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ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content and Genocide
Minor: Toxic relationship
scarroll178's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
The writing style was meh. I haaaated the MC’s love interest and will never want them to be together. I think it sucks that the straight MC got a sweet guy who openly adores her while the sapphic MC got a girl who liked to torture her for fun. And every. single. plot twist was utterly predictable. Every single one. This book is bad. And not fun bad, not guilty-pleasure bad, but just bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Torture, and Murder
linnybear's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
If someone told me it’s a debut I’d believe them 💀 Completely subjectively speaking, it’s not a well written book, in any possible way. The author definitely fell into a trap of excessive tropification of romantasy and in my opinion it negatively affected the story making it incredibly cliché and predictable. You DO NOT give the reader ‘one bedroom trope’ in chapter 9 while barely establishing any kind of romantic relationship between characters, you DO NOT introduce the new enemy to make the mc swoon over the curves of their body a minute later making the reader go ‘ah so we have enemy to lovers’ (despite said mc apparently still loving her ex partner!). These can be your favorite tropes and I’m not here to judge that but the tropes also exist for a reason and they have their own place and time. This is something that over time made me irritated and yet it doesn’t get better as you progress through the story.
Talking about the storyline, it is so predictable almost from the start and the clues are constantly given away by the author in a form of prophecies. No matter the situation the stakes felt very low making it unengaging and instead we are forced to focus on characters’ internal struggles and romantic affairs, yet… This book has possibly the worst developed (or rather undeveloped) relationships I’ve ever encountered which is somewhat connected to incredibly flat, almost robotic characters. There is no logic in their actions, there is no thought (given their ages and previous positions in the elven society it’s absolutely bizarre), there is no depth, or growth, or complexity. Instead we are left with lots of angst, lust and cringy dialogue. Possibly the biggest red flag in all of this was the normalization of dishonesty, infidelity and abuse making some, if not all, relationships (including those between family members) really toxic as these issues are never properly addressed and resolved.
The only positive aspect of this series so far would be the world building. Don’t get me wrong, it is still severely lacking but I found some of the ideas (like the existence of three races made by three different gods or the fae curse) really interesting and worth expanding. I wish it was enough for me to read the book two once it’s out but I don’t think it’s truly worth my time.
Talking about the storyline, it is so predictable almost from the start and the clues are constantly given away by the author in a form of prophecies. No matter the situation the stakes felt very low making it unengaging and instead we are forced to focus on characters’ internal struggles and romantic affairs, yet… This book has possibly the worst developed (or rather undeveloped) relationships I’ve ever encountered which is somewhat connected to incredibly flat, almost robotic characters. There is no logic in their actions, there is no thought (given their ages and previous positions in the elven society it’s absolutely bizarre), there is no depth, or growth, or complexity. Instead we are left with lots of angst, lust and cringy dialogue. Possibly the biggest red flag in all of this was the normalization of dishonesty, infidelity and abuse making some, if not all, relationships (including those between family members) really toxic as these issues are never properly addressed and resolved.
The only positive aspect of this series so far would be the world building. Don’t get me wrong, it is still severely lacking but I found some of the ideas (like the existence of three races made by three different gods or the fae curse) really interesting and worth expanding. I wish it was enough for me to read the book two once it’s out but I don’t think it’s truly worth my time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Grief, Animal death, Racism, War, Murder, and Genocide
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
fairyollie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
it is so rare to find a book with a main character who is not just disabled, but disabled and sexy, and strong, and smart. i love the diversity of the characters and the world in Faebound, how gender, sexuality, and disability all were natural facets of life (as they should be). such a beautiful book, with stunning world-building, rich lore, and intriguing, complex characters. cannot wait for the rest in the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Xenophobia, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Dementia, and Grief
asahome's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
TL;DR: A woman discovers a new path forward when she can no longer serve in her nation’s army. Her sister and friend join her in exile to bring her back when they are captured by a group thought to be fairy tales.
I love how they handled the relationships. The way they respected the established relationship at the beginning and the new relationships were respectful and realistic. The relationships weren't one size fits all either. While the main characters didn't necessarily indulge in multiple partners, there was no judgement on those who did. The society built was accepting of all relationships including the ones around gender. "Like many elves, Motogo's gender was as flexible as the weather..."
There were a couple things I guessed before they happened, but it’s better that way in my opinion so it doesn’t feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. There were one or two things that surprised me as well.
The way the book handled war was also powerful. It put the politicians at the center and I respect that. People forget why wars are fought and this was a stark reminder. It didn’t shy away from classism either. All in all, I thought it was a fantastic book.
I love how they handled the relationships. The way they respected the established relationship at the beginning and the new relationships were respectful and realistic. The relationships weren't one size fits all either. While the main characters didn't necessarily indulge in multiple partners, there was no judgement on those who did. The society built was accepting of all relationships including the ones around gender. "Like many elves, Motogo's gender was as flexible as the weather..."
There were a couple things I guessed before they happened, but it’s better that way in my opinion so it doesn’t feel like it’s coming out of nowhere. There were one or two things that surprised me as well.
The way the book handled war was also powerful. It put the politicians at the center and I respect that. People forget why wars are fought and this was a stark reminder. It didn’t shy away from classism either. All in all, I thought it was a fantastic book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, Classism, Grief, Animal death, and War
Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Racial slurs, Child death, and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping, Slavery, and Trafficking
Racial Slurs: the fae referred to those unbound as "lightless" as a condition Slavery/Kidnapping/Trafficking: refers to child soldiers that could be found or sold into service by family members Classism: refers to the way the fae treat those unboundtardisbookcat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I loved the potential of the world building but wasn’t aware this was more romantasy. I hope that the next book has less spice and more lore, more on par with Battle Drum.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Death, Genocide, and Violence
Minor: Confinement and Colonisation
Started a bit slowly but after the first few chapters I wasn’t able to put it down.pjwhyman's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Violence, War, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Animal death, and Child abuse
Minor: Genocide and Chronic illness
gussurireads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was really looking forward to Faebound's release; picked it up as soon as it arrived at my local bookstore. So it pained me to realize, as I was reading it, that Faebound had failed to meet my expectations. I should know by now that expectations are dangerous.
There's nothing particularly wrong with Faebound. Saara El-Arifi's prose is simple, but effective. Reminds me a lot of C.L. Clark's The Unbroken. The world she created is quite imaginative and the twists and turns revealed in the third act made me want to read more, so I will be picking up the sequel.
However, everything else feels quite unremarkable. The two main characters whose POV were are privy to read younger than they are, making the book read like a YA fiction when it's marketed as adult. I expected more tension between Yeeran and her love interest, their relationship barely having any time to develop properly, rendering the enemies-to-lovers trope quite irrelevant, in my opinion. Besides, Yeeran spends almost the entirety of her time in exile mourning this woman who's portrayed to us an ambiguous chieftain, who's both ruthless and caring at the same time. But we barely get to know her, so the constant allusions to Yeeran and her love for her became irritating. From the glimpse we have of Salawa and her actions towards Yeeran and their people, she sounds nothing more than a corrupt politician lavishing in riches while her people starve.
And on a more personal note and this is truly a quirk of mine and not at all a real issue with the book, but Yeeran's obeah (this panther/deer fae creature that she's bound to) being named Pila diminished the enjoyment of the book for me. I just couldn't take it seriously after THAT. (Context: Pila means "dick" in my native language, Portuguese.)
Unfortunately I didn't get what I wanted out of Faebound but I can see it being a favorite for some, especially if you're into romantasy and lighter fantasy reads.
There's nothing particularly wrong with Faebound. Saara El-Arifi's prose is simple, but effective. Reminds me a lot of C.L. Clark's The Unbroken. The world she created is quite imaginative and the twists and turns revealed in the third act made me want to read more, so I will be picking up the sequel.
However, everything else feels quite unremarkable. The two main characters whose POV were are privy to read younger than they are, making the book read like a YA fiction when it's marketed as adult. I expected more tension between Yeeran and her love interest, their relationship barely having any time to develop properly, rendering the enemies-to-lovers trope quite irrelevant, in my opinion. Besides, Yeeran spends almost the entirety of her time in exile mourning this woman who's portrayed to us an ambiguous chieftain, who's both ruthless and caring at the same time. But we barely get to know her, so the constant allusions to Yeeran and her love for her became irritating. From the glimpse we have of Salawa and her actions towards Yeeran and their people, she sounds nothing more than a corrupt politician lavishing in riches while her people starve.
