You know those books you want to throw across the room? Well The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao is one of them, for me.

The novel had a bit of a weak start, but quickly settled into a good pace and I found myself drawn into Zora’s story. She lives in a small village infested with monsters that manifest in the shadows. Like everyone else, she grew up learning to fight these monsters so she could survive each day.

The young man she is sweet on has been chosen to represent the town in a competition held by the Royal family and he has encouraged her to see him off ‘properly’. When she overhears him speaking with another villager she learns he is not the person she thought he was and there and then she makes a decision that is about to change both their lives.

Zora presents herself at the challenge as her village’s champion and soon finds herself participating in a number of trials. This isn’t all that is going on, though.

There are three brothers that make up the Royal family. The newly appointed King, the one who likes to play games, and the one who is having an affair with the King’s fiancé. The last one also happens to be participating in the championship. Zora ends up finding herself mixed up with all of them, in a situation she doesn’t understand, and one that is becoming increasingly dangerous.

In the last 5-10% the story suddenly changes pace. The rest of the novel unfolds in a way that feels like the author rushed to tie up the end of the book, leaving many loose ends dangling.

While there is a ‘next’ book for the reader to move on to in order to find out what happens, I was left thoroughly unsatisfied and annoyed. Much how I might feel if I had spent all this time on a journey only to be told I had been travelling in the wrong direction.

If you are the sort of reader who likes a story that suddenly drops off leaving you needing to start another book to find out what happens, then this just might be up your alley. However, I felt cheated and as a result will probably not bother reading the next book in the series.

2.5/5 stars from me, having lost a star for the way the novel wrapped up and ended.

Thank you to the author, the publisher (Sparkly Wave) and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an impartial review.

From the book’s first to last sentence it is a captivating story that keeps you turning the page! The characters development was amazing and plot twists are to be expected!

When Zora is betrayed by her boyfriend, she decides to take his place as champion of the Dark Valley and head to the capital city and compete in the Royal Games. But, as the only female contestant (and the first female contestant at that), she doesn't receive a warm welcome, but she is determined to prove herself, and her ex, wrong.

Zora must face a series of opponents and challenges, whilst also navigating the king and his two younger brothers, who all seem to have their own plans for how she can be of use.

You can imagine why I thought this would be quite a standard YA competition/fantasy/romance story. And in essence, it was. Zora is the plucky young protagonist who has to prove her worth, take part in a series of challenges and manoeuvre her way around some scheming princes who are all playing their own game. And it's fun, and short and sparky and I am thankful for all of those things.

Unfortunately, there were a number of problems.

First off, no plot should hinge on the main character's virginity. Zora's main motivation for joining the Royal Games was not actually to prove herself, or represent the Dark Valley. It was because her boyfriend cheated on her. And, as the champion, because he expected her to have sex with him. However, it would be completely inappropriate to call it sex, instead, it talks about her giving herself to him, or of other characters, who get to do whatever they want, being rude, or inappropriate or naughty. I hate sex-censorship in a book. /Thankfully/ Zora remains pure, especially when compared with the other main female character who will apparently just sleep with anyone ... ??!

Zora herself has the standard ballsy, young, attractive YA heroine thing going on. She thinks she's not as pretty as the other girls and seems to flip between wanting to represent her region, and wanting to get revenge on her cheating boyfriend. And then trying to prove herself as a female champion. But because there wasn't a set or clear motivation, and because we never really find out what the Blood Cup actually is or does (or why anyone might want to win it) I couldn't really care less whether she actually won or not.

Also, the challenges themselves. Although they had quite a Hunger Games-y vibe to them, they quite honestly seemed lame. Although they were designed to challenge Zora specifically, (again, unclear why, except that the prince seemed to want her out of the competition) that didn't appear to stop her. Add to that the threat of someone trying to kill Zora - which never felt quite real, especially when she was mentally jumping between basically the two other main characters as the culprit.

I liked the starting premise of these shadow creatures that inhabit the Dark Valley ... and then it was completely dropped, as Zora moved away from the valley. There was a nice running theme of her adjusting to completely new situations ie sleeping on a bed (where shadow creatures would spawn underneath) or fighting in the dark. But these concerns and adjustments petered out quite quickly.

And there were some nice moments where Zora challenges the way that women are seen e.g. with a painter who is aware he's making crude paintings for a male audience, but needs to sell them to support his family. But she is constantly being told what to do by the princes - it's just that they are no so overtly rude as someone insulting you to your face. It's still sexist.

