Thank you to Del Rey for considering me for an Arc of Cursebound! The review below reflects my own thoughts and is not influenced by others.


Cursebound is book two of three beginning with Faebound. Cursebound picks up right at the conclusion of Book 1 and continues from there. I do think you must read Faebound first before picking up Cursebound. You will almost certainly feel lost if you skip Book 1. However, this story featured a recap of Faebound in the prologue via journal entry from a protagonist. I loved that addition, since I didn’t need to RE-read Book 1 to pick up this one.

Setting: extremely vivid. The narration allowed me to create the vision of the world, vegetation, people so clearly.


Characters: although some of the decisions the characters made were infuriating, it was very true to the spirit of each character. Additionally, I did enjoy that the characters involved were older (late 20s - 30s and older). I’ve become a bit exhausted by picking up “adult” novels with protagonists fresh out of high school.

Truthfully, I’m not too keen on any of the… humanoids?
I much prefer the obeah, and their role in the story. The fae/elves don’t act like anyone I’ve ever known. Their dialogue and actions just left me feeling a lack of connection to them. So, when the stakes rise, I don’t have much emotional bond with them.


Plot: early in the story, in my notes, I had predicted who the antagonist was, and the cause of the conflict. Coming to that conclusion so early became a bit annoying, as I wanted to skip ahead to find where my theories were confirmed.

There was something that caught me entirely by surprise. Although odd, it was definitely an unique path to take and sets it apart from other comps in the genre. Interesting enough that I will definitely be picking up the next book.

Romances: my favorite relationship by far was the one that was introduced in this book. I wish that we had spent a bit more time exploring that couple’s dynamic, but I imagine that may happen in the next installment of this series. By comparison, all of the other romances felt lukewarm at best.

Mood: mysterious, lots of questions being uncovered. Tense as there was threat of assassins.


Overall enjoyment: I quite enjoyed the story overall. In fact I finished most of the book in one sitting. I felt the compulsion to “just keep reading, how does this end?!”


Themes:
I really enjoyed the discussion of bridging the gap between the elite and the lower class (lightless). I think it showed that there is a nuanced discussion to be had, and that it is not a simple black and white situation.

Another topic was the conversation surrounding the power of privilege, specifically of something, like choice. In particular, choice regarding the fae being unable to enter or exit the fae barrier, which is only granted by the royal family. It’s a privilege that is often overlooked, and this explores that really well.

Overall:
I absolutely enjoyed the story overall. In fact I finished most of the book in one sitting. I felt the compulsion to “just keep reading, how does this end?!”

i recommend this series for those who are looking for a fresh take on the “fae”, and political dynamics between species.

content warnings: death, pain, gore, murder, lying, violence, animal violence, and more.


Rating is 3.5, but rounding up to 4 for GoodReads purposes.

Full disclosure, I wasn’t an overwhelming fan of the first book but I did find it interesting enough to want to continue the story. I still love the beautiful scenery and descriptions of this book and find the magic system and world very intriguing. I did think most of the romantic relationships were deeper and more flushed out in this book and felt less insta-love or unnecessary as they did in the initial installment. The new characters introduced in this book were a fun addition to the story. I also thought Saara El-Arifi did a great job furthering the world building in this book.

This book suffered from many of the same problems I found in the first. The dual POV was sometimes difficult to follow and even redundant at times getting similar information from the same scenes from multiple characters. I also continued to find the plot twists incredibly obvious. While I don’t like to find things out after the main characters do, I also find it annoying when everything is obvious to me as a reader well before the characters figure it out. There was also very little true struggle for any problems the characters faced. I didn’t feel like the plot of this book truly moved the plot of the trilogy forward as a whole.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.

This book was a great sequel to “faebound”. In this we follow Lettle as she’s trying alongside Rayan to decipher his father’s research. And Yeeran as she journeys to the elven lands to advise her old ruler against the dangers that the Crescent population was about to unleash on them.
Personally I still don’t particularly like Yeeran as I find her selfish in every single move that she took in this book. Lettle had an okay storyline that kept me quite intrigued especially when it intertwined with Alder’s one. Furi let me down in this, she was my favorite character in book one, but in this one she was no where to be found. I thought that this was quite a fast paced story considering it’s the middle book in the series. And it was quite useful to set up a plot for book three.
Overall even if I had some issues with this book, I really enjoyed my time reading it.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

For those who read and enjoyed book 1, this will work well. It felt like a solid follow-up for the sisters' stories, keeping the style and flow. The book opens with heavy exposition to remind us of "the last time on," so a recent re-read wasn't a requirement.

This isn't the right fit for our libraries, as we really focus on books that work well as standalones/jump-in points of a series. It felt like it relied too much on book 1 knowledge. But I think those who enjoyed book 1 will enjoy this one.

Thank you to Del Ray and NetGalley for the ARC.

5/5

What I admire most about Saara El-Arifi is her ability to leave you spellbound with her writing and bereft upon finishing her stories. I have been chasing that magic since I first read her debut, The Final Strife, and her romantasy series Faebound took this captivating recipe and soared to new heights. Capturing that classic romantasy feel in a fantasy world burdened by generational cycles and war, El-Arifi infused an underlying depth to fae fantasy I had long been yearning for. Including queer and disabled characters fighting for their futures and finding love, and it's clear why Faebound was one of my favorite debuts of the past year. As prophecies come to light and the history of two distinct peoples is unburied, Cursebound ushers in a new path for Saara El-Arifi’s Faebound series. Characters and loves are ripped apart as the freedom of the Fae and Elven Lands is contested. Building to yet another shocking twist (seriously how is she so good at these), Cursebound is a superb fantasy sequel. Its unique way of laying the groundwork is sure to reveal something all the more astonishing in the final act of this series. From her blazing Ending Fire trilogy to Faebound, Saara El-Arifi is an exceptional talent. I’ll gladly wander through any book she writes and Cursebound is just the latest in what will no doubt be regarded as one of her best fantasy series.

My full length review is now up on my blog

First and foremost, this series is SO diverse, I just love the inclusivity in it.

Unfortunately (entirely personal preference), I wasn’t the biggest fan. I felt like I couldn’t connect to the characters.
The story line is great but I think maybe this writing style just isn’t for me.

Really appreciated the opportunity to give this book a fair go with the ARC and hope others enjoy it!

Was lucky enough to be given the arc by NetGalley! All thoughts and opinions are my own:

I absolutely adored faebound when it read it last year. It was one of those books you can’t stop thinking about after you finish it, and this one was even better than faebound. The atmosphere is still wonderful to dive into, a perfect escape from reality, and the characters—from the past book along with the new—are loveable. My favorite part of the book was a new character, Alder, and I loved seeing everyone kind of have their own plot points and adventures. Gonna be sad when the final book of the trilogy comes out, this world is so fun to be in!

Saara El-Arifi wil always have my heart! Her second book for this series just keeps getting better and better! I can’t recommend this series enough!

I’ve given this 🌟🌟 .5 /5. I felt like everything about this book should have been a huge yes from me, but the execution of it just wasn’t quite sitting right.

Starting with what I liked:

- I liked the idea for the plot. I’m theory it should be a great book and a great series. I love the bonding between the obeah and fae and the magic system. This is a great concept.
- I enjoyed getting other characters point of views you got to see some of Furi and Alder in this one which was a nice change up from just the sisters.
- This as the second book I thought was faster paced than the first, but I think that is probably because there is inherently less world building needed.
- Extra points for the representation in this book for genders, sexuality and disability which I did think was a fresh approach and appreciated.

What I thought could be improved:

- It might be a personal point but I personally didn’t like the chapters being a character point of view, but being written in third person. I am more of a fan of becoming the character rather than watching.
- I didn’t connect with the characters, and that made it hard to read as I just didn’t particularly like them. The romances and friendships all feel rushed and there is no emotional connection built to characters because of the lack of depth of development.
- There is almost too much but not enough. Too much description, too in depth. But at the same time not enough where it is needed such as with character development and their relationship with the audience for the book.
- I think that this could have been made a duology as this second book is much shorter than the first and whatever comes next feels like it could’ve formed part of this one.

Would I recommend this book? Probably not to everyone, it depends on what you like to get out of a book. Is it a good plot? Yes. Is the story good? Yes.
Will you feel like you can’t put it down? Probably not, because it’s lacking the character development and attachment that is needed for this.

Thank you for the opportunity Saara and NetGalley!

The curse of the sequel!

I read over 50% of Cursebound, but I couldn't bring myself to finish it.

At the time Faebound was a 4 star read for me, and I was really looking forward to finding out what happened next. I was excited to jump into Cursebound, but an aspect I had slightly ignored in the first book was really prominent for me in Cursebound: finding Lettle and Yeeran immature.
Some of the decisions they were making, and the way they were acting, felt immature. There was a real lack of character development. Yeeran especially seemed to act without thinking of the consequences in the first half of the book, which seemed an interesting choice for a character who used to be a general.

The romance also felt shallow and lacking depth. I know it's not the focus of the book, but it's still an important part and I just couldn't buy into the relationships - this is despite loving them in book 1. I'm a big fan of romance, I love love, so when it felt lack I was really disappointed.

In the end, this simply isn't a book for me. There are plenty out there who will absolutley love it, but when I'm struggling to pick up a book I know it's time to move on. I wouldn't call it a bad book at all, because I don't believe it is, it's just not the right book for me.

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

Loved this continuation of the Faebound story! Although the twists tend to be a bit predictable in these books, Saara El-Arifi is a good storyteller and I enjoy her world building. The first chapter is a bit of an awkward “previously on Faebound” recap, but I did appreciate being remained of what happened since I have read so many books in between. I loved the addition of the new character, Alder and his storyline. Looking forward the third and final book when it releases!

This was a better book than Faebound with slightly better world building and side characters, but ultimately it just wasn’t the book for me. The writing felt clunky, the romance felt subpar, and the main characters are just so unlikeable I can’t keep dealing with them. I don’t think I will finish the series with the third book.

Cursebound by Saraa El-Arifi is the second installment in the Faebound Trilogy. I Huge thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Publishers for this ARC! The second book in trilogies have historically held the bar very low, but El-Arifi breaks tradition with this one!

Spoiler Free Review

The magic, plot twists, relationships, mistakes, revelations, and yes the cliff hanger were everything we needed. I will be twiddling my thumbs waiting for the final installment to see how it all wraps up.

The characters are so lovable, even when they're annoying, you can't help rooting for them. This book is riddled with miscommunication and lack of communication, and while that typically annoys me, it's plays so well into this story. We watch relationships of all types develop and evolve throughout the story in a beautiful way.

Book 2 really raised the stakes!

Everyone needs to preorder this book! Cursebound – out February 13th 2025!

Thankyou NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for trusting me with a an eARC copy of Cursebound in exchange for an honest review.

I actually liked this one even more than the first book, which is surprising since second books usually don’t live up to the hype. I’m still obsessed with the concept of Obeah, this world’s magical creatures are so unique. Move over dragons. And that plot twist at the end? Brilliant.

The mix of assassination plots, political tension, class struggles, and betrayals kept things interesting, plus there’s a good balance with the romance sub plots. They’re a little spicy to appeal to those who enjoy that- but it doesn’t take over the story, just enough to keep things fun. Here for the LGBTQ+ representation too.

I do wish the magic system was shown more, and some plot points were predictable, but they still worked well and didn’t ruin the flow. A lot of the story is told through dialogue, and I think more description could have added a bit more depth, but overall, I really enjoyed it. I love this world and think about it often, Can’t wait for the next one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel, just as I did with the first book in the series. As always, Saara helps create and portray her worlds in a way that makes me feel like I'm right there with the characters. I loved all of the new worldbuilding that we got in this book, the nomads especially were a favorite, and I hope to see more of them in book 3. I also think Saara did a good job of showing the growth and change that the characters were going through, as well as showcasing the issues within all of the different political structures. The way we see the characters start to notice things within the world they didn't question before as their own world views expand was something I was particularly glad she showcased the way that she did.
I did still have a couple of issues with the relationships lacking depth, though I think that was more due to the contents of book 1 than anything within this book, as I did enjoy the introduction and build up of the new relationship in this book. My only other complaint was that the foreshadowing was kind of heavy in relation to some of the big reveals so I often guessed what it was going to be before it happened. I did however still cry multiple times because I just kept hoping I was wrong. Overall, none of my issues with the book were major enough to impact my enjoyment of the story, with the positives far outweighing the negatives, and I can't wait for the final book!

Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Saara El-Arifi for providing me with an ARC of Cursebound in exchange for my honest review.

Cursebound is the sequel to Faebound and picks up where Faebound left off. I thoroughly enjoyed Faebound and was eagerly anticipating its sequel. One of the highlights of Cursebound was an unexpected romance and the introduction of a new pivotal character. The book continues with Faebound's beautiful and genuine depiction of PoC, queer, and disabled characters. It’s truly refreshing to see people such as myself represented within the narrative of a fantasy story of this calibre.

While Cursebound was an enjoyable read, I didn’t find it quite as captivating as Faebound. I remain puzzled by Yeeran’s decision to return to Waning, and the events in Cursebound only deepen that confusion. However, the ending of this book sets up the final installment of the trilogy to be something truly special. The twists and turns throughout the story kept me intrigued, even if some elements felt less impactful than in the first book.

Overall, Cursebound continues to build on the strengths of its predecessor while setting the stage for an exciting conclusion to the trilogy. Fans of Faebound will appreciate the inclusive representation and complex storytelling that Saara El-Arifi delivers once again.

There was never a moment I was having a bad time. but it is true that this book suffers from second book syndrome, which made its shortcomings more obvious. While I tore through the first book because I was enjoying it so much learning about the fantastical queernormative world, this book already had that set up and was a bit more of a slog. Indeed, for the first third-half of the book I was waiting for something more interesting to happen. However, the characters maintained my good will from the first book and were just as interesting as I remember them being.

With the writing being accessible and fun, it had me engaged the whole time, but it also continued the problem of too-heavy foreshadowing and showing-not-telling that was present in the first book. For the latter, I was rolling my eyes by the fifth time we were told that Old Yeeran would have enjoyed this, but New Yeeran didn’t because she was Different now.

For the former, I was able to guess one of the late-game plot twists within the first fifty pages. This is especially apparent without the vast world-building that added details under the guise of sharing more about the land, with Cursebound it was fairly apparent that any extra information was foreshadowing. (Cards on the table: I talk a big game, but I wasn’t able to guess the second late-game plot twist without my girlfriend’s help, so do with that what you will)

I do think this author is at their best when they’re world-building, because the introduction of the Nomads was one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved the world of silkvine and wayfaring and would have loved to learn more about that.

Similar to the first book, the romantic relationships burn wide but not deep. There was talk of love and eternity and whatnot that I was just not buying. Again, I think this is a shortcoming of being a sequel in a trilogy, as the tension of the relationships building is gone, and we’re left now with relationships that feel shallow in retrospect.

Still, this book was fun! I have fun in this universe with these worlds and characters. I had fun trying to parse the meaning of the prophecies and learning about the different motivations for assassination that intersected in such an interesting way. I think if you liked Faebound you’re sure to like this too, because the author writes in such a captivating and engaging way that always made me want to keep on reading.

I was so excited for this second instalment! As always the world building and lore was amazing and intricate, I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of these books so far.

However, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first, I felt the plot didn’t really move forward as much as I wanted it to and the characters didn’t really develop much. Perhaps it was the timespan that threw me off, the entire book takes place in just under two weeks? So there wasn’t really much opportunity for that I guess

That being said I still do really enjoyed this world and the sorry behind the magic system and curse. I also love the amount of queer representation and the romance in this book is really really wholesome and sweet.

Overall, despite its flaws I did still really enjoy this book, I like the fast paced writing that still manages to build a world and a plot without loosing focus

I read book one and when I saw book 2 for arc I thought why not, book one was okay but didn’t blow me away. However book 2 really had me hooked!!
I’m really happy I got to arc read this and enjoyed it!! Can’t wait for book 3 to finish it up!

Book 2s are notoriously hard to like and often don’t live up to the first books. However I think this book is the exception, and may actually be better than Book 1.
The characters felt more fully rounded and the story made more sense.

I wasn’t sure I would continue the trilogy after Book 1, but after reading this ARC I am now super excited for Book 3

Safe to say I think NO ONE would have seen this ending coming.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC