This was truly an enjoyable romantasy read!

I absolutely loved this magical world. It was captivating and honestly hard to put down. The fantasy aspects of this story were easy to follow. It was nice to be able to read a fantasy and not have to stop every five seconds in order to figure how one thing connected to another.

I also loved the two main characters, Astra and Marlak. Forced into a marriage, Astra handled being stuck with Marlak (the disgraced prince) perfectly. She didn’t whine or beg to be let go. She knew what she had to do to serve her kingdom and she did it. It was absolutely refreshing not having to read about an FMC whining about being taken the entire book.

The relationship between Astra and Marlak was nicely developed. They went from enemies, to friends, to lovers. It was the perfect slow burn. While I typically like graphic smut, I didn’t at all mind the flowery way the smut was written. I believe it perfectly fit how the characters were feeling at the moment and just the overall vibe of the book.

Just a heads up…the ending will hurt for a good few minutes but I promise it’s worth it!

I highly recommend this book if you like romance with fantasy aspects.

The premise of "A Cursed Son" has so much potential. Astra is a royal guard, who also acts as a stand-in for the princess, and who has her own secrets to hide. She begins to dream of her "kindred spirit" who she later learns is the disgraced fae prince, Marlak, who allegedly killed almost his entire family. The two have an interesting meet-cute, which leads to an arranged marriage, which on the surface neither really wants. But what is happening below the surface? Their relationship is intertwined with Marlak's desire to regain his position as well as some sort of plot involving Astra and her secret self.

The question of what is happening below the surface is, unfortunately, one that could be asked about much of this book. The world in which the characters dwell, and the magic within that universe, needs more in-depth explanation. The background conflict(s) need more explanation. Astra's secret needs more explanation. The book ends up feeling rather shallow because so many plot points are not delved into.

The book does do the enemies to lovers and slow burn tropes well, and the interplay between Astra and Marlak is what saved this book for me. Astra's snark is on point.

I would read the next book(s) in this series to see if some of my above observations are addressed in the follow-ups. Reading this reminded me a bit of how I felt reading "Thrones of Glass" - feeling like I needed to get through it to get to the next, almost certainly better, book. 3 stars, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

This book was phenomenal. It was such a pleasant surprise for me and I can't wait to read more! Thank you, Day and Netgalley, for sending me an ARC!

This book will probably be one of my top reads of the year. There were so many twists and turns, a lot of mystery, and gives you on a cliffhanger that will leave you wanting. I will say, there is some deception that happens at the end that leaves the FMC questioning EVERYTHING, and I was so happy to see that she realizes the deception and catches on SUPER QUICK. That was such a pleasant surprise for me. Us romantasy/fantasy readers are so used to reading an obvious deception and it takes a while for the other character (typically the FMC) to figure it out.

The spice was great. It was very interesting because it happens mostly in dreams that are somehow interconnected between the characters but in real life it's a very slow burn. There's a lot of world building/character background building going on that leaves a lot of mystery at the end, and I can't wait to see what all is going on there. I also found the MMC swoony and very interesting. I'm excited to learn more about him and the FMC.

I would definitely pick this one up if you're a romantasy/fantasy fan.

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

My rating: 2.75 stars

I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I have to say, this book was... interesting. It had been on my TBR for a little, so I was excited to read it. But honestly, I almost DNF so many times. I'm going to explain why below.

First, the writing was a little rough, and not because it's an ARC so it's unedited. I left like it went very back and forth at times and got very repetitive and lazy.

Second was Astra, the main character. Even though she's 19 she's very immature for her age, which was just off-putting for me. She did things recklessly without thinking of the consequences, which is kind of the opposite of what she should be considering her position.

What made me give this more than one star was the enemies to lovers subplot. I feel like they portrayed this pretty well and made sure not to rush, which I do hate when it feels forced.

I'm probably going to read the second book because I hate to DNF, but this definitely was something that took me time to read.

It’s definitely a closer to 5⭐️ for me, I enjoyed this book so much and really can’t wait to read the next one. The ending got me kind of worried for a moment!
I really liked the idea with the dreams, haven’t read anything similar yet!
It was the first book by Day Leitao that I’ve read so I didn’t know what to expect but I’m very happy I gave it a chance. I feel like this book was so easy to read and it was very well written.
I would definitely recommend this book if you love fae, enemies to lovers, magic and adventure!

A Cursed Son

This book was wonderful. It was original captivating, and adventurous.

She has been dreaming of him ever since she can remember. She wanted to see who her soulmate would be and now she sees a blurred image that comfort her most nights, well, comfort, and excites her lol.

She lives her life locked away in the castle. Of three girls trained to take the place of the princess in case she doesn’t want to marry whoever she’s betrothed to or in case she hast to go into a dangerous situation. Because of course they are expendable and she is not. I found her past interesting, and her naivety frustrating lol. When she sees an opportunity to travel outside of the castle walls, she takes it. And doing so she has set many changes in motion.

Our MMC is the disgraced prince. There’s a lot of mystery on why he is the one disgraced and why he’s been kicked out. We hear a story about him burning his family alive but as the story goes on, you don’t believe it. He tries very hard to show his caring to the FMC. Unfortunately he has to pick between her heart and keeping her safe.

I am intrigued. I can’t wait for the next book. That cliffhanger has me on pins and needles.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

First I want to say thank you for approving this ARC request! I am so happy I could finish this right before the release date! This book definitely took me longer to finish than I had expected based on the synopsis. Though there was an established plot- I felt that it was really the characters who drove the story. I wished we learned more about the fantasy world it was set in as a whole and had a deeper understanding of the magic system, it felt very surface level to me and like I was missing something. I enjoyed how Astra is a strong female main character, but I felt like there as too much internal monologue from her. Whenever this is the case, I think the best way to consume the story is through audiobook as you can "get lost in the characters thoughts." As for the relationship between Astra and Marlak, this is what carried the story for me. The enemies to lovers trope was done well, and the banter was fun to read. Overall, the style of writing wasn't my favorite and I probably won't read book 2.

I feel like this book had so much potential but the writing was terrible. I could barley got through it despite it having my all my favorite tropes.

I do believe that if they story was refined more with less repeat words this would be a 5 star read hands down.

This is my opinion , please don't let it change your opinion on if you want to read this book or not.

I love when a book grabs you in the very beginning and A Cursed Son did just that! It's a strong enemies to lovers with forbidden magic and good versus bad. Wouldn't be complete without the forced, arranged marriage and snarky, deadpan humor!

Gaw, I loved it!

What I need more of is why Astra was hidden and what happened to her family. What's the purpose of hiding her magic and what really happened on that day Marlak's family died. But of course, I'm sure I'll get everything I'm asking for in Book 2. How long does a gal have to wait?!?!? @day_leitao with the ending you wrote, what's the status on Book 2? 😁

This review is for A Cursed Son, self-published and the below review was posted to goodreads a day before publication on the 5th March 2024.

Thank you for the opportunity to have this book as an ARC!

Now, I might be biased because I LOVE an enemies to lovers romantasy but the trope was done in this book perfectly, the slow burn and the banter between Astra and Marlak! The characters felt like real people to me, who I cared immensely about, the only reason this is a 4⭐️ review and not 5⭐️ is because I’m still not over that ending (can I have book two, like now please??) and that writing style isn’t what I’m used too, definitely not a critique, just a personal preference.

This book has such a good storyline. An assassin/guard, Astra, who is trained to impersonate the mortal princess has dreams every night of a mysterious man, her kindred soul. It’s only when they meet that she finds out her kindred soul is the disgraced Crystal Court Prince, Marlak, a dangerous enemy to many courts. But Astra also has her own magic that she knows nothing about, but if her own kingdom were to find out the truth about her, they would willingly kill her.

I was so excited to read this book, but once starting it I found it wasn’t as good a read as I was hoping. Some parts of it are very confusing, as the different types of magic are never really explained, and everything is very surface level. The book is written as Astra’s inner monologue, where she asks a lot of questions that never really get answered. I found that a lot of this book was very repetitive as well, like Astra’s inner monologue, but also the conversations between Astra and Marlak.

If it sounds like a storyline you’d like, I’d recommend it, but I think the writing style just wasn’t for me🫶🏼

“Looking away won’t save me, won’t change me, but at least it won’t hurt me.”

“A Cursed Son,” by Day Leitao

Astra is a royal decoy to live for and protect the Krastel princess at all costs. She has mysterious dreams of the man she loves but hasn’t met. Until one day her carriage is attacked by non-other the man of her dreams, but he is the Crystal Court’s disgraced prince.

I loved every single thing about this book. Everything was perfect. I loved the characters and how they were good and bad and super complicated. I loved the lore and world building with the Fae and magic and creatures. I loved the tension between the two main characters and how it is very slow burn. I loved the ending so much that it hurts. I cannot wait until book two comes out. 5 out of 5 stars, one of my favorite books I’ve read.

-Arranged Marriage
-Enemies To Lovers
-Fae
-Magic
-Fake Princess (Royal Decoy)

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

A Cursed Son is one of those books with a promising premise that, unfortunately, fell short in execution. While I like the plot and the characters, including the chemistry between the main characters, Astra and Marlak. Although likable, as an FMC, I think Astra wasn't impactful enough. I hope her character would improve in the next book. Marlak, on the otherhand, was great albeit remains a mystery.

Among all the characters introduced, it was Ziven who caught my attention even though he was only in few pages. I would love to know more about him. I think he has a great potential to have his own arc in this series.

The writing/editing isn't the best which I think affected the world-building. It was lackluster. Having various fae courts, I expected a richer world-building. It also didn't help that there were parts especially in the beginning that was confusing. I thought that the paragraphs were probably interchanged. It made getting into the story hard for me. Eventually, it improved, but the bad scene transition and flow was still evident.

If you are reader that can overlook this writing then I think you can still enjoy this like I eventually did.

I really enjoyed this book! Took a bit to get into but once I did I was hooked - very much enjoyed the whole shared dream concept. The characters were fun and easy to connect and I love a good enemies to lovers. It may seem like kinda trope-y at times but it was worth the read for sure!

I had trouble getting into this book but with in saying that I can see there is a good story but unfortunately it took me a while to get into it.

I absolutely loved the SNARK in this book. I was laughing/ giggling at the banter the whole time.

I enjoyed both of the main characters.

Then FMC is a strong willed female who has been raised to believe one thing her whole life. She is relatable in her insecurities and the way that she takes what the MMC says at face value.

The MMC is the definition of " looks like he could kill you is a cinnamon role."

The ENDING!!! WOW, I want more!

Thank you for the ARC opportunity! I had been looking forward to this one from Day's instagram. Loved the whole shared dream concept. Great character development and I always enjoy world-building that isn't overly complicated. Read if you like enemies to lovers, great banter, fae, forced proximity, magic and more

3.5 🌟
Thank you net galley for providing me with this arc.
I really enjoyed the story & romance, I found the book quite easy to read however it just felt lacking on character development and world building. I felt like some details/scenes where left out and I often felt confused.
I did however devour it in a day and will continue with the series as it ended on a cliffhanger!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I struggled a little bit to get into the story, especially because we don’t have a defined plot throughout the whole book. The narrative mainly revolves around uncovering the secrets of the love interest. That’s why I would say the book feels slow-paced. The relationship and banter between the main character Astra and her love interest Marlak is really what kept me engaged. However, the book ends on a cliffhanger that really sets a plot in motion for the second book, and I definitely want to continue with the series.

The world-building is quite interesting and I thought the MC’s background is original. Astra is a substitute for the princess, and basically substitutes are tasked to make alliances with other kingdoms through marriage or to go on risky missions in place of the princess. I had never read anything like this before!

On a side note, I felt that we could have done without the last chapter to heighten the suspense. I mean, it was kind of predictable but it would have been so much better to let the reader wonder until the next book comes out!

If you like enemies to lovers, arranged marriage, and grumpy x sunshine tropes, you might like this book! :)

The Cursed Son was a fun and sexy romantasy.

The story started off a little slow but definitely picked up momentum around page 50. I enjoyed the direction of the badass FMC. However, her friendships did annoy me a little because they did not feel authentic. I did enjoy the world-building and am excited to see what we find out in the second book. The pacing was done well and it kept me interested, after the first few chapters didn't grab me entirely. I found myself thinking about this story and being excited to see what happened next.

The MMC Marlak was mysterious, powerful, tortured, and clearly had a bone to pick with Astra. It was fun to watch this unfold and be witness to Astra's guard coming down. I would have personally liked more bread-crumbing about how Marlak is Cursed and about his powers.

I really would've liked to have explored the elemental magic more and hope we see more in the next instalment.

Overall, this slow-burn and sweet romantasy was a good pick-me-up.

Goodreads and Instagram reviews are up. I will promote again on release day.