Bound by Magic is a new and exciting book by first-time author Juniper Cole (such a cool name) and she has done a fantastic job. This high fantasy reverse harem is filled with magic, people of color, ancient grudges, fated mates, powerful creatures, intriguing fae, family drama and so much more. The main character is Teryna (a poc), who is the half-fae daughter of a human king, was in the forest when she came upon human soldiers stealing fae and magical creatures alike, using magic they had no business having. So she takes it upon herself to journey through the light fae kingdom Wixle to see the fae queen. A lot of interesting things happen on the journey there and Teryna discovers things about the past as well as some things about herself. Nothing is what she expected and it looks like her journey has just begun. I have to say that this story is giving me Snow White vibes and I love it.
After her mother died Teryna had no one, not a soul to protect her from the Dark Queen (her father's wife). The woman is evil and so is her son Marius who happens to be Teryna's half-brother. Something is seriously wrong with him, the man is a psychopath. He enjoys hurting people, making them suffer and his favorite person to torture was Teryna before she escaped. Teryna has survived living in a dungeon and being tortured for years with no hope in sight. It just shows how strong she is that she continued to live after so many would have let go and she didn't let what she went through shape her in a negative light. Teryna is a good soul, she cares about people and creatures, willing to put herself in harms-way just to help them, she's a protector. However, all the trauma that she's has suffered through has left her with not only physical scars but mental ones too. Teryna suffers from crippling anxiety, anyone would if they've been through what she has but she keeps pushing forward.
During her travels, Teryna comes across Nico. He saves her, she rescues him and they form a bond as they travel together. Nico is a good guy, who has been through some stuff himself and has Teryna back. The bond grows stronger between them as they journey and things do get very hot and steamy. Nico and Teryna connect in a way that takes them both by surprise but they are good together. She doesn't know that much about the fae and Nico informs her about what she's missing and Teryna gives Nico something that he's never had before.
This book has one of my favorite things, a magical forest. Not in the sense that the forest itself is alive but it has a magical barrier and is filled with magical creatures, like Finley who is a shadow wolf (yes she is as cool as she sounds), deadly plants (that are more dangerous than they sound), and is the home of the fae. The fae in this world are broken into two species with three territories. There's the light fae, who funnily enough have brown skin and light hair, who lives in Wixle and is ruled by Queen Elara, they are the nicest of the bunch. Exiles and criminals have Truzin, a desert wasteland that not many fae want to go to but I have a feeling there is more there. Finally, there's the dark fae, who have pale skin and dark hair, they live in the Dark Jungle and are a very mean bunch. The history between the fae is complicated and the history between the fae and the humans is devastating. There is such a divide between them, each of the fae sectors and the human, and things are getting worse.
Bound by Magic was a great introduction to this world. Like I said I loved the Snow White Vibes with the evil stepmother, weird things going on in the forest, and dark magic. Teryna is a strong character with a big heart and I already like her along with a few of the other characters that have come about. I'm not gonna lie Juniper gutted me at the end, like damn, did not see that coming. Such complete and utter devastation and then it ends on a brutal cliffhanger. Like, why? Why do this to me? Bound by Magic is the first book in the Fae Forest series and I am happily looking forward to reading the next.