Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi is everything you want in a sequel: fast, fierce, and totally bingeable. It skips the filler that bogs down so many middle books, instead diving headfirst into the action. The characters remain a highlight, brilliantly crafted and full of life, and the dynamic, tense relationships only get messier in the best way possible.

El-Arifi proves she knows how to handle 'book 2' like a pro, balancing world-expansion and high stakes without losing sight of the story's emotional core. The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the vibes are immaculate. I really loved the quick journal recap of Faebound at the start, and I am begging other authors to take note! 🙏

If Faebound hooked you, Cursebound will leave you desperate for the finale. It’s a short, sharp burst of fantasy brilliance, proving that middle books can absolutely shine when done right. Bring on book three!

A big thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Endearing characters, beautiful queer romance, world building that makes you wish you could enter the book, and a plot that keeps you guessing. I couldn't ask for anything more ... except for perhaps the sequel :)

Second book syndrome where?????? Saara El-Arifi should be one of your autoread authors at this point, if not, have you been living under a rock???? Some of the twists I saw them coming a mile away, but the very last twist..... Who could have seen that?? I'm so excited for the next book in the series, Yeeran + Furi 4everrrr

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

For much of this book I was kind of waiting for some big pivotal moment, so much of it felt like just setting things up for the next volume AKA the true middle book syndrome. That being said, there was a particular reveal at the literal END that has me very excited to continue with the series. Unfortunately, I think the main thing that holds this series back for me is the romances. They just don’t quite feel earned for the way the couples act, and it grates on me a bit. That being said, I did enjoy getting to learn more about the world and seeing the relationships continuing to evolve, even if one of them feels a wee bit toxic. If you like romantic fantasy where it’s probably 60:40 romance:plot where the world building isn’t crazy complex, I think this could be a solid one for you. Or if you’re just looking for a fun side series to just get to sit back and enjoy the kind of tropey time, this could also be a solid one for you.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me a copy to review via NetGalley.

A GREAT follow-up to faebound! So many twists and turns and I really like the universe that Saara El-Arifi has created. I do go back and forth about whether or not I like some of the characters though.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

While I was not a major fan of the first book in Saara El-Arifi's Faebound trilogy, CURSEBOUND was a much better story. I enjoyed it a lot more and found that it added some necessary depth to the series that I feel was missing in that first book. That doesn't mean that it isn't without its own set of problems, however.

I still believe CURSEBOUND suffers from a pacing issue. There is a lot that happens in a very short period of time, too much in my opinion. There is very little time to absorb all that happens. It's a bit like attempting to drink from a fire hose. You can only sit back and let it all play out, but it is coming at you so fast that you miss things.

Plus, when the action is nonstop, there is no time for character development. The characters remain about as one-dimensional as they did in the first book. There is some growth there, but it is not as much as I would expect in book two.

The other issue I have with CURSEBOUND, as I did with FAEBOUND is all the insta-love. Almost every character experiences love at first sight, even if they fight it or deny it at first. I know it is a story about fae and therefore entirely fictional, but all the instant love connections are a bit too much even for a story about mythical beings.

Thankfully, CURSEBOUND ends with a major reveal, the type that completely changes the story. It makes me excited for the third book, even if I still have issues with it. The story at its heart is good, even if I struggle with the execution of the telling. I am curious to see what happens with our newfound knowledge and where it all goes. However, these are just my thoughts. Ms. El-Arifi won awards for FAEBOUND, so obviously, others see something that I am missing.

This was an interesting sequel to Faebound by Saara El-Arifi. As with a lot of 2nd books in trilogies, this one felt like a lot of set up for the coming finale. But I liked that it is a very character-driven follow up. In Cursebound we see our main characters grow themselves and their relationships in meaningful ways. We were introduced to an important new character as well, adding a third POV to the story. El-Arifi. has created a very diverse cast of characters in a very diverse-normalized world (in terms of gender expression, sexuality, disability). The plot was a bit slower in this book. Although there was some political intrigue, there was relatively little action and excitement.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey for providing a digital ARC of this book!

A great sequel to faebound, I love the continuation of the world building and the faced pace of the book, can't wait for the next one!

This installment didn't hit as hard for me for a few reasons. I feel like the majority of the elements that I found enjoyable were also present in Faebound and just carried over into this book (the Fae's world, the animal companions etc.). Nothing in this book alone really dragged me deeper into the world. This was definitely meant to be more of a character driven book, but I feel like maybe I don't like the characters enough as individuals for that to really work for me. I appreciated the effort for political intrigue and the plot twist (that I did see coming but I still feel like it was executed well enough to not have been annoyingly obvious). I think the ending set the third book up nicely to be a lot more plot forward and something I think I might enjoy more if I were to continue with this trilogy.

Such a good sequel to an amazing book by Saara! I like how fast paced this novel was, and the continuation of the world building. There was some insta love that threw me off, but that is the only complaint I can find. Excited for the next!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

I wasn’t ready to love Cursebound more than Faebound... but I did. This sequel ate—more tension, more twists, and a lot more Lettle being That Girl. The world is still a bit much sometimes (so many threads!), and I did side-eye a few insta-love moments. But the magic? The drama? The stakes?? Yeah. I’m locked in. Book three can’t come fast enough.

A great installment in the series. Not as action-packed as the first one, but I appreciated the further development of the characters. I can't wait to see how it's all wrapped up!

I love these sisters. I love these character but goodness Yeeran I would like to think a little more sometimes. Overall fun read!

saara el-arifi writes books that are so inclusive yet so gay at the same time. (aka books for me.) i spent a whole year thinking about the sequel to faebound and it did not disappoint. i cannot said until book 3.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC, I got the first one as an ARC last year and instantly got pre-approved for the second one and THANKS for that because I loved this book.
I’m also a little late on the review but on time for Pride Month 🏳️‍🌈
As with the first book I LOVE all the type of representation in this series, lesbian, gay, nb, trans and everything in between that assimilates to our reality.
This is my first series by El-Arifi, The Final Strife’s currently on my shelf though, but I enjoy so much the fierce way her characters are written, even the antagonists in the sense that they do what they do because they’re passionate and completely believe the purpose behind their actions.

I can’t wait for the 3rd book on this saga!

I enjoyed this sequel a little more than I enjoyed the first book. Lettle is still my favorite character and I loved the addition of Alder. He was funny and charming and really helped the narrative. Furi's POV was surprising to me but I felt it was also something the first book lacked in. I liked being able to see her thoughts/perspective on everything that was happening. She should have had a POV in the first book too honestly so I could better understand how she and Yeeran came to love each other so quickly. What I did not like though was how fast Golan and Alder came to love each other in this novel. As it was with the first book when I felt like Furi and Yeeran happened too fast, the same can be said for these two. I could see the inklings of their relationship when they first met but I've never been a "love at first sight" trope kind of girl. I knew Alder would have no qualms about Golan being Lightless or vice versa with Alder being elven (spoiler: he's actually not but that's a different story) but I still expected Golan to have some qualms about jumping into a relationship especially since his last one ended very badly. All this to say that, I'm glad the prophecy about Rayan and Lettle finally came to light but I don't think it's fair for Rayan to be this upset when he literally put Lettle in a situation that nearly got her killed. They both lied about something but this shouldn't be what breaks them apart.

I really enjoyed the second book even more than the first! Great world building, lots of angst and political intrigue. A great mix of love interests mm, ff & fm. I love how it combines the worlds of elves vs fae and humans. Looking forward to the conclusion.

I did not need to reread Faebound in order to read this. I enjoyed the introduction of Alder in this book. Wonderful world building and complex characters make this story. I really love being immersed in this world and cannot wait for the third installment.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
4 stars

I loved this continuation of this series, and I also loved how much the world expanded with this book. Also, that cliffhanger??? How am I supposed to wait for what comes next???

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this arc! I read Faebound about a year and a half ago, and this was a really great sequel job done by El-Arifi. I find that the issues I had with the first book persist -- remaining so frustrated with the sisters' relationship, the magic system not capturing me enough. The plot twist and addition of new characters was a treat. So thankful for this early access.