DNF @55% - I hadn’t picked it back up in almost 2 months, I may come back to it at some point but unlikely.

One of the things I did really like & wish I knew more about is the magic system, Saara always comes up with cool magic systems. One of her other strengths which really came through in this book was her settings/world building, I can always vividly picture the settings, they’re always beautifully unique!

I don’t know specifically what went wrong with this one for me, it was a combination of a lot of things I guess. The characters felt one dimensional, at over halfway through there didn’t seem to be a plot & romance was shoehorned to the detriment of the book. The writing was fine, but it really felt like this book had been written because the author was told romantasy is what is selling right now rather than this is the book that was supposed to be written.

I’ve read Saara’s other books & have absolutely loved them! Both were in my top books of that year, so I am particularly upset that this one didn’t land for me.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is a captivating blend of romance and fantasy, following the journey of Yeeran, a disgraced colonel in the elf army who finds herself exiled and searching for redemption. Her quest leads her into the clutches of the Fae, mythical beings believed to exist only in fairytales. Trapped in a fae realm alongside her sister and captain, Yeeran must navigate a treacherous landscape while uncovering the hidden truths behind the wars she has fought for so long.

One aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the rich lore surrounding the three Gods and the creation of the elves, fae, and humans. This intricate world-building added depth to the story and kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.

I also admired Lettle's character for her unwavering strength in the face of adversity, particularly as a representation of disability. Her fiery spirit and moments of humour provided a refreshing contrast to the challenges she faced.

However, while I found the world-building and character development compelling, I did feel that the storyline itself was somewhat predictable. Many of the twists and turns were foreshadowed, diminishing the element of surprise for me as a reader.

Overall, it offers an immersive and entertaining read, filled with fascinating mythology and strong character representation, despite its somewhat foreseeable plot twists.

3.5/5.

Saara El-Arifi can write excellent fantasy and this one is not up to what i expected as it seemed a bit confusing and a sort of prequel to what will come, or so I hope.
An intriguing blurb and fascinating elements but a the world building would need some more details and the characters some more layer.
That said it's entertaining and I want to read the next in this series
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction, HarperVoyager for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

I have chosen to DNF as this wasnt for me. Oh what i read however was written really well and without a shadow of doubt will be very popular with the majority. I found it very hard to pick up and want to read and struggled to connect with the characters.

I may pick it up at a later time and try again- maybe try it with audio instead!

This book had me hooked from the first page until the final chapter, the twist and turns was none stop, the fierceness of Yeeran, Lettle's determination and the beauty of the Obeah; are just some of the amazing things that captured me in this adult fantasy.
This book grabbed my attention from the start till the end. The plot races, with ongoing twists. Yearns strength, Lettles tenacity, and all the details had me hooked. I enjoyed all the world building, the well developed characters, and the whole story.
This is the beginning of what will be an amazing fantasy series.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was amazing! I have fallen out of love with this genre lately as it all feels very much the same! This book however held my interest and had me wanting more and more. Brilliant world building and well developed characters and a little bit twisty at the end! I cannot wait for the second instalment!

This was so so so so so good. Every twist surprised me and the book just took me in so many directions I did not expect. The characters were great. Both sisters and even the man. The world was so intricate and captivating. I loved to learn about every rule and person in it. I also loved learning about the magic system. I don't really know what else to say. It was just so good. I cannot wait to read the sequel. Saara El-Arifi has officially become a must read author for me. She simply cannot miss.

Elven magic and blood bonds!

This was such a great read with worldbuilding that was done with depth, characters that jumped off the page, and plot with tons of action. Although the pacing was a little slow, this was such a fun and engaging read. I immensely enjoy the author's writing and loved her previous book so this was no surprise.

Fantastic!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc|!

Many thanks to Netgalley & Saara El-Arifi for the Advanced Reader Copy!

Faebound is a new amazing romantic fantasy with beautifully written characters and worldbuilding.
It offeres a unique spin on fae fantasy, that includes elves, humans, and gods-made prophecies, that will leave your head spining.


Saara El-Arifi created a gorgeus world and I cannot wait to explore more of it in next installments of Faebound series.
Definite must-read in 2024!

I absolutely loved this!! The world building was slightly slow, but normal for the first installment of a series.
We follow Yeeran who after being exiled, stumbles upon the fae with her her sister Lettle, and Rayan. Here they find out the myths they had been told were not wholly the truth, and find themselves torn with trying to escape and accpeting their fate with the fae. A mixture of elves, fae, drama, magic and antsy romance, it was perfection!
Incredibly grateful to Netgalley for the ARC, cannot wait for the next book!

I had heard so many great things about this one and couldn't wait to get started. Unfortunately I had to DNF at 25% because it was so slow. We had a powerful start but then things slowed to a snails pace and I found my attention was elsewhere. I'm sure for some this was a brilliant and fascinating read but it didn't work for me.

This book was something I was looking forward to reading and I was really happy when I got approved for an ARC. Elves, fae, magic, mythical creatures, diversity, and sapphic romance. Who wouldn’t be excited to read something with all those elements?? I especially loved the POC and the LGBTQIA+ representation; I think Saara El-Arifi did a good job in that area.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book has left me disappointed. The prologue and the first few chapters of the book sparked my interest that made me think I was about to go on an epic journey (I didn’t). The worldbuilding itself wasn’t bad but it felt lacking. Some of the twists were obvious, especially the ones from prophecies, and this is coming from someone who is pretty bad at guessing them. As for the romance, I did not care for any of the romantic relationships. It felt forced like they were there just for the sake of having romance in the book.

Thank you HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really tough one for me to review because, at one point, I did almost DNF it. I am really glad I continued, but this is a slow burn start & not a lot happens in the first half of the book. However, once the world building & main characters are established (a little too long for my liking), the story is a solid one & it has good twists, interesting characters, some spice & has left me wanting more. I did flip into audio for most of this in the end as I felt it helped move the action along.

I was left feeling like this was a good setup to the next book & I'm looking forward to going into what I hope will be a much more punchy, action-packed read.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
4 Stars!

Synopsis: Yeeran is an Elven warrior, Lettle an Elven Diviner, both in the middle of a brutal war. But when Yeeran makes a mistake and is exiled, Lettle is adamant on finding her and bringing her home. The two sisters, however, soon find them world stuck in the land of the Fae.

CW/TW: Violence/War/Murder/Poisoning/Death/Blood/Others may be present.

Rep: Queernormative world | Afro/Arab world | Sapphic MC | She/They, They/Them, He/They Rep | Disability – Disabled pov character and side characters.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is another compelling and captivating fantasy. While this book is not entirely what I expected, it was a gorgeous read.

Saara El-Arifi is quickly becoming a favourite author of mine, I adore her other ongoing series (Book Review: The Final Strife (The Final Strife Trilogy #1), by Saara El-Arifi) and I really did love this book too! El-Arifi‘s writing is gorgeous and compelling. She weaves rich and intricate settings, creates characters with a lot of depth, and weaves wonderfully intriguing stories. Faebound definitely hits all those markers and the dual POV helps maintain the pacing of the story while also giving us insight into different types of magic, helping to flesh out the world and its magical system.

The plot was interesting and intriguing. While I expected a little more fae trickery, seduction, and politics I was still captivated by the story being told. I really loved the unique way the three people or races were portrayed, particularly the lore behind the gods, the creation of the people, and the humans. It felt refreshing to, the usual fantasy was twisted slightly to make something a bit more novel and unique. I also thought the way the magic was was very interesting, the differences between the fae and elven magic, it deviated slightly from what is stereotypically shown and I loved it, and yet still felt connected to the mythology we all know well.

However, what I loved most was that this is a refreshing queernormative FAE fantasy with a lesbian/sapphic main character. I ADORE Fae based fantasy but I very rarely see sapphic or queer rep, particularly in the mc’s. It always feels very heteronormative so this book was incredibly refreshing in that aspect. The entire world is queernormative, which, again, was refreshing and delightful to read and see. Similarly, physical disability is also represented. Lettle is weakened by a prior illness and her arm is particularly affects, side characters also have prosthetics and mobility aids. Disability, in this sense, is very normalised within the world and accepted, especially given the war-torn context – an I found this to be very nice to see.

Interestingly, the plot is much more personal and character driven than I expected, with less military/war focus and more of a focus on the characters themselves and the lore. I did enjoy this, I expect more politics and war in the future instalments but, regardless, the character driven tone worked well and was enjoyable to read.

The twists and turns throughout the book were wonderful, some more predictable than others, keeping you on your toes. The romances were steamy and intriguing, though I do hope to see more development later on in the series.

I loved the characters, the similarities and differences between them. Watching their ambitions and goals shift and change alongside the story, and their thoughts and feelings added depth. I enjoyed reading from Yeeran and Lettle’s pov, and look forward to seeing more of them.

Overall, Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is a surprising and refreshing read with elves, fae, and magic.

