Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
really liked this and i truly didnt see the plot twists coming. except for the one abt nerad murdering the queens
the world felt very vibrant and interesting, and i was interested in the politics of it all
however the enemies to lovers plot line felt rushed and escalated too quickly in my opinion, and i felt like the sex scenes between yeeran and furi were unnecessary and didnt do much to further the plot. i however feel the opposite about lettle and rayan,, which is annoying bc i dont normally like straight romance but i digress.
i would be interested in reading the rest of the series bc especially bc we dont really figure out how yeeran becomes faebound ? also the magic system is cool
the world felt very vibrant and interesting, and i was interested in the politics of it all
however the enemies to lovers plot line felt rushed and escalated too quickly in my opinion, and i felt like the sex scenes between yeeran and furi were unnecessary and didnt do much to further the plot. i however feel the opposite about lettle and rayan,, which is annoying bc i dont normally like straight romance but i digress.
i would be interested in reading the rest of the series bc especially bc we dont really figure out how
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks to Del Rey Books for the free copy of this book.
- Saara El-Arifi is so good at creating dark fantasy worlds that are full of both war and love. I also love how she seamlessly includes queer and disabled people throughout her stories.
- Yeeran and Lettle are a great pair of sisters, loving each other and also being annoyed as heck with each other because they don’t see eye to eye.
- Here’s the thing about FAEBOUND - I could see exactly where the plot was going at every turn and I loved reading it anyway. Everything was predictable, but I enjoyed by time in this world and am looking forward to the sequel.
- Saara El-Arifi is so good at creating dark fantasy worlds that are full of both war and love. I also love how she seamlessly includes queer and disabled people throughout her stories.
- Yeeran and Lettle are a great pair of sisters, loving each other and also being annoyed as heck with each other because they don’t see eye to eye.
- Here’s the thing about FAEBOUND - I could see exactly where the plot was going at every turn and I loved reading it anyway. Everything was predictable, but I enjoyed by time in this world and am looking forward to the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
From a critical perspective, I'd probably rate this book more like a 4, but I enjoyed this book so much I had to give it a solid 5.
Yeeran and Lettle have their ups and downs as sisters, but I enjoyed each of their unique journeys throughout this story despite being together for most of it.
I enjoyed many of the other secondary characters as well. It was refreshing to be captivated by the magic, the world building, and all of the different character stories.
I knew going into this book that I'd have to wait for the next one, but I think I'll be more impatient than I anticipated. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Yeeran and Lettle have their ups and downs as sisters, but I enjoyed each of their unique journeys throughout this story despite being together for most of it.
I enjoyed many of the other secondary characters as well. It was refreshing to be captivated by the magic, the world building, and all of the different character stories.
I knew going into this book that I'd have to wait for the next one, but I think I'll be more impatient than I anticipated. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Murder, War
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, War
Minor: Child death
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, War
Moderate: Death of parent
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I want to give this higher but it just didnt quite grab me in.
pros:
- loved the descriptions and worldbuilding, esp. with Mosima, outfits, landscapes and the fae creatures. Really beautiful and vivid.
- the plot twists were interesting and (mostly) surprising and kept you on your toes! especially liked Yerran getting Pila the obeah
- I liked the depth of the characters, with Yeeran not believing in prophercy like Lettle does and it being a sticking point even as they love each other, and Yeeran's relationships with Salawa and Furi.
- the side characters, like Komi, Golan, the prince, Furi and Rayan (kind of) were all interesting and explored, and all came into play.
- also enjoyed how different the characters were and their voices, with Lettle being impulsive and lighthearted compared to serious Yeeran. and the obeah's voices were brilliantly done, funny and sweet and a bit alien too.
- the start was gripping and you really feel for lettle, yeeran and everyone in the war. its emotive and worrying for the characters when everything goes to shit for them!
- I also liked that this was more adult and didnt shy from the violence of war and death and adult relationships (quite in contrast to the prev YA fantasy bk I read).
READ).
- It also felt like a new spin on tropes like fae, curses, prophecy, etc.
cons:
- mostly, I just didn't get very gripped overall. I picked it up and put it down and wasn't especially compelled. I cant really say why, maybe the stakes were lower mid and later in the book?
- too many characters a bit. I forgot who people were, incl. the prince and sode characters, Hosta and the guy Yeeran killed.
- some of the plot twists were a bit obvious, or they felt like they were trying to shock but didnt manage it. I didnt feel much about the queen dying bc we'd already had like 500 elves die bc of yeeran and the fae prince and the prophercy made it seem like it was just *shrug* inevitable
- wasnt super keen on te actual prophercy bits either. loved lettle's character and how she interacted with prophercy but I'm not one to rly enjoy foregone conclusions/tragedies so a bit blah if Rayan does die like in the prophercy. also thought Rayan would push more about Lettle's completely random toing and froing without explanation??
- also thought Furi and Yeeran moved a bit fast.
but overall, I did enjoy this! esp the feel of originality, the diverse (incl. nb) characters, and the worldbuilding, and I would like to know what happens in the next book.
pros:
- loved the descriptions and worldbuilding, esp. with Mosima, outfits, landscapes and the fae creatures. Really beautiful and vivid.
- the plot twists were interesting and (mostly) surprising and kept you on your toes!
- I liked the depth of the characters, with Yeeran not believing in prophercy like Lettle does and it being a sticking point even as they love each other, and Yeeran's relationships
- the side characters, like Komi, Golan, the prince, Furi and Rayan (kind of) were all interesting and explored, and all came into play.
- also enjoyed how different the characters were and their voices, with Lettle being impulsive and lighthearted compared to serious Yeeran. and the obeah's voices were brilliantly done, funny and sweet and a bit alien too.
- the start was gripping and you really feel for lettle, yeeran and everyone in the war. its emotive and worrying for the characters when everything goes to shit for them!
- I also liked that this was more adult and didnt shy from the violence of war and death and adult relationships (quite in contrast to the prev YA fantasy bk I read).
READ).
- It also felt like a new spin on tropes like fae, curses, prophecy, etc.
cons:
- mostly, I just didn't get very gripped overall. I picked it up and put it down and wasn't especially compelled. I cant really say why, maybe the stakes were lower mid and later in the book?
- too many characters a bit. I forgot who people were, incl. the prince and sode characters, Hosta and the guy Yeeran killed.
- some of the plot twists were a bit obvious, or they felt like they were trying to shock but didnt manage it. I didnt feel much about
- wasnt super keen on te actual prophercy bits either. loved lettle's character and how she interacted with prophercy but I'm not one to rly enjoy foregone conclusions/tragedies so a bit blah if
- also thought Furi and Yeeran moved a bit fast.
but overall, I did enjoy this! esp the feel of originality, the diverse (incl. nb) characters, and the worldbuilding, and I would like to know what happens in the next book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a wonderful twist on the 'Fae' trope. I am trying to read more diverse books/authors (as a white woman) and since fantasy is one of my favorite genres, this totally hit the mark for me! I'm only disappointe that the next book isn't out until next year.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Dementia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Alcohol
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
📱
I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained. I liked the worldbuilding. I felt this book did more telling than showing.
I enjoyed this book. It kept me entertained. I liked the worldbuilding. I felt this book did more telling than showing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual content, War
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol