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A review by alyssarenee
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The good:
- I really appreciated the diverse cast of characters (race, gender, sexuality, disabilities) and how normalized much of this is in society.
- Loved the concept of the world and magic, though the worldbuilding could have been better. I hope that future books will dive into the elven culture more and we get a more rational explanation of the war.
The not so great:
- Not an actual criticism, but, wow I hate the elves' magic system and their obsession with killing obeah (and with war). This was a bold way to open the book.
- I'm not one for military fantasy, luckily this becomes less of a focus later in the book.
- The author really hits you over the head with repetitive foreshadowing and prophecies. As a result, the plot is predictable, yet none of the characters seem able to put 2 and 2 together. The last "reveal" is especially egregious. A lot of the lore is explained straight off the bat when it might have served the story better to have a little more mystery.
- All of the characters are super hot and we're reminded of this every few pages because everyone is so thirsty despite being in a brutal war, or held captive and supposedly terrified for their lives
- Romantasy readers might enjoy this more. I am not a fan of extraneous romance or spice in my fantasy. All the romance felt rushed, underdeveloped, and honestly a bit weird in some of the contexts.
- None of the characters really hit for me. They felt pretty surface level, and all seemed to act much younger than their age. Yeeran is especially unlikeable and unsympathetic. She's bloodthirsty, prejudiced, and very naive/ignorant when it comes to the elven war. She gets only mildly more tolerable throughout the story. Maybe she will have a bit more growth in the next installment when she returns to the elven lands with a fresh perspective .
- The writing just wasn't good. Clunky and awkward, and could have used some more thorough editing.
Giving this a 2.75 rounded up, there were some big flaws that could not be ignored and took me out of the story. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series or not. I imagine Booktok romantasy readers will enjoy this one.
Thank you to the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
- I really appreciated the diverse cast of characters (race, gender, sexuality, disabilities) and how normalized much of this is in society.
- Loved the concept of the world and magic, though the worldbuilding could have been better. I hope that future books will dive into the elven culture more and we get a more rational explanation of the war.
The not so great:
- Not an actual criticism, but, wow I hate the elves' magic system and their obsession with killing obeah (and with war). This was a bold way to open the book.
- I'm not one for military fantasy, luckily this becomes less of a focus later in the book.
- The author really hits you over the head with repetitive foreshadowing and prophecies. As a result, the plot is predictable, yet none of the characters seem able to put 2 and 2 together. The last "reveal" is especially egregious. A lot of the lore is explained straight off the bat when it might have served the story better to have a little more mystery.
- All of the characters are super hot and we're reminded of this every few pages because everyone is so thirsty despite being in a brutal war,
- Romantasy readers might enjoy this more. I am not a fan of extraneous romance or spice in my fantasy. All the romance felt rushed, underdeveloped, and honestly a bit weird in some of the contexts.
- None of the characters really hit for me. They felt pretty surface level, and all seemed to act much younger than their age. Yeeran is especially unlikeable and unsympathetic. She's bloodthirsty, prejudiced, and very naive/ignorant when it comes to the elven war. She gets only mildly more tolerable throughout the story. Maybe she will have a bit more growth in the next installment when
- The writing just wasn't good. Clunky and awkward, and could have used some more thorough editing.
Giving this a 2.75 rounded up, there were some big flaws that could not be ignored and took me out of the story. I'm not sure if I'll continue the series or not. I imagine Booktok romantasy readers will enjoy this one.
Thank you to the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexual content, Animal death, and Xenophobia