Faebound review

 Book: Faebound

Author: Saara El-Arifi

Pages: 400

Date(s) Read: January 1^st, 2025 to January 22^nd, 2025

Date Published: January 23^rd, 2024

Rating: 4/5

Genre:  Fantasy

Characters: 3/5

Writing style: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Ending:  5/5

Cover: 3/5

Format: Soft Cover

Date Bought: November 29^th, 2024

Book Cost: 16.00

Favorite Quotes:

“To rule without honor is to rule without mercy”

“You are the fire of my heart, and the beat of my drum. I am yours under the moonlight. Until the rhythm sings no more”

Review:

I really loved the ending to this trilogy. This was another fast-paced quick read. Daiyu is as lovable as ever, her concern for others as well as the poor is touching. She's truly altruistic.

 

Faebound is a progressive fantasy that features a diverse and inclusive cast of characters. Initially, I was interested in Faebound because it has a strong female lead character but I stayed for the complex world-building and will-they wont-they romance.

 

In Faebound we follow Yeeran, a disgraced warrior exiled out of the elven lands for her catastrophic last battle. Not content with the chieftain's decision to send Yeeran away, Lettle leaves her community to find her sister. They become involved in the world of the Fae, thought long dead by the world.

 

Both Yeeran and Lettle are strong characters. Yeeran is driven by purpose, she's an interesting character and I found myself liking her more and more as time went on. Her sister is driven by a love and loyalty to Yeeran that makes her highly empathetic. Going back and forth between the two girl's points of view made for a more engaging story that was already compelling

 

That all being said, there were times when the romance felt a bit forced. For me, there was a lack of chemistry in both romances. Part one is also a little slow to start but once things get going it's pretty fast-paced.

 

Overall I think this was a very satisfying novel with a lot of story beats that are carefully laid out that pay off big in the end. I'd like to see where the story goes from here and will be looking forward to the next book. If you're unsure of what fantasy novel to pick up this one is well worth reading.

The Prisoners Throne review

Book: The Prisoners Throne

Author: Holly Black

Pages: 359

Date(s) Read: January 6^th 2025, to January 15^th, 2025

Date Published: March 5^th, 2024

Rating: 5/5

Review

Prisoners Throne is a brilliant work of dark fantasy. Everything about this book was great: the characters, the story, the setting, even the dialogue is standout.

 

In this novel, after Oak's betrayal in the last book, Oak finds himself imprisoned by Queen Suren. Oak has to figure out how to rectify the situation and stop a war between ElfHame and the Court of Teeth.

 

I loved everything about this book, the banter was witty and funny. The main characters and supporting cast are memorable and affable, in particular, I found Wren's struggles and longing to be loved made her very empathetic. The cameos with Jude and Cardan are well-written, true to their characters, and bring back everything I loved about them in the Cruel Prince Trilogy. There's not a thing about this book I would change.

 

If you liked the Cruel Prince trilogy this duology is a must-read. Both books complement each other and the two different perspectives really keep things interesting. I loved getting a look into how Oak felt firsthand and seeing how Wren had grown and changed from the first book in the duology through his eyes.