A review by bookstaash
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

adventurous 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? No

3.75

In Faebound, two Elven sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, become imprisoned in the world of the fae after being exiled from the Elven Lands. The fae haven’t been seen for a thousand years, and Lettle and Yeeran must lean on each other as they try to navigate this unfamiliar world and work to find their way home. 

This was such a fun read - I really enjoyed the overall story and the writing of the book. There is an incredibly diverse cast of characters, including race, disability rep, and LGBTQ+ representation. El-Arifi’s world building is descriptive, immersive and a good starting point for future books in the series. The lore is compelling, well-thought out, and woven throughout the story - I look forward to learning more as the rest of the trilogy unfolds.

Unfortunately, the romance aspects of this book do feel a little rushed and shallow - I would have appreciated more buildup in the relationships before being told that the characters love each other.
It felt like Furi went from hating Yeeran to being in love with her too quickly, and there wasn’t an opportunity for me to see or understand how/why they fell in love with each other. Further, Yeeran gave up on Salawa somewhat quickly after obsessing about returning to her for half the book. Rayan and Lettle’s relationship had a little bit more substance to it but, it still felt like it was missing something.

Additionally, some plot points were way too predictable - I would have liked for some of the clues to be less obvious, so that those parts of the story would have been a little more compelling for me. I often found myself reading because I enjoyed the ride and not because I needed to know what happened next.
How did none of the characters realize that Komi was A(Komi)do until the last 50 pages of this book? And how did Lettle not realize that her prophecy was referring to the two queens?

Despite my criticisms above, I really enjoyed Faebound and look forward to Book 2! The rich world-building and the glimpses we got of some of the relationships really made reading this worthwhile for me.

I’d recommend Faebound to any romantasy and fantasy readers looking for

🧝🏽‍♀️Sapphic Romance
⚔️Epic Fantasy
💛Sibling Bonds
🗺️ Diverse Cast