REVIEW: Cursebound by Saara El-Arifi
Saara El-Arifi returns to her magical world of fae and elves with Cursebound, the second novel in The Faebound Trilogy. The opening novel in this series, Faebound, was the first of El-Arifi’s books I had ever read, so I happily returned to this fantastical land eager to find out what was in store next for elven sisters Yeeran and Lettle.
Luckily for me (and something I always appreciate when reading subsequent books in a series), El-Arifi begins Cursebound with a brief synopsis of the first novel’s events, so although Faebound must be read first, no reread is required. Huzzah! There is also a “Notes on Mosima” reference at the end of the novel, which is full of extra tidbits of world-building if you are the sort of reader who likes to know even more about the world you have been exploring.
After the events of Faebound, Yeeran and Lettle are no longer prisoners of the fae. Yeeran, a formidable warrior, finds herself fighting a battle she is unprepared for – love. Torn, she leaves her fae lover, the Queen Furi, to travel back to the homeland that exiled her to warn them of the grave new dangers they face in their endless war. Lettle, the seer, now holds an esteemed place in the fae court as a diviner and consort to the half-fae king, Rayan. Her determination to break the curse, which binds all of the fae to remain in Mosima, will lead her down a deadly path. One that is made harder now that the fates are silent whenever she tries to speak with them.
If you enjoyed reading Faebound, which I did, you will find much to like in Cursebound. El-Arifi has continued the series with very easy-to-read, well-paced chapters. The novel is around 350 pages long, and I read it easily within a few days. Her world is not an overly complex one to settle into, and the perspectives of all the characters, even new ones, are easy to keep track of, and the narrative flows very nicely. Cursebound is a queer norm, magical world, and focuses mainly on the two races of the fae and elves rather than humans. There are some politically intriguing parts, some slightly darker moments, a varied group of characters from the ensemble cast, and a smattering of romantic relations.
However, Cursebound is not particularly dark. El-Arifi focuses here on the characters and their relationships rather than the more military epic fantasy readers may be familiar with from her first trilogy, The Ending Fire. Hopefully, as Cursebound is this trilogy’s second instalment, readers will already be aware of these differences and expect them as they continue the story. If you prefer your reads to be grimmer and darker and not to have romance form a key part of the plot, you might not enjoy The Faebound Trilogy as much as El-Arifi’s other works.
Cursebound still sits firmly in the realm of books I enjoy reading, and I liked the escapism it gave me for a few days. Although it does suffer a little from middle-book syndrome, Cursebound has set the stage well for the final instalment in the trilogy, and I look forward to the conclusion of this tale when it arrives. Thank you very much to Saara El-Arifi and the team at Harper Voyager for sending an ARC of Cursebound for us to review.
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