And the sexism that was there, albeit in a clearly male-dominated society, was extremely uncomfortable and made the 'romance' element all wrong. It is NOT charming to want to protect someone under the guise of making the audience uncomfortable if a woman is hurt. It's not attractive to play matchmaking games that seem to have no purpose. And it's certainly not a redeeming feature to constantly comment on how attractive all the women are. I didn't get Zora's romance story. And quite honestly it was unpleasant to read.

As a bare bones, the story itself was good. It's just that it wasn't fleshed out in the right way, or in all the wrong places, that made this quite uncomfortable to read, and it did not challenge its own problems sufficiently.

Zora, who always prided herself in being honorable and brave, does something reckless - she drugs her boyfriend who lied to her, hoping to get in her pants, before he leaves. Now, Zora herself will leave. She'll compete.

dnf at 20%

Despite having read a bit of this, I still don't know what the Royal Competition exactly is, what it entails, who will compete, if it's a yearly thing, whatever.
I know about Dark Valley, though, and I'd have loved to know more about it, under other circumstances. Every shadow breeds shadow creatures, physical things that are pitchblack and will dissolve when killed. The valley is closed off, and only the person who will join the Royal Competition is allowed to leave.
Zora wants to win and bring recognition to her people, somehow make things better. And she thinks she'll come back, after, too - so it seems to be a choice she'll have to make.

All this sounds intriguing, so where's my problem?
Simply told it's tell, don't show. Freuqent infodumps, awkward pacing. The characterisation feels inconsistent. We're told one thing but Zora does or thinks another. I get the gist of what the author is trying to convey, but only because I can think of what they meant, not because it's what's actually written down.
It kinda feels like a first draft that needs to be worked over, like a newbie author trying to find their way without going the long way of getting experience but publishing as soon as possible. It reminds me a lot of text based rpgs I played as a teen with other teens, and nobody knew where the plot would go or who the characters really are.

I don't even feel like I can judge if this person is a good writer or not, they simply need so much more words under their belt till they can find their footing. For this reason, I quit, and will pick up another book instead.

The arc was provided by the publisher.

This book took me by surprise! I really, really enjoyed everything about it! I really connected with the main character, Zora, and the whole premise and concept of this book.

Zora has been training and fighting her whole life, but still, no one expected a woman to join the competition this book is about. A quote that really stuck with me is, "If I'm weak like you think, I'll be out in the first round. If I'm not, then what's the problem? People will realize I'm a competitor like the rest, a person, not just a cute little pretty thing that's only good to serve men."
I have liked Zora since the first chapter, but his was the quote that really solidified my love for her.

I loved a lot of the side characters as well, but it's hard getting into that without spoilers. I'm definitely excited to find out more about them in the next book, even though this one really got my expectations for a sequel up.

My only complaint is about the lack of representation, but that can still change in the future, so I'm hoping for more in the next book!

This was such a good book - I couldn't put it down, it was rude of work to get in the way!

I read it in about two days and loved it, such strong female characters. Feels like a retelling of Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next installment.

I was a little doubtful about this one when I for at started because it seemed like it would be similar to so many other YA novels out there. However, I was quickly drawn in and unable to put this one down. I love that Zoe is such a strong female character that doesn't need romance and is able to deal well being a pawn in some royal game. It starts off with her sneaking out out town to join the royal games in place of the chosen champion once she finds out about his true character. She's quickly found out by one of the princes and becomes a pawn between the two princess and the king. Not only does she have to survive and win a competition where all odds are stacked against her, but she has to play the games of the court, and survive assassination attempts. I also liked the hints that there may be more to prince Griffin than we initially thought. The only thing that I really hated was the cliffhanger at the end and the fact that book two doesn't come out for a few months.

I had high hopes for The Cup and The Prince. Firstly, let's be honest the cover art is beautiful and secondly, there's the synopsis which was interesting and I had thought from reading it I would be hooked from the first page. However, those high hopes were gradually dashed as I read page after page and wished I hadn't begun it in the first place.

I'm stubborn when it comes to reading but I was tempted even at around 2 percent of the book, not to finish.

The characters feel one dimensional, and whilst Zora as the main character is good in her role of storyteller. She is determined in her need to be more than what her role in life is as a female but even that at times felt more like a teenage tantrum and a knee jerk reaction to circumstance. I wanted more depth, more history to explain her desire to win the Blood Cup. Perhaps it was only me, but I felt as though Zora leaving her home and those who depended on her because boyfriend cheated simply wasn't enough of a reