This book was amazing! If you are looking for fantasy, romance, talking animals, elves, fae, POC, and LGBTQIA+ representation then look no further!! Get ready to go on an adventure with Yeeran, Lettle, and Rayan. Faebound kept me wanting more and I am so looking forward to the next book!
Thank you for providing me with the ARC of this book. I can’t wait to actually put it on my shelves.

First, a huge thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing for an e-Arc of Faebound.

This was one of my 2024 anticipated reads and it did not disappoint.

I don’t want to give too much away but I had a great time with this. The characters (except Salawa), the magic, the world-building, romance and my favorite, the animal companions✨.

I loved Yeeran and Lettle for entirely different reasons; they’re sisters but they could not be more different and that was easily one of my favorite things. However, they are both very strong female characters who aren’t going to go down without a fight; but which also means that they oftentimes made a bunch of stupid fucking decisions that I wanted to rip their heads off and be done with it. I enjoyed both POV’s and how each of them reacted to certain situations and twists & I can’t wait to see how their final decisions play out.

Only downside is that the story was pretty predictable at times; made more obvious by all the prophesies that are revealed but there were still twists I did not see coming.

Please keep in mind this was definitely a Romantasy book; not a high fantasy. If you like some of the big popular Romantasy books; chances are you’ll like this one as well.

take notes because this is going to be THE fantasy book of 2024 people!!!!
legitimately one of the best initial books in a series i've read in ages. the twists??? the magic?? sapphics fighting and then kissing???

★ ★ ★ ★ • 4

Non-traditonal fae and elves with a unique take, and book-universe mythology. Went into this with high expectations, and wasn’t disappointed. Faebound was one of my more anticipated reads after hearing glowing review after glowing review all over bookstagram and booktok.

Admittedly, this one isn’t a casual read and has very indepth world-building so annotations are necessary to keep track of details… That end up being extremely relevant in the plot later in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review! Very thankful to have the opportunity to read this ahead of the official release.

When I saw this finally was available I requested it immediately. I between this release wanting to read the final strife I was highly anticipating this. I really loved the intro and found that the writing style really pulled me in from the beginning. I love the writing style and the choices that Saara El-Arifi. I really look forward to rereading this with the audio version when it comes out. As I have not read her other series I will be going and reading that immediately I really can't wait to see what the author brings to us next.

My first 5 star read of 2024!
I have been waiting for a fae book that centered black and characters of color and when I got approved for this arc, I read it in one night. The worldbuilding, the relationship between Yeeran and Lettle, I have never felt so at home in a book and it felt amazing to read characters that looked like me. I am so excited to see the public reaction to this book because it made me feel so seen.
Thank you NetGalley!

This was a really good book! I really liked the world, the characters, and the magic system. ALSO, THE REPRESENTATION WAS OFF THE CHARTS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE!!!

The plot was more simple than I usually expect from an Adult high fantasy book. Most of the twists were very easy to call way in advance. I also found that the two romantic relationships lacked substance. Specifically Yeeran and Furi, who went from enemies to lovers in like 12 pages. Lettle and Rayan’s relationship was more flushed out but still wasn’t as great as it could be.

The Obeahs were my favorite part about this book!! Every fantasy book should include an animal sidekick that can speak to the main character. Pila was great, I loved her, my favorite character.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Bellatine, Del Rey, and netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

2.75 stars

Disappointed with this one. It started out fairly interesting with an intriguing storyline, but I never connected with any of the characters. They seemed very two dimensional to me and I think I was having some issues with the pacing.

Eventually I started skimming to make it through the rest of the book. I think some will enjoy this, but I just don't think it can stand on its own when comparing to other fantasy books out there.

This is going to be one of the best fantasy releases of 2024. Faebound is a story of two sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, a war colonel and a diviner respectively, who become exiled to find a surprising truth about their world. Some high level highlights include sapphic romance, a mystery to solve, immaculate world building, and these adorable creatures called obeah that you're going to love.

Something about the first 30% of this book pulled me in the same way that ACOTAR did on my first read - the world is interesting and excited, I found Yeeran to be interesting and exciting to follow, and I loved the way that lore and stories were interwoven into the story. There are a number of prophecies that play into the story and I was really engaged by trying to figure out how they would come to be.

Ultimately, this is a story of queer love, found family, realizations about the past, and a lot of secrets. This book has become my whole personality and I'm not even a little upset. I'm so grateful to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for an ARC copy!

Having a bit of a fae reading moment right now, and this book was my favorite of the bunch! The world is captivating, the writing solid, and the lore is really interesting. I was immediately drawn into the story and invested in the characters. Yeeran is my favorite of course, flaws and all, and I appreciated watching her journey unfold while hurting from the PTSD - from both her military and relationship past - she was fighting through.

The magic system was one of my favorite parts and I love how each character's approach/ability in different forms of magic reflects who they are. There's a lot more to uncover in the lore and curse-breaking and I think it was set up really well. This book covers a lot of ground for a first in a series, and it feels like its going to grow in scale and scope even more over the next books. Can't wait to keep reading!

Two small nitpicks: First, this book is so obvious. Usually I get a jolt of self-satisfaction from figuring out plot twists but here the clues were broadcasted rather than breadcrumbed. They eye-rolling did unfortunately detract from the experience a bit.

And second, I get this is a romantasy book, but these characters are shockingly lusty. It seems to be all they can think about even when their lives are in danger constantly. I feel like the author was caught between writing a fantasy and romantasy and added in the lust to compensate? I rooted for at least one of couples (the sapphics of course) and I was meh on the other (straight) one, so I'm not mad about it per se, but I think the horny levels could have been toned down at least 25%.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the world and vibes of the story, but I simply can't overlook how boring and shallow most of the book is. This book could heavily benefit from another draft where the author more heavily focuses on the complexity of the plot, politics, and characters

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my (very) honest review.

I'm genuinely glad that I seem to be the minority in my opinions, and I hope that more readers enjoy this. Sadly it just wasn't for me and I will not be continuing this series.

I almost DNF'd this a handful of times, but finished it against my better judgement.

Loved the queer rep, animals, and drum magic. Also the world, even though the actual world-building had too much telling and now enough showing for my taste.

The biggest problem I had comes down to the writing style. It didn't work for me at all, and made this such a chore to read. From the dual POV sounding like same person, to the flat and dull narrative, to the stakes not feeling important.

The romance didn't feel believable (very insta-love) and again the writing felt so stiff to me. Also have to mention that the characters read way younger than the ages they're supposed to be.

I also knew the twists way to early, which probably added to the stakes not feeling important. It was just so hard to care.

I love the lore and the world-building in this one so immensely, what a fresh look compare to everything that is already out there. I also love the sibling dynamic in this book. As for the romantic relationships, I found them to be a bit lacking in comparison, I thought that their dynamics could've been stretched out more and get a more rounded development. I also found the beat of the book to be a bit predictable, which isn't to say that it's a bad thing but it would've been nice to be surprise here and there too.

Absolute 5/5 for this adult fantasy debut (one and a half peppers for spice)! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Finally, a fantasy/romantasy that has fully adult protagonists! The story is written so that it is accessible and easy for someone to understand without getting lost in the worldbuilding. Plot easter eggs are scattered throughout, and while I was able to pick up on them and predict what was coming, this didn't deter from my enjoyment of the story.

In Faebound, you follow elven sisters Yeeran a Lettle as they navigate a Forever War between tribes and discover that their understanding of the world and their creation myths might not be what it appears. There is political intrigue, war, broken hearts, pining, and so much more. Each character is unique and colorful and I love how the fae culture is built around gender fluidity. The series gets a pepper and a half for spice, as much of it takes on a fade to black sort of writing, but again this doesn't deter from the overall story. I cannot wait for book 2!

3.5/5 stars
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Helplessly entwined in the world of Fae, two elf sisters face danger their quest to return home in this thrilling novel by Saara El-Arifi.

Phew. What a ride. I enjoyed this book quite a bit, though it fell short of my hopes.

