This book was really enjoyable, and it can easily find its place among other booktok favorites.

It has fae, enemy to lovers, forced marriage, human lands and fae lands, and of course, they don't really go there because it's a scary place, hidden powers and discovering them.

It was a good first book and personally, I can't wait to see the next volume, because I have so many questions. What added to the book was the dream-world element and the main character background and life at the royal palace. I found it intriguing and I would like to learn more about that training and part of Astra's life.

The ending was quite bittersweet, but definitely left me eager to see what happens next!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review

If you are a fan of the forced marriage trope with the enemies to lovers vibes, this one is for you! I also loved that Marlak continuously called Astra, “wife”, like that is such a favorite microtrope of mine. Astra is a substitute for the Princess, which means she is one of the maids who travels in place of the Princess in case of assassination attempts, etc. She also would be the one to get married off probably. However, Astra is harboring a huge secret, her power. There is a man she sees in her dreams as well, and he happens to be real. And the disgraced Prince. After an ambush, her and the Prince meet, and soon he comes to visit her at the castle to marry her. It’s really a business deal, and he thinks he’s saving her, but she feels like she’s being kept prisoner. Except he’s really not all that bad. This has a Beauty and the Beast element in that he’s “beastly” because of his burned side, and that she’s being whisked away.
I really enjoyed the banter between the two, especially when he’s trying to get her to admit that she’s causing the dreams, and she’s just like “I have no idea what you’re talking about”. She’s not responsible for them, but she knows exactly what he’s talking about. And boy are the dreams spicy. It’s definitely a slow burn, but the tension and chemistry between the two keep you satiated.

Thank you TBR and Beyond Tours for this book! I loved it.

4.5 stars rounded up

A Cursed Son is a fun story that keeps you guessing throughout. It did take a few chapters to get into the story but after that I was hooked! The story is intriguing and the world building crafted really well, there is so much left to explore and I can’t wait to see where the author takes this moving forward.

Astra is an orphan who is training to be a substitute princess whilst trying to keep her true identity hidden which I think this is a great premise. Astra’s character is well developed and I loved her journey in this book. I’m looking forward to learning more about where she came from as well as her powers. Marlark is the disgraced prince who comes across as the villain for killing his family but not all is as it seems. He is grumpy, morally gray and I’m fully invested in finding out his secrets and learning more about his past.

This is a true enemies to lovers which the author has executed brilliantly. I enjoyed seeing this gradually shift from initial distrust, hatred and tension into something more. Their chemistry was off the charts and I loved the snarky banter between that had me howling with laughter as I was reading. Their shared dream connection gave me fated mates vibes, these are spicy dreams and I absolutely loved the friction this caused in real life. Astra denied any knowledge of them and Marlark trying to get her to admit she’s the cause of them made for an interesting dynamic.

This is the first book in this series which does end on a cliffhanger so bear that in mind but I’m excited for the next book when it’s released. You’ll certainly enjoy this if you’re a fan of enemies to lovers with morally gray characters where he falls first as well as forced marriage and proximity. If you needed any more convincing there’s also a dark unicorn called Cherry Cake, I mean what more could you want…

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but the writing was so repetitive and arduous. There was very little dialogue, just paragraph after paragraph of internal musings. It had all the right elements to be a great first book of a new fantasy series, but I just couldn't do it anymore.

I'm slightly heartbroken over this book. I wanted to love it so bad. I'm a huge fan of fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, and the premise of this book sounded so good but I just couldn't get into it. I made it 100 pages in and still kept finding excuses to not read the book. It just didn't hook me. The book has a lot of repeated phrases which gets quite tedious.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed A Cursed Son, book 1 in the series Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom by Day Leitao. If you enjoy fantasy romance, tropes like forces proximity, arranged marriage, fated mates, court intrigue, coming into power, this is your book.

A Cursed Son is fast paced, intriguing and exciting romatasy. The story follows Astra, an orphan trained to be a royal decoy, bound to duty to a kingdom that is not hers. She holds a secret about her past, and we slowly uncovering that everything is not as it may seem. Finding herself in a situation she never dreamed about, she finally starts making some choices of her own and finding some answers she needs.

The MMC, Marlak, is a perfect example of a morally grey MMC. Again, he is so much more than meets the eye and I loved learning more about him. There is so much more to find out, and I cannot wait for it.

I loved the side characters, having them properly introduced adds so much to the story, and I'm sure we will see more of their intentions and motives in the following books.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, but I don't mind it, it perfectly sets up everything for the events that will take place in book 2.

I’m still a little on the fence with this book so I’m giving it 3 stars. First, let me just say that the premise of the book sounded so intriguing! I was really looking forward to reading it. However, I have to admit that the first half of the book didn’t exactly reach my expectations, and it wasn’t until I reached around 60% that I actually started to warm up to it.

Now, where do I start. The first thing that I was struggling with from the beginning were the conversations. A lot of the time they felt very forced, and the flow just didn’t feel natural at all. There were a lot of times where I found myself thinking “how did THIS conversation lead to THAT?” or “how did they reach THAT conclusion from this random thing they said?” It just made the interactions between the characters feel disjointed.

Another thing that bothered me was that at times the conversations were either cringey or juvenile. For example the use of “itsy-bitsy weenie” and the constant use of “wife” and “husband”. Or the fact that the name of their “steed” was seriously Cherry Cake! I literally wrote in my annotations here “What in the stripper name is that!?” 😅 The banter between Astra and Marlak for the first half was less sass and more immaturity. Like I was genuinely getting so annoyed by how immature Astra behaved, I found myself rolling my eyes every other page. It made me question the target audience. It had some steamy scenes which hinted at an adult audience, but the characters were so immature that it felt like it was targeted for much younger readers. <spoiler> Also, WHAT WAS UP WITH THE WHOLE MILK THING! 😭 I was already questioning why their choice of drink was always MILK of all things, but then they start talking about ANOTHER kind of milk and now I’ve got to go to church for confession 😭 iykyk </spoiler>

The last thing I had a problem with were the inconsistencies in the writing and the plot conveniences. For example, we meet a character named Melina and then she’s being called Malena? And we get no explanation for this. As for plot conveniences it’s things like “oh look, there’s a rope ladder that wasn’t there before that you can use that isn’t there AFTER when it’s no longer needed”. And again we get no explanation for this.

To end this on a positive note I will say that the second half of the book got a lot better. There was so much more of that VERY NEEDED character development around the 60% mark that I began to warm up to Astra and Marlak. The plot also picked up and I found myself intrigued with the backstories and storyline. I really wished the whole book was more like the second half because I feel like it had a lot of potential! It was still enjoyable enough by the end that I might read book two 😊 so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the next one!

Thank you so much to Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and Day Leitao for giving me access to this e-arc for my honest review!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sparkly Wave for this ARC of ‘A Cursed Son’ by Day Leitao.

This book was actually one of the first fantasy reads for me and this was everything I needed it to be. The chemistry between Astra and Marlak was incredible. I cannot wait to continue this series!

3.5✨


It was a very light read, I liked that, it really read quickly, I really liked the world and the characters, the only thing that doesn't convince me is the relationship of the protagonists, I liked it but not enough, I still enjoyed it reading and I'm excited to read the next book, I really recommend it✨


- dream connection
- forced marriage/proximity
- romantasy
- secrets
- faes/humans
- elemental magic



Thanks Netgalley for the arc

2.5 stars rounded up.
I was extremely intrigued by the premise of this book and the use of dreams. That is honestly what carried this book for me. I felt like it was easy to jump into and there wasn't excessive world building. At times it felt immature/cringe. <spoiler> I mean a flying unicorn named Cherry Cake? The whole stuff about the milk...</spoiler> To the point that I almost DNF'd around 60%. Thankfully, it was a quick read and I was able to finish it up in one afternoon. I'm left somewhat curious about book 2 because I want to see how the dream connections will be used to further the story. Otherwise, my threshold for cringe tolerance will be much lower.

Loved this book! Cannot wait to see more from this author, currently backing the special edition as well!

This is my first Day Leitao book and let me just tell you, I absolutely ADORED this story and these characters. Astra and Marlak are both such complex and fun characters. I loved their witty banter and the FMC's sassy inner monologue. The angst and the tension between the FMC and MMC is perfection. Marlak is such a softy on the inside and I am HERE FOR IT! Loved these side characters as well, I cannot wait to see how they develop and grow. The scene with Queen Berta made me laugh out loud! Loved the elemental magic, world-building, and foreshadowing! And the dream connection!!! That ending had my head spinning. Can't wait to explore more of this world and see the character development in book two. I would love to see Astra train and explore more of her magic.

This book is definitely a five star read and I will absolutely be snagging a physical copy and reading book two!

I really enjoyed the world building and the fantasy aspect of the book. It was fun to get to know the powers, the courts, and the world. The characters were very fun to read, especially their banter and the tension between our main couple, Astra and Marlak. Overall a great read and I'm excited for more work from Leitao!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op.

A Cursed Son is the first book of the Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom series. Day Leitao is a new author and a pleasant surprise to me. Her writing is fluid and involving — I love the fact we only have the FMC's POV, I quite enjoy that for fantasy books.

Regarding the plot, the story follows Astra, an elite guard and, most of all, a substitute for the princess of the Krastel Kingdom. She is also a darksoul, coming from the fallen kingdom of Tiuris. However, darksouls were exterminated and for this reason, Astra has always been conditioned to hide her true origin.

As of late, after having her heart broken, Astra started having dreams about her kindred soul. She doesn't know him, but his presence in her dreams is the only comfort she has had.

After a succession of events, Astra is sent to an assignment, but on her way she's intercepted by none other than the disgraced prince of the Crystal Court, Marlak. And to her complete surprise, Marlak is the person she has been dreaming about. Could he and her kindred soul be the same person? Could the man who allegedly killed his entire family be the same man who loves her so deeply in her dreams? She's about to find out.

The beginning is a little slow — not gonna lie — it takes some time for the story to pick up, but once it does, you're sucked right in. But it's something expected for a fantasy book, I always get a little confused trying to understand the world-building and a new magic system. And I found that A Cursed Son is very original in those aspects.

About the romance, you better like slow burn, because these two are as stubborn as they come! I wanted to throw my Kindle away multiple times. But it's so worth it! I loved following the development of their relationship, especially since we only have Astra's POV, which makes everything even more intriguing.

And that cliffhanger was just cruel! I can't wait for the next book.

Why do all romantasy novels have to be a series? This one would have been much better as a standalone. I feel like we spent about 50% of the story just world building and getting character backstory. However, with a world so similar to the ACOTAR series (different courts with different types of magical beings and powers), that doesn’t feel necessary.

That said, I sailed right through this story enjoying the two main characters, Astra and Marlak, and their spicy enemies to lovers situation. I would have preferred learning more about Marlak, his past and his plans instead of so much useless inner monologuing from Astra. That felt very much like poorly written filler, and I skimmed through much of it.

The framework of an interesting story is here, but with so little substance and so much useless filler, it was hard to enjoy it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sparkly Wave for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a good read! I was immediately sucked into the story and could not get enough of the characters. I went on a full emotional journey with these characters and I really enjoyed it. The book was easy to read and kept a good pace where I was never bored. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

Thank you to the publisher and to netgalley for giving me this ARC for an honest review! I really wanted to love this book! The premise and the world are intriguing, and I love all the tropes promised in the blurb, unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat for me.

Our premise: The FMC, Astra, is connected to her soulmate through spicy and loving dreams - surprise surprise it is our grumpy, super powerful MMC, Marlak. Having been trained from birth as some kind of royal substitute (read: guard, assassin, jack-of-all-trades in a weird semblance of indentured servitude) Astra is forced to keep her heritage a secret for her own safety. As the story unfolds her life becomes entwined with Marlaks, making her leave behind the human world and go into the fae one, exploring her connection with Marlak and questioning her role to her kingdom.

I liked the plot for the most part, it was the prose that had me wishing the book could go a biiiiiit faster. Often Astra, our narrator, says the same thing in different ways for an entire paragraph, and over explains plot points that could be made clear through showing over telling. This isn’t to say this book isn’t fun, it just read like it could’ve had another pass through to create more seamless storytelling.

At around the 80% mark things got more interesting and a lot of my prose issues started to work themselves out. In all honesty this isn’t a book I would read again, or recommend (purely because I found the prose clunky) but I would keep an eye out for what Day Leitao writes next - she is clearly an imaginative and gifted world builder.

That being said, if you love the premise and tropes and don’t mind clunky prose, this book is a fun easy read with an interesting world and story to continue in book two, A Traitor Sister. It’s also included (at the time of this review) in Kindle Unlimited, so you can have a try and see if it is for you! Happy reading!

I read the ARC for this book. I felt the main character was relatable with how she can't be herself with others around her. The character development was really well written. It was a really good book. I was sucked into it from the beginning. I thought the concepts in the book were clever and neat.. Can't wait to read the second book!

This book had me hooked with such a unique and interesting premise of using steamy dreams to encourage and facilitate enemies-to-lovers. Our main characters, Astra and Marlak, each have their own suspicions of why this is occurring, and must eventually learn to trust each other.

For their own reasons, Astra and Marlak don’t trust each other, but their vulnerabilities widen the disconnect because each wants the other to believe that they don’t care or are even repulsed by the other. It’s EXTREMELY rare for me to enjoy the miscommunication trope, but I felt like Day did a great job - the characters didn’t seem like idiots, they just seemed like deeply vulnerable individuals who have never felt safe. And the banter - *chef’s kiss*

The world-building is fascinating, and I liked how Astra’s training to be a decoy princess helps to fill in the blanks for fae politics and geography. The magic is fascinating, but Astra has clearly been misled to believe certain things and manipulated for the gain of others. I’m looking forward to seeing more truths in the next book.

I also want to call out that I really loved that Marlak doesn’t fit the typical villain mold. He’s also badly scarred, which haunts him both physically and mentally. I have a soft spot for MMCs with tragic backstories, so of course I adored him.

The ending was an emotional rollercoaster that drove straight off a cliff. I will definitely be reading Book 2.

✨Thank you to @NetGalley and Day Leitao for the opportunity to review this book.✨

TROPES
🟪 Enemies to Lovers
🟪 Scary Cinnamon Roll MMC
🟪 Kindred Spirits
🟪 Connected Dreams

I really enjoyed this story. From the premise of the “substitutes” to the idea that Astra has been dreaming about this one person for so long, only to find out it isn’t who she thought it would be, everything was pieced together in a way that made me hopeful for Astra but also worried for her future.

Her banter and chemistry with Marlak are great but also force you to question what he isn’t telling her, what she will never know, and what his end goal is. Sure, we think we know what it is because he tells Astra what it supposedly is, but I can’t help but wonder what lurks underneath the surface. With this being 99% Astra’s POV, we may know more in the second book, but I don’t have my hopes up quite yet, considering the ending.

And, that ending. If we hadn’t had the last chapter, I would be torn about continuing the series. I do not love it when books end in sudden 180s, but because we had context, it worked well in this instance. I feel like I know just enough about Marlak’s thought process there that I want to see it through, how he achieves his goals, and what that means for Astra.