Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
What's It About?
In the first book in an enchanting new trilogy, two elven sisters become imprisoned in the intoxicating world of the fae, where danger and love lie in wait.Faebound (Del Rey) is a new epic fantasy novel from The Faebound Trilogy by author Saara El-Arifi. From start to finish, it’s packed with breathtaking world-building, fascinating magic systems and seductive romance.
In a world where humans, elves and fae once fought for superiority, now there is only the Forever War, pitting elven tribes against one another in a never-ending conflict for resources. Yeeran, a battle-hardened elf warrior, intends to carry on that fight until her ultimate death on the battlefield, but fate has other plans.
Elves Imprisoned Among the Fae
When she makes a grave mistake on her first day as colonel of the Waning Tribe army, she is cast out of elven society. Desperate to restore Yeeran to her rightful place, her sister, Lettle, a fiery young woman on the path to become a diviner, follows her into exile, with Rayan, a captain under Yeeran, hot on her heels.
In the wilderness, Yeeran, Lettle and Rayan come face to face with beings out of history — a people they thought long since gone from the world — the ruthless and beautiful fae. Thrust into a culture and society far from their own, the three elves must contend with everything from anti-elf prejudice to conflicts of the heart as they fight to stay alive and to find the path to freedom beyond the border of the fae realm.
Add in a frustratingly gorgeous yet vicious fae commander, impressive creatures with magic bound in their very skin and a rapidly approaching threat to all of the elves’ lives, and you’re in for a thrilling ride from the very first page.
Stunning and Intricate Worldbuilding
Faebound begins immediately with the mythos and lore of the three races, their gods and their world. El-Arifi’s sweeping style of world-building is stunning. My favorite novels are grounded in well-crafted, deep world-building, and I was entranced by the universe that was created in just the first few chapters.
The political systems and military structure, the flora, fauna and natural world the characters inhabit and the wonderfully realized magic system — drum magic! — that are woven throughout this story are crucial building blocks for the overall success of the plot: and succeed it does!
Amazing Characters and Tension
Page after page, it drew me in with many-faceted characters, the intricacies of this new magic of drumfire and the ever-heightening relationships between enemies-turned-lovers. It’s a fast-paced journey featuring political intrigue, impending doom and of course, glorious romantic tension.
I was attached to Yeeran and Lettle, and their relationship as sisters, very early on. While Yeeran is the skilled soldier, Lettle has just as much fight in her. Where Lettle is seen at times as a caregiver, or even someone with less focus, we also see Yeeran’s softer side in her relationships with her lovers. They are two sides of the same coin, flipping back and forth between who will be soft and who will be steel, and through it all they retain the undying bond of sisterhood.
Both of these women have experienced different hardships, as well as shared strife, and even when they are placed in a world so different from all they know, when they are poked and prodded by fae just for being who they are, their actions remain grounded in a fierce love for one another. Even when they fight, many of their motivations still come from their relationship with each other.
Drama, Suspense — and a Dash of Spice
It was mesmerizing to watch their bond grow and evolve over the course of the novel, and El-Arifi’s writing of these two characters is absolutely exquisite. Her writing emphasizes the intricate relationships between lovers and friends, but the bond between the two sisters struck me as particularly beautiful, amidst all that they have experienced.
Faebound is a captivating fantasy novel with plenty of drama, suspense, plot twists and a few helpings of steamy spice. If you love a book with badass female protagonists, fantastic inclusion and representation, enemies-to-lovers and fated mates romance and twists and turns to the very end, then Faebound is for you!
About Saara El-Arifi:
Saara El-Arifi is the internationally bestselling author of The Final Strife and The Battle Drum, the first two installments of The Ending Fire Trilogy inspired by her Ghanaian and Sudanese heritage. She has lived in many countries, had many jobs, and owned many more cats. After a decade of working in marketing and communications, she returned to academia to complete a master’s degree in African studies alongside her writing career. El-Arifi knew she was a storyteller from the moment she told her first lie. Over the years, she has perfected her tall tales into epic ones. She currently resides in London as a full-time procrastinator.