The concept of this book is really good. Three Gods, three types of children they create. Power struggles, politic strife, family dynamics. But the execution of this concept left something lacking for me.

The writing of this one was clunky to me, the pacing really slow and drawn out. This book throws out a lot of information all at once, leaving the world building to be overwhelming quickly. As you read, it smooths out and clicks together, but it info dumps a little in my opinion. The redeeming factor was the short inserts about the Gods to fill in the gaps left over. There are still gaps in the plot of the book that get filled in, but in such a casual way that it’s disappointing when you find them out. As for the plot, the twists felt predictable and boring.

The characters of this book feel a little flat. As narrators, Yearn and Lettle shared a voice to me. It was hard to distinguish their voices as the narration shifted between them. Their relationship felt childish for their supposed ages. I wanted more from them and the side characters. Overall, the characters lacked fleshing out that I hope is resolved in book two. For a romantasy, the relationships felt very instalove and shallow. It felt more romance set in a fantasy world. Rayan and Lettle fall together quickly and unconvincingly. Yeeran and Furi also share an unconvincingly quick relationship for the strife they experience in the beginning. The representation of POC and queer characters was stunning, but in general, I wanted more from the characters.

This book had so much potential for me, but it fell flat. I would still read book two in curiosity of how the plot lays out into a trilogy, but I’m not in a rush to finish the series.

"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."

➳ 4.5✶

TW: animal death, blood, child abuse, classism, death, death of a loved one, dementia, emotional abuse, grief, injury/injury detail, medical content, mental illness, murder, physical abuse, sexual content, torture, toxic relationship, violence, war, xenophobia.

Both a delight and a triumph, Faebound is proof that Saara El-Arifi is a master of the fantasy genre.

From the easy-to-grasp worldbuilding and magic systems, to the complex sibling relationship and the flawless distinction of every character, this book was just as amazing as I had hoped for it to be. If you're someone that's easily intimidated by adult fantasy, afraid it is too dense or difficult to comprehend, this is a fantastic place to start. Not only was it fast-paced, but it was also impossible to put-down.

Even the basic elements of the story are brought to life in a vivid, reimagined way that gives the book the unique feeling of being at once familiar and incredibly unique.

My only complaint is actually about the romance(s) and the fact that I had a really hard time connecting with either of them, which is a bit rough when the story is meant to be fantasy-romance. I can't exactly expand on the individual reasons why due to risking spoilers, but I will say that they both felt oddly rushed and inauthentic to me.
I mention it only because I want to say that even though I didn't connect with the romantic elements, this was still a fantastic story and a perfect beginning to a new series.

I'm incredibly grateful that I was approved for an ARC and forever willing to read anything and everything Saara El-Arifi writes from now until the end of time. I really do recommend this to anyone looking for an inclusive, easy-to-read yet still incredibly well-constructed fantasy.

Even just for the animal companion element alone. That should be convincing enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine for this ARC e-copy of Faebound by Saara El-Arifi.

This was my most anticipated read of 2024, so to have been approved for this ARC was extremely exciting!

Yeeran and Lettle, two elven sisters, along with war captain Rayan, are drawn by desperate circumstances into the world of the Fae, who they thought all but extinct. Within the faery court, the sisters, who are as different as night and day, become ensared in all of its magical intrigue…

Perfect for fans of Samantha Shannon’s Roots of Chaos series, as well as A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Faebound is a “faerytale” full of magic, twists and turns, betrayal, and passion. I was instantly pulled into this new, carefully crafted world from the fable on the first page and all the way through to the end.

To say that I enjoyed Faebound—that I was hooked—would be an understatement.

Long story short, it’s so good. I’m addicted. I need to know what happens next.


☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ - EXCELLENT

CW: death, mild gore

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

I absolutely love that adult romantasy is becoming more and more of a thing; I am most definitely here for it! However, I think this would more classify as New Adult? While it did have some explicit scenes, the writing style was more in line with a New Adult book than an Adult book. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I think New Adult is another trend that is phenomenal, but I just wish this book was being marketed as that instead of as an Adult book. The prophecies are easy to decipher, and most of the story was fairly easy to guess. But, it was still such a fun and unique read, that I would definitely recommend it! Just go into it thinking it’s a New Adult Romantasy, and I think the experience will be better.

TLDR: if you’re into New Adult Romantasy, with enemy to lovers, fae, magic, and diversity, then this book is for you!

2.5 Stars rounded down to 2

This book is one word: disappointing. The premise of it is exactly a book I should like, but from the robotic prose to the poorly established worldbuilding, this story wasn’t executed to my liking.

Yeeran and Lettle are our two POV characters, adopted Elven sisters growing up in a war torn society. Yeeran has just been promoted up to colonel within her tribe's military. Lettle is a diviner – a dying art for a dying religion. When Lettle comes to her sister to let her know of a fortune she read, – “your glory lies in the east” – Yeeran makes a serious military mistake by defying her original orders and heading east on a patrol. This leads to her group being ambushed and three hundred of her soldiers dying. She is disgraced and banished from their tribe, forcing her out into the wilderness as no other societies exist outside of the warring Elf tribes. Or so they think – when they come across the Fae, a species thought long dead, everything they’ve ever known about the world is turned on its head.

This seems like an interesting premise, but the prose is so incredibly dry. I love flowery prose, this is true, but I don’t need it in a book. I am totally okay with books that are far more to the point. Faebound is so to the point it's robotic. XYZ character does this. XYZ character says this. Rinse and repeat. It’s not the worst thing you can do in a book, but it definitely drives me crazy. This style of writing is just not for me.

When it comes to worldbuilding, it’s a bit nonsensical. I think the culture with Elves is extremely fresh and unique (especially seeing as most Elven things are European based), but it just isn’t strong with what we are given. Elves only live for 120 years – this length of time isn’t that much longer than a human’s in the grand scheme of things. I could see a more ancient people fighting a continuous thousand year long war for resources, but not a society where people don’t live much longer than us. Sure, humans have fought long wars, but there's a difference; these wars are off and on conflicts that escalate and de-escalate over time. The Waning Moon Tribe is said to be extremely impoverished, and are struggling to the point that they are recruiting child soldiers. How on earth are they still participating in a war at this point? How do they justify the amount of resources they’ve sunk over a thousand years compared to….magical crystals that will only warm homes for a year? At the beginning fighting over these mines would make sense, but a thousand years of lost resources vs a single year of a warm home for every citizen seems like a pretty steep difference.

This is all before we get into the battles seemingly being contained to one area. Or even before we touch upon the magical creatures called obeah. Obeah are established as the only existing magical creature in this world who have been hunted to near extinction. Well, get ready for obeah to pop up left and right in some form from chapter one onwards! Yeeran’s lover gives her a magical drum made from obeah skin in chapter one; in chapter two it’s revealed that diviners have to use obeah entrails to divine and Yeeran’s colonel coat is lined with obeah fur. Lettle randomly shoots an arrow into some bushes in the forest while hunting for game and kills an obeah cub. You would think this creature is plentiful in this world with how many times it shows up in one form or another, and how seemingly easy they are to find. Doing this undermines a major plot within this story.

Honestly, the worldbuilding is poor from the beginning seeing as the entire prologue is the origin story of the gods and the species they created (Elves, Fae, and humans). Something like this opening up the book is almost always totally unnecessary as the author should naturally interweave this history into the story itself (probably through Lettle and her character arc). Maybe El-Arifi had a reason for doing this, but this is something of a writing sin to me – much like a character looking at themself in the mirror and describing their features. Which, yes, this does happen too.

I really feel like the setup of this story and world could have been so amazing, but as it stands this book was incredibly boring, a bit cliche, and unbelievable at points.

When I saw I got an advanced copy of this I about jumped around my classroom(teacher). It is worth all the hype and I am not even that far in yet. Not only will I finish reading this but I am ordering my own copy!!! The cover is beautiful! The concept I love! I would not be surprised if this book doesn't make all the fantasy lists of the year!