If you enjoyed the 1st book in the series, then you'll like this continuation of the story. The author seems to have really found a good stride for pacing, although I'm sad there wasn't as much worldbuilding in this one as there was in the first, but also it's a sequel so it's not as necessary. Lettle is once again my favorite part, and I'm excited to see what happens next!

Rezension zu Cursebound von Saara El-Arifi
Saara El-Arifi entführt die Leser*innen mit Cursebound, dem zweiten Band ihrer Faebound-Trilogie, in eine Welt voller Magie, Krieg, Liebe und Verrat. Mit poetischer Sprache und emotionaler Tiefe spinnt sie die Geschichte der beiden elven Schwestern Yeeran und Lettle weiter und erweitert dabei die komplexe Welt, die im ersten Teil so eindrucksvoll etabliert wurde.

Handlung und Themen
Cursebound setzt die Geschehnisse aus Faebound nahtlos fort, wirft die Leser*innen jedoch sofort in eine neue Phase der Geschichte, in der die Protagonistinnen vor persönlichen und politischen Herausforderungen stehen. Yeeran, die Kriegerin, steht zwischen zwei Welten und zwei Lieben: ihrer ehemaligen Partnerin, die nun Krieg gegen die fae führt, und der Königin der fae, deren Liebe sie zurückgelassen hat. Ihre innere Zerrissenheit, gepaart mit der drohenden Eskalation des Krieges, verleiht ihrer Handlung eine schmerzhafte Intensität.

Parallel dazu kämpft Lettle gegen die Einschränkungen, die das Leben im fae-Reich mit sich bringt. Ihr Wunsch, den Fluch zu brechen, der die fae an ihr Reich bindet, wird durch die rätselhafte Ankunft eines Fremden noch komplizierter. Die beiden Schwestern, getrennt durch Schicksal und Entscheidungen, suchen nach Antworten, die nicht nur ihr eigenes Überleben, sondern das Schicksal zweier Welten bestimmen könnten.

Die Themen von Cursebound sind universell und doch tief in der magischen Welt verwurzelt. Liebe, in all ihren Formen – romantisch, familiär und zerstörerisch –, ist das Herzstück der Geschichte. Die Dualität von Loyalität und Verrat, sowie die Frage, was man für Frieden zu opfern bereit ist, verleihen dem Roman eine tragische Dimension.

Charaktere
Die Schwestern Yeeran und Lettle sind zwei der stärksten Figuren, die derzeit in der Fantasy-Literatur zu finden sind. Yeeran ist eine komplexe, kriegerische Heldin, deren Herz zwischen Pflicht und Leidenschaft hin- und hergerissen ist. Ihre Entscheidungen sind oft widersprüchlich, was sie umso menschlicher und nachvollziehbarer macht.

Lettle, mit ihrer unermüdlichen Suche nach Freiheit und Wahrheit, ist das perfekte Gegenstück zu Yeerans erdiger Entschlossenheit. Ihre Beziehung als Schwestern, obwohl sie in diesem Band physisch getrennt sind, bleibt ein zentraler emotionaler Anker der Geschichte.

Die Nebenfiguren, insbesondere die fae-Queen und der mysteriöse Fremde, bringen zusätzliche Dynamik und Intrigen. Saara El-Arifi versteht es, Nebenfiguren Tiefe zu verleihen, sodass ihre Motivationen und Konflikte ebenso spannend sind wie die der Hauptfiguren.

Stil und Weltaufbau
El-Arifis Stil ist lyrisch und doch prägnant, was die emotionale Tiefe der Geschichte verstärkt. Sie erschafft eine Atmosphäre, die zugleich magisch und düster ist, und lässt Leser*innen die Spannung und Schönheit ihrer Welt spüren. Der Kontrast zwischen den beiden Reichen – das chaotische, von Krieg geprägte Reich der Elven und das geheimnisvolle, magisch gebundene Reich der fae – ist beeindruckend und wird durch detaillierte Beschreibungen lebendig.

Die politische Intrige und die mythologische Tiefe des Fluches, der die fae an ihr Reich bindet, verleihen der Handlung eine zusätzliche Ebene. Die Fates, die im ersten Band eine bedeutende Rolle spielten, bleiben ein rätselhaftes Element, das Fragen aufwirft und den Drang weckt, mehr über die Mechanismen dieser Welt zu erfahren.

Fazit
Cursebound ist ein würdiger Nachfolger von Faebound und führt die Trilogie mit intensiver Spannung und emotionalem Tiefgang fort. Saara El-Arifi beweist erneut, dass sie eine Meisterin darin ist, persönliche und politische Konflikte miteinander zu verweben.

Für Fans von epischer Fantasy mit starken, vielschichtigen Frauenfiguren und einer Prise bittersüßer Romantik ist Cursebound ein absolutes Highlight. Das Buch ist nicht nur ein packender Roman, sondern auch ein Nachdenken über die Natur von Liebe, Loyalität und Opfer. Mit diesem zweiten Band setzt El-Arifi die Messlatte hoch und weckt die Vorfreude auf das finale Kapitel der Faebound-Trilogie.

3.5 stars rounded up

This was an exciting follow up to Faebound. I think El-Arofi did a really good job with the second book in the trilogy- it was much more than just a bridge between the first book and the conclusion. There was lot of excitement and was a great bridge for the upcoming last book, but also had a very explicit subplot specific to this book.

Like the first book, I found I was wanting more details and felt some things were rushed. Nevertheless, it didn’t take away from the excitement of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This review was left voluntarily.

10/10 book! I feel that giving 5 stars for this book is super low. Such a good book. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
El-Arifi does it again: she intended to enlarge her public by writing a romantasy trilogy, starting with Faebound, and she is doing it perfectly, with one difference among all other romantasy authors I've read so far: in this trilogy, the fantasy element doesn't get cast in the background, serving for a mere branding purpose, but it's actually interacting with the characters and vice versa, and it gives some compelling original idea to the already widely explored world of the Fae.
What I wished for this book was only one thing: for it to be longer. There's so much at stake while every character does their own thing, and while something else is brewing on the background of the overall plot, plus there are new characters and new relations, and it all felt a bit rushed. Stuff was happening at such a faster pace that I didn't have the time to dwell and reflect on the consequences of something, that some other thing was getting started in some other place, something fundamentally important. Also, this happened for me with the characters too: their relationships switch and change, and it feels like they themselves weren't given enough time to ponder on what happens to them, which is... a lot.
P.S. What a cliffhanger! That was unexpected (as for the rest, a bit predictable but not too much).

I think this was a perfect 2nd book in the series, it was faster paced vs book 1 and I felt the writing was more fleshed out this time

This book was great! I really liked the first book and I was so happy to be able to read the second one and some how it was better than the first one. I would highly recommend this book!

As the sequel to Faebound, Cursebound picks up the threads of the intricate world of elves and fae, continuing the story with a blend of intrigue, danger, and romance. The plot is rich with deception, betrayals, and the looming threat of war, yet there are still moments of heartfelt connection between the characters that provide a welcome balance.

While the narrative is compelling overall, there were moments where character decisions felt frustrating, especially when certain plot points seemed painfully obvious to the reader, but the characters remained unaware. This can be a bit exasperating at times, yet it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story. The stakes continue to rise, and despite a few predictable missteps, the plot remains engaging enough to keep me invested in the series.

Cursebound successfully builds upon its predecessor, offering a satisfying continuation of the trilogy. It’s an exciting, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately enjoyable read that leaves me looking forward to the conclusion of the story.

Ok next installation. There's something about El-Arifi's writing style that I do not particularly gel with but I think others will like this.

Thank you so much for this ARC!
I always am nervous about getting a series as ARCs because I read them so far away from each other, but Saara did a fantastic job at getting the reader back into the story and the world and reminding us exactly where we left off!
I loved to get more of Lettle and Yeeran, and I also loved getting more POVs and getting to hear how more of these characters are navigating this storyline
I know I just read this book but I’m truly excited to read book three in this trilogy and I can’t wait to see how it all comes together and concludes as the end!

SIGN ME UP!!! It did not disappoint, I loved it. I LOVED EVERY SECOND OF IT. I wish I could read it again for the first time! It was so good. My only issue is the ending for obvious reasons.

Sequel to this year's Faebound, Cursebound continues the story of our cast of elves and fae.

There are lies, betrayals and brewing war but still also moments of romance.

Characters made some poor decisions and its always frustrating when elements seem obvious yet the characters remain oblivious, but the story continues to be engaging enough to pull through to the end of the trilogy.

Now, I LOVED the first book of this trilogy ‘Faebound‘, like really loved it, so I was apprehensive as to whether ‘Cursebound’ would live up to my expectations or if it would be a disappointing follow up.

Well, I needed have worried, this was a STUNNING second instalment.

Lettle and Yeeran continue to live among the fae in Mosima, but this time round, we see Yeeran leave the fae kingdom to head back to her old life and warn her former friends and comrades about the new dangers that they face, namely from fae magic.

