What an amazing continuation of this series, I will NEVERRR not give a Saara el-Arifi book five stars. I love these characters so so so much. She’s so great at creating compelling stories and complex women (Hassa and Lettle are my favs). I can’t wait to read whatever else she puts out.

I absolutely loved Faebound, so I had high hopes for Cursebound, and it did not disappoint! This was a solid follow-up that kept me completely hooked from start to finish.

This was a tough one for me. I absolutely loved Faebound. I loved how unique the world was, the culture, the journey and wonder of it all....book two lost all of that.

It took me a long time to get through the book. I spent a lot of time picking it up and putting it back down because it could not hold my interest. I am increasingly frustrated by the messy nature of the relationships. Does Furi even like Yeeran? And then to give Lettle the same treatment by the end? Ugh.

Alder was the saving grace (and Pila ofc). I agree the last 50 pages were worth it but only just. I was ready to DNF the series until then. I finished the book with my mouth open and yelling into the void. I want to see where this goes but I hope the story doesn't push past a trilogy because it is so thin right now.

Thank you so much to the author, Del Ray and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title. I attest that I am leaving my review honestly and voluntarily.

In Cursebound, the second book in Saara El-Arifi’s Faebound trilogy, sisters Yeeran and Lettle continue their journey to break the fae’s curse. Yeeran returns to her homeland, where she must face her former lover, now a dangerous foe to the fae, while Lettle unravels the mysteries surrounding the curse. El-Arifi builds a rich, Afro-Arab-inspired world, filled with complex characters. This book has a focus on character growth and a fast-paced plot.

3.75/5
I think I rage-read this whole book in a span of hours, and now I am sat here with an odd mix of feelings.
First, the pros :
This one started slower than the first book, but that would be expected as it shoulders the recap and sets up the finale , however the pacing picks up and remains consistent throughout.
The plot twists were predictable if you pay attention to all the nuances the auther drops in but it still gives you the satisfaction of having predicted it and adds to the positive reading experience.
We do get to meet new characters we have only heard echos of in the previous book. The nomadic elf's pov was an engaging new addition.
The element of an ominous threat in the horizon, a palpable tension in the atmosphere is done better here than the first book, you almost anticipate things going very wrong very fast.
I had quite a few gripes in the first book but the lore and the world kept me interested enough for the second book and now I am interested in how this end.
However, the two sister protagonists remain properly selfish and insufferable like they were though Yeeran comes to show some good sense and introspection. Lettle, who has been the root cause of the full might of my ire in this book remains selfish, and jumps on opportunities to dodge accountability and make excuses .She is the main contribution to the "rage" part of my reading : a testament to the author's compelling use of giving their readers cause to feel the feels. I think I am a little in awe of the author for the way she uses words and scenarios to keep you hooked.
I have recommended this trilogy as the ultimate ride out of a slump and I will continue to do so .

I was lucky enough to read an ARC for the first book last year, and really enjoyed the first book. I had mentioned that the pacing started pretty slow, but once it picked up, the story was very exciting. I have been interested in where the plot would go, and this absolutely did not disappoint. The pacing issue I had with the first book did not at all affect this book, this was exciting from beginning to end. The returning characters, Lettle, Yeeran, Furi, Rayan and Golan, are a welcome return, but the new lead character introduced, Alder, is a welcome addition.
This book was amazing at expanding the world building the first book had started, with so mangy shocking twists and turns that I really didn't see coming. Political tensions, both between the fae and elves and between the lightless fae and the dynasty, are the highlight and driving force of the plot of this book.
I really enjoyed my time with this book and anxiously wait for the final part in this trilogy. I'd rec0mmend this to anyone who read the first book, even if they were lukewarm to it. This second volume was amazing!

This was absolutely fantastic, Saara has hit it out of the park yet again with this continuation. It definitely did not suffer from second book syndrome, my only complaint is it wasn't longer. I would have happily read the book if it was twice or three times as thick. I love the fact that it's multiple point of view, I love how distinctive each chapters 'voice' is for each character, if I didn't know any better I would assume different authors wrote the different characters because they were so unique, each person came alive within moments of reading. The worldbuilding continued to be excellent, the imagery was amazing, & the plot was excellent. Saara is without a doubt a brilliant silver tongue, and I am heartbroken I have to wait gods know how long for the final book.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series and was so excited for the opportunity to read the second installment. Sadly for me, this one didn't grab my attention nearly as much. Overall I think the story was good but there was something missing for me in this one.

Cursebound starts off right were we leave Nettle and Yeeran off in Book 1, Faebound, and I LOVED how we got a quick recap at the very beginning of book #2 in Lettle's point of view. I had read the first book more than a year ago and definitely forgot how it ended, but I remember really enjoying this. I'm still glad I read the book, but it gave me second book syndrome sadly. The world building was fascinating and I'm so glad we got to explore it more with a new point of view, but something felt off. The pacing was slow and it seemed like nothing was happening until the last quarter of the book! I wasn't as connected with the characters as I was last year, but I love the LGBTQIA+ representation, bipoc representation, and inclusion of the characters built in this world. I'm still glad I read it and I'm looking forward to reading the final book. I think this book could have been a duo logy, but it's not and that's okay! It's still a fun series with easy writing.

Thank you for the arc!

I am so appreciative of DelRay and Netgalley for this ARC. Cursebound was such an excellent sequel - it was nicely paced in building up the story, and there were so many revelations in the last part of the story. I really liked the introduction of new characters and while the primary characters are going through it, they still manage to come through open to change, though we'll see how they continue to fare in the face of betrayal. There is so much betrayal!

I loved all the rep in this book, especially the queer and disabled rep. The politics did seem to out the romantic aspects aside in the story, which I personally didn't mind because the story has so many layers. Another thing I really enjoyed was how El-Arifi has the ability to go back in the story to relay from a different POV without confusing the reader - it's a seamless transition and helped explain some parts of the story from another character's eyes, which was important. I just know this series is going to be wrapped up beautifully!

Cursebound continues on from where Faebound left off.

I enjoyed the further worldbuilding we got in this instalment and liked the extra characters that we were introduced to. There were elements of the plot that I did find predictable but this didn't take away from my overall enjoyment.

Oh, what can I say? I was looking forward to Cursebound being the redeeming piece of this Faebound Trilogy. One could say that a rating of 3 out of 5 is an improvement over the 2 out of 5 (you now know my rating... do you want to even want to read more?), which is what the rating I gave Faebound. And I have similar sentiments to other reviews that the labeling of "romantasy" may be giving this trilogy a disservice. The relationships feel a bit forced and the emotions a bit over dramatic, This is adult, but it could easily be YA with the writing style.

I did enjoy the new character and their POV. They were a fresh new addition to the rather very needy and immature sister duo. Cursebound was a great pick up and continuation of Faebound, and loved the world building and description of their magic.

Since I read two of the three books, I will most likely read the last of the trilogy with lowered expectations that it will be a grand finale.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting to socials

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Once I had adjusted to the kind of story Faebound would be I really enjoyed it, and so I was looking forward to Cursebound. While I still think that this series is best enjoyed as a fairly straightforward romantasy series, I had fun with it once again. The romances are prominent but still not my favorite part, but the world is really neat and the worldbuilding in general is super impressive. I don’t think the plot moved forward that much, but I do think in some ways this book is stronger than Faebound in part because we get more history and lore and I think El-Arifi has really found her footing. I think her characters felt way more realized and interesting than in the first installment, and I will definitely be picking up the next book.

Cursebound was even better than Faebound! I had so much fun diving back into the world and learning more our two main characters. AND WHAT A PLOT TWISTTTT! I really appreciated the beginning where she created a journal entry to give a brief recap of what happened in Faebound. I can't wait for the next book! I was so surprised because I was SURE this was going to be duology- but I will never say no to Saara El-Arifi books.

This was a really enjoyable sequel. I appreciated the deeper character development in this book. And I loved Alders character and how it gave a new perspective. Overall this was just a really fun read and I can’t wait to see how everything comes together in the final book.

I'm convinced I'm one of this series' biggest fans! I cannot wait for the 3rd and final book after seeing how this ended. I didn't know how it could top the magic of the first book, but somehow it truly did!

I really wanted to love this book, really since I loved the first one.
Unlike book 1 though, this one kinda disappointed me. Maybe it’s a personal feeling but I felt bored on throughout the first part and almost dnfed it. I still love the writing and the characters it’s just that the plot was not that interesting to me anymore.
Thank you to Random house publishing and NetGalley for this ARC!

Great follow-up to the first book. It really expanded on the characters and the magic/world a lot, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Although I am not a big fan of the romance, it works well within the book and does not take away from the storyline. I am sure that others will really enjoy that aspect of this, but for me, it's the characters and the political intrigue mixed with magic that I love.

Saara El-Arifi is definitely an author I will read more of in the future.

Absolutely obsessd=ed with this series. The only issue that I have is that I though it was going to be a duology not a trilogy! The look on my face as I was nearing the end realizing there is way to much to be resolved and no where near enough pages to conclude it all! Well played Saara El-Arifi. This being the second series that I have read by this author I can for sure say they are added to my auto buy authors. One thing about Saara El-Arifi is they know how to play the long game. I loved that this series picked up soon after the first left off. While the dynamic sister duo was parted for majority of the book, I felt like the chapters flowed really well from one perspective to another. There were a lot of twists and many reveals that had me at the edge of my seat. I loved Lettle the most this book. She grew into herself and the strength that she displayed 10/10. That girl is so clever. The romance while not a main feature in the story was still satisfying. There was one major moment without spoiling too much chapter 15 that I felt like was over waaaay too quick. There was so much lead up for it to be over in a blink of a eye. One thing it did was truly shock me, I had to go back and reread it multiple times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Overall, after that ending I am itching for book 3.

I liked this one a lot more than the first. 4/5 star read. I felt the story lines were better developed and the plot was more enticing than the first book.