This was my second read of this audiobook. I enjoyed it just as much as the first time, and I appreciated the opportunity to refresh what happens in the first book in this series ahead of the release of the second. This romantasy was again really fun to read with interesting, memorable characters I am excited to read more about. From my original review:
A Cursed Son is a fun romantasy with layered world-building to rival Sarah Maas. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Caitlin Davies, who brought the stream-of-consciousness narrative style alive. While much of this book suffers from the dreaded miscommunication trope, I still found the story compelling. I really enjoyed reading this, and I very much look forward to the next in this series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Sparkly Wave for this advanced audio copy to review!

Book 1 of Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom

Astra, a young woman trained to be a substitute who impersonates the kingdom’s royal family to protect them in dangerous situations, is the main character and the book is written in her POV. After an encounter, she’s forced/arranged to marry the king's evil brother, Marlak. As she lives with him, secrets, magic, and love unfold. I wanted to like this book more, but it felt very YA trying to be more of an adult read. The book did end up on a cliff hanger and the next read is “A Traitor Sister” which is published on Feb 12. I will read the next book because I’m curious as to how this ends!

Thank you to Netgalley and Sparkly Wave for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Cursed Son gripped my attention from the very beginning, as soon as I learned what Astra was and that she had to hide who she was or be killed. I felt better about the forced marriage with fae King Marlak when I learned that he was only 24. I'm starting to get weirded out by other books with 500 year age gaps, so learning Marlak and Astra were only a couple was a huge relief to me. Astra and Marlak are both complex characters that have so much depth to them that I felt like I was always learning more about them (them by themselves and them as their relationship together). Nothing about this book was predictable to me. It was so well written and the ending was a HUGE surprise to me. I never even suspected that that was going to happen and I still can't wrap my head around it. I had intended to start the second book right away to see what happens after that cliff hanger and realised it wasn't out yet. I am highly anticipating the release of book 2, A Traitor Sister.

My new obsession!

Caitlin Kelly did a phenomenal job narrating this story and I hope she's doing the sequel as well! This series is officially up there with Throne of Glass, Fourth Wing, and The Kindred's Curse Saga for favorite romantasy series. I don't want to summarize the story because I think it's best to go in blind with these types of books. So if you enjoy romantasy, uncovering secrets, and strong FMCs do yourself a favor and read A Cursed Son by Day Leitao.

This was confusing at times and felt a bit chaotic. The characters are pretty young and they definitely are written young in personality and reactions. I liked the mystery of Astra’s magic but was upset that we didn’t get to actually see it put to use, something I’m hoping we get in the next book.

The ending felt a bit forced and unplanned but it did shock me. I wanted more world building and less spicy dreams, but it did like this book. I’m curious where it goes from here.

Thank you Netgally for the advanced listeners copy.

Thank you to Sparkly Wave for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

➖

Simple one line blurb: A stand in for a princess is forced to marry the evil Fae Prince.

This was a quick little romantasy. The magic involved was interesting and easy to understand. I also loved the idea of how the guards for the Princess did their work. It did look like a good way to start a war, but it was interesting!

The main characters were great and their connection was easily felt. It’s great reading a book and actually feeling the chemistry.

I really enjoyed this audiobook narrator! Her voices were pretty solid minus a few of the male who weren’t major characters. I was able to listen to the book at 2.5x with ease!

Communication. I hate the lack of communication trope. So much can be solved if they’d COMMUNICATE.

This would have been 4 stars but I knocked off a star for the talk of sexual assault. It seemed like it was a whole joke during that scene and it didn’t sit right with me.

If you’re looking for an open door romantasy then definitely check this book out! It does end on a cliffhanger and only book out at the moment!

While this book explored intriguing themes, I loved the idea of royal "stunt doubles", I had a hard time with the pacing story. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other fantasy. readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

I really wanted to love A Cursed Son by Dey Leitao but, this book just didn’t pull me in.

I love listening to a good audiobook, especially when I’m out walking the dogs but, I just couldn’t connect with the FMC and struggled to get into this world.

I don’t know if it was the narration and maybe I’d have enjoyed it more if I’d read it in written format.

I think that there’s a really interesting world here but, I struggled to engage with it.

I got to read this book a while ago and I gave a five stars this time. This is the audiobook that I got to listen to and it was just as good as the first time. Couldn’t put it down love this book. Love the audio love the characters just could not get enough of this world.

This book was slow and not in a way that provided an interesting story. I struggled to get through it and found myself drifting off while listening to it. Maybe had it been in written form I’d have had an easier time with it but the narration just didn’t hold me. The story itself was also a bit lagging. All in all I just struggled with it and retaining what happened in the story was a bit hard. I found myself 2 hours in and not having a clue as to what happened.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of this audiobook.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating

Fated mates
Slow burn
Interesting magic
Mythical creatures

I can’t wait to read the second in this series! I loved the narrator of this audiobook. At first I thought I wasn’t going to connect to the FMC through the narrator but she proved me wrong!

What’s the point of hiding the outer scars, when the inner ones are so much deeper? It’s who I am.”

