Two sisters, trapped in the fae world, unlikely romances, court politics, and defying destinies. Yeeran is a warrior in the elvan army and has known bloodshed and violence all her life. Lettle is her sisteer, a diviner who wants nothing more than to find a better future within the prophecies. Yet when a mistake from one of Lettle's prophecies leads to Yeeran's exile from the Elan lands they both end up entering into the most impossible place... the fae court. The faes had not been seen for millenniums and now both Yeeran and Lettle are both trapped in their, along with Yeeran's general Rayan who went with Lettle to search for Yeeran when she was exiled. Once all three of them had made it into the fae court, they are told they are no longer allowed to leave. Yeeran will have to test into the fae guards in exchange for Lettle and Rayan to be allowed to live a peaceful life in the fae court... despite the faes being prejudiced and hating the all elves. Yeeran is caught up in the elf court politics, with the elf princess Furi who also is a warrior...meanwhile Lettle is learning how to read prophecies.. except her own prophecy states that she will kill her beloved... who just happens to be Rayan. The closer they get the harder it becomes for Lettle to push him away. Meanwhile something is going on, someone is vying for the throne and Lettle discovers a prophecy that states two elves will be killed.... but when they discover which two elves.. it might be too late for them. This is the first book in a trilogy and it definitely was an interesting read, the pacing is a bit slow and it does feel at times like you are getting info dumped, however the overall journey of the plot was interesting and I am interested in where the next book goes. The romances in the book were good in some aspects, not so much in other. I did enjoy the romance between Lettle and Rayan but couldn't believe the romance between Yeeran and Furi. Then there was the mystery and the way that wrapped up, and it kind of was an obvious one and didn't really feel carefully laid out or surprisingly really. I was interested in the world of the Fae court and how Yeeran and co had to integrate and navigate it but for some moments it just didn't really expand on it all that well. Overall, it's a fun start to a fantasy series and if you enjoy court politics, a bit of romance with prophecies, then give this a go.

*Spoiler: Yeeran and Furi get together, Lettle and Rayan get together, Furi's younger brother poisoned his mothers to give Furi the throne (without her knowing). Rayan turns out to be the long lost son and chosen king (he's essentially Furi's cousin) and is chosen as king. Lettle is the diviner's prophesized apprentice and begins learning how to divine. Yeeran can talk to Pila, her animal familiar essentially.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

An amazing book with a great mix of fantasy and romance! A must read for fantasy lovers. Thank you netgalley for my arc copy.

What a wonderful book! I absolutely loved it and I am so happy that I was able to get my gorgeous fairyloot edition to proudly display on my shelf! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

A bit of a slow starter but Faebound had me in its grip as soon as things started to kick off! After having so many theories I forced my friend to read it just so I had someone to talk to about it! I can't wait to see all the fanart that Pia is going to get - it's going to be GREAT.

Faebound by Saara El-Arifi is an addictive romantasy following Yeeran, a colonel in the elf army who finds herself disgraced and exiled. While trying to find a way to bring favour she ends up being captured by the Fae who have not been seen since fairytales. Trapped in a fae land with her sister and captain she strives to find a way to escape and impenetrable cage but finds there is a lot more to the wars she has been fighting most of her life.

I loved the lore of the three Gods and how the elves, fae and humans were created. I think this was a really interesting way of building the World and definitely had me intrigued.

I really love Lettle’s strength, despite the suffering she has endured her whole life. She is a great example of disability representation, she is fiery and made me laugh quite a few times.

I found the story line fairly predictable and had guessed most of the twists before they came. Yeeran was pretty infuriating, which is maybe how she was meant to be and I found her first relationship confusing. Lettle definitely carries the story for me.

If you enjoy romantasy, animal companions , mysterious worlds then this will definitely be for you.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

What on earth

I was gonna read this right at the end of 2023 but was worried it would make my top books of the year and I’d already taken the photo so put it off until January - Christ I’m glad I did because I’m certain this will be one of my top reads of 2024!!

I didn’t feel confused at all, which I usually am with a new fantasy series. It’s a complex world with plenty of characters but everything was introduced so seamlessly and I felt right into the story from the start!

And the story itself, oh my word. I was really proud of myself for working one thing out (albeit about five pages before all the characters did lol) and then Saara was just like okay, twist, TwIsT, TWIST! But I want to go back and read it all again as I know everything was hinted to but I was too much of an idiot to make the connections.

I’m not sure I can put into words my love for these characters. Okay yeah I was frustrated and wanted to throw things at a lot of them (mostly Yeeran tbh) but my heart is so full and I am scared that the masses of characters I love will all not survive to the end of this series!! My favourite baby is obviously Pila. Literally from the first thing she said, I knew she was going to be my fave. Funny without trying to be, adorable, fierce - I love her

So good, so twisty, so heart wrenching, edge of your seat type of writing. Book 2! Please! ASAP!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

Faebound is such a wonderfully enchanting and immersive read. I loved the characters, the magic, the world building, the plot and the whole premise of the story.

Our main female characters were brilliant and bold. I really enjoyed the love between the characters and their relationships that they built.

I loved the opening chapter and how it really set the story up especially with it including humans, Fae and elves.

The whole story felt really immersive and I found myself picturing the different worlds easily.

Also, my favourite character has to be Pila.

This is definitely going to be one to watch for 2024.

A millenia ago, three Gods created the world and the three races within. The humans were given the power of the Earth, the elves the power to divine the future and the fae the power of sunlight. With power came war and jealousy, and the eventual demise of two great races. With the elves left, they turned to fighting each other and here is where our story begins with a disgraced solider and her strong willed sister.

This was a really enjoyable, easy to read fantasy that managed to be diverse, exciting and incorporate a lot into just over 400 pages. Sister Yeeran and Lettle had a great relationship - one forged in hard times and the need to support each other, yet both had a distinct voice as the reader alternates between their stories. Yeeran is the voice of reason a lot of the time, the strong and stoic one who finds herself exiled from her clan and without direction. Something that occurs very early on in the story sets her story along a different path, one paved in fate and romance that I found to be filled with just the right amount of tension and longing to keep me intrigued. Lettle's story is perhaps more straightforward. We know who her love interest is from the get go, and while there is still forces keeping the two apart it's inevitable where their romance will go and it felt a bit quick in execution.

I also really enjoyed the plot of this, which centres around a hidden kingdom steeped in ancient history, drum and nature magic, and the fight to escape. The first 10% felt very military fantasy, which isn't really my thing, however once Yeeran leaves the clan the tone changes completely. There's plenty of twists and turns along the way, assassinations and double crossing that didn't entirely come as a surprise but I still appreciated. Especially that ending, which comes full circle in many regards, yet is still open ended for the sequel.

Really fun, romance heavy magical story that managed to keep me captivated until the end. Can't wait for the sequel.

Sadly, I wasn't able to get into this book (I think my reading slump played a big role in it). However, I'm determined to give it another shot later because I think it has a lot of potential.

Every bit as wonderful as I hoped it would be! I loved Faebound and will be greatly anticipating the rest of the trilogy. I loved the world building and can never get enough of fae fantasy. I'm hooked and excited for more. Thankfully, I haven't read El-Arifi's blacklist, so I have some reading to keep me busy while I wait.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic read, a great start to what I think will be a thrilling trilogy. Did I think I wanted another book about fae? The market seems so oversaturated with them that I was wary going in. I needn't have worried. El-Arifi has created her own clever spin on the fae, drawing on this incredible Afro-Arabian inspired world setting and mythology and weaving it into a highly original story.

Are parts of it predictable? Yes. But I think that's more down to me having read so much fantasy that I can often spot a plot point a mile off. This predictability didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story, especially as things really began to hot up in the last 15% f the book at a breakneck pace, reveal after reveal after reveal. I am very much looking forward to reading book two and am mildly annoyed I'll have to wait so long!

I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been excited for this book for months as I love Saara's work and this did not dissapoint. 5 Stars.

- FxF and MxF relationships
- LGBTQ+ normalised world.
- Mild spice
- A new fantasy world
- War
- Adventure
- Friendship
- Mild enemies to lovers
- Animal companion!!!

This book is set in a fantastic new fantasy world of Elves, Humans and Fae. The world building is gradual no info dump for the first 100 pages but revealed when needed and makes for a gripping story from the begining.

It is about 2 sisters in an Elven land raged by war for 1000 years and their discovery of not all is as they have grown up knowing.
There is fun magic in this with details and inner workings that I love.
The animal companion in this book is my favoruite I have ever read I can't wait for more of them.

Please go read this I cannot recccomend it enough!

My first book of 2024 and what a storming start!

Do we have something that can finally dethrone Fourth Wing in its' supremacy of the Romantasy genre? Yes I think we do!

This is the Fae/Elf fantasy that dreams are made of and it would surprise me hugely if this isn't on my (and many others!) best of 2024 list (and yes I know it is only the 2nd day of the year! Ha ha!)

All of Yeeran's life has been about proving those around her wrong, culminating in her rise to be the youngest Colonel in the history of the Elven Army. But when her first senior mission goes wrong, and she is exiled by her chieftain never to return, Yeeran starts on a path that she never would have dreamed of all to get back home where she belongs. Followed by her Divination strong sister Lettle and former Captain Rayyan, who are also desperate to bring Yeeran home, the trio come face to face with an enemy that will change them and their world forever.

This book totally drew me in right from the start, and even though there is a fair amount of world building in the early pages, I was hooked from moment one. The language is enchanting and creates such a vivid world for us to explore alongside Yeeran, Lettle and Rayyan, and also introduced us to the most unique characters, all of whom are so distinctive in their mannerisms and presentation. The twists and turns of the plot, particularly in later stages also threw me for a loop - and that's the sign of a high quality book!

When it comes to favourite characters, outside of our lead 3 (of course!), my favourite has to be Pila (but I can't say more than that about her because it's a HUGE spoiler!! Just know, she's the best ❤️ and if you don't love her too, I will fight you, ha ha!)

The fact that this is the first in trilogy and there is currently no sign of Book 2, makes me so sad, but I know once Faebound is out there in the world, you are going to fall in love in the exact same way I did.

I was excited for this book.
A little wary too.
Honestly wasn't expecting lesbian fairy fantasy to be my thing but...wow have I been proved wrong.

Yeeran is an elven warrior in a world where Fae and Humans once also lived, but are long since extinct.
Exiled from the lands she is cast off into the wilderness where she, and her sister Lettle and friend Rayan, are captured by a secret underground civilisation of fae...
Having mistakenly murdered the prince through her ignorance of faebound magiks, Yeeran is tried and to be put to death unless she can prove herself...

Oh the twist GALLORE in this book. Like a pretzel within a pretzel!
I devoured it in the end, took me about 2 sittings and just top top marks.
I had but 3 criticisms of the book:
- one of the romances really felt VERY YA and cringy, took me out of the plot a bit and I glossed over those parts almost...
- the magic system was explained only at a very surface level. Despite Yeeran receiving lessons it never seems more than "oh tap a beat and use that to direct your thoughts". However, the way it was left it gives a clear space for more indepth explanations in book 2 so can't really fault it
- this is my biggest criticism. I DID NOT REALISE THIS WAS A TRILOGY AND OH BOY DID I SCREAM. I was about 2 chapters from the end and sweating as I realised there is NO way everything can actually be fully resolved...and now I must wait for book 2!!

Though the writing and worldbuilding were fantastic and I loved it much more than I expected

Saara El-Arifi is a master crafter. Her characters and world building are glorious and the detail and care shine through every chapter, I wish i could have found an eARC of the audiobook because I know it would have added to the experience just as it does for the Ending Fire trilogy. Honestly, this book is incredible and El-Arifi kept me hooked and reading even through my brain was very much distracted by the real world and struggled to settle, I had to know what happened next had to see which of my suspicions played out and which ones would be delightfully subverted.

I can’t wait to see how the next book plays out, I love how African lore and mythology have been wended with western lore and myth to create a wholly unique and diverse world. This is intelligent fantasy for the diverse world we live in.

Sara El-Arifi is quickly becoming one of my must buy authors. I really loved her Final Strife series and when I heard that she was writing a series about the fae, it immediately went on my wish list.

And this new series lived up to my expectations, same high quality writing, same immaculate world building and characterisation. There are some usual fantasy tropes here - like the use of animal familiars and bonding to another creature to release your magic but this was done well, it was everything Dragonfall wanted to be. There is some romance of both the heterosexual and the sapphic kind but it didn’t dominate the story and was there for character development and character motivations in a way that felt organic. And I must say it is refreshing to read a book where the main character is in her mid thirties and the secondary characters are all late twenties plus. It makes the responsibilities and sex scenes feel more realistic.

I would really recommend this book, I didn’t want it to finish and for once I was glad it was part of a series as I could have read double the pages and still have wanted more.

I’ve just finished reading Faebound, and I’m absolutely in awe. Lemme tell you what I thought!

Firstly, lemme just start of by saying that this book has a wealth of diverse characters within its pages. The various cultural representations this book has is just…*chefs kiss*. Also, the LGBTQ+ and disability representation is incredible.

Alongside this, the characters as a whole were brilliant. I absolutely adored near enough every single one of them, and felt that each of them had such well developed character arcs.

The plot itself was so well structured, and I was hooked right into the storyline. I felt I was very easily transported into this magical world, that was rich in detail and so easily imaginable. The politics were in-depth, yet written in a way that was easy to digest. The twists in this book had me GASPING. Absolutely devoured this book.

This has to be up there with one of my favourite fantasy reads of the next year!

Synopsis:

Yeeran, is a colonel in the elven army and - as she grew during the Forever War - violence and suffering is all she knows. Her tribe are starving, her parents are both dead, and one of the only ways to survive is by joining and rising up the ranks. Her sister, Lettle, chooses to seek her fortune as a diviner, reading prophecies in the entrails of obeah, magical animals that are skinned by the elves to make drum-fire weapons. However, when Yeeran makes a deadly strategic error, her chieftain/lover exiles her, a fate worse than death.

Her loyal captain Rayan and Lettle both follow her, but all three are found in the barren lands across the border by the fae, who haven’t been seen for a millenium. Thrust into their mysterious court, Rayan, Lettle and Yeeran will soon find out who they truly are, what matters most, and the lengths they will go to to protect what — and who - they love.

My thoughts:

Faebound combines some of my favourite fantasy elements (Court intrigue! Magic! Bonded animals! Slow burn romance! Enemies to lovers! Great LGBTQ+ rep!) and I was gripped by its compelling plot and even more compelling writing/world building. In 400 pages we are given a millennium’s worth of fae, elf and human backstory, and at no point does it ever feel like an info dump. I completely fell for Rayan’s earnestness, Yeeran’s determination and Lettle’s strength (and for Pila in general!) and although I did work out some of the prophecies/reveals it didn’t ruin the reading experience for me in the slightest!

I’ve been lucky enough to meet Saara El-Arifi at a couple of author talks this year and not only is she one of my autobuy authors now but she’s also hilarious/the loveliest human in person. I hope every fantasy lover reads this one and enjoys it as much as I did.

Faebound is out on January 18th. A huge thank you to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC!

Faebound is a romantic epic fantasy set, set in the dazzling world inhabited by elves, fae and humans, In the current timeline, elves are believed to be the only ones left to roam the lands and are engaged in a never-ending Forever War. The story follows Yerren and Lettle, two sisters with different magical powers: one is a master of drum magic, and the other is a seer. The adventure begins when Yerren gets exiled from the elven lands, Lettle and Rayan, a military friend of Yerren follow. They all stumble upon the land of the fae and enter a world they believed was only existent in myths and faerytales.

As expected from Saara El-Arifi, the world-building was impeccable, immersive and rich. I enjoyed being introduced to the land of the fae and obeah.

I loved Lettle and Rayan's characters, I thought they were well-developed and with depth. I would have loved to learn more about Yerren and Furi though.

The pacing for me was a bit off. It got quite fast towards the end but really dragged in the middle. I don't think the suspense was as great as it could have been. But the ending promised of a good story to come, so I'm excited to get the sequels.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for giving me an eArc copy for this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read by Saara El-Arifi, and I honestly cannot wait to read anymore in this series, as well as any other books written by them! Faebound was an amazing start to the series!

My first thoughts when reading were that the first part of the story dragged a little for me, and it was a little more of a struggle to get through. But the middle and the ending really gripped me and I could not put this down at all! The twists and turns that end up getting revealed, I could not predict at all and was pleasantly surprised with where the book started to go. I am already so excited for the next book in this series.

I also really loved the representation throughout the book, as it is set in a queernormative world that fits into the stories world-building so seamlessly. The world building was also really well done, with enough detail to understand what is happening, but keeping enough from you that you are constantly on your toes wondering what revelation is coming next.

The characters were really well done, and I loved the multiple POV’s you get from the two sisters featured in the story. It gives you both of their emotions and thoughts about the situations they end up getting into! You don’t really get to see a lot of the past of the two sisters though, but the author does drop a few hints so I would like to see some more flashbacks in the next book. Would highly recommend this to any fantasy romance readers out there!