There were genuine moments of holding my breath in anticipation of what was going to happen. For example, when Yeeran headed home with Pila, I was screaming at her in my head not to go and not to put Pila in danger like that. For a book to evoke such emotion from me is rare, so I really enjoyed that.

I will be honest, I did predict the majority of what was coming throughout, including who ‘the authority’ was, but I didn’t mind that and for me, it didn’t take anything away from the book.

The only downside is that I now have to wait for the third book - I need it immediately!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Cursebound, I wish it every success.

<i>Cursebound</i> was everything I wanted and more in a sequel. Now, I am sitting in absolute anticipation of the third book. This book built off the story in <i>Faebound</i> in such a nice way. We got to immediately see our favorite characters while meeting new characters. I enjoyed the additional viewpoints in the novel and being able to see into all of these characters' heads. It made the story that much more dynamic and rich. We get to see how each individual is responding and reacting and it is done marvelously.

We pick up right away where we left off in <i>Faebound</i>. Shout out to Saara for the beautiful recap she had at the beginning of the book. It allowed me as a reader to get a refresher and primed me to dive into the current part of the story without struggling to put together things I might not have remembered from the time between reading the first and second book. It had the right balance between just enough information.

I absolutely loved returning to this world. The continued world building and societal structures between elves, fae, and humans was done so well. I absolutely loved it.

If you love fantasy, romance, rich worlds, and dynamic characters I absolutely recommend you pick this up! Thank you to the publisher for providing an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


4.25 out of 5 Stars

Continuing the story of Faebound, Cursebound gives the reader a lot of things we all love in a book.. “Forever the war will rage, until united, the three shall die.” With three races struggling for power - humans, elves, and Fae, you get a good mix of politics, magic, betrayal. I found Lettle and Rayan’s story to be my favorite in this second book. With Lettle’s magic and Rayans with his past and scars, they made for a great tension. Overall this story didn’t quite grab me the same way Faebound did, and I felt that the pacing threw me out of the story a bit. This is still not a completed series, so I look forward to book 3.

I also received Faebound as an ARC and it was my first 5⭐️ read last year. You know how second books in trilogies usually have a slump? This one does not. It’s action packed, the plot is good, the romance is tasteful and steamy, and the writing is easy to read. I really enjoyed getting to know our characters a bit more thoroughly, and I ✨love✨ Golan and Alder so much.


Thank you SO much for the opportunity to read this one. I love this series and can’t wait to continue.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Del Rey for access to an ARC for my review.

Cursebound is the second book in Saara El-Arifi’s current trilogy, and follows on immediately from where we left off after Faebound.

I was looking forward to deeper character development, more detailed descriptions of the world, answers to why the fraedia crystal was so important/necessary to the elven lands, and further clarification on the magical systems - all of which had been line drawn and lacking in fullness for understanding in the first book.

Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Regularly we are told how beautiful mossima is, though without anywhere close to the on page descriptions needed for us to build a picture of it. The characters remained flat, and relationships and feelings seemed contrived and jarring (Yeeran flip flopping between love and hate for her ex, and seemingly confused - while not - about her feelings for Furi.)

Both sisters infuriated me in different ways. Leetle is inconsiderate, boorish and cannot communicate anything of need, while repeatedly sharing (the same) prophecy and the pointing out the obvious.

Yeeran went off to ??? do what, when leaving to go back to the elves. She never really seemed to know, never mind explain what she was going to do. And then seemed disgruntled that those who cared about her would be questioning her leaving to go back to a people who had exiled her and threatened death if she returned.

The pacing, choice of prose, and world building all were lacking, for me. Which is sad as the underlying story/plot and ideas are ones I really see the potential of and despite feeling like I’m pulling myself through the pages, I want to know what will happen, and how all the prophecies and curse and characters will pull together at the final arc.

I do feel that this book has been let down by a lack of robust editing, I wish I could read the version of this trilogy where the issues have been dealt with.

"Cursebound" by Saara El-Arifi is the second installment in the "Faebound" trilogy, a fantastical dive into a world rich with elven and fae lore, political intrigue, and deep emotional currents. Following the national bestseller "Faebound," this book continues the journey of two elven sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, as they navigate the complex dynamics of love, war, and magic. The narrative explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the consequences of one's heritage, set against a backdrop of an enchanting yet perilous fae realm. El-Arifi's storytelling is known for its intricate world-building, diverse characters, and a blend of romance with high-stakes adventure.

Quotes from the Novel

"United by war. Betrayed by destiny. Cursed by love." - This encapsulates the thematic essence of the novel, highlighting the central conflicts that drive the story forward.
"She has left her new lover, the Queen of the fae, to return to her homeland, only to find that her former lover now threatens war against the fae." - This quote sets up the personal and political turmoil Yeeran faces, illustrating her struggle between personal desires and duty.
"When a stranger appears in the city, Lettle is convinced he’s the key." - It introduces a pivotal plot element where Lettle, driven by her diviner's instincts, seeks answers and solutions to the fae's curse.
"Can Lettle and Yeeran discover the secret behind the curse – and unite these two worlds before they destroy each other?" - This question not only summarizes the main quest of the narrative but also underscores the tension and urgency of their mission.


"Cursebound" expands upon the foundations laid in "Faebound," delving deeper into the characters' psyches and the cultural intricacies of their world. El-Arifi maintains her signature style of weaving romance with fantasy, though the plot sometimes veers into predictability as noted by some readers. However, the strength of "Cursebound" lies in its character development, particularly in how Yeeran and Lettle evolve through their trials. The world-building continues to impress with its unique take on fae mythology, incorporating elements inspired by African and Arab cultures, making it a refreshing addition to the fantasy genre.

The novel, while not as groundbreaking as its predecessor, still holds its own with emotional depth and a compelling continuation of the saga. It sets up intriguing paths for the final book in the trilogy, promising a climactic resolution.

Ratings Breakdown

Plot: 3 - A continuation of the established narrative with some predictable turns but still engaging.
World-Building: 4/5 - Rich and detailed, with unique cultural influences that add depth to the setting.
Character Development: 3/5 - Characters grow significantly, facing new challenges that test their previous beliefs and relationships. Secondary characters are often portrayed as one dimensional.
Writing Style: 3/5 - El-Arifi's prose is evocative and immersive, though some might find the pacing uneven at times.
Emotional Impact: 4/5 - The story's emotional arcs are compelling, particularly the exploration of love and duty.
Overall Enjoyment: 3/5 - An enjoyable read for fans of fantasy romance, though not without its flaws, particularly in plot twists.

In summary, "Cursebound" is a worthy sequel that keeps the series' momentum, offering a blend of romance, action, and cultural exploration that fans of the genre will appreciate, even if it doesn't entirely escape the shadow of its predecessor.

Cursebound, the sequel to Feybound, follows two elf sisters as they navigate love and political peril after finding their soul mates and hidden worlds filled with untrustworthy Fae.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review. I am giving this book 3.5⭐️.
While I did not like this book as much as Feybound I do think it was an easy to read and fast paced adventure. I appreciated the addition of a refresher style this is what happened in book 1 disguised as a journal entry and I did enjoy the addition of the new character Alder to the mix.
That being said I found yet another fantasy book with so many POV characters tiresome. This is something that has worn out its welcome with me. The mystery in this book involves a conspiracy to kill one of our main characters and it was honestly not well done at all. Predictable and uninteresting. While this book was certainly fast paced certain plot points were glossed over so quickly they lacked any real emotional depth. This book ultimately felt like a filler book and at points I was disappointed.
I will post about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to the release date but am unsure if I will actually read the third book when it comes out. The thrill of Feybound has definitely been dimmed by its sequel.

"Cursebound" is the 2nd book in the Faebound triology, following sisters Yeeran and Lettle as they try to traverse the Fae realm of Mossima, while also trying to maintain the elvish roots.
When Yeeran returns to her tribe in Waning to warn her former lover Salawa of the Fae magic crescent has been using to destroy their land, she brings unexpected consequences to those she loves. Meanwhile, Lettle tries to figure out what Najima's research means, while dealing with assassination attempts and the fact that she has not been able to perform her duties as seer. The story was fast paced, captivating, and kept me rooting for our protagonists throughout!

I loved the new character Alder, and his involvement with the Fae and Elves. I also loved the mystery of who is trying to assassinate Lettle, and also the mystery of what Najima's research might mean. My favorite thing though, that I think EVERY AUTHOR should do, is the fact that there was a summary of book one at the beginning. That really helped me to remember what has been going on since it's been almost a year since I read book 1! This book kept me engaged throughout and I can't wait to read what happens in the final installment!

The only thing I find underdeveloped in both books 1 and 2 are the character relationships. They are all insta-love, I don't root for either of Yeeran's love interests, and I feel like every 5 seconds the characters switch how they feel about their romantic partner. However, overall this series is a win for me!

4/5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.