This is a great audiobook. The narrator is clear and engaging throughout. Her tone adds to the storytelling and draws in the reader. Already loved this in the hard copy of the book, and this just added to my love.

If you are looking for a romantasy with some steamy attraction and possibly a new book boyfriend, this might be a good book to add to your TBR.

Astra dreams of a steamy romance even if her real life is not as magical. If magic, romance, and enemies to lover is your thing, this book will most likely grab you from the first few pages and have you hooked through the end.

I don't want to say too much, but the way the writer transitions from enemies to allies is well done and doesn't happen in the blink of an eye or a sudden change of heart. It was an aspect I respected because I feel like in many romantasy books where we see this trope, the change is almost too sudden or doesn't make a great deal of sense.

My one critique would be that the writer does feel a bit unpolished with her wording and the way some scenes play out. They feel a bit out of character for the time, place and setting and would probably do better in "the real world" verses the literary world she is developing.

The book does leave on a cliffhanger which is good there is another book releasing soon.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of ‘A Cursed Son’.

I honestly loved this story, their dynamic together was brilliant. And it was a different take on fae stories. I’ve never come across a story where she was a double for a princess but that wasn’t really the crux of the story.

She’d been made to believe that her magic was a terrible thing all her life on purpose & she was having naughty dreams about a certain fae male… but it’s because they’re mates.

He doesn’t want her, shouldn’t want her… but wait he does. And when he gives in it’s oh so sweet! And that twist at the end really had me believing!! But I loved it! Really hope I get access to the second book as I really did love this story.

Astra & Marlack together were just 👌

Do I like miscommunication trope? No
Did I eat this book up? Absolutely

I feel like if you liked the bridge kingdom this book will be right up your ally

I need the next one immediately

A Cursed Son by Day Leitao completely captivated me—I lost sleep because I just couldn’t stop listening! This book took me by surprise with how much I loved it, from its intriguing world-building to a magic system that’s deeply woven into the romantic plot. Add in political intrigue, dangerous secrets, and a compelling romance, and I was hooked from start to finish.

Astra never expected her path to cross with Marlak, the exiled prince cursed by his own family. But when their fates intertwine, she finds herself caught in a web of magic, deception, and a growing attraction that could either doom them both or change their world forever. With powerful forces working against them and secrets waiting to be uncovered, their journey is as thrilling as it is emotional.

The romance is undeniably the heart of this story, and I loved how the magic system played a crucial role in shaping Astra and Marlak’s relationship. Their chemistry, combined with the high-stakes political intrigue and richly developed world, made for an utterly immersive read.

The audiobook narration by Caitlin Kelly was excellent—her performance added so much depth to the characters and heightened the tension in all the right moments.

If you love fantasy romance with layered world-building, an engaging magic system, and a central romance that keeps you invested, A Cursed Son is must-read. I can’t wait for the next book in the Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom series!

A Cursed Son by Day Leitao – Audiobook Review

A Cursed Son is an exciting enemies to lovers fantasy with magic, betrayal, and a slow burn spicy love story.

The audiobook is a great listen, with strong narration that brings the story to life. The pacing, emotional depth, and immersive magic system make it a must-read (or listen) for fantasy fans.
Will definitely listen to the next book in the series

I cannot tell you how much I loved this story. From the very beginning it sucks you in and doesn’t let go. Both characters are great. While Astra not always confident in herself and I wanted to reach into the book and shake her a few times but she always figures it out. It’s just part of her but I loved her. And Marlak is amazing! So so amazing. And listen when I say this book leaves us on a massive cliffhanger I swear my jaw was dropped.
The Narrator for the audiobook is perfection. I hope they continue to use her for the whole series.

⭐️

I couldn’t connect w/ the FMC’s personality- She was just too irritating. The storyline kinda fell flat for me as well, even though it could’ve had potential & the love connection was meh.
I also wished the side characters were at least memorable, but I can honestly (sadly) say I didn’t really care for any of the characters. The impact just wasn’t there throughout the story.

I received A Cursed Son’s audiobook as an ARC to listen to and let me just say, the hype did not disappoint. Caitlin Kelly made this story easy to engage with. Her range of voices was spectacular and felt natural instead of forced!
The mix of world building amongst two characters born to banter made this such an easy read for me. Normally, I have a hard time following as the world develops but told through the asking of questions and experiences instead of chapters of descriptions made me feel so much more engaged. Like Astra and I were indeed experiencing the story unraveling together.
I loved how the dreams entangled with reality and made it complicated for even me, as the reader, to distinguish between awake and asleep. It added a hint of mystery and curiosity that I don’t normally experience in stories.
The slow burn was honestly the hardest part for me. I felt it drag on in the sweetest way possible and was continuously screaming “I can’t take you two verbally edging each other anymore” several times at my phone. 😂
Now, as for my HeatRay rating, for those that don’t know my scale, this just means that the spice was there. It was sweet, not overly detailed, but very obvious what was going on.
Overall, I highly recommend reading A Cursed Son! I loved every minute of it, had zero problems following along, and I anxiously await book two! 🖤