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!

Saara you truly have brought the characters and story to life for every reader and dreamer that is lucky enough to pick up this book and journey down the twist and turns of the river and roots that make up this beautiful yet warring world. The world itself was so well thought out and in-depth to the point where I could vividly see the fur on the animals, and the glint in their eye as the waning moon shone on them. You can tell the love and detail that was put into every element with every sentence you read as you fall deeper into the amazing writing.

A beautiful book, and definitely for those who loved The Poppy Wars, A Cursed Light and Sapphic Fantasy.

It was beautiful, and I feel so lucky to have read such a beautiful sapphic fantasy, and I’m sure like many others who have read this book, cannot wait for the next in the trilogy to be released.

The only thing I can say is to add to this, is that Saara you have given me the perfect vivid imaginative inspiration to I hope create an amazing cover design that I can only hope does your book justice.

I was excited to read this as the quotes from other readers say things like 'will leave you gasping' and 'breathtaking fantasy - opulent and sweeping' but I didn't really get a sense of this at all. If anything I found it a bit staid and it lacked a sense of suspense for me. Purely my personal thoughts and I won't post my review anywhere else.

BOOK REVIEW: Faebound by Saara El-Arifi @harpervoyager_uk @harpercollinsuk @harperfiction

3 Stars

I was so excited for this book which I liked but unfortunately it didn't work for me overall.

Faebound is based in a world where there were once Fae, Elves and Humans. Our two lead characters are elves and sisters. Yeeran, the elder sister is high up in their army. Lettle, the younger sister works with divination and learns prophecies. Yeeran is exiled into uninhabited lands and Lettle and Rayan (one of Yeeran's soldiers) follow to find her. They are captured by Fae and taken to their underground world.

The story and worldbuilding was decent but the story was very obvious and I guessed all of the twists. This made the story rather predictable and boring. The first 75% of the book was pretty slow and dull. The last 25% was MUCH better but unfortunately not enough to save the book for me.
I liked the magic and my favourite aspect were the animal companions that brought humour and personality to the book. I also liked the world of the Fae which sounded magical. The writing was decent and held my attention but I constantly wanted the pace to pick up.

The lead characters lacked personality and although I generally liked them I didn't feel a connection. My favourite characters were Lettle and Rayan as they had the most personality and I enjoyed their growth.
The romances were mixed. I liked Lettle and Rayan's romance as it was sweet and grew naturally. I wanted it to work and cared about it which wasn't the case for Yeeran. Her romance went from hatred to love in 1.5 seconds and wasn't realistic. Also the smut scenes were boring.

Overall, the story and a few characters let the writing and imagination down. I sadly don't think I will be continuing the series.

Please note that I was given this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I DNF'd this book at 50%. I wouldn't usually give a review of a book that I haven't read in its entirety but in this case I think I can give some honest feedback and recommendations regardless.
I was intrigued by this book, mainly because I had read The Final Strife a while ago (by the same author). I was interested to see how she would approach a Fae story, which is very different from her previous book(s).

The first thing that came to mind when reading this, was that it felt very similar to other books I had read in the past. The storyline reminded me of ACOTAR, although it wasn't as compelling. And I could see how the author had taken inspiration from other popular books - for example one character reminded me very much of Cinna from Hunger Games - and had the same role/personality/relationship to the main character. Almost a carbon copy of the character, in fact.

I liked that there was such prevalent Disability, LGBTQ and non-binary representation. This seems to be where this author is able to show strength. I also liked that there was Sapphic, Achillian and heterosexual love interests/romantic sub-plots too. Usually books tend to focus on just one of these so I liked the diversity here.

However, what I read did seem to be very heavily tropey. And the tropes weren't written particularly well either. For example, we see the popular "one bed" trope in something like the third chapter? Almost like the author was trying to include it just to tick a box. I felt that it was too early to include that trope, particularly as there didn't seem to be any tension build up between the two characters prior to that point either.
Some other tropes include: Exile, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, one bed as I have already mentioned, war, and "trained by the enemy" - most of these that we have seen before time and time again (and in my opinion, done much better than this attempt!) There didn't seem to be anything original or interesting here.
Overall though, my main reason for DNFing this book was because I found it very slow and boring. There seemed to be a lot of filler - things that weren't really relevant to the story or didn't move the story along. At 50% in, you would expect something significant to have happened, but each chapter was just very underwhelming.

In terms of recommending this book - obviously it wasn't to my tastes, but if you like any of the tropes I have mentioned, or if you have enjoyed this Author's previous books, then I think you will enjoy this one too.

Faebound tells of the Folk like I’ve never encountered them. This was my first Saara El-Arifi book, and I greatly enjoyed her storytelling skills; the way the story is framed by mythology, the landscape rendered harsh by war, the relationships that make and break the characters, the build up of tension and mystery… it’s all blended together to make for a very compelling read! As the blurb says, the story begins in one of the elven tribes, with the warrior Yeeran being the youngest Colonel in the army of the Waning tribe and ready to win a victory for her chieftain and lover Salawa. Her sister Lettle, meanwhile, despises the war and is a diviner hoping to rise in their ranks, but she drops everything when an error on the battlefield leads to Yeeran’s exile. Following the sisters is also Rayan, who served as Captain under Yeeran and feels responsible for her fate.

Yeeran is sure that if she can only bring back the skin of an obeah large enough, that Salawa will forgive her and bring her back into the fold, and this is her quest when she inadvertently stumbles upon a group of Fae, believed to have been lost for centuries. The obeah are a fascinating element to the story, as they are creatures of magic and so when their skin is used to fashion a drum, the wielder of that drum can create magic and the elves use these as weapons on the battlefield. However, this has lead to the over-hunting of the obeah, and Yeeran and her friends soon discover that the animals are precious to the Fae. As a warning: the early chapters have quite a few mentions and descriptions of the hunting and killing of obeah, so if you don’t like animal deaths this may not be for you.

Enraged by Yeeran’s killing of a great obeah, the fae drag her, Lettle, and Rayan to Mosima, their city beneath the earth to await punishment, because Yeeran has unknowingly killed a prince of the fae who was linked to the obeah and his sister, Furi, is the one to capture the elves. Thus begins the main story, as the three elves explore Mosima and become dangerously close to this race of people thought for centuries to have been lost. And the fae are indeed lost to the world, trapped beneath the earth by a curse uttered by the last of the humans, able only to leave for a little at a time, and only when one of the royal family is present. This confinement has led to differing views and strategies within the fae court, and the elves’ arrival only fans the fire as more people start dying and mysteries come to a head. In the midst of all this, there is a tension of a different kind: the growing attraction between Lettle and Rayan, who she believes she is fated to kill, and between Yeeran and Furi, who both despise and gravitate towards each other.

This book definitely falls in the ‘romantasy’ camp, so if a few more explicit scenes and a focus on romantic tension is not your ideal, then this one might not be for you. I enjoyed this element of the story, especially Lettle and Rayan’s scenes, but I couldn’t quite get on board with Furi and Yeeran; I love the enemies-to-lovers trope as much as the next gal, but I thought that ‘I accidentally killed your brother and now you hate me’-to-lovers was a bit of a stretch. Furi is a magnificent character, and I think my main problem is that I didn’t find Yeeran very likeable and so I don’t think she deserves the fae’s love! All she can think of for most of the book is the elves’ war and getting back to it, never really questioning their endless fighting or listening to her sister’s comments about the Chieftain Salawa. I suspect that she has more character development to undertake…

Overall, though, this was well plotted and well paced, and I enjoyed that all the little hints and mysteries that I noticed along the way come back towards the end in a satisfying way. I’m not sure if I’m interested enough to pick up the next book when it comes out, but I did race through this one and I’m glad I got the chance to read it.

Book Review 📚
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi - 4/5 ⭐

This is my first book by Saara and after reading it, I'm going to find the others! I'm not usually a romtasy kind of girl, only ever reading 1 other series of this type, but I thought why not?! I was visually pulled in by the cover alone. It's beautiful, there's no way anyone can say otherwise.

Now, story. I was slightly disappointed in the lack of descriptions, both world and character wise. It definitely would of made this 5 star for me. The great thing about reading is being pulled from reality but it was harder to imagine the characters and scenes without some description. But I can't fault the rest.

The characters were amazing, the plot was awesome, and the tropes were ever better. There was some great character development, mostly at the end but that's okay! It kept me on my toes. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this book and it kept me from sleep!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and review a copy of this early.

This is a 2.5 stars but on account of my sheer disappointment in this book I'm rounding my rating down to 2 stars.

I read and ADORED The Final Strife, also by this author, earlier this year. It was super compelling with brilliant writing, a well thought out world, and good twists.

I cannot see how this was written by the same author... at all. The writing was so lazy, to the point where we didn't get descriptions for ANYONE or ANYHTING. I had not idea what the landscape or buildings looked like. I had no idea what the characters or animals looked like. And having that persist for 400 pages was actually just painful to read. This seriously needed to be edited.

I also found the plot to meander for far too long. 70% pf this book just does not have any substance to it. It meandered and without having great writing or super compelling characters, it was actually boring. Also, one of the big twists was so predictable and I highly suspect the author didn't realize how obvious it was as they tried to play it off as a cliffhanger shocker between one chapter and the next but like........... we are not that dumb sis.

This just fell so flat for me I didn't find that any component drew me in and yet it had so much potential.