Faebound walked so Cursebound could RUN! There was a lot less world building in this book and a lot more mystery/danger/love/fitting all of the pieces together. The ending was *such* a cliffhanger and I can’t wait to read the next one! Highly highly recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy, is new to fantasy, and/or loves diverse representation all throughout the book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for this advanced copy!

The second instalment in the Faebound series, Cursebound, is an intense and immersive sequel that keeps the momentum going while expanding on the world and political intrigue introduced in the first book.

We continue to follow Yeeran and Lettle’s POVs, with a few new perspectives woven in, making for a layered and engaging narrative. The setting remains as rich and vivid as ever, with fantastic world-building that adds depth to the story. The political intrigue in this instalment was incredibly compelling, adding extra tension and stakes to the plot.

While romance had potential, I felt the love interests could have been more developed. I wanted to feel the connections and the emotional depth, but it didn’t quite get there.

One notable aspect of Cursebound is its strong LGBTQIA+ representation. It was great to see so much diversity, though it sometimes felt like a lot to take in all at once.

This was a strong entry for a middle book in a series that didn’t fall into the usual second-book slump. The story remains engaging, and I can’t wait to see how things unfold in book three!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Ray for an eArc of this book; my thoughts and opinions are my own.

For not having read the first book in this series, I was very easily able to pick up the story and distinguish all of the characters. Very well written and I will be running to grab the first book.

This has quickly become one of my favorite fantasies. The world the author as created is phenomenal. Not only is she a woman of color, but she has lgbtq representation. The characters are intriguing and the world building is spot on. The plot twist. Wow. I can’t wait to read more!!

My only regret in reading this
book is that I need to
wait for book 3.

The story had a lot of unique
elements which I loved.

The multi-povs were so well
done, I'm not normally
a fan of so many POVs

I am obsessed with how the author incorporated so much representation without taking away from the book. Sometimes it feels like people are ticking boxes to include things but that was not the case here.


💙 LGBT rep War, Politics,
Elves and Fae.

The first book of the Faebound series? Good. The second book? Even better. I was thrilled with how much more El-Arifi developed the world and the story in Cursebound. Most of all, I was thrilled that the rumblings of injustice and prejudice that were present in the first book ended up becoming featured in the second book, just liked I'd hoped!

This book seemed to go by really fast. There was so much drama! I still wouldn't say the pacing was perfect, but by the halfway point the pacing came together and stayed consistent and exciting the rest of the way through. Regardless, the story was interesting! Again, I had a little annoyance at one romance, because it just happened too quickly (in my opinion). The romances that bugged me in the first book (because I felt they were unbelievable) became more mukti-faceted and faced issues, which I enjoyed seeing.

In conclusion, I really liked it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the e-ARC!

Cursebound is book two in the Faebound series and is a gorgeously written romantasy. The world building was vivid and so well done. I loved the new POVs that were included. The new characters introduced really enhanced and added depth to the story. The overall plot was engaging, with plot twists, betrayal, and multiple romances. This book tackled political topics like class systems and rebellion. I thought the inclusion of the ruling family's response to those issues was also really important. There were multiple romances, but they never overtook the main storyline. Each romance was nuanced and there was plenty of conflict and angst between the characters. I absolutely adored the new romance that was introduced. The obeah continue to be one of my favorite elements of this series, and there was a plot twist related to them that literally shocked me. I can't wait to read book three when it is available.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC.

Cursebound is the second book in the series, and let me tell you, there’s definitely been some major improvement since the first one. The world-building feels stronger this time around—El-Arifi has really expanded the setting, and I loved diving deeper into the magic that shape this world. The pacing is better too; while the first book had a lot of slow moments, this one keeps things moving at a more consistent speed, and the twists are definitely more impactful.

That being said, I still didn’t fully connect with the characters like I hoped to. The main character’s motivations are clearer than before, but I still wanted more depth from her and the supporting cast. Some of the secondary characters still feel a little underdeveloped, which is a bummer because they have so much potential.

Overall, I enjoyed Cursebound more than the first book—it’s definitely a step up. If you’re a fan of the series, this one will not disappoint. It’s a solid read, but I’m still hoping for even more in the next one! 3.5 stars.

Cursebound is the second book in the Faebound trilogy - it picks up pretty much after the first book ends. Yeeran has left to warn Salawa that the fae are working with their warring tribe, Furi and Rayan are learning the ropes of being the new King and Queen and Lettle is struggling in her role as seer because she is unable to see prophecies. There is also a new character with his own POV - he is a nomad who stumbles upon Mosima and the core group.

We explore the relationship between the Faebound and the Lightless. The Lightless are no longer willing to stand for mistreatment and have a plan to kill Lettle to make a point to the new royalty

There are some unexpected twists in this story and the story itself is fairly fast-paced.

I do feel like we could have explored more of our main characters - we did learn a little bit more about them but I feel like there is still so much more to learn. I also feel like Yeeran took a bit of a backseat in this book.

This series continues to be very LGBTQIA+ friendly with a good array of couples that are spotlighted in this series

Thank you, NetGalley, Del Rey, and Saara El-Arifi!

I really loved the first 3/4 of Faebound, but I felt myself loosing interest in the last portion. I feel like that fatigued transferred over in my reading of the sequel. I agree with other reviewers that this book felt much tighter, and better written than the first (and the first was good, so that's saying something), so I'm glad that this didn't suffer sophomore syndrome. I think maybe I need to just try again from the beginning which I plan on doing when the final books comes out.
I love that we get an expansion of the world building and especially magic system! After reading this book, it's easier to see that the first book was entirely ground work, and now we're really getting into the tale here.
Can't wait for the third so I can power read the series in a weekend haha!

What an incredible follow up to Faebound! I will be recommending this to anyone and everyone who will listen. There was less romance but I actually preferred that as it gave a chance for us to explore the world and the characters and we ended up with a lovely balance.
I adore the exploration of both fae and elves (which we don't see enough of) and I *gasped* at the twist. Stunning.

This was a very fun follow up on Faebound! I enjoyed reading more about the characters, and the plot was what had me hooked. It was nice to learn more about Mosima and the fae, and also the introduction of new people and characters was nice. I wish there had been a bit more worldbuilding - I wanted to know more about the different people/elven folk, the Nomads. El-Arifi managed to build a really complex network of characters, and I feel like adding just a slight extra touch of worldbuilding will really bring the whole thing together even more! Overall, had a good time reading it and finished it in a day and a half!!

I enjoyed how the series is expanding for the characters, the romances and the non-romance plot. The pacing of the story was great!

After the way the first book ended I was desperate for some answer! This book! It did not let me down at all! I enjoyed every page!

3.5 ⭐️

This is the second book in the Faebound trilogy and I think the better written book of the two so far. Like book 1, Cursebound is written in a multiple POV but within the POV's it seemed to repeat things more than Faebound did. It did get a little irritating at times to read the same thing 3 chapters in a row which is mainly why my rating is lower.

With that being said, if you enjoyed Faebound I think you will enjoy the continuing storyline of Cursebound. You get even more world building, character development, love/loss, and of course new characters. There were parts of the story I found myself guessing what was going to happen next, just to find myself happily wrong. There is a fun twist at the end of the book leaving me wishing book 3 was out right away.

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 stars
——————

I was pretty neutral going into this book, having had mixed feelings about Faebound. I’m glad I tried it, but I just really struggled.

Picking up where Faebound left off, this book starts with a great summation of the first book making it easy to jump back in without a reread. This book dives deeper into the world, the fiction and the characters. In spite of this, it definitely struggled from second book syndrome. I just found myself incredibly bored throughout. The writing was uninspiring and lacked depth. There was plots that happened too quickly and easily. This book really lacked suspense. There is very little that happened that wasn’t solved, leaving very little plot to carry into book three. I can’t out a finger on whether this was suppose to be plot or character driven, but neither carried enough substance to really carry it. Like the plot, the characters lacked depth. I appreciate the use of multiple POVs in this one. With so many subplots, having a better overall understanding of them all from varying POVs really helped. But the voices felt too similar and hard to distinguish.

I have so many mixed feelings with this book, I’m not sure if I would continue the series.

Cursebound, the second book in the Faebound trilogy, is a fantastic continuation of Saara El-Arifi’s rich and immersive world. Yeeran and Lettle may have escaped, but they’re still trapped—by war, love, and destiny.

Yeeran struggles between duty and desire, torn between her homeland and the Queen she left behind. Meanwhile, Lettle is determined to break the fae’s curse, even as the voices that once guided her fall silent. With new characters, deeper character arcs, and high-stakes tension, this book expands the lore in such an exciting way. It’s diverse, emotional, and impossible to put down an incredible follow-up that sets the stage for an epic finale

As a sequel to Faebound, I felt this was much more developed and can see the growth in the writing. I was happy the story jumps in right away where the first one ends, and it had more exploration of the relationships, love and sacrifice that was introduced in book one. The political intrigue and difference between elves and fae was stronger in this book and I felt it added the depth the first book was missing. I LOVE that the author is choosing to have relationships with lesbian and gay representation and those relationships honestly feel more honest than the straight relationships depicted in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC, I always appreciate the opportunity to read early and leave an honest review.

I want to preface my review by stating that due to personal issues I was unable to finish my ARC read of this book, but it was NOT for lack of anything on the book's part. Cursebound is one of my most anticipated releases of the year, so I am reviewing the 30% I did read now, and I will edit my review before cross-posting to review sites when I am able to finish my read (because I definitely will!).

Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi is the second book in the Faebound Trilogy. I truly enjoyed Faebound (Book 1), I love Saara's voice and writing style, and I loved the world-building and cast of characters we had been introduced to, but it was truly a "setting the stage" book, (as Book 1 should be) so I was looking forward to more of a deep dive into the characters and the ongoing plot!

In Cursebound, the writing is still this beautiful fairy-tale narration from multiple points of view, all with distinct and memorable personalities, backgrounds, and experiences of the world. But what has truly begun to shine is how Saara El-Arifi paints a picture with her storytelling skills, allowing us to piece together the path that these characters will traverse through multiple POVs, a prophecy or two, and the larger lore of the world from the understanding of both the elves and the fae. We are getting to know the characters even more, and as we are introduced to new characters and their POVs, we are starting to piece together what is happening on a larger scale. I loved the introduction of this nomadic tribe of Elves, and how they provide a rare outside view of this very structured group of clans and tribes that make up the Elven people. I am still loving the Obeah, particularly Pila and her sass - the Obeah make this story something so special and add such a unique layer.

Because of these core things, and the % of the story that I did make it through that has left me intrigued and ready to continue when I am able, I am rating this 4 stars for now. Once I am in a better place to digest fantasy books, this is the first book I'll be picking up to finish reading.

If you took my advice and read Faebound, you need to read Cursebound immediately. If you didn’t take my advice, it’s not too late! Grab both and prepare yourself!

As book 2 in a trilogy, I was a little anxious about how it would go, but I am blown away!! (I also started this book under the assumption that it was a duology, and I’m so happy to be wrong.)

The story continues in all the same tone and emotion from the first book. The relationships, Furi with Yeeran and Lettle with Rayan feel real and solid. There are also new relationships that I love but won’t mention because spoilers.

The depth of the world and the magic system continue to blow me away, both in their beauty and their uniqueness. I’d recommend the books for this reason alone.

I’ll close this review by saying that Pila is the best animal companion, and I adore her on every page she’s mentioned.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eArc! All opinions are my own.