⭐️rating: 4/5

I enjoyed this! It was a great fantasy following two elven sisters with dual POVs. It was a fun world to learn about with complex and interesting characters, different species, intriguing creatures with magical bonds, different kinds of magic, and legends and prophecies.

I think El-Arifi did a good job world-building. It wasn’t too difficult to follow as you learn the new and interesting world she’s built. There’s always something new you learn or uncover, but it feels balanced and helps the book flow, and it’s not too overwhelming to follow the fantasy world-building.

It was a little slow in the beginning, but the plot and action picked up once they came across the long-lost fae. And there were also twists and turns that you don’t expect, I definitely was surprised!

All in all, I liked this story and the world El-Arifi’s built. The cliffhanger though!! I thought the epilogue was satisfying, but aghhh I wanna know what happens next! This is the first in a trilogy that I’ll definitely be continuing and would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Omg I loved this book sooooo much. I will say it took me a little while to get into it, but once I did i was hooked! I am so glad I stuck around to be teleported into such a beautiful, magical world. I loved the sisterly love in this book and at the end when I saw she dedicated it to her own sister I about started crying 😭 and while the world is magic and and enchanting, it also has some very relatable elements of real world conflicts, such as our quest to all live in harmony together. Some spice too if that is your thing! I also loved the lgbtqia+ 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️ representation. All around a gorgeous book!

This is my first read by this author. What drew me in was the cover and the fact that it's about fae. This book is different than other fae books I've read. It feels like a dystopian in a lot of ways, but I don't think it's marked as one. The beginning was a bit slow and it dragged at some points but overall I enjoyed the story and am interested to see what happens next.

Thank you so much to Ballantine, Del Rey for giving me access to an arc of this. More of my review to come but I thoroughly enjoyed this!

WOW! this was easily a 5 star read for me! The world building was immaculate, the characters were so detailed and had so much depth to them! From the very first page I knew that this was going to be one of my favorites. I loved the lore that this world was built on, This story had a lot of adventure, a little spice and great dialogue. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this series brings us!

I loved Yeeran's story line, it broke my heart to see how much the elves struggled and how young many of the army were. When Yeeran finds herself having to fight for survival, I found myself very disappointed in Salawa for making the decision. As the story progressed, I couldn't help but feel that Salawa was just using Yeeran and never really cared for her in the way that Yeeran loved Salawa. I hope the next book brings us some resolution between the two and that Yeeran finally sees that Salawa is no good.

While Furi may have kept secrets, I am hoping that she is able to make amends with Yeeran because I absolutely love them together.

I am very interested to see how Rayan and Lettle's stories pan out, There was so much tension and mystery around their story arcs and boy was I in for a surprise when more secrets were revealed. I am anxious to see how Lettle's reading pans out in the end.

Overall, this was a phenomenal story and I cannot wait to eat up the rest of this series.

Long ago, three goddesses made the fae, elves, and humans. Meant to live in harmony, the three groups fight until there is only one human left. As punishment, the fae are forced to live in an underground city.

Yeeran and Lettle are sibling MCs who have to leave their homeland, and, through a series of mishaps, have to live amongst the fae in the sparkling city of Mosima.

The sisters have different skills, but they work together to try to make their way home.

Positives: the magic system, diversity, political drama, and world-building

Needs Improvement- I was sure this was going to be a five-star novel for me, but I was disappointed by how well I was able to guess the ending.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the book and eagerly anticipate book two of the series.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the eARC of Faebound.


'Faebound' is an adult high fantasy with a diverse cast in a queer normative world of unique magic and fae where two Elven sisters are on a journey to find themselves and their place in the grim world of the Forever War they live in.

I really enjoyed so many of the fantastical ideas in this book. The drum magic is not something I had seen before, and the mythology and social worldbuilding kept me turning pages every time a new twist was introduced.

However, the writing style in the first 30% had me threatening to DNF several times. Part 1 could have used another thorough line edit to remove redundancies in the storytelling and concision of the explanations of worldbuilding elements that led to what felt for me a very rough experience. That being said, the twist at the end of Part 1, leads to my favorite moments of the rest of the book.

Yeerin and her perspective chapter were easily the best parts of this book. I believed her feelings towards her romantic interests and felt for her conflicted emotions every time. I wish I could say the same for Lettle. I definitely appreciated her role in the story and her disability rep, but her romantic narrative just felt like a barrel of unearned tropes spilling out onto the page out of nowhere more often than not.

All and all--by the end of the book I was invested and intrigued to see what the next installment in this world will hold.

Faebound by: Saara El-Arifi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Wow! I don’t even really know where to start, I truly loved this book!

About: Two elven sisters become imprisoned in the intoxicating world of the fae, where danger and love lie in wait!

Favorite quote:
“You are the fire of my heart, and the best of my drum. I am yours under moonlight. Until the rhythm sings no more.”

Favorite Character: It’s so tough to choose! I love Lettle for her fire spirit and her loyalty and love for her sister! A few times she was really stubborn and I didn’t love those moments with her, but Rayan would swoop in and make up for it. I loved them both so much.

What I loved: the fantasy was thick in this one and I LOVED it. The twists of everyone’s past was so good, I definitely had to pick my jaw up off the floor a few times from the juicy information!

What I disliked: I can’t stand when a character gets mad at someone for keeping a “secret” (that really doesn’t affect them) yet they are also keeping a secret from that person and are totally fine with that… hopefully that makes sense. So that situation happens and I didn’t love it, but it was such a small part of the book, it doesn’t change my view as a whole.

I’m ITCHING to read the next one!!! I just cannot wait for the rest of this trilogy.

This was such a magical read. I loved the world building and magic system and especially liked the use of prophecy. While I was able to pick up on some "twists" others took me by surprise and really made the back end of this book fly by. I can't wait for book 2 to see where everyone ends up.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing group- Ballentine, Del Rey for the arc to read this book. I loved the premise of this book and was very excited to jump right into this world. Afro-based fantasies are my absolute favorite so I had extremely high expectations of this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed the worldbuilding, especially the Fae world, and the vibes in this book. My favorite parts were the character diversity, the afro based magic linked to the drums, the queer normative society, the disabled representation, sapphic romance, and the animal connections. The drum magic in this story is very unique and I loved that the author created something special. I also enjoyed the buildup of the enemies to lovers relationship, but once established, it fell a bit flat for me. The other romance started off a bit rough, but transitioned better.

What didn't work for me was the distance felt between the characters and myself as a reader. I could not fully connect with the characters, and I did not feel a solid sisterly connection between Yeeran and Lettle even though they are the main voices within this story. Most of the time, they just come across as robotically doing things for each other, rather than being able to feel the deep love that we're told about. Some of the thought processes, conversations, and decisions of the characters felt a bit juvenile even though these were all grown adults. As a commander, Yeeran came off a bit naive and idealistic about the realities of war, and often times left me exasperated by her thoughts and plans. At others times, the switch in povs threw me off as it felt like a time loop of the previous chapter, with not much new information being discovered.

My favorite characters were Rayan, Furi, and Pila - they were the only ones operating with the most logic lolol. I look forward to reading other installments in this series and the authors other books!

I could not put this book down! I loved the setting and pacing of the book, there was always new information to learn every page. The setting was amazing, and I loved the magic system. It was easy to understand without feeling like legend lore was constantly being dumped.

For the most part I was very impressed with the foreshadowing in this book. Information was foreshadowed in the best way where if you were paying attention it was easy to play a guessing game at what happened. But also there were peppered in some shocking twists that did make sense. This book did not try to add plot twists for shock value alone which made it enjoyable.

I enjoy fantasy books that challenge the preconceptions of the characters and their biases. And how you can love your family but also disagree with their views. I did wish that by the end some characters were able to compromise and see things a different way. First steps were taken but I feel like it was 1 step forward and 3 back.

I am very excited to read more from this series, and see the ending of prophecies mentioned in the first book.

I DEVOURED this book in two days…it has definitely been a minute for a book to really pique my interest like this. El-Arifi does an incredible job with the world creation and building of a plot that has lasting power for the subsequent books in the trilogy.

The world, as created by the gods, had three races: Fae, Humans, and Elves. War, disease, and competition has led many to believe that only the elves are left and the remaining eleven tribes are engaged in a “Forever War” to control the most valuable and vital resources.

Yeeran, an elven soldier and commander dedicated to her tribe, has been exiled beyond her tribe’s land for a costly mistake. Her sister Lettle and former captain, Rayan follow her into exile. As Yeeran searches for a way back into her chieftain’s good graces, the trio find themselves in a whole new world and soon realize that the elves are not the only ones to remain. The fae have been residing underground for generations due to curse placed upon them by the last human remaining. New alliances and romances will be formed in the time Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan spend with the fae. If given the choice to return, will they? Even if it costs everything they have begun to value?

I loved the creation lore and the how the plot dipped into divinization and prophecy. Each character had their own individual thread of importance and they were woven together so well that I didn’t look for the plot twist until it was right in front of me. There are a few romantic interludes between characters and I appreciate the focus on gender fluidity throughout the plot.

3.5/5

I really wanted to love this book. The world building was great and I was drawn into it right away. I loved the unique magic system, the culture, and the beginning was really promising with the history of the world. I thought that both Yeeran and Lettle were good protagonists, and I liked how we got two very different perspectives of the story from the two sisters.

I feel like not much actually happened in the book? Most of the book kind of fell flat for me. I wanted more plot, more drama, more SOMETHING, and started losing interest about halfway through the story. Everything that happened was very predictable, and I saw the "plot twists" a mile away partly thanks to the very easy to decipher prophecies.

I was also expecting a really passionate love/hate romance, and instead got hate that is suddenly love (which is also still hate?) with next to zero earned affection in the middle.

Faebound has a really neat premise, and I think the trilogy has a lot of promise, albeit a slow start in book 1. I am hoping that book 2 picks up a bit in pace and depth, and am looking forward to seeing where this story goes.

First things first, I love the queer, disabled, and Afro/Afro tradition representation in this book! While I think we're definitely getting more fantasy books (as other genres) with more queer representation, there still isn't enough disabled and BIPOC representation (I specify this because we do often get Asian representation in the form of some side character from a nearby nation in the book's world that has some Asian-inspired culture and physical features in the form of olive/tan skin, almond/slanted eyes, and their peoples are usually skilled warriors/fighters, usually with swords, lol).

I enjoyed the world-building in this and the introduction to the characters. That said, it did feel more like it was building up to *something* than actually having those elements within this story. I can see it setting up for a great series, though! It ended in a way that makes me curious enough to read the next installment. There's a big twist at the end that I enjoyed and it broke my heart a little. Also, I LOVE the Obeah and hope we get so much more of them, their wisdom, and goofy thoughts. I love a good found family trope, so I enjoyed the friendships that built in this first book but based on another big twist at the end surrounding the identity of one of the group members, I'm sure these bonds will be tested and we, the readers, will be shattered as the story develops further, lol. Can't wait!

Thanks to the author, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley & Del Rey for the eARC and giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

I knew going into this book I would enjoy it (fae & elves in a sapphic fantasy romance ??? what more could you want) but wow was I so fully immersed in this world. It was so easy to connect with these characters and engross myself in their world, and the way the story unfolded was so clever, there were so many little twists and turns that made it so much more interesting and made it harder to put the book down. I loved the world building, the diverse characters, the magic system & the romance, and it was such a captivating beginning to a story that I cannot wait to get more of.

In Faebound, by Saara El-Arifi, we meet Yeeran, a woman whose life has been entwined with bloodshed from the very beginning. Raised to inherit a war that has claimed countless lives, Yeeran now holds the rank of Colonel. On the other side is her sister Lettle, a visionary attempting to foresee a way out of their troubles. After a routine patrol results in the deaths of hundreds of soldiers, Yeeran is banished from the elven lands to wander the wilderness. Determined to reunite with her sister, Lettle braves the harsh landscape, leading to a fateful encounter with the fae – beings believed to be long dead.

Forced into the fae's hidden world against their will, Yeeran and Lettle face the harsh reception of the fae court. Yeeran finds herself on trial for the murder of their prince but discovers a long-awaited legacy as a half-fae – someone who can bond with beings of immense power, becoming Faebound. With their origins shrouded in mystery and danger lurking from those who seek their demise, the sisters must gather allies and unveil a truth that threatens to shatter an already unstable world.

In this sensational fantasy series debut by Saara El-Arifi, curses, prophecies, and magic are woven together with a compelling narrative. "Faebound" fulfills the yearning for fae-centered fantasy, delving into quests for truth, the end of generational traumas, and the alteration of history's power over civilizations. El-Arifi skillfully crafts intricate relationships between women, both romantic and familial, making her a fantasy author to watch.

The story unfolds in a brutal landscape ravaged by war, following two sisters on separate paths that must eventually converge. Yeeran, embracing her fate as a Faebound, grapples with newfound abilities, while Lettle, a dreamer, must harness her power of divination. The tale is rooted in the profound bond between the sisters, emphasizing the strength derived from sisterhood amid immense strife and intergenerational consequences of war.

While Yeeran takes center stage as she navigates her role as a Faebound, Lettle's perspective remains equally captivating. Lettle, the sister left behind, strives to hold things together and make sense of her place in a world determined to sideline her. Themes of prophecy and divination intertwine with her arc, portraying her journey of commanding divination and shaping her destiny.

The narrative also explores an enemies-to-lovers arc, tied intricately to the themes of truth and the power of close bonds. With elements of drum magic, legacies, and surprising twists, Faebound emerges as a fast-paced, outstanding series debut. This dark and glorious fae story is fueled by love, sisterhood, truth, and the desire to end war.

Special thanks to Del Rey for providing an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings include death, blood, violence, murder, war, and grief.

Faebound will be published on January 23, 2024.

I’ll start by saying that when I got approved for this e-ARC, I squealed with excitement 🤩 Heard a few readers saying Faebound was good, so I had high expectations and it definitely met them – it was really good!

Faebound is an exquisite and enjoyable read with a good balance of war politics, romance, and self-perseverance. Its wonderful magic system and enthralling world-building will get you immersed in no time!

The story is set in an Afro/Arab inspired world, told in Dual POV (my favorite 🤭) by our elven sisters, FMCs Yeeran and Lettle, who couldn’t be more different. Unquestionably, this made them more interesting. We get to experience their snarky bickering with each other, their contrasting perspectives, while both navigate a complicated journey and deal with themes such as family issues, forbidden love, an emerging war, and fate/self-fulfilling prophecies.

Loved how the story focuses on appreciating and exploring their identities – their roots and backgrounds. Yeeran and Lettle became enjoyable characters from the get-go. I adored Lettle's perseverance and unconditional love for her sister and Yeeran’s strong conviction to keep her sister safe, no matter what. (These girls can put up a FIGHT, I’ll tell you that ⚔️🥊💥) Incredible, well-written characters.

I enjoyed the well-crafted magic system. It’s layered with Fae magic, alluring divination 🔮✨ and drumbeat magic. Some of the aspects at first glance might seem dull, like playing an instrument in a war instead of a sword, but let me just say that it’s very intriguing how primal it felt reading about it, I was imagining the rhythms and spells of percussions.🪘I felt the story came to life in a fascinating and piercing emotional way – wielding powerful magic and music? Loved that!

As for the Fae court – they were unpredictable. I felt like they have an ancient otherworldly feel to them, like you'll never truly quite understand them. I didn't expect to like them at first but they grew up on me. My favorite part was the tension and slow burn between the characters, it held my attention throughout the book - truly an enemies to lovers moment! 🖤😈🗡️ I’m interested to find out what happens next in the upcoming book — well done, Saara! 👏

If you’re looking for a fantasy book with strong and smart FMCs, prophecies, furry animal companions, sisterhood, and that it honors the journeys of LGBTQ+ characters, pick up this book pronto!

Huge thanks to Random House – Ballantine & Del Rey Publishing Groups / the author Saara El-Arifi and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

wowowowow 4 stars!

thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing my advanced review copy. ✨

i absolutely devoured this book

i'd recommend reading this book if you're looking for:

- dual POV
- sapphic romance (with a touch of 🌶️)
- African-inspired fantasy with elements of mythology
- gorgeous, dynamic worldbuilding
- soul connections
- a refreshing take on fae and elves, where nothing seemed too copy + paste from other books i've read
- secrets! poison! prophecies!
- disability and queer representation

overall, i do wish there was more depth in some aspects of the romance between both main characters. also, and i can't believe i'm typing this, but i wanted this book to be LONGER? i feel like i needed more character/plot development to become more invested in the overall story and prepare for what's to come in the next book.

will definitely be reading more from Saara El-Arifi!

Yeeran is a colonel of the Waning Moon Elven army, fighting in the forever war against the Crescent Moon tribe. Her sister, Lettle is a diviner who spends her life trying interpret prophecies and understand the future. In their world, there used to be elves, fae and humans, but now only the elves remain. After Yeeran goes against orders and is attacked by the Crescent tribe, she is exiled from the Elven lands. Lettle and Rayan, Yeeran’s Captain, follow her to the wilderness only to discover the impossible as they are taken prisoner by a group of Fae warriors. The group struggles with love, loyalty, and honor, all while their understanding of the world has completely changed.

This book absolutely blew me away. Faebound is unlike anything else I have ever read and I’m already dying for the next book. The setting is a unique, queernormative world that is full of magic and mystery. Faebound is heavily character driven, which I love, and I am obsessed with these characters that adapt and change throughout this book. This book also dives into the concepts of Utopia and Dystopia within their world and where each civilization lands, for no one place is perfect. The romance in this book was great (open door), and includes both F/F and M/F scenes. On top of everything else, there are bonded animal companions. If you loved the bonded dragons from Fourth Wing, you will adore these bonded creatures. Overall, I loved this book so much, and I’m so happy it's my first 5 star of the year.

What I loved:
The queernormative World
The romance
The Character driven plot
Bonded animal companions
The Magic system
Court politics

Thank you so much NetGalley and Del Rey books for this ARC!
If you are interested in this book, it will be published TOMORROW (Jan, 23rd) in the US and is already available in the UK.

Review posted to @getbookiwithit on Instagram and on goodreads, January 22nd. Link to review below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2aPK_Dr9ia/?igsh=MTIybzF5aGlzOHU5Mw==

First, a huge thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Happy Release-Day Eve! This book has been highly anticipated (it was one of my most anticipated) and I can understand why. The concept felt more original than some of the books in this genre. It has a bit of fae/elf magic, prophesy, political intrigue, war, interpersonal tension, and romance.

Unfortunately, the execution just missed the mark for me. It was missing that spark that makes a book great. I can usually measure how engaging a book is both by how long it takes me to read and how many other books I pick up while I’m reading it. If I don’t pick up another book and read it straight through, the book unequivocally has my interest and attention. Faebound took me 2 to 4x as long to read than it should have and I read 3 other books in the interim. The pacing felt very slow to me throughout. I would consider the world building a strength, though I wouldn’t call the book particularly atmospheric. The characters were complex and well developed, but it became immediately apparent to me that I wasn’t rooting for either of the main characters. I only found one side character (and one tertiary character) really likable and sympathetic. I generally prefer reading about individuals I’m rooting for, but that’s just me. There were times it felt terribly formulaic and other times quite original, where the twists were unexpected. I didn’t love the military/political content - a clear personal preference - and felt the romance was not executed as deftly as it could have been.

Overall, I know this book has an audience who will enjoy it, I’m just not that audience.