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mitzee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I love the connection between creatures and people, something I really enjoyed about The Drowning Empire. Although magic was talked about in this book I felt like it wasn’t heavily featured, I wonder if it will be come more prominent in the rest of the series.
Summary for myself:
Yeeran and Little are sisters who share the same father. Yeeran was a general in the Queen’s Army and Rian is a solder under her command. Yeeran ends up being exiled and sent out of the kingdom, Lettle and Rian go after her. In the wild Yeeran kills an obia (oh-bee-yah - a beast that sounds like a bear+deer, it has both antlers and claws, potentially even sharp teeth but I think they only eat veg) for food or something and that’s when they realize that these animals are bound to a Fae. The Fae and Humans are said to have died off long ago and only elves are left but it seems that Fae were just cursed to live in a secret world (underground?)
While Yeeran, Lettle, and Rian are taken prisoner because Yeeran killed the obia bound to the prince -which then also killed the prince - they end up becoming part of the fae world. Yeeran and Rian find out they have fae blood (they don’t know their parents well) and not only random fae blood but dynastic fae blood. Yeeran fell in love with the queen. Lettle and Rian fell in love with each other. Yeeran wants to leave and only royalty can let them go. Lettle begs her to stay/ not abandon her again for WAR and she basically does not. It’s fucked. Book ends with Yeeran leaving while Rian is king or prince and Lettle is a Seer (like a diviner) and they both stay.
Summary for myself:
While Yeeran, Lettle, and Rian are taken prisoner because Yeeran killed the obia bound to the prince -which then also killed the prince - they end up becoming part of the fae world. Yeeran and Rian find out they have fae blood (they don’t know their parents well) and not only random fae blood but dynastic fae blood. Yeeran fell in love with the queen. Lettle and Rian fell in love with each other. Yeeran wants to leave and only royalty can let them go. Lettle begs her to stay/ not abandon her again for WAR and she basically does not. It’s fucked. Book ends with Yeeran leaving while Rian is king or prince and Lettle is a Seer (like a diviner) and they both stay.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Murder
kailawalton's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Loved the magic system in this book. The animal companionship aspect of this book. The unique story and good world building. I will say Lettle got on my nerves a little bit. Acted very immature at times for her age in the book. Otherwise, really liked it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Murder, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
bibliomich's review against another edition
adventurous
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
Faebound hooked me from the first chapter, and this ended up being quite a quick read for me, especially as someone who typically takes a long time to finish fantasy novels.
What I appreciated:
- Diverse character representation
- The setting of Mosima; I could truly picture the landscape, and the underground world that El-Arifi imagined was so vibrant and beautifully described.
- The relationships between the characters, especially the complicated sister relationship between Yeeran & Lettle
- The different systems of magic
What would have made this book even better:
- The end of the novel felt a little rushed to me. I appreciate that this was structured to be the first in a series, and I was completely okay with the loose ends and questions that we were left with at the end of the book. But I still felt like so many hugely significant events happened in a very short period of time, and we don't really get to see the characters process these events.
- I would have loved to have seen the obeah play a more prominent role in the book. I don't want to say much more, as I don't want to provide any spoilers, but I will just say that this was one particular area where I was really hoping for *more*.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series. Thank you to NetGalley for my digital ARC.
What I appreciated:
- Diverse character representation
- The setting of Mosima; I could truly picture the landscape, and the underground world that El-Arifi imagined was so vibrant and beautifully described.
- The relationships between the characters, especially the complicated sister relationship between Yeeran & Lettle
- The different systems of magic
What would have made this book even better:
- The end of the novel felt a little rushed to me. I appreciate that this was structured to be the first in a series, and I was completely okay with the loose ends and questions that we were left with at the end of the book. But I still felt like so many hugely significant events happened in a very short period of time, and we don't really get to see the characters process these events.
- I would have loved to have seen the obeah play a more prominent role in the book. I don't want to say much more, as I don't want to provide any spoilers, but I will just say that this was one particular area where I was really hoping for *more*.
I'm very much looking forward to the next installment in the series. Thank you to NetGalley for my digital ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Classism, and Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Minor: Dementia and Sexual content
becann's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Overall an amazing read! Incredibly well written and truly draws you into the world. Lots of twists and turns keep you engaged throughout the book.
There were a few moments that left me a bit confused by the authors choices, but those moments were overshadowed by how interesting and thought provoking the rest of the book is.
There were a few moments that left me a bit confused by the authors choices, but those moments were overshadowed by how interesting and thought provoking the rest of the book is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Animal death
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, War, Animal cruelty, and Violence
ofbooksandechos's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Murder, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Medical content, Classism, and Blood
Minor: Police brutality, Grief, and Toxic relationship
Other CWs: Fictional racism, death of a family member, fictional confinement, starvation, poverty, references to Kwarshiorkor in children, mention of child soldiersasahome'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 unboundceredonia's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.25
That was a fantastic start to a series. Lots of imagination, great character building, lots of world building but it all worked. The writing was a bit simplistic, and the timeline felt rushed. The sapphic love was well done, and the nonbinary and disabled aspects were also handled well. I would have actually enjoyed it being longer. Definitely looking forward to more!
Also, Pila is adorable. Her and Andara from FW would be good friends.
Also, Pila is adorable. Her and Andara from FW would be good friends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Murder, Animal death, Chronic illness, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
maresuju's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Animal death, and Violence
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexual content, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Grief
steen19's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Yeeran makes a deadly mistake on her first day as a colonel in the elven army, getting herself exiled. Lettle (her sister) and Rayan (her friend from the army) go into the woods after her. The three of them encounter a group of fae, thought to be extinct, and get captured.
It’s dual POV, switching between the two sisters. It’s firmly fantasy, with a teeny tiny romance subplot for both sisters, towards the end.
This took a minute to get going. The first 10% is Yeeran’s mistake and exile, followed by another 10% of Lettle and Rayan walking through the woods to find Yeeran. Overall, it didn't really get going until about 40% in. There’s a lot of lore being established early on.
As prophesies begin to come together, the story gets interesting. I stayed up for hours reading once I reached the second half. I’m super interested to see what happens in book 2.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!
It’s dual POV, switching between the two sisters. It’s firmly fantasy, with a teeny tiny romance subplot for both sisters, towards the end.
This took a minute to get going. The first 10% is Yeeran’s mistake and exile, followed by another 10% of Lettle and Rayan walking through the woods to find Yeeran. Overall, it didn't really get going until about 40% in. There’s a lot of lore being established early on.
As prophesies begin to come together, the story gets interesting. I stayed up for hours reading once I reached the second half. I’m super interested to see what happens in book 2.
Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Faebound was ultimately very disappointing to me. I’ve heard such good things about the author’s first trilogy (which is still on my TBR!) but Faebound didn’t work for me. I think it was originally advertised as an epic fantasy, but it is romantasy. That is no hate to romantasy, I was just expecting something different.
As a romantasy, it does the job. The romance for both couples was very insta-love, including the “enemies to lovers” one. For those playing the trope game though, there is a queer “who did this to you?” Which is quite excellent.
I found the pacing uneven; the first 50% was a slog and the last 50% jammed packed. I also felt the writing read more YA than adult, which the book is advertised as. The characters also act very young, though they are all late 20s and early 30s (there is some in story explanation for this but it was hard for me to translate still).
However, the world was so interesting! El-Arifi really said “why choose?” And wrote a whole world with Elves, Humans, AND Fae. I liked the mythology behind the races as well. I also really liked how she showed the dark realities of war and what that means for how people are raised during a neverending one.
I also loved the sheer amount of diverse characters. A+ no notes.
I received this copy through NetGalley for an honest review.
I received this copy through NetGalley for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Animal death, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Violence, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy