Member Reviews
The Cup and The Prince
10-15-20
A fantasy book about an underestimated girl, yes please! Zara is a young skilled fighter in a land full of monsters and other things that go bump in the night. When she sees the opportunity to prove herself while helping her land and people she jumps at. Becoming the champion chosen for a royal magical competition. A dangerous and maybe even deadly competition that just happens to include some conniving princes. Sounds promising right? It has all the main ingredients for a YA fantasy hit, but I don't feel like it lived up to its potential
The writing was not for me. From page one I could tell it was on a different level than the writing I am used to in the fantasy genre. A lower level… I am not saying the writing was bad, because it wasn’t. It was just very simple. The writing wasn’t rich and full of detail. It was again I say, simple. The scenes were very rushed and gave minimal information. I wish it would have been longer, had more detail.
I definitely think this book will do better with the younger YA lovers. As someone in their late 20’s, it just wasn’t for me.I do think if I would have read this when I was younger around middle school and high school aged, I might have been obsessed.
*I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review..
I’d like to thank the publisher for giving me “The Cup and The Prince” in exchange for my honest review.
The cup and the prince is about Zora, a girl of seventeen years old, she lives in the Dark Valley, the worst place in the kingdom because the shadows creatures spawn from the dark and attack the people, so the jobs are to defeat every shadow.
Zora it’s the girlfriend of Seth, the chosen one to go to represent the Dark Valley in the games of the kingdom, until she found out about something that makes her want revenge.
The book was intriguing and well-paced, I never wanted to let it go and every time it was getting better and better, and I just loved it, and it might be one of my favorite books this year by far, and I really want to clap at the author for making such a great book.
The cover was not that beautiful, still, it was good.
The plot was really good, I was captivated by it. I think there’s something that this book should have and that is a decent final, for me it would have been good to end with an honest explanation, answering us: what kind of monster is Griffin?, I would have been happy if it finished at least with Zora and Griffin getting at the Dark Valley’s gates, I would have been really intrigued to read “The Curse and The prince” with that end, so the end of this book was a little low.
I also love the fact that she was a woman and that she doesn’t want to be controlled by men, and that she fights because she doesn't want to be controlled by men, and she also taught that even if you’re a woman you could do everything a men does, and that there’s always hope and you should never give up, and you only need the love of your family and friends, not any other.
Finally I give this book 5 stars and I will wait for “The curse and the prince”. It was lovely to have read this book, and that it gives me some kind of The hunger games vibe but more like fantasy that I don’t get bored of.
I loved Zora right off the bat! She's plucky and determined, and not at all like most of the young role models in YA. I also loved the interactions with the other characters, how she befriended those with similar struggles to herself. There was a weird intermixing of old-fashioned dialogue and 21st century slang, but the plot and pacing more than made up for it. I can't wait to find out what comes next!
Well, that was disappointing. I would’ve DNFed it if it weren’t so short.
This is a typical case of a great premise but not so great execution. We follow Zora as she cheats her way into the Royal Games as the ‘chosen’ champion to represent the Dark Valley and the only female in the competition. So full-on Throne of Glass vibes. Book one, that is.
The plot was pretty solid, but that’s about the only good thing I can say about this book. And that it’s short.
For starters, the writing was overly simple, which bothered me to no end. Most of it read like a middle-grade novel. I needed more descriptions, more depth, more background on the world, the Blood Cup, the magic system. The world-building was practically non-existent.
There was a whole lot of telling instead of showing, so I didn’t feel any real tension or development, things just happened and I felt absolute indifference throughout the story. Without depth, a lot of the scenes felt rushed and, without tension or a sense of struggle, it just looked like there were no stakes at all and the characters had nothing to work for or worry about, which in turn made it very difficult to connect with them.
Which gets me to my next point: the characters. They were all one-dimensional. We got no backstories, no character arcs, we didn’t even get to see their personalities. I still don’t know who these people are, their hopes and dreams, the reason that drives them to behave the way they do. Obviously, that makes it a little difficult to actually care for any of them. Larzen was probably the most interesting character, I could see a rough draft of someone along the lines of a gay version of Nikolai from Shadow and Bone in him but, like the rest of them, he needed a whole lot of development.
There was no actual foundation for the relationships either, friendly or romantic. They just happened out of the blue. Relationships need to be built. For example, the romantic relationship between Zora and her love interest could have been a great enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romance, but instead it just felt rushed, underdeveloped and totally anti-climatic.
And then we have the plot holes and inconsistencies, the main one being the games themselves. We are told over and over again how dangerous and life-threatening they are, but the challenges weren’t very impressive at all. Not to mention that we don’t even know who Zora is up against or what the Blood Cup actually is, so that sense of urgency and dire need to win the games is not conveyed at all.
I understand that there are things left open for future books to tackle, like who is this sun goddess Zora dreams about? But then there’s the issue of Seth. He just seems to be chillin in the dungeons and everyone just forgets about him. I get that he’ll be mad at her when she goes back home and all, but it was still a useless plot point.
Overall, this felt like a first or second draft of a great idea. It just needs more in every aspect: more world building, more character depth, more relationship development, more tension. Basically, more writing like this was meant for a YA audience and not for a 10 year-old. It had so much potential but it fell way short for me.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
I really enjoyed the story, and think this series has potential. Sometimes the story felt rather rushed, which threw me off a bit. Also, the character’s speech sometimes threw me off, because it was a fantasy novel in which modern slang and speech was used (i.e., “chill” “umm”). Regardless, I do enjoy a strong heroine who doesn’t need rescuing, and I could see recommending this book to a reader that needs a gateway into fantasy if that makes sense. We will likely purchase it for our library for that reason. The story was very intriguing, though!
<em>Zora went outside after Layla fell asleep. There were people talking, discussing.</em>
Books like <em>The Cup and the Prince</em> by Day Leitao kind of piss me off. I'm sure you've read books like this one before. They have all the makings of a fantastic story. The overall premise is <em>great</em>, the ideas are intriguing, there's an opportunity for <em>amazing</em> commentary, and you're genuinely excited to read it. But the second you pick up the book, you start cringing. And that cringing does not cease <em>once</em> while reading it.
<b>I Can't Handle The Writing</b>
Literally every single problem <em>The Cup and the Prince</em> has can be summed up with one word: writing.
And, unfortunately, this can be applied to pretty much any piece of the writing itself. Whether we're talking about world-building, character development, romance, plot, and even the commentary opportunities...the writing hurt it. <em>Immensely</em>.
Nevermind the fact that Leitao was very clearly trying to meld modern-day ideas with a fantasy setting but couldn't quite make it work. And this is a result of poor writing. I genuinely felt as though I were reading a book about a teenager I could have known growing up. Never <em>once</em> did it feel organic within the actual setting of the novel. This is a problem.
Literally everything--and I do mean <em>everything</em>--felt like a missed opportunity. Leitao <em>desperately</em> needed an editor to sit down with her and really explain why this story wasn't working as is. It is truly <em>such a shame</em> that nobody did because <em>The Cup and the Prince</em> really did have a lot of potential. But the writing just couldn't take this book where it needed to go.
<b>Why We Always Tell Authors to SHOW</b>
I honestly don't think I could ever drive this point home often enough. There are <em>so many</em> times that I find myself reading a book from a new author and I just want to grab them by the shoulders and scream this point at them. If you are writing your story as one giant summary it's <em>going to suck</em>. And it's so frustrating to see how this book suffers so greatly from that very problem.
We <em>could</em> have had a brilliant book about an exceptional woman who refuses to put up with the nonsense men force upon our gender. We <em>could</em> have had a book with a phenomenal commentary on male-dominated spaces and the over-sexualization of women without their consent. This book had <em>so much </em>potential to give us a broad narrative that shed light on these issues spearheaded by someone powerful.
But instead, we are left with underdeveloped characters, world, and plot coated in shoddy writing. And I'm just left feeling that this book needed twelve more drafts before even considering shifting toward final publication.
<b>I Wish I Didn't Have To Say It</b>
Too often I find myself in the unfortunate situation where I'm reading a book like this. All the <em>could have beens</em> are truly frustrating. I'm not the least bit surprised that <em>The Cup and the Prince </em>falls into this very category for me. All you have to do is take a look at who the publisher is and you know the chances of this book having the right amount of editing for both content and grammatical structure is low.
I'm not saying it never happens, but it can be rare. And as much as I hate the idea of gatekeeping, it breaks my heart to see books like this that have so much potential and fail so strongly. Cause this could have been a fantastic book. It just...wasn't.
<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>
I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I had some really mixed feeling about this book. I was excited to read it; I mean, that cover is gorgeous and the premise sounded exciting. A young girl leaves her home valley to travel to the capital city and compete in a dangerous competition to win a magical artifact that could help her people. And there's a hot prince thrown in to boot! What could go wrong?
Well let me tell you. For one, this book is incredibly heavy-handed with the "girls are just as strong as boys" statement. And whil I 100% agree that this is true, I wasnt a big fan of having to hear the argument every few pages. There were several instances where the main character, Zora, had to prove herself against men; and if she ever found anything unfair she would throw a tantrum.
There was also the issue of the games themselves. They were supposed to be dangerous. The prince repeatedly told Zora she could get hurt or lose her life in the competition. But the challenges weren't that impressive and I wouldnt really consider any of them life-threatening except the very last challenge. (No spoiler here).
And the plot holes. THE PLOT HOLES. Who is this fancy sun goddess? What does the blood cup even do? Why is it so special? If Zora left her home with nothing but her sword and the clothes on her back, where is she getting all these potion ingredients? At one point she pulls out an enchanting table? From where? Her back pocket? What was this "game" the middle prince was playing with her?
There were a few good things about this book. But just that. Few. Definitely not enough for me to say this was a good book.
Promising premise, great cover, not great execution.
I was really excited to read this. I loved the sound of a competition and a girl fighting for her village, pushing back against expectations forced on her. However, it fell flat for me.
Some of the writing was strange: words placed in odd orders, or even the wrong words used. For example: "heard what I was talking to [name]" - talking should be saying. I saw avenge used where clearly revenge was meant, and sour was used instead of sore a few times. (I don't usually nit pick, but it just kept happening, and after a while I couldn't ignore it.) Maybe this will be amended before publishing.
The characters were pretty basic, not really fleshed out (maybe that's to come in the sequel). There also wasn't much foundation building for the relationships, friendly or romantic. And the writing was mediocre. But the premise was fun, and I did like Zora as a main character. She was the most complex of the cast of characters.
The magic system was intriguing. Shadow creatures that spawn from dark places, potions, and dark magic. And I always enjoy a good competition, with a few balls thrown in for good measure.
It was fast-paced, light fantasy. Maybe good for someone just starting to explore the genre, but not for me.
Also, it ends on a cliffhanger, so if you're interested, maybe wait for the next book to be published before picking this one up.
Well this was very surprising. Quite enjoyed this book after I met myself loose in it.
At first I wasn't sure. The beginning seemed a little rushed and there wasn't much world building; which carried on throughout the book really. But I definitely engaged more with Zora and grew more to like her. She was a very earnest and naive character and it was fun to stay in her head clouded by innocence in a world that is anything but. I enjoyed that juxtaposition throughout.
In terms of the writing, it seemed quite simplistic. More to what YA was written like ten years ago, than what is being published now. Which did initially put me off. I wanted more depth and detail which we never really got. But I think the short length of the book balanced that out. If it was that thin but had 200+ more pages, it would have definitely not worked at all. The length worked in the favour of this story. It was more a sweet and fun read, than one you would get whole invested in.
I would have liked more history on the world. A lot of things weren't explained that well, such as the origin of the shadow creatures and how they are only confined to the Dark Valley and nowhere else. Perhaps that will be explained in further installments?
This was the same for the characters, there wasn't a whole lot of depth to them. A lot of surface interaction without going too deep into who each person was. This left it a little hard to truly engage in anyone; hard to care about a characters wellbeing if you know nothing about them.
However I did genuinely enjoy this book. I had a blast reading it; been awhile since I'd read a competition story and that was a good one. Definitely would recommend this to someone wanting a light fantasy to get stuck into or soemthing to bridge the gap between much more detailed stories when you need a break. It was a fun ride this book; will look out for the next one.
2.75 stars
Okay, where to start?
The Cup and the Prince tells the story of 17-year-old Zora, a girl from a village called the Dark Valley, a place that’s been sentenced to isolation for the shadow monsters that spawn within its walls. When her boyfriend tries to pressure her into sex and cheats on her, she exacts revenge by taking his place in the royal games, representing the Dark Valley for the first time since their condemnation. There, she gets caught up with the three royal sons and ends up playing more games than the one she came for.
(;一_一)
In theory, this sounds like an amazing story. A royal competition? Shadow monsters? Political intrigue? A kick-ass female MC?
But alas, the execution is where this book failed for me.
World-Building
Surprisingly all the Minecraft references weren’t the worst part of the book. Sure, they’re blatantly obvious to even the most casual of Minecraft players, but they do seem a bit out of place when this book does tackle a few mature themes. I couldn’t take this book seriously especially when being reminded by my old childhood obsession, but I give a little bit of credit to the author--the idea that these “shadow monsters” only spawn in one part of the cursed kingdom was interesting (especially how it affects our MC). But alas, I still wish it had been expanded on more.
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Characters and Relationships
I just couldn’t make myself feel anything but indifference for these characters, as much as I wanted to love them. Zora was betrayed by her boyfriend and took matters into her own hands instead of wallowing, which I greatly respect her for, but that can’t outweigh her naive actions in the games. I know she hasn’t exactly been out in “society” but she felt like a middle-grade protagonist more than a young adult one. And considering that she’s a teacher in the Dark Valley and works as a role model for the children, I would expect her to be a bit more mature.
Griffin and Alegra...I honestly just did not care about either of them, much less their relationship. It felt a lot like puppy-love, which I get is what the author might have been going for, but I barely know anything about their personalities to know if that’s true or not.
The only characters I felt anything for were Larzen and Mauro. Larzen because he was probably the most interesting character in the whole book, his schemes and blackmail and all. And Mauro, because he had the most depth to him as a character, and considering he’s a side character, I think that says a lot about the main ones.
But the other side characters were non-existent. I didn’t feel Zora’s urgency to win the games as much as I would have if I had known who she was up against and had the author given the competitors personalities outside of their physical descriptions.
As for the love interests, this wasn’t really the biggest aspect of the book until we started towards the end, but it just felt way too rushed. I’ve read enough YA to identify who the love interests are gonna be from page one, and this book did not surprise me. It did, however, surprise me on the account of how little relationship development we got. Yes, there is a semblance of a connection between Zora and her love interest, but a platonic one at most, definitely not a romantic one in my eyes.
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Plot
It’s decent. I won’t lie and say it’s spectacular, but it’s pretty solid. It does live up to the Throne of Glass comparison but isn’t an exact rip-off. It was definitely a fast-paced book, and I didn’t feel as bored at any point of the book, but sometimes it was a little too fast, especially in the climactic scenes or during the challenges. There was little to no tension, and it seemed as though everything had been going the characters’ way the entire time. There was barely any sense of a struggle, and that in turn made the characters more distant from me.
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Writing Style
My biggest problem in the book would have to be how there is so much more telling than showing in the writing. This plays into all the other problems I’ve had in the book (no tension, detachment from characters, awkward action scenes). We often have times where the author tells us that so and so was scared, or that someone said something with anger. I don’t want to be told these things, I wanna know how so and so wiped their tears hastily from her face as they faced the challenge in front of them, or how someone’s mouth contorted into a snarl as they pointed a finger in another person’s face. Telling isn’t the devil and can be useful in less dramatic scenes, but it shouldn’t be abused either.
