A review by pceldridge
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I was sucked in by TikTok reviews and a beautiful cover. The story was almost good, but overall, this book just didn’t succeed. I found the writing to be clunky, and it lacked effective world building. I wish the author had utilised the strategy of building the world through story telling or education. I was also very uncomfortable with the frequent descriptions of animal cruelty and abuse for the elves benefit, including graphic descriptions of organs and literal skinning of animals. 

The “romance” aspect of this book also fell flat, with big emotional jumps and a lack of  development between the characters. This is absolutely not a groundbreaking adult fantasy book, the love scenes were cringey and forced, and the relationships did not develop naturally in any way. They felt very forced and expected, with no chemistry or magic to be found. Every character was one-dimensional, reactive, and without any  good common sense and communication to be found. 

I listened to this on audio, which also detracted from the book. Bahni Turpin is a great narrator, but her style did not fit this book at all, and made the main characters seem immature and whiney. If you plan to read this book, I recommend reading it on digital or paper. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings