Wow I really enjoyed this read. The fantasy and magic elements were perfect and not too hard to understand especially for a first book in a series. I really like the character development and relationships throughout the book. The strong wills of the characters were so inspiring and mesmerizing. This is definitely a book you want to read this year.
Thank you Random House Publishing Group Del Rey for sending me this arc for an honest review.

THIS BOOK! I don’t even know how to accurately convey my love for this book! I’ll do my best, but long story short, READ THIS BOOK! It comes out on January 23 in the states, and I need everyone to pre-order or pick up your copy the day it comes out!

In a world where Fae, Human, and Elf lived harmoniously in a distant and forgotten past, the only race still alive are the Elves. But their lives are riddled with fighting and famine in a never-ending war. This story follows Yeeran, a Colonel in the war, and Lettle, her younger sister who follows a path of divination to foretell prophecies of the future. When events happen that see Yeeran exiled, Lettle leaves to follow her sister into the lands beyond the Elfish boarders. What follows is a story of finding a way to persevere when even fate seems to be working against you.

Some things I loved about this book:

✅ African and Arab inspired worlds with all main characters being brown/black and absolutely STUNNING!
✅ Some amazing disability representation
✅ Diversity in Elf/Fae type fantasy worlds! I loved seeing it!
✅ Sapphic enemies-to-lovers!
✅ Friends-to-Lovers hetero relationship (The slow burn/pining of Rayan and Lettle is so swoon-worthy)
✅ A very queer normal world. All Fae and Elves accept a person no matter the gender or the sexual orientation. It’s just a way of life!
✅ The most epic animal companions in the Obeahs. I need one in my life!

I could wax poetic about this for hours, but I want you to be able to experience the amazing story and twists of this world on your own as well!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #DelRey of #PenguinRandomHouse for sending me a free ARC of #Faebound by #SaaraElArifi for an honest, spoiler-free review!

Received an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and its publishers.

I really enjoyed this book. This was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and I even did a little happy dance when I got the notification that I was approved to read an ARC. The cover of the book is so beautiful and can't wait to get my hand on a physical copy! It took about 20% of reading to get into the book, in which I couldn't put it down. Lots of fantasy and politics which I enjoyed. I recommend for any of fellow fantasy than romance lovers to read!

Girls, Gays, and Non-Binary Faes?!
This. had. everything.
What a refreshing and compelling first in this new trilogy by El-Arifi. I called one of the major plot points earlier than I would have liked, but several others were great surprises and I can’t wait for the other installments!


Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

I was granted an ARC via NetGalley from Random House Publishing for an honest review! Thank you for the ARC and now the new book hangover.

***Note--- there will be spoilers in this review.


I was very interested in reading this due to the name, cover, and description as well as a couple of Tiktoks reviews that were posted.
This book caught my attention in the first chapter, I was so intrigued by the world building and descriptions that were used. Normally, with fantasy books, it takes a while to get into the world building and such but not with this book. I'm eager to be able to read the next book, eager I mean I will be waiting very impatiently...

I fell in love with Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan instantly. I love how they all interacted with each other and their relationships! Also, a side note, I am glad that Rayan and Lettle gave into to their desires along with Yeeran and Furi. Yeeran being in a relationship with Salawa seemed alright at first, but it quickly gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I'm glad to know that Yeeran had someone who cares about her like Furi does. These two both need each other and that warmth that they give each other. They both have dealt with a lot, and it seems that when they are with each other, nothing matters.

I get the feeling that the group does not want to admit that they are okay with staying in Mosima compared to going back above ground. They, I mean Rayan and Lettle, seem okay and accepting once they realize that Rayan is now half fae and is the king. But Yeeran, I feel is unable to let go of her old life as she is still looking for ways to go back above ground and to get back to Salawa. Salawa, who I might add, is one negative person, and I feel she uses Yeeran, but that is my thoughts and theories. I just feel this relationship is so unhealthy.

I think that Rayan and Furi will be a great asset to Mosima and implement changes that will have a positive impact. I hope that they will have the Lightless be present as equals as they should be. They are all fae at the end of the day...

Overall I give this a 4 out of 5 as I felt some parts were sort of rushed or not enough details. I found myself asking for more during certain scenes as I felt I was left with the bare minimum. But overall I love this book and eager to read the next one!

