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A review by brewdy_reader
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
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
𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘋𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘖𝘝
𝘈𝘙𝘊 • 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 23 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2024
War stories have become increasingly popular within the romantasy sub-genre. Faebound combines this and other familiar fantasy tropes with unique elements in a a fun, easily consumable package. There will be:
✨ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 (𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴)
✨ 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
✨ 𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 (𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤)
✨ 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 (𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴)
✨ 𝘧𝘢𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵
✨ 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 & 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦
✨ 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳
✨ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦
✨ 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴
I appreciated that the book was written in a queer and disability-normative, gender-fluid, and racially-ambiguous way. Instead of riding dragons or horses, here we ride obeahs and camels. And of course, there's going to be a journey across realms and a very fancy map in the endpapers worth ogling.
What did not work as well for me in this story was the writing. It felt simplistic relative to other high fantasy (or even romantasy) adult novels. I would say this leaned YA (dialogue, descriptions, mostly fade to black, predictable storyline, complexity of magic). I would like the characters and relationships to have been developed in greater depth also.
There were some great one liners, moments of reflection, and a few surprise twists! I definitely will sign up to read volume 2.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘋𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
𝘈𝘙𝘊 • 𝘗𝘶𝘣 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦 23 𝘑𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘺 2024
War stories have become increasingly popular within the romantasy sub-genre. Faebound combines this and other familiar fantasy tropes with unique elements in a a fun, easily consumable package. There will be:
✨ 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 (𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴)
✨ 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
✨ 𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 (𝘥𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤)
✨ 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 (𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴)
✨ 𝘧𝘢𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵
✨ 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘰𝘧 & 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦
✨ 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳
✨ 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦
✨ 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴
I appreciated that the book was written in a queer and disability-normative, gender-fluid, and racially-ambiguous way. Instead of riding dragons or horses, here we ride obeahs and camels. And of course, there's going to be a journey across realms and a very fancy map in the endpapers worth ogling.
What did not work as well for me in this story was the writing. It felt simplistic relative to other high fantasy (or even romantasy) adult novels. I would say this leaned YA (dialogue, descriptions, mostly fade to black, predictable storyline, complexity of magic). I would like the characters and relationships to have been developed in greater depth also.
There were some great one liners, moments of reflection, and a few surprise twists! I definitely will sign up to read volume 2.
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘋𝘦𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, War, Animal death, Hate crime, and Classism