A marvellous high fantasy story with elements of fae, elves and obeah. El-Arifi has structured a thoroughly fascinating rich history and culture in all the lore and worldbuilding of the fae.

The Dual POV aspect of Yeeran and Lettles chapters were enjoyable. I loved the romances both for different reasons. Lettle and Rayan as two people on the outside of the fae as the elves. Whilst Yeeran and Furi were enemies to lovers. It wasn't too rushed but it did feel a little lacking tension around the 80% mark and the betrayal didn't have as much of an impact for me as there were many twists and turns in the last 20%.

I enjoyed the twist of Rayan becoming the King of the Fae alongside Furi and can't wait to see him navigate that. Also Lettle in her role of Seer will be interesting. Lettle as a character is my favourite as I love her exploration of divination and her plot. I can't wait to see her arc develop further. Especially adore her friendship and connection with Golan. The outcasts finding friendship in each other is really special. Just Lettle's relationships with others are really enjoyable to me. I feel she will find her own way to fit in with the fae.

I wish Yeeran and Lettle's relationship was developed a little bit better and see them bonding more. The moment Lettle was released after almost being arrested felt significant but Yeeran just ran after Furi at that moment which felt a bit disappointing, she could've confronted her after she stayed with Lettle for a while. Also, I feel that confrontation could've been more impactful if it had been prolonged a little bit. In general, more scenes could've had more impact if they had been prolonged as the plot was moving at a fast pace and it felt like events were happening too quickly. There was not much time to absorb one revelation before another situation took precedence.

I'm so curious as to when, if we will ever meet the humans or ancestors of Afa as it's kinda funny a human and caused the curse of the fae and is no longer around to see it all. Seeing a human civilisation within the world of the fae and the elves would be great to explore. All the dynamics this could lead to would be exciting. Especially as one of the fates seen by the seers was the three beings living together or perishing.

Overall, a very enjoyable fantasy brimmed with culture, lore and rich worldbuilding.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Review published: 11 November 2023

DNF @ 48%

If you like Fourth Wing you will like this book. Unfortunately, I did not like Fourth Wing, so it's a regretful pass from me.

It's a romantasy to the core, so if that's the kind of fantasy you're into this will almost certainly tick all your boxes; however, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a more typical adult fantasy reading experience. Just about every aspect of the book is quick, straightforward and basic--like skimming a stone across a lake instead of rowing. Whether that's a plus or minus will depend on individual reading tastes. (Though I will note that the prose and dialogue read very underedited on a line level. The punctuation of dialogue in particular is very messy and to me, distracting.)

Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the eARC; I really wanted to love this one but I don't think I'm quite the target audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Faebound was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024 as I love the author's other books, so when I got the approval email for this ARC, I dropped everything to immediately start this.

Luckily, it was everything I wanted it to be and more.
Faebound perfectly hits the spot between the moral and political complexity of The Final Strife and the excitement of a good Fae romantasy.
This was certainly the most unique Fae/Elves book I've read so far. I loved the lore and history, but the setting and worldbuilding were what made it stand out to me so much. The author excels at writing brutal worlds that also have a certain beauty to them, and the Fae world in particular proved that once again. I don't want to give too much away, but I truly loved discovering this world in all its depth.

The characters were great, I loved the dynamics between them, be it romantic, platonic, or family.
The only tiny criticism I would have is that Lettle felt a lot like Anoor from The Final Strife, which does not impact my rating or enjoyment of the book, but at times they almost felt like the same character.

The plot had a bit of everything, a mystery, political intrigues, war, romance, and sweet quiet moments, and I think it found a good balance between all those aspects. I was hooked and I cannot wait to find out what happens in the sequel.

Overall, this was an amazing book and I cannot wait until it is out in the world so that I can make all my friends and followers read it.
Saara El-Arifi has certainly cemented herself as one of my favorite authors with this book, and I am absolutely going to read everything and anything she writes.

Faebound by Sara El- Arifi
Release date 18th January 2024
Rating 5 stars

When you pick up a book by an author that you have loved with the final strife and battle drum there is a nervousness of whether you will love this. This was me going into this book especially when it has fae and elves however, I should not have worried because Sara- who is now well and truly an auto buy author for me wove a world that had me on the edge of my seat and the beginning was heart racing not rich and had me on the edge of my seat. I adored this world and the characters and the twist had me gasping and rereading in case I missed something. I cannot wait to read more and find out what is going on. I loved how Fae and humans were seen as fairytales and how the lore at the beginning of each part of the story had me feeling deep into the world straight away. I am sure that so many will love this world, where prophecy does not just take root but if you ignore it, it will just come about differently.

Fae, elves war, love and everything in between proves why Sara El- Arifi is auto buy author and will be for a long time to come.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the arc of Faebound by Saars El-Arifi.

