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A review by kaitie_reads
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was a good read... but missing some elements to be a fantastic read.
I did enjoy the worldbuilding and the lore in this story. The writing is beautiful too. As far as having diverse characters; this is an amazing read. It has some light disability representation, LGBTQ representation (including m+f and sapphic relationships), and non-binary characters. While reading, I felt captivated by the politics and structure of the world. There was also a decent amount of romantic tension and relationship building (a note that it is marketed as romantic fantasy).
A downside for me is that the pacing of the story was quite slow at times. I also feel that because of the slow pacing, the writing lacked some description. I'm still a little bit confused about the scene setting, I'm unsure what an Obeah (a creature central to the story) looks like altogether, and some other details felt vague but were major plot points. Aspects of the relationships also felt kind of unbelievable or rushed at times. The characters change their minds about how they feel very quickly, but this does work because the stakes are high in a world of ongoing war and prejudice. I still don't feel like I am attached to any of the characters, but I think in subsequent books, they could grow on me.
Without saying too much (at the risk of spoilers), the animal companions are amazing.
Overall, I'm looking forward to where the story goes in the next installment!
I did enjoy the worldbuilding and the lore in this story. The writing is beautiful too. As far as having diverse characters; this is an amazing read. It has some light disability representation, LGBTQ representation (including m+f and sapphic relationships), and non-binary characters. While reading, I felt captivated by the politics and structure of the world. There was also a decent amount of romantic tension and relationship building (a note that it is marketed as romantic fantasy).
A downside for me is that the pacing of the story was quite slow at times. I also feel that because of the slow pacing, the writing lacked some description. I'm still a little bit confused about the scene setting, I'm unsure what an Obeah (a creature central to the story) looks like altogether, and some other details felt vague but were major plot points. Aspects of the relationships also felt kind of unbelievable or rushed at times. The characters change their minds about how they feel very quickly, but this does work because the stakes are high in a world of ongoing war and prejudice. I still don't feel like I am attached to any of the characters, but I think in subsequent books, they could grow on me.
Without saying too much (at the risk of spoilers), the animal companions are amazing.
Overall, I'm looking forward to where the story goes in the next installment!