Another problem (which isn’t really a problem) I had with the writing style is that there were a lot of parts where it read more like a middle-grade novel. This isn’t a bad thing, but it sucks that I have to point out that this book is not the best fit for its target audience because the plot is truly YA and could do well in the market, but there is so much more to YA literature than just making your protagonist a young adult.
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Themes
Yeah, I know, this isn’t supposed to be some sort of literary analysis (I’m currently on a school break, so I’m trying to stay far away from anything remotely school), but I thought I’d bring this up. The Cup and the Prince does bring up some important topics, such as what it means to be female in a male-dominated space, and I did enjoy the book in this regard. The concept does seem a little bit forced into the narrative, but other than that it flows well into the story. Zora is the only female champion in the games (another calling to Throne of Glass), and while she is aware of it, she doesn’t let it faze her.
One of my favourite scenes was where Zora sees some pretty...inappropriate paintings of her being sold and confronts the painter, who claims he only paints them because sex sells and he has a family to feed, but that he actual admires her. I thought this part illustrated the realities of our world really well without taking me out of the story, and it was a surprise to see this aspect included in this sort of story.
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Overall Thoughts
I was debating on whether to give this 2.5 stars or 3, so I’ve settled in the middle for 2.75 stars. It was an easy and somewhat entertaining read, but as a writer myself, I saw a lot of developmental issues that a beta reader or two might have caught. And if this book had gone through professional developmental editing, I can’t see why an editor wouldn’t have commented on some things. Day Leitao’s writing is certainly clean and easy to read, and the world she’s created is interesting, but there are some things this book does that I can’t forgive.
I want to support independent authors, I really do, but this just does not cut it out for me. I wouldn’t say I’d recommend it, but it seems as though many other reviewers have enjoyed it more than I have, and maybe one of them could be you.
tl;dr: solid plot, bad execution :(
First of all, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
This book was a mediocre read. I honestly would have DNFed it if it wasn’t so short
This book follows Zora, a young girl who was hurt by her boyfriend and decides to get revenge by taking his place in a tri-annual competition called the Blood Cup.
The storyline was decent, but the characters were what turned me off from the book. Zora was such a predictable and boring character. She clearly was written with the I’m not other girls trope and it made her character seem flat. My favourite characters were Mauro and Kiran. They were probably the most intriguing characters and yet they barely had time to shine in the story. Even the love interest was written so predictably. It was a failed shot at enemies to lovers.
Overall, this book disappointed me. I wouldn’t call it a bad read, but it is not something I would read again or pick up the sequel for. If you are interested in it and want to make your own judgement, it comes out October 15th.
I read "The Cup and the Prince" in one day, only stopping when absolutely needing to, I loved this story, I fell in love with Zora from the very beginning. I appreciated her moral greyness and her sarcasm, her love for her people and strength,
I figured out a plot twist quite early on, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all, and even though it was something I don't usually appreciate, it was done masterfully by Day Leitao.
In general, I'm a sucker for outsiders and magical games or just any type of games, so this book was the perfect mix for me. I honestly can't wait for the sequel to be out, I need to learn more about this story and this fascinating world. Also, more Dark Valley time, if possible.
I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an early e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this book for review. This does not have any influence on my thoughts or opinions.
THAT ENDING THOUGH??!!!?
Oh man, what a pleasant surprise. I never go into any book with high hopes because I think they all deserve a fair chance to make an impression on me. However, I never expected to absolutely love this book as much as I did.
This book has some of the things I love most in the book world: court politics, badass women, plot twists you definitely didn't account for, and a dash of love interests on the side.
I think the book was a little short and that some parts of the competition could've been a lot more fleshed out than they were. As it is, everything seems to happen really quickly.
The ending was unexpected and I still don't quite know how I feel about it except that I'm hooked and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT PLEASEEEE!
This was a pretty good book! It kept me engaged throughout however it wasn't really special. I did enjoy the banter of the protagonist with everyone else in the book and I enjoyed seeing how strong the protagonist is. I am a bit confused on the description of the book, though, "throne of glass meets minecraft" I do understand the throne of glass part because of the competition and the strong protagonist but not really the minecraft part? I haven't really played minecraft, much but the story didn't really give me minecraft vibes? I know in Zora's village there are shadow monster things and maybe that is why?
I think that some of the things in this book could have been explained a little more. At the start of the book I don't remember there being mentions of these shadow monsters that Zora kept talking about later on in the book. There could have been talk and I just missed them, but later on in the book when they are talked about they seem pretty important and really affect her as a character and how she lives her life, because it's so different from the other places in the book.
I do think a lot of things in this book could have been explained a bit better, but of course they could be explained in the second book, it just seemed a bit sudden to end without those explanations, even if there will be another book, it didn't seem right.
Overall this is a decent book and I'd probably read the sequel!
A massive thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an ARC of this book to review!
This book follows the story of a young girl named Zora who, upon realizing that her boyfriend has been lying and cheating, decides to take his place in the Royal Games, a competition amongst the strongest in her kingdom, and finally escape Dark Valley, her home that is full of evil shadow creatures. During these games, she meets a trio of princes and, of course, drama ensues.
I have very conflicting feelings about this book. I didn't particularly enjoy reading it, but I did find myself intrigued to see what would happen, I think my main issue with this novel is that it reads more like a prequel, or the first half of a book- it feels as though we're spending the entire book setting the scene for an actual story to occur. None of the plotlines are tied up by the end of the novel, no conflicts have been dealt with, and things seem to have occurred randomly without reason. I'm assuming that these things will be dealt with in the upcoming sequel, but it left me feeling very unsatisfied at the end of the book as I felt like nothing had really been solved and that the protagonist's actions had all been quite pointless,.
That being said, I did enjoy the protagonist of this story. Her character was interesting and fun to read about, if a bit juvenile, but I still found myself rooting for her. I found the princes lacked character development and the romance very forced, rushed and confusing, but I think it has quite a bit of potential for further development in later books. I would love to learn more about the character's motives in this story, as I was left feeling quite confused (although not in a bad way) about what their goals were. so I hope that the next book touches on that!
I do wish that the writing had been edited a bit more closely. Leitao's voice is quite pleasant to read and her writing flows nicely most of the time, but I felt as though there were some pacing issues throughout. The scenes that I thought were very important, like major fights or the competitions, seemed to be skipped over, whilst less relevant scenes took up more time. This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy the scenes where Zora was making friends with the other competitors or talking to the princes, I just wish that the conflict scenes had been brought up to that level.
I am unsure as to who the audience for this book is, as the amount of (rather crude and thinly veiled) sexual innuendo suggests that it's intended for an older YA group, but the themes and stylistic choices point more toward a younger YA or even Middle Grade level.
All in all, this was a quick and enjoyable read and, while it did have its problems, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the sequel as I am dying to see how things are wrapped up from this book and learn more about the characters.
Argh! This book had so much potential but fell so short for me.
We follow the main character Zora as she tricks her way in to the Royal Games, taking the place of her boyfriend, after she finds out he cheated on her. Each village sends a chosen champion to compete in the games and the winner gets the legendary Blood Cup.
Let’s talk about the characters first. There was not a single character I liked or connected to. At the beginning we were led to believe Zora would be a strong, kick ass heroine but she was anything but. The three brothers along with every other character in this book lacked personality, character development or any likeability whatsoever.
Although it is a fast read, the pace was completely off and the writing felt a clunky at times. The transitions were far from smooth, the world building was nonexistent and the sexual innuendos were weird. The whole thing just felt like it needed a really good editor.
There were so many plot holes and inconsistencies throughout this book,
The most obvious of them was The Royal Games. We continuously read about how dangerous and life threatening they were going to be but alas The Hunger Games they were not, Katniss would be embarrassed for them. They were so boring, lacklustre and completely safe, I actually laughed! Speaking of the games, what is the Blood Cup? We still don’t know! Prince Griffin eluded to its power but that’s it. What was the importance of the sun goddess and why didn’t she come back? What was the point in the game Larzen made her play?
Will I read the next book in the series, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll give it a chance to get better or maybe I’ll read it just to find out the answers to all of the questions I have!
2 stars.
A star for the cover and a star for the ending, which was the best part of the entire book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for a honest review.
I received an ARC from Netgalley, that doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, all my thoughts are my own and honest.
One prince wants her out.
Another wants her as a pawn.
Someone wants her dead.
Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
Zora is representing Dark Valley, in the legendary Blood Cup competition. She lied her way into competing to prove to everyone that women can attain glory without the help of men. But it won’t be as easy to win as she first thought.
The Cup and The Prince was about a girl proving men wrong.
Zora is a very strong female protagonist. She is stubborn, smart and doesn’t like men telling her what she can and can’t do. She has had a very difficult childhood living in the Dark Valley, where anywhere dark might summon shadows to kill you. It was very interesting to follow her throughout the book, her thought process, and how she dealt with overcoming challenges.
Leitao’s writing style was straight forward while being descriptive, she kept you engaged the whole way through. She also managed to make me confused as to who the love interest could be, but I really enjoyed the outcome.
Overall 4 stars, this book was full of mystery, royalty rivalry and interesting characters that sometimes surprised me by not acting as I thought they would. The plot was great and engaging. There was a cliffhanger at the end that will be making me pick the second book when it comes out.
Thank you to NetGalley, Day Leitao and the publishers for approving me a copy.
Very enjoyable. This has some fascinating dark magic consequences, the characters really grow on you, lots of weakness and strength to each character.
Zora lives in a kingdom where being a woman means being inferior and underestimated. After she learns that her boyfriend cheated on her and was planning on leaving her, she cheats her way into the royal competition held only once every three years.
First, I loved the world-building. Zora comes from the Dark Valley, where shadow creatures come to life if there is shadow. People in her village always have lights on, they don't use any covers, skirts, or even tables because it creates shadows and the creatures can be born in these shadows. I would have liked to know a little bit more about this mysterious curse on their Valley. Why is it only there that the shadow creatures exist? How did it come to happen? Maybe we will learn more about it in the next book.
So… Zora enters the competition as the representant of the Dark Valley and there she meets the young king and the two princes (they are all between 18 and 23 years old). She must prove to one prince that she is a worthy opponent in the competition while surviving to a mysterious assassin and striking bargains with another prince.
Many characters in this story were shady, I honestly did not know who the good ones were and who were the bad ones until the end (with a few exceptions of course). Zora is a nice female character, she is strong and independent and even though she is still young, she is not disillusioned about love and romance.
This book is an easy read, it is fast-paced and is perfect and can be read in one day. It is a good mix of action and intrigue, with good descriptions and a little hint of romance (that part could have been better developed though...). It was a really nice surprise and I am so happy I took the time to read it, it was a captivating book and just what I needed right now. 😊
The Cup and the Prince is a fun young adult fantasy with interesting world building. I enjoyed this one, and read it in one afternoon. The cover is also so flipping gorgeous!
I’m so glad more books like this are coming out for kids and teens, we need more feminist characters. Literary worlds are made to escape the daily life, but if we are lucky we can take those characters and things we’ve learned with us back into this crazy world of ours.
Zora is a fun character, I enjoyed seeing her character growth. From being pressured to do things she doesn’t want to do by a boy that she thought she could to trust. To someone who does the right thing in a moment of uncertainty.
The Princes are a complicated sort and the romance was not really anything I was super into. For me I felt like I was watching some cringe worthy predatory individuals that were coming after our main characters Zora and Griffin. I think the building blocks of a good relationship are in the works, however romance definitely isn’t the main focus of the novel.
The world building was interesting and I’m super curious to learn more about the Dark Valley, where shadows manifest into creatures. The magical system of this world is one I hope is explored further in the follow up novel.
Overall, I enjoyed this fun romp through a different world. I look forward to seeing what happens with Zora and Griffin, the Dark Valley and the infamous Cup.
Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.