And on a more personal note and this is truly a quirk of mine and not at all a real issue with the book, but Yeeran's obeah (this panther/deer fae creature that she's bound to) being named Pila diminished the enjoyment of the book for me. I just couldn't take it seriously after THAT. (Context: Pila means "dick" in my native language, Portuguese.)
Unfortunately I didn't get what I wanted out of Faebound but I can see it being a favorite for some, especially if you're into romantasy and lighter fantasy reads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death, Murder, Violence, Genocide, and Alcoholism
chelsea_nailpolishlover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
From start to finish I was enthralled. I couldn’t put this book down.
From the care shown to not only gender and sexuality, but to race, and disability. This book had it all. The struggles of political and moral discourse. The discrimination against those who are different. The devastation brought on by war. The struggles of what is right and what is just. The author did an amazing job. It was absolutely fantastic.
This book was very war focused, with a few different love stories between multiple POV’s. I really enjoyed having the multiple view points. The way they intertwined with each other between the timeline of events was beautifully done.
My favorite character was Lettle. She was treated like a child, she was put down, but she was so incredibly strong. She showed everyone what she was made of. I love her character so much.
If you loved fourth wing and the banter with the characters and their dragon familiars then you’ll loveeeeee this book!
I did personally struggle with one of the TW’s, the malnutrition and starvation aspect that was brought up multiple times during the book. As someone who was starved and malnourished to the point of almost dying it brought up a lot of emotions for me, that I thought I had worked through. There was a particular moment in the book about half way through that hit me hard. I don’t know if the author has ever had to also go through a situation where they were starved and malnourished but they wrote like they knew exactly what someone who’s been through that would say and feel. It didn’t feel mocking, it didn’t feel like it was an after thought. The emotions that were expressed while discussing those things were present. And accurate.
As hard as it was for me emotionally I hope it puts into perspective for some people who have never been through something like that, that they can imagine the difficulties and trauma it causes someone. How often that trauma pops up. And how words about food, and eating can affect the people around you without you even realizing it.
A mix of Tropes, and TW’s just to name a few -
found family, enemies to lovers, familiars, murder, death, war, starvation/malnourishment, friends to lovers, WW, MM, MW, disability representation, discrimination, gore, animal death, descriptive language of desecration of animal remains, hunting, confinement.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️
From start to finish I was enthralled. I couldn’t put this book down.
From the care shown to not only gender and sexuality, but to race, and disability. This book had it all. The struggles of political and moral discourse. The discrimination against those who are different. The devastation brought on by war. The struggles of what is right and what is just. The author did an amazing job. It was absolutely fantastic.
This book was very war focused, with a few different love stories between multiple POV’s. I really enjoyed having the multiple view points. The way they intertwined with each other between the timeline of events was beautifully done.
My favorite character was Lettle. She was treated like a child, she was put down, but she was so incredibly strong. She showed everyone what she was made of. I love her character so much.
If you loved fourth wing and the banter with the characters and their dragon familiars then you’ll loveeeeee this book!
I did personally struggle with one of the TW’s, the malnutrition and starvation aspect that was brought up multiple times during the book. As someone who was starved and malnourished to the point of almost dying it brought up a lot of emotions for me, that I thought I had worked through. There was a particular moment in the book about half way through that hit me hard. I don’t know if the author has ever had to also go through a situation where they were starved and malnourished but they wrote like they knew exactly what someone who’s been through that would say and feel. It didn’t feel mocking, it didn’t feel like it was an after thought. The emotions that were expressed while discussing those things were present. And accurate.
As hard as it was for me emotionally I hope it puts into perspective for some people who have never been through something like that, that they can imagine the difficulties and trauma it causes someone. How often that trauma pops up. And how words about food, and eating can affect the people around you without you even realizing it.
A mix of Tropes, and TW’s just to name a few -
found family, enemies to lovers, familiars, murder, death, war, starvation/malnourishment, friends to lovers, WW, MM, MW, disability representation, discrimination, gore, animal death, descriptive language of desecration of animal remains, hunting, confinement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Chronic illness, Violence, Child death, Alcoholism, War, Confinement, Animal cruelty, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Gore, Death, Colonisation, Bullying, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Murder, Genocide, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Classism, and Animal death
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