Scan barcode
A review by itsjennie
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Did not finish book. Stopped at 48%.
This initially had a lot going for it. The concept and world building was cool and inventive, and I liked the war drum mechanic and the mythology of the three races. Unfortunately, these things weren't enough to carry the story. I actually didn't realize from the blurb (or the first 30% of the text) that this was a fantasy romance, and maybe that would have changed my expectations going in.
My main issue was the writing. The prose is straightforward and choppy, though there are some creative turns of phrase. The dialogue in particular came across very robotic, to the point where I would read a section and stop to wonder if it was written by an AI. Several world building points are awkwardly shoehorned in as if the author couldn't find ways to integrate them into the story. For example, in the middle of being abducted, a character literally asks, "How does [the language divide] affect education? News circulation? Legislation?" That passage and others like it would belong better in the author's world building notes than throw away character dialogue.
Also, there is something weird about the romantic subplots. It's almost like the author took 'show don't tell' a little too far and has neither shown nor told the characters feelings, and as a result Lettle gets spuriously horny for Rayan at very bizarre times, same with Yeeran and Furi. Once you add the fact that none of the characters are particularly likeable (or realistic. Why is a 28 year old woman hissing at people?), it was difficult to justify continuing.
My main issue was the writing. The prose is straightforward and choppy, though there are some creative turns of phrase. The dialogue in particular came across very robotic, to the point where I would read a section and stop to wonder if it was written by an AI. Several world building points are awkwardly shoehorned in as if the author couldn't find ways to integrate them into the story. For example, in the middle of being abducted, a character literally asks, "How does [the language divide] affect education? News circulation? Legislation?" That passage and others like it would belong better in the author's world building notes than throw away character dialogue.
Also, there is something weird about the romantic subplots. It's almost like the author took 'show don't tell' a little too far and has neither shown nor told the characters feelings, and as a result Lettle gets spuriously horny for Rayan at very bizarre times, same with Yeeran and Furi. Once you add the fact that none of the characters are particularly likeable (or realistic. Why is a 28 year old woman hissing at people?), it was difficult to justify continuing.