*Thank you to HarperCollins UK for the Netgalley eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an eArc of this book
This was a very anticipated read for me as I loved the worldbuilding and story of Saara’s other books, and this did not disappoint! It is more of a romantasy than her other books, however it felt more complete and centred than other romantasy I’ve read, with robust worldbuilding and a magic system that felt totally unique. It is also a sapphic romantasy which is rare and was something that the genre and fantasy in general desperately needed.
The story follows two Elf sisters as they discover that the once extinct Fae are not as extinct as was believed. They have to deal with this entirely new world, and navigate it as outsiders who are judged for their peoples sins. There was more of a story than other romantasy, with politics and magic entwining. This was great, the stakes felt high and there was plenty going on non-romance wise.
The relationships between the characters are well thought out and evolve throughout the story. The two sisters particularly had such an interesting dynamic that shifts several times throughout the story as the characters grow. The story wraps up just enough for this book to not have a huge cliffhanger, but leaves me wanting so much more from this world. Saara has done a great job with this book, and I cannot wait to see what else she writes!

The world-building in this was amazing, it felt on the slower side, but I feel like this will pay off in the next installment. A dual POV from two sisters where they are faced with things they thought were not real! This new world was exciting and kept me on my toes. I am desperate for what comes next!

Faebound is a romantic fantasy brimming with magic, prophecy and romance. It has everything I love about a fantasy: heaps of magic, its own mythology, animal companions, friendships, frenemies, twists and turns all topped off with a burning sapphic enemies to lovers romance.

Set in a world where only the Elves remain, Yeeran is a fierce warrior who, alongside her diviner sister Lettle and fellow warrior Rayan, stumbles upon the world of the Fae - a world they thought had ended thousands of years before. Captives in the Fae land, this book took on so many twists to the plot and I loved each of them - some you could sense were coming but others had me shook.

There are so many fantastic characters: from our fierce sisters Yeeran and Lettle, to the powerful Furi, the mysterious Komi and the faithful Rayan. I absolutely adored Golan - the Lightless stylist to the Royal Fae - he read like a hug from a best friend. Pila and the obeah (magical companions) were right up there with my favourites too - Pila definitely had a little sassy side and some of her snarky comments to Yeeran made me chuckle at times.

There’s action, friendships, betrayal, prophecy, romance, magic, spice(!) and so much to love about this book. For a fantasy novel it was an easy read and the world building made everything so vivid and easy to imagine.

This was my first time reading a book by Saara El-Arifi and I’ll definitely be highly anticipating the rest of this trilogy and checking out her other novels. Brilliant!

Thank you to Harper Voyager UK, Saara El-Arfi and NetGalley for my early review copy in exchange of a fair and honest review.

Told in dual pov of two sisters, Faebound is set in an African inspired fantasy world where after one of these Elven sisters finds herself exiled and the other follows her, both come in contact with things they previously had thought fairytales. I particularly enjoyed the world building and the fantastical elements and magic but it did feel like it was more of a build up to a more interesting sequel than a knockout first in the series. I am interested to see how the story progresses in book 2 though.

I really liked the concept for this book. I was very intrigued by it and thought it was done well but the writing felt a little juvenile, there were a lot of small things with the characters and dialogue that I just couldn't get on with. I'm glad I finished the book and will continue the series but the writing could definitely be adjusted a little.

I was spellbound by Faebound (I found that funny).

Saara El-Arifi does not miss. Ever. I've been a fan of hers since before The Final Strifewas even published (go arc) and my love for her writing has not let up since. She's fantastic. Saara El-Arifi if you happen to be reading this know that I love your writing, and meeting you back in 2022 was a highlight of that year.

Anyways, back on track.

Faebound is a brilliant read, with beautiful, rich worldbuilding, an intense plot mixed with political intrigue and magic, and interesting characters. I loved both Yeeran and Lettle and their sisterly bond. I loved how they challenged each other, argued, and would go to the ends of the Earth to save each other. It was a really beautiful bond to see, and I loved it.

I will say both of the romances felt like they could have used a little bit more time to develop. Without spoilers, I think the Yeeran's romantic relationship developed a bit too quickly given the circumstances. One minute enemies, next minute lovers - it just felt too abrupt giving the context surrounding them being enemies.

The plot was intense, and I loved the element of prophecy and riddles. It was really fun trying to figure it out, and I'm proud to say I caught on to a lot of the plot twists/reveals before they happened. It was spectacular. I really did enjoy how everything came about and tied in together, and I'm excited for what this has set out in the next book.

This was an excellent start to a new series by El-Arifi, and I'm excited to see where she takes us next in this world.