One last side note..... The spice and romance was top tier for me and I love the one screen at the beach. And yes, it's that scene 👀

I loved the abundant queer and disability rep in this one. The drum magic was also very cool--one of multiple elements I would have liked to see developed in more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Faebound was one of my most anticipated books of the year, but it ultimately fell flat for me. Unfortunately, the main characters felt a bit immature when they're supposed to be adults and I really wish the worldbuilding had been richer and more developed. Even the magic system felt vague at times and there was a lot of telling and not enough showing. I think a lot of people will love Faebound but it just wasn't for me.

(Thank you for the arc)
I was pleasantly surprised by Faebound. It took awhile to get a grasp of the world, due in part to unique definitions/qualities of fae, elves, and humans. I enjoyed the characters. I appreciated how everyone was in their late twenties at least. The genre is saturated with 19 year old heroines, so older characters were refreshing.

thank you to netgalley for sending me and arc of this book for my honest review.

to be completely honest this felt like a rough draft of what this book was to become. the first 30% felt like hard-earned work but the rest was rushed and sloppy. also very romance-heavy which I normally don't have a problem with but there was no development and it was a detriment to the main plot. the two main characters were also very idiotic and felt like completely different people from who they were in the beginning in the book.

I love fantasy, but this needed a lot more work before publication.

i thoroughly enjoyed this book, finding it incredibly fun to read. as someone who's often intimidated by new fantasy novels due to complex magic systems and extensive world-building, i appreciated how well-crafted and easily understandable this story was. Saara El-Arifi managed to strike a perfect balance by making the world feel complete without feeling overwhelming.

i did find myself craving more depth in character development and am excited to hopefully get more into the characters' psyches in the next installment.

the queer-normative and inclusive language brought me immense joy as an LGBTQ+ reader. it’s refreshing to encounter such representation in the genre (and in general), making the story even more exciting to me.

the plot, while slightly predictable, had a charming subtlety to it. i enjoyed picking up on the clues and figuring things out along the way (i like to feel smart, lol). i will say, i couldn't help but yell at the main characters a bit, though, waiting for them to get it together and figure things out!!

all in all, was a solid five-star read for me. it serves as a perfect introduction to this world, and i’m sincerely grateful to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for this honest review. looking forward to its release and to seeing others fall in love, too!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of Faebound. All opinions are my own.

Faebound had such an interesting premise- three gods create three peoples: the fae, elves, and humans. Fae and humans disappeared long ago, and the elves are in a Forever War over remaining resources. I was so excited to dive in!

Things that worked for me: the description of the world was beautiful and intriguing. I love any book that includes an element of connection with animals. The world building elements of fantasy books can often feel clunky to read and hard to follow, and the world building in this book was not- I felt like I kept up and it read smoothly.

Things that did not work for me: Everything about the book felt very abrupt to me. The characters swung through feelings very abruptly, the plot changed abruptly, the twists were revealed and moved on from very abruptly. I wanted MORE- more character development and a deeper dive into their motivations and emotions, more time spent fleshing out the world building and lore, more time with the plot and fleshing out the twists. It felt like we stayed on the surface level of it all, and I wanted to dive deeper.

I will likely still read the rest of the trilogy, in the hopes that those deeper dives happen, and that we get to learn more about these characters and their world, and I will be trying Saara's other series. I liked Faebound- I just wanted MORE.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Faebound was utterly GORGEOUS. I loved the character, the unique magic-system, and the romance. In a world full of books on the fae, this was original, and utterly in it's own catergory. I loved every minute spent in Ms. El-Arifi's world, and can't wait to dive back in to the next book when it comes out, I didn't want to leave. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This has promise as a series, but I didn't love this book as much as I hoped to. I love a plot-driven book, and this is more plot than characters. For those that love character driven books, this might not be for you, as I found the characters pretty shallow (lots of insta love and insta bonding, quickly changing ideologies, etc.) and even though it's dual perspective, the sisters read the same. I kept reading for the plot though because there were so many concepts with the magic and societies that I was intrigued by. The pacing was a bit off, as in slow to start and progressing too quickly at the end. It's got a few very predictable tropes and storylines, but I don't mind knowing exactly where things are heading. I do want to continue the next book, because there are enough good points to make me want to know what happens next.

I was intrigued by the cover art and the summary because reading from elven sisters point of view is a unique plot line among fae books. I enjoyed Yeeran's character as she was portrayed as a strong female. I do think the pacing wasn't consistent (pretty slow to start and wrapped up very quickly) and there was a lot more emphasis on war/fighting than I anticipated. The world building and magic system could have been flushed out a bit more for me. Personally, I don't think this was the fantasy book for me, but I do think it has the potential for pleasing a different audience.

I approached this book with elevated expectations, yet found it to diverge notably from the author's earlier works. While I loved world-building and character-driven story, I was surprised by the amount of romance and spicy scenes in the book. The predictability of the narrative and an unfavorable pacing, characterized by a sluggish beginning and a hurried conclusion, diminished my overall enjoyment. However, for enthusiasts of romantic fantasy featuring lesbian protagonists, this book will be a great read.
Thank you NetGalley for ARC.

A startling impressive romantic fantasy that you don't want to miss! It was very eloquently written and beautifully romantic. It has an extremely unique magic system, animal companions, and prophecies. It was extremely diverse and set in a gender fluid world, sapphic, plus disability representation. I thought the pacing was great and honestly loved every second of this book. I can't wait to see where this trilogy goes.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6148054183

The world building in this novel was amazing. So unique so refreshing and so thorough. I loved the twists in the story, and I felt like they all surprised me but still made sense. Can’t wait to read the next one!!

Faebound follows 2 elven sisters, Lettle and Yeeran, who find themselves in an unimaginable situation after Yeeran makes a huge mistake during her first day as commander on the battlefield.

When Yeeran, the youngest elven commander in the history of the forever war, a 4 way battle between the different elven tribes, is exiled, her sister Yeeran and subordinate Rayan follow her into isolation in hopes of saving her. But when Yeeran unintentionally kills a fae prince, someone who shouldn't even exists, Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan are unexpectedly thrust into the realm of Mossima, an underground fae city that is even more dangerous for the elves than the battlefield of the forever war.

The blurb for this book was so interesting that I knew I wanted to read it as soon as it was released! It was fast paced and I couldn't put it down. I loved following both Yeeran and Lettle as they start to uncover the truths of the fae realm, make friends and enemies, and struggle to fit into a world that was not meant for them. This book had a lot of surprising twists and turns that kept me engaged the entire time.

Some things that were really positive features of this novel include the BIPOC and queer representation. There are gender fluid/non binary characters galore, and it features a sapphic romance. I couldn't put the book down due to the fast pacing of the plot and how interesting the world building was.

Something that I found needed a bit of work was the romance that Yeeran has. I just found it to be a bit unbelievable given the circumstances, and I never really felt like I was routing for them. The reason why I am giving this book only 4/5 stars is because the sex scenes were not well written. I just wanted to skip right over them, especially because I wasn't too convinced that the romance was realistic.

Overall, I think if you are interested in stories where there's a bit of fae mixed with elves, this could be the book for you! Theres also a bit of mystery, although I think a lot of it was easy to figure out due to heavy foreshadowing. This is definitely for the adult age range. I definitely will be continuing on with the series! 4/5 stars

Thank you so much to netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Where to begin. ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR! Appreciate NetGalley for the ARC. Expect elves, fae, animals and magic!!! Everything about this book was beautiful. I wish I could describe it with more eloquent words but I loved everything about this book. From the diverse characters, the fluidity and respect for LGTBTQIA+ members. There is something in this book for everyone. There are relationship dynamics that will resonate and touch everyone in some way, shape or form.
WHAT A WAY TO START OFF A YEAR OF BOOKS!!!! Brilliant character development, plot, intrigue. I honestly can often guess where plots and characters will end up and this book left me guessing until the very end. Such an amazing read!!

This cover caught my attention and the synopsis intrigued me. I thought the elvin sisters was a different idea from all the fae stories out there. The prologue was great. I was really captivated by the gods and how this world was created. Unfortunately I forced myself to 20% and had to dnf this book. It was way more war fantasy than I was expecting. The romance had no chemistry and felt weirdly placed in the story. The child soldiers were not the story I was wanting. I hope it finds its audience but it wasn't me