Bound By Elements : The Prequel

by Chloe O'Connor

Long ago, mystical creatures governed the realm, maintaining the delicate balance between good and evil.

But as time passed, their presence faded into legend, and they vanished into hiding—forgotten by the world they once protected.

Until now.



When Arthur, an ordinary water elemental fae, suddenly unlocks extraordinary powers, the balance begins to shift once more. As tensions rise and ancient forces stir, one question

Will Arthur be the realm’s salvation—or its destruction?

And can the forgotten myths rise again to restore what was lost?

113 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

Reviews

[Mandy Enchantedbookduo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating
4 💎
0.5 🌶️

Quick Summary
Loved the mix of magical concepts and mythical creatures. This novella felt like a complete story, not just a snippet. Arthur’s struggle with his unexpected gift and those emotional moments really pulled me in; now I can’t wait to dive into book one!

Reading Thoughts
📔Interesting character perspectives
📔Arthur has been gifted with something he wasn’t expecting and not sure how to handle so it was intriguing to see how he deals with this
📔Novella’s can sometimes fall flat as you do not have enough information however this book was a full story with all of the magic concepts and wonderfully written story
📔Some emotional situations that pulled on my heart strings.
📔Love the magical system concepts and the mystical creatures, cannot wait to read book 1 now

Words that linger
🍷I couldn’t bear to lose you, my love for you is eternal, please know you are enough, in this lifetime and to the next.”
🍷For now, something is brewing in the Fae lands. I can’t put my claw on it, but there’s a shift in the magic.
🍷The balance of it all, the shift in good and evil. That’s something we need to keep a close eye on.

Tropes
💧Fantasy Romance
💧Mythical creatures
💧Elemental magic
💧Tragedy
💧Powerful love

[Lumie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Chloe O’Connor for the ARC.

Plot 4/5
Characters 3.5/5
Ending 3.5/5
Interest 3.5/5

Overall 3.5/5

-I kind of wish I had the lore of the other books. Because this prequel is interesting in itself but I’m sure that it would have been all the more intriguing knowing what happens next. The world itself with the elemental magic and each person having its own element is really interesting and then seeing the one character earn the other elements was great.

-I didn’t particularly connect with the characters seeing as the book is very short. But I have to say that they household the story takes place with is very interesting. A small, seemingly normal family, a cousin whose mother passes away and the father who wished for greatness. It all blends together quite well, along with the elemental magic coming into play.

-The ending leaves so much for curiosity. It’s definitely an open ending which makes sense since it’s a prequel, but now it really does make me want to read about this world and how it turns out from this point onwards.

[Jennifer Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need a book to read in one sitting? This is the perfect read. Need a powerful short read? This is the perfect read. Need a book with background into a world unknown, this is the perfect read.

This is a true prequel into a world full of adventure. I am super excited to read on where this book filled me in with what is needed to know.

What I absolutely loved about the book was the chain of events, the characters I met along the way and the pace of the book. It was a true introductory to a world that I’ve never seen before. What I love is having some background of what I have a feeling is coming. This book was very detailed, and to the point. I connected with characters and went through the emotions with the characters. As hard as some of the book was, it was worth pushing through, and I’m looking forward to the actual heart of the books I am going to read.

[Stacey Mckernan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bound by elements is a story about elemental fae and mythical creatures.
Arthur an ordinary water element fae suddenly unlocks the powers to control other elements causing a magical shift and a lot of tensions running high.

My thoughts: I do love a magical story especially one about the elements and mythical creatures. It was a slow start for me, however once it got on with the story I was hooked. The writing is well paced, the characters are well thought out. For such a short story, it included love, family, action, grief, magical and mythical elements. It also had the tiniest bit of spice.
I do wish it was longer and the ending has left me wanting more (in a good way).

For me this is 4 Stars.

[Emelie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an amazing prequel! It really spiked my interest to read the rest of the books in the main series. It was fast paced, interesting and intriguing. I just wanted to read more and the reading went easy (even though English isn’t my first language). Love the elemental powers and the bonds! I want to explore more!

[Nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!

review coming soon...

[Mary-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally read fantasy genres, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
I really enjoyed this story.
I can't wait to read more.