review.

I was really looking forward to this book given the early reviews I had seen, but I will say I did not like it as much as I would have hoped. I struggled to get into the story in the beginning and found everything to be somewhat surface level, but as it went on I did enjoy it more. The diversity and representation in this book is really great and was one of my favorite aspects. I would rate it as 3.5 stars. I do look forward to seeing where this series will go and will continue reading the next installments in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

2.25 Stars - a wonderful writing style and an incredibly unique magic system and world.

This story follows sisters Yeeran and Lettle. Yeeran is a colonel in the Forever War, the war between the elven tribes for control of the crystal mines beneath the field. Elves, fae, and humans used to walk the earth, but neither fae nor human have been seen in a millennium. A costly mistake on her first day as colonel leads to Yeeran's banishment. As one's sister does, Lettle follows her into banishment. In the lands past their home, they discover the fae court,

First things first, I absolutely loved the magic system in this book. It was incredible. The magic of humans, fae, and elves are all so unique, and the use of drums by the elves to channel magic was something that I have never seen done before. In addition, there was such a diverse cast of characters, and they are all fleshed out fairly well. Even the villains aren't entirely detestable. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a unique magic system and a wide range of characters represented.

Now, the main reason that I didn't rate this book four stars - it was so insanely predictable. Like insanely predictable. While I really liked these characters at points, they were so blind that it was frustrating. Every prophecy was obvious, and every plot twist was visible a mile away. Everything was spelled out, and the only people that couldn't see it were the characters. This got really frustrating really quick, because if they would just sit for a moment and think about what was going on, a lot of grief and headache could have been spared on their part.

The second reason that it was rated lowly is that there were some serious inconsistencies and plot holes.

1) In this world, the Forever War has been raging so long and so brutally that there are places on the field (or most of the field) where the blood literally does not drain away. Ever. It's called the Bleeding Field. So you'd think that for a war this long and brutal, you'd need a huge freaking population to sustain it, right? But there are just a few main cities, and small settlements throughout. And the big thing is that at one point one character crosses the majority of the field by camel-pulled carriage (and this is a HEAVY HEAVY carriage) in FOUR HOURS. There is no way that a population to sustain this war the way it is described could be contained in this area. They would all be dead and there would be no one left to fight.

2) One of the characters in this book, Lettle, at one point decides to start learning the language of the Fae, a language that is so difficult that despite the fact that it is a central point of their culture, some Fae can never learn it. Lettle - the same one who is seeing all these obvious hints towards the "plot twists" and such yet cannot see anything - somehow attains a conversational level of the language in a matter of weeks. Saying "conversational level" actually diminishes the proficiency that she attains. She is able to translate obscure words in Fae for the group that are not at all what a beginner should understand (ex. she translates the word for "mist before the storm" and understands conversations after like two weeks). She is also able to read a book of folklore without a dictionary to translate at one point. Learning a language does not work like this, and it just didn't make any sense. Frankly, it wasn't even necessary to the plot.

Overall, I really liked the magic system and cast of characters. If you don't mind the predictability and consistency, then it really is a cool read!

Thank you for the ARC! My review is below...
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Since bursting onto the scene with her novel The Final Strife in 2022 (which came out of nowhere to be my #3 book that year), Saara El-Arifi has been on my radar, and apparently has been cranking out hundreds of pages of finished fantasy each year since. Her followup last year, The Battle Drum, was another 5-star book for me, where El-Arifi managed to broaden the world she had created significantly and successfully, while still creating a path back to a conclusion where other more experienced authors (George R. R. Martin, anyone?) got themselves into trouble when trying the same thing. With the third book in the trilogy, The Ending Fire, due out later this year (and already a pre-order for me), I certainly didn't expect more from El-Arifi before that. But up popped Faebound, with a brand new world and set of characters (and, it seems, the potential for a sequel to follow); I was excited to give it a try.

The novel introduces us to a world in which, at one point, three races existed: humans, elves, and fae. As we open the novel, all that are left are the elves, who are embroiled in a never ending civil war among their tribes they call the "Forever War". We're introduced to a trio of main characters: Yeeran, recently made a colonel in the Waning tribe's army; her top captain Rayan, a longtime friend and fellow soldier; and Yeeran's sister Lettle, who is different from her sister in many ways but the person for whom she cares the most in the world. When Yeeran makes a tragic decision in battle, she is banished from all elven lands, and Rayan and Lettle go in search of their friend and sister. No one has seen fae or humans for more than a thousand years, but that is about to change. Without giving too much of the story away, I'll simply say that the trio find themselves in the land of fae, with both their lives and their freedom on the line.

Like with her previous novels, El-Arifi once again amps up the creativity she employs in crafting worlds, societies and a history to support them. Where The Final Strife books delve deeply into commentary on class and prejudice (with the ingenious device of using blood color to distinguish class), Faebound does so at a slightly reduced level. Whether that's fae vs. elf, or within the fae community, where those that lack a certain ability are derided for being "Lightless", El-Arifi explores those societal prejudices.

One area free from prejudice in these worlds is gender and sexual orientation. As she has done in the past, El-Arifi makes a point to include broad representation across genders and sexual orientations, and I'd say she reached a personal peak in this one. I appreciated her efforts at inclusion, but it was pretty heavy-handed, almost to the point of distraction. However, given the complete acceptance among characters of all genders/identities/sexual orientations (with more than a dozen different examples to prove that point), the lack of prejudice was commentary in and of itself.

While spending a little less time on societal prejudices, El-Arifi fills that extra room with a significant uptick in romance, to the point that I would easily classify Faebound into the emerging category of "romantasy", akin to books like Fourth Wing (which I happened to like a lot!) and, perhaps a more direct comparison, Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses. I haven't read "ACOTAR", as it's affectionately abbreviated by readers, but I'd wager that fans of that series might also enjoy Faebound given what I suspect are some similarities. There is romantic tension throughout, with burgeoning relationships and multiple will-they-or-won't-they potential couplings. And, once "will they" wins out, there's a decent amount of pretty descriptive sex. There's "lots of spice", as they say, and if that's your thing, there's a good chance Faebound is one you might like.

Unfortunately, hot fae/elf sex is not so much my thing. While I appreciated the level of creativity in the world-building and the layers of thoughtfulness incorporated into crafting the elven and fae societies, I thought the plotting of Faebound wasn't quite as intricate as with El-Arifi's other books. While the novel is complete and could be read as a stand-alone, it does lend itself to what I expect will be a sequel. If that happens, I'm not sure I'm up for more of this world; this was a high-3- / low-4-star book for me, and from my perspective, The Final Strife series is more my style. If you read The Final Strife and found yourself wishing for more sex and less violence, then Faebound might be for you; otherwise, I think The Final Strife and The Battle Drum are better books in multiple ways, and I'd focus first on that series.

A really interesting take on fae and elves. I liked both of the protagonists (even though I enjoyed Yeeran's romance more), and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

Also: I want an obeah!!!

This book….was MAGIC!!! There are numerous thought provoking themes but most of all, the world building. Dear me, the world building! El Arifi is now one of my favorite authors because of her ability to make you feel like you were thrown into the story, without leaving your bed. I find myself dreaming of my very own obeah.
If you are into fantasy books where the world is created like a painting, sister bonds, sapphic love stories, also a MF romance, magical creature communication. Oh man, I could keep going but I do NOT want to spoil anything.
I’m going to sun this up with, READ THIS BOOK! Easily one of the greatest fantasy books I’ve read in a long time!!

Unfortunately, this book did not keep me hooked. The beginning of the book was too much “telling” with barely any “showing.” First chapter specifically was very little to do with characters and was too heavy-handed with the info-dumping.

Faebound is about two elf siblings who will do anything for each other and get caught up in a war they never expected. It is in both of their POVs which is great as it gives both perspectives and the reader is omniscient with both characters thoughts and ideas. One of the things that was most disgusting to me throughout this book was the absolute amount of diversity, I have never experienced that in another book, ever. That was definitely not missed on me! It was so easy to follow and more books should follow the lead of this in its diversity of characters as well as relationships, the author was amazing in that aspect. The language used was different than most books, but I suspect it is due to the storyline. I appreciated how much Yeeran Lettle loved each other but also had their vast differences and complications throughout. The map was incredibly hard to read on the e-book, though I'm sure this can be fixed. I also would have loved a pronunciation guide. On to the story line- I felt like I wanted more. There were times when I did get a bit bored and there were also times when the story felt rushed- especially near the end. This is a first book in a series so the book is not finished with a bow in the end, but this was not unexpected and I was not left with more questions than answers. I definitely did NOT see some of those twists coming and was shocked! This book contains enemies-to-lovers tropes as well as a slow-burn, in my opinion. I did wish for more magic, but that is just my personal preference, as well as more character development, though there was definitely development there in some aspects. This book is for adult fantasy/romance readers, though has more fantasy than romance. I am giving this book 3/5 stars, I did finish the whole book and while it wasn't a great book, it was good and kept me interested and following the story the entire time.

Well... it wasn't quite The Final Strife, but I enjoyed it.

It lacked some of the complexity I would have expected from the author but I loved the fae realm descriptions and the multiple forms of magic. The relationships between the animals and the humans were so unique. This book had lots of varied representation. And I loved the history of the fae, the elves, and the humans (even though the prophecies were decently predictable). My biggest complaint was that the book didn't seem to know exactly what I wanted to be. At parts, it read romantasy and at others it read military fantasy. I think for the sake of the plot it might have been better to delve into one of those more deeply. I loved the tension between both Yeeran and Furi and Lettle and Rayan. But tension can only get you so far and I feel like the relationships were all built on physical attraction and being attracted to people you shouldn't. Like, I enjoyed the banter but once they got together, it was lacking some chemistry. Besides that, the book was a quick enjoyable read. I wouldn't call it particularly memorable, but I had fun with it.

The world building was very interesting, but I have so many questions. If the curse is intended to one day be broken, then I can only guess there must be human blood still alive? I really hope Yeeran frees herself from the blinded love she has.

There is still part of Lettle's prophecy hanging in the air, let's hope that death isn't as literal as the last prophecy.

Overall, an interesting read that is so different from the typical faerie stories. The enemies to lovers bit didn't feel realistic at all (sadly) but the fated mates?? Yes please!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House publishing for this ARC.

At first, there were three gods and three people: the fae, the humans, and the elves. Now only the elves remain.

Forever the war will rage, until united, the three shall die. Humans made low, then fae made lower, Then elves in ignorance, gone is their power, Cursed to endure, cursed to survive. All shall perish lest all three thrive.

I liked this read. The saphhiric fae/elves relationships were done well, and there is a lore and backstory that is both building and intriguing. I feel like book two will help solidify this more as a favorite read, as the first just grabs your attention but leaves you wanting more. Overall a solid romantasy introduction.

El-Arifi has crafted a vibrant fantasy world filled with intriguing magic, rich lore, and sweet magical animal companions.

Once elves, humans, and fae all lived together under the same sun. Not in harmony, as the fae and humans were thought long extinct, having killed each other off in a never ending conflict.

Yeeran and her sister Lettle are elves, loyal to their people and their respective careers ; Yeeran as a general in the army and Lettle as a diviner. When tragic events get Yeeran exiled from her people and the elven lands, Lettle refuses to let her sister be alone and goes with her. They never expected to meet others outside the elven lands, in the barren wastes beyond…. Much less fae.

Brought to the fae lands and wrapped up in court intrigue, a magical curse that involves both fae and elves, and of course romance aplenty (this is a romantasy after all!) , Yeeran and Lettle must decide where their loyalties and their hearts lie.

There’s a lot to love here! The world building is fascinating, the differences between the elven culture and the fae culture intricate and intensely detailed. While I can’t get into the specifics without spoilers, I am more captivated by the fae magic system and society than the elven one. Lettle and Yeeran are likewise torn between worlds as their loyalties are tested and their priorities change. I am curious to see how that plays out in future books in the series. I love the concept of the obeah, and I loved learning how the different magic systems worked. El-Arifi is fantastic at characterization; her dialogue and the interactions between characters make these connections (whether platonic, familial, romantic) feel real.

Since romantasy is a subgenre that is constantly evolving and often debated on what exactly makes a book a fantasy romance or a romance fantasy, it is worth noting that this is a fantasy with heavy romance themes, it is not a romance that just so happens to be in a fantasy setting. Romance fantasy readers should go into this with that expectation and not expect a HEA (at least in this book, the story is ongoing). I for one am eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.

This book was phenomenal! The world and character building was amazing! The story follows Yeeran, her sister Lettle, and her captain Rayan as she gets exiled from her home and captured by the fae. They have to adapt and try to make it home.

Such! A! Fun! Read!

And an excellent start to this trilogy

I was left with a few questions that prevented me from giving it a higher overall rating (magic system wasn’t really well explained, info overload at the beginning that felt very elusive then put on pause until the end, most of the big plot points felt predictable)

This story is a study on sisterhood and relationships -
relationships between women in particular (romantic, sisterly, hierarchical) that are not often fleshed out, especially in a fantasy setting, and was a big standout to me

Loved the setting here, the fae land in particular I found so magical and I can’t wait to immerse myself back into this world after

All in all, I will always support a black-authored fantasy and sapphic romance when I can - invested in this story now and excited to see where this goes!

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 / 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

Wow. Faebound. First let me start off by saying that I’m going to devour book 2 when it is released. Faebound started off slow and typically I’m not a huge fan of war heavy books but this book stole my heart. The political challenges, world building, and magic system are amazing. Although at times I felt at odds with the characters decision making, I fell in love with every single one. I cannot wait to see where this story is headed. Also if this book seems to start off slow for you, I would say it is 100% worth it to finish. #Faebound #NetGalley

This is a great twist on Euro-centric fairy stories that have inundated the market for so long at this point. It starts very fast and then slows down rapidly, so be prepared for that, and it's pretty heavy on the romance at certain points. I'm definitely excited to read more in the series in the future.

I am so happy this was my first 5 star read of 2024 - I cannot even explain how much I loved this book! The lore is beautiful, which makes for some of the best world-building l've seen in a while. El-Arifi created dynamic and interesting characters I desperately want to learn more about, and want to see through their individual journeys and arcs. I am already itching for a sequel, this gave me the same whimsy I fell in love with fantasy novels for in the first place! Another Fae book approved and recommended to you by the self appointed faerie literary connoisseur.

Faebound offers a captivating journey through a meticulously crafted world in just 400 pages. The ability to pack such depth into a concise narrative is truly impressive. From the outset, the worldbuilding is superb, offering a seamless introduction to its terms and definitions, making it easy for readers to understand. I felt like I was right there alongside the characters, discovering the wonders of being "Faebound" and the intriguing connection with the Obeahs.

I couldn't quite connect with the romantic aspects. The relationships felt a bit rushed and lacking in depth, which was a tad disappointing. However, even with this small hiccup, the story remained captivating, and I found myself eagerly turning pages to see what would happen next. If the romantic elements were omitted from the narrative, the story would retain its strength and coherence

Oh, and can we talk about that cover? It's absolutely stunning! It instantly drew me in.

Elf Yeeran is Colonel of the Waning Army until one mistake causes her to be banished from the Elven lands. Her sister Lettle and friend Rayan set out to find Yeeran, not knowing what awaits all of them. This story is filled with magic, faeries, battles, and love.
I absolutely LOVED this book! I immediately went out after I finished the arc to buy myself a copy! The writing is so well done and the book left me wanting the next one ASAP.

Loved the lore, the world, the magic, diversity, inclusivity, and animal companions! Unfortunately the dialogue, relationships and overall pace fell short for me. Certain aspects felt a bit rushed, lacking the typical build of chemistry and gradual affection for enemies to lovers. The dialogue felt clunky- just didn’t have a natural flow. But I think the foundation is good enough that I will want to continue the rest of the series.

I only just started this book but I’m not going to continue. I’m very much a romantasy reader and this feels like a regular fiction. It is very woke as well. Don’t get me wrong I’m okay with gay partners and pronouns but when it’s shoved in my face very quickly it makes me want to put it down.
I appreciate getting the arc. Thank you.