Review: Faebound by Saara El-Arifi

September 21, 2026

Synopsis:

A thousand years ago, the world held three beings: fae, elves, and humans. But now the fae and humans exist only in myth and legend, survived by the elves who are trapped in an endless war over the remaining lands.

Yeeran is a colonel in the elven army and has known nothing but a life of violence and hardship. Her sister, Lettle, is a diviner whose magic promises a different future for her and her sister, but the prophecies have yet come to pass.

When a fatal mistake leads to Yeeran’s exile from the Elven Lands, Lettle, fearful for her sister’s life, follows her into the uncharted territory beyond their borders. In the wilderness the sisters encounter the largest obeah they have ever seen. Part leopard, part stag, the obeah’s magic is harnessed to make weapons for the elven war. It is during this hunt that they are confronted with the impossible: a group of fae who take them captive. Imprisoned in a new land, they must navigate the politics of the fae court all while planning their escape.

Now Yeeran and Lettle are fighting a different kind of war: between their loyalty to their elven homeland and the intoxicating world of the fae, between what duty decrees is right, and what their hearts tell them they need.

Review:

The world-building is not overly complex, and it became clear to me relatively quickly who everyone was and where we were. I like it (sometimes) when a story isn’t too complex, but gives me enough to hold my attention.

At the heart of the story, we have Yeeran, who is about to receive her well-deserved promotion. However, on the day she leads her team into a fight, everything goes horribly wrong, and in the aftermath, she is held responsible and banished.
Her sister, Lettle, isn’t willing to stay behind and, together with Rayan (who partially blames himself for what happened), is willing to leave everything behind as well.
When the three are reunited, they face an unknown enemy believed to be dead and are taken prisoner for killing one of their own. This is when they learn that what they believed is not the full truth.
The connection between the sisters was one of the highlights of the story. They would do anything for each other and always put each other first. Lettle in particular, who is dealing with a disability, is such a strong character that I was instantly rooting for her.
Learning that the fae, whom everyone believed no longer existed, are cursed to live underground and that the animals they killed are linked to them was heartbreaking once the consequences became clear. Are the elves the bad guys here? They were simply trying to survive, like everyone else. It’s certainly an interesting dilemma.

This was an interesting story about questioning what you know, adapting to a new environment, and trying to understand where you belong. While I would have liked a bit more depth here and there, it was a story I enjoyed and am looking forward to continuing.

🌙 Recension: Faebound (Faebound #1) by Saara El-Arifi
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Romantasy
📅 Release Date: January 23, 2024
📖 Publisher: Del Rey
📱 Read as: Kindle
📗 available in various formats
💸 Bought
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 397
⭐️ 3.5/5