This book was an absolutely STUNNING debut. I feel like that's the only word I can use to describe it. I loved the strong FMC and the world-building was so incredibly easy to understand. The way that the story progressed was natural and flowed well, and I did find myself saying "no way" multiple times throughout this book. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fantasy.

While I feel like there were some interesting things happening re: the magic system and some of the world-building (plus, I really did love the diverse rep happening in terms of gender and queerness), this ultimately was a pretty disappointing read to me.

For starters, the pacing was much to fast for what the book was trying to achieve. There was no room to breathe or for emotional beats or plot revelations to have time to settle in either the reader or the characters' minds. As a result, none of the stakes felt like they mattered and the more emotional moments came across as cold to me.

Because of the pacing, this also had an impact on the characters. They felt largely shallow and one-note, especially the side characters. And because of this, any romantic relationship that developed fell horribly flat. All the relationships follow the same formula: insta-lust to will they/won't they to declarations of love.

The plot, too, was clearly telegraphed. Nothing was particularly surprising. I wouldn't have minded that so much if the character work and relationships were strong, but they weren't. So I was overall both bored and underwhelmed.

I realize that there are people who are really going to enjoy this. Unfortunately, what I wanted from this book it failed to deliver, despite having some cool concepts. I won't be continuing on with this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read rate and review this arc which will be available wide on January 23,2024!

I read it. I didn’t like it. It was slow, plot holes everywhere and boring. The Sapphic elf angle was different. The sisterly bond story was okay. This just was not the book for me. However representation matters and I know many who will enjoy this book. I just found the romance lacking and I was not engaged with the characters or the story line. Honestly I wish the author the best in preorders and sales. I think this will be well received by others but it was just not for me.

I devoured this book, Faebound is everything a fantasy book should be and more.

I truly loved the character development, the world building and the magic system. This book also has some slow burn romance (enemies to lovers), found family, prophecies, and I really enjoyed the dynamic between the faebound and the obeah.

Loved this book and I am anxiously awaiting the next one.

Oh my goodness, I don’t even know where to start. This book was AMAZING! I’ve wanted to read it since I heard about it, and I was NOT disappointed. I devoured it in one sitting.

It’s set in a world of elves, fae, mystical creatures, magic, humans, and so much more! I want the next book in the series now!

The writing is so engaging. I was immediately entranced with the world building, the magic systems, the politics…the plot and layout was so palatable and easy to understand.

I loved every single character, even the ones I didn’t want to like. Each character has their own struggles, flaws, and strengths. They’re each so strongly written; I was happily surprised.

It had the one bed trope, sapphic relationships, hetro relationships, romance, political intrigue, mystery, magic, duty, honor, war, family, the list goes on and on! It had everything!!

I love Yeeran so much, but I think my favorite character is Lettle. I just cannot express how much I love this book.

It releases on January 23rd, so PLEASE go buy it and read it! I will definitely be buying a hard copy when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC.

Elven coronel Yeeran finds herself exiled after a deadly mistake. The chieftain of her people is also her lover, but not even she can save Yeeran from the consequences of her actions, so exile it is, and sister Lettle and loyal captain Rayan follow. Soon the three find themselves captured by the fae, who are not supposed to exist any more.

The three elves find that there is much they do not know, even with Lettle’s divination abilities. Along with the ingrained distrust of their captors, there are aspects of the fae that are also alluring - including Furi, one of the two heirs to the throne.

The world building is gorgeous and immersive, the fae and elven magic systems grounded in culture and symbolism. The prophecies are pretty easy to decipher and there aren’t many surprises, but this didn’t bother me too much. If there is a weak spot to Faebound, it is Lettle, who is rash, immature, and acts like a child much of the time.

This beautiful first book in a series is my first by Saara El-Arifi, but it will not be my last.

I really loved the world building in Faebound. Having a world of elves, human, and fae and NOT centering the humans was an interesting choice, and I appreciate the way myth and prophecy is woven throughout. I also loved the Obeah! They are everything a magical companion creature should be and added a great element to the story. I also loved Yeeran, Lettle, and several of the other characters. Their relationships are complex and intertwined, and I enjoyed the main romances.

What I didn’t like: this is a very predictable book. Every prophecy is repeated multiple times, usually right around when another clue to solving it appears, and every hidden identity has clue after clue after clue given explicitly in the text. It very much takes what you are supposed to figure out and hits you over the head with it repeatedly well before the characters themselves figure it out. Subtle, it is not.

In that sense, this might make a good entry-to-fantasy read. If you are intimidated by fantasy worlds because you can’t seem to keep track who everyone is or why they are doing what they are doing, this is a good read for you.

This was everything I wanted and more.

I had seen the synopsis for 'Faebound' months back, and it initially didn't strike my interest. However, after continually seeing it pop up and learning a bit more about it, I decided I'd give it a go.

We get a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance, some amazing mythical creatures (Pila has my heart), incredible worldbuilding and lore, and some truly great twists. One of my favorite side characters was Golan, who reminded me a bit of Cinna from 'The Hunger Games' series but BETTER. The character development as a whole was *chef's kiss* and I am already highly anticipating the sequel to see how they all fare as the story progresses.

Saara El-Arifi has cemented herself as a new favorite author, and I will absolutely be purchasing my own copy of 'Faebound' later this month!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I have been eagerly awaiting this book and so happy to get it as an ARC. I really enjoyed it has so many great elements no matter what you enjoy in fantasy - fae, elves, gods, romance (both queer and mf.) I found the magic system to be really interesting and unique and as usual Saara El-Arifi writing was beautiful and engaging. I think this will be one of the big fantasy books of 2024. I do think I prefer the plot in the The Final Strife but that is 100% preference and should not be taken as a negative.

It is about damn time we get some Black fae/elves in fantasy, and I’m so glad that Saara El-Arifi was the one to write it. Her writing style was, as always, beautiful and immersive, and this novel was such an enjoyable read.

This novel didn’t have the same depth or layers as The Final Strife, which was a little disappointing to me, as that’s what I was expecting. However, I don’t think this is a bad thing, particularly because I think this may be a less-intimidating novel for newer fantasy readers for that reason. Additionally, I do think we will be seeing more complexity in the sequels, which I am highly anticipating.

Sitting somewhere between epic fantasy and romantasy, this book has something for everyone, making it is a must-read for fantasy readers of all kinds. AKA: preorder it now, and read it ASAP. (Releases 1/18/23)

Read for: elves, fae, gods, and animal companions; unexpected twists and turns; murder-mysteries; training; enemies to lovers

Good to know: queer rep in a queernormative world with a *little* spice || TW: grief, prejudice,

4.5 stars!

This was so much fun!! It was very easy to read and follow along with. I really enjoyed putting the pieces of the story together alongside the characters, even if it was a bit predictable at times. I can't wait to see where the rest of the trilogy goes from here!!

This has to be THE fantasy book of 2024. This book was completely unputdownable, drawing me in and making me invested off the bat. It was incredibly well paced with seamless world building, diverse characters, and an interesting magic system. The set up of the world involving fae was completely different than any other fae centered fantasy novel I’ve read. This is a must read.

This didn't break the mold by any means- but still I will be continuing. It was fun, the characters were compelling, and more importantly I'm very interested and invested in where this world building can go and the lore that's building. And honestly that says a lot about the quality of writing since that's taken a major back set in a lot of the big hit romance fantasy books that have been released as of late. It has great representation, and the romance didn't take over the fact that we have a real fantasy driven plot at the center which is a win to me!

Faebound was a fascinating read from start to finish. It is told in 3rd person dual POV from our main characters Lettle and Yeeran. I really enjoyed the way that Saara El-Arifi approached the narration as you came to love both our main characters and got to experience things through their eyes. Events did sometime repeat themselves as a result, but I found it fleshed out the story more than hindered it.

The world dynamics and magic were set up well and continued to be built upon as the story progressed. A lot of major plot points were dropped towards the end of the book - and some of them I was able to predict ahead of time - but it is a great set up for the rest of the series to come. You definitely come to love these characters and I cannot wait to read what is in store for them next.

Faebound is unapologetically queer - it is not used as a plot point or a focus of struggle - it just is. It was wonderful to experience. I'd recommend this to any romantasy fan.

Rated 4 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC ebook.