This was everything that I hoped it would be. 5 star read!

Lovely cover. Fascinating world building. Complex relationships. Intriguing plot. What more could you want from a fantasy novel?

While the book follows two sisters as they are taken prisoner by the Fae, I would say the book skews towards, Yeeran, the elder, an elven warrior banished from the elven lands. I didn't dislike Yeeran but I wanted more Lettle, the younger sister, who just seemed more interesting to me (although being the somewhat overshadowed younger sister, I may be biased...), I wanted to know more about her life and struggles before the events of the beginning of the novel. I wanted to know more about what makes her tick. And I wanted to explore the sibling relationship more especially as there is an undertone of anger and resentment throughout the novel between Lettle and Yeeran throughout the novel. Yeeran is a newly promoted colonel, a respected novel and the cheiftain of her clan's lover while Lettle is barely getting by, her craft looked down up by many including Yeeran. Yeeran often comes across as sceptical and dismissive of Lettle's divination and often Lettle herself which is a factor in their relationship dynamic.

While the sisters and their relationship is a big part of the novel, there is some romance sub-plots, the better one being Lettle and Yeeran's (former) second in command which is rather well fleshed out given he respects her, and listens to her despite her initial prickliness.The other is Yeeran's enemies to lovers relationship which was less well fleshed out. I'm not fully sure why they wanted to be together other than lust I suppose and Yeeran seems to be loyal to the Waning army before all else so not sure I can get onboard with it especially as Yeeran thinks of her former lover (and cheiftain) fairly often throughout the novel but doesn't really acknowledge that Lettle's assessment of her former lover has some merit and the fruitlessness of the war she's dedicated most of her life to.

The more general plot kept me engaged and I enjoyed the twists and turns in the last 20%. I'm a fairly inpatient person so I'm not looking forward to the wait for the second book, but alas, I must endure.

Solid fantasy novel. 4.5 stars.

This is my first book from the author and I enjoyed it a lot! I loved the diversity of characters as well as the ease with which gender fluidity/diversity is incorporated. The worldbuilding was a lot of fun, it wasn't too confusing to get into and I found it really vivid and immersive.

I did see some of the plot points coming before they were revealed and I did find some of the political seup to be a bit hard to believe (without getting into spoilers), but this didn't necessarily ruin things for me. I also don't tend to read much romance, so I wasn't super into the 'romantasy' elements, but again, this didn't take away from my experience of the book overall.

Overall though, I loved the journey this book took me on, it was a lot of fun and I'll definetly pick up the sequel when it comes out, I want to find out what happens next! That's a downside with having read an advanced copy bc I have even longer to wait 😩

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC.

Wow! I went into this blind and it blew me away. I read it in one train journey - devoured it!!
I love the plot, two elven sisters outcast from their lives and thrown into a new world of fae. One that tests their loyalties, to their race, friends, family and lovers at every turn. I love this concept as it really tests and demonstrates who you are and what you're made of.
The lore was well thought out and executed, and was very thorough. The plot itself - immaculate and page turning. Twists and tension thoughout to keep you invested.
And it's LGBTQ as well, with various relationships that come in different shapes and forms.
Honestly, it's a magical read, one of my favourites of this year! I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

The only downside - this was an arc so now I have to wait even longer for the next one

I've been waiting since I heard about this book, for it to go on NetGalley, hoping I would be accepted!
Once I was I started it instantly. This book is everything I hoped and more. I loved Saara El-Arifi's other books and I loved those,. Faebound has everything I loved from those books, plus even more. Such a magical beautifully written read. And oh my god I want an Obeah of my own. One of the best books I've read this year!

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

This is probably my fault - I don't really enjoy the romantasy genre and I have also dnf'd El-Arifi's previous work. I was intrigued at the beginning, but I could see the story that was emerging wasn't really what I was hoping for.

It's nice to see queer and gender diverse representation in a romantasy book, and the world itself was really interesting. I just wasn't connecting to the characters, though, and couldn't help but feel that at its core this was the same sort of story I've read and disliked many times before. I know a lot of people will love this, but sadly I just don't think I'm the right audience. The characters - while described as being around 30 - do still read a bit on the young side which I also didn't love.

I want to say it's almost like an adult, more diverse version of Cruel Prince but with a heavier focus on romance - Yeeran was very Jude-coded and Lettle was kind of giving Taryn vibes (not in a bad way though).

I devoured this book in 24 hours. The world building and magic system was incredibly unique, and all of the twists and turns kept me constantly guessing. This book was fast paced and full of tension (sexual and otherwise), but sometimes felt a little rushed. Despite the pacing, I still think this is a solid fantasy read and am excited to see what else fate has in store for this world.