Faebound: A Novel (The Faebound Trilogy Book 1)

Jazelle

Spellbinding and Immersive

"🦇 Faebound Book Review 🦇 🦇 Yeeran is a warrior in the elven army and has known nothing but violence her whole life. Her sister, Lettle, is trying to make a living as a diviner, seeking prophecies of a better future. When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven lands, they are both forced into the terrifying wilderness beyond their borders. There they encounter the impossible: the fae court. The fae haven’t been seen for a millennium. But now Yeeran and Lettle are thrust into their seductive world – torn between their loyalty to each other, their elven homeland, and their hearts. 💜 I'm honestly struggling to write this review. Faebound is immediately spellbinding, the world-building vivid yet not too intricate. The writing is immersive, woven from threads of African and Arab cultures. This is the perfect read for Pride Month, especially for romantasy readers. The normalcy surrounding queerness and gender neutrality from the start is absolute gold ("[Their] gender was as flexible as the weather, accepted like the fall of rain, and change welcomed like the turns of seasons."); a breathtaking delight that fits perfectly into any fantasy realm. The story's sapphic relationship is layered and interesting; I only wish it was given more time to develop and blossom. 💜 Perhaps I'm biased (I have three younger sisters), but I absolutely love stories involving sisters. Yeeran and Lettle give the story balance, their distinct personalities and viewpoints of the world giving us insight without too much sway in one direction. The little "journal" at the end with everyone's handwritten notes was the perfect addition to the story; a cute glossary that's often necessary for hefty world-building. 💙 As much as I loved the writing, the characters, the themes, and even the setting...the plot felt lacking to me. There's a moment where the story slows as the characters grow complacent in their new surroundings, which would have been a great opportunity to delve into the mythology or culture. Puzzle pieces are set up a bit too obviously, too; the twists are easy to anticipate. Regardless, I'm curious to see how the story continues. 🦇 Recommended for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, Girls of Paper and Fire, Spice Road, and Legends & Lattes. ✨ The Vibes ✨ 🥁 Queer FMC/Sapphic Ships (Queernormativity) 🍃 Fantasy Fiction/Romantasy (Fae & Elves) 🥁 Dual POV (Sisters) 🍃 Rivals to Lovers 🥁 Afro/Arab World 🍃 First of a Trilogy 🥁 BIPOC Author 💬 Quotes ❝ And where there is value, there is power, and where there is power, violence will always brew. ❞ ❝ ‘You are the fire of my heart, and the beat of my drum. I am yours under moonlight. Until the rhythm sings no more.’ ❞ ❝ Love and hate are oil and water, separate but similar, and sometimes they swirl together, making it difficult to tell one from the other. ❞ ❝ You look for ways to gain power over feelings that make you powerless. ❞ ❝ ‘We must let the wind of change ease our flight, not hinder it,’ ❞ ["

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July 10, 2024 Verified Purchase

Greyson

Prophecies, War, and Family Ties

"Faebound follows two sisters, one a newly appointed commander (Yeeran) of the elvish army, and the other a diviner (Lettle). Lettle came to Yeeran with a prophecy she interpreted and Yeeran's decisions led her to follow Lettle's divining. In doing so she was exiled from the elven lands and Lettle followed. On their journeys - Yeeran to find a way to be welcomed back, and Lettle to find her sister, they are captured by the fae, a race the elves long thought extinct. The rest of the book follows both sisters learning to live amongst the fae, finding love, losing it, and learning so much more about who they are in the process. This book was so good. Most of my five star reads I fly through, but this one I loved savoring the story. I spent so much time seeing if I could find the events in where Lettle's prophecies may be true, trying to see if I could sparse out who the villain was, and honestly just enjoying how both sisters learned and adjusted to being thrown into a new life. It was a fantastic commentary on race relations, action intentionality, and politics. 10/10 will absolutely be recommending to everyone I know. ["

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January 7, 2025 Verified Purchase

Ashley Allen

Faebound

"This was a fun read. I loved the world-building, but I didn't really connect with the characters. I'm not sure if I will continue with the series. ["

January 5, 2025 Verified Purchase

Hannah

Must Read Fantasy Romance

"This is going to be one of the best fantasy releases of 2024. Faebound is a story of two sisters, Yeeran and Lettle, a war colonel and a diviner respectively, who become exiled to find a surprising truth about their world. Some high level highlights include sapphic romance, a mystery to solve, immaculate world building, and these adorable creatures called obeah that you're going to love. Something about the first 30% of this book pulled me in the same way that ACOTAR did on my first read - the world is interesting and excited, I found Yeeran to be interesting and exciting to follow, and I loved the way that lore and stories were interwoven into the story. There are a number of prophecies that play into the story and I was really engaged by trying to figure out how they would come to be. Ultimately, this is a story of queer love, found family, realizations about the past, and a lot of secrets. This book has become my whole personality and I'm not even a little upset. I'm so grateful to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for an ARC copy! ["

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February 8, 2024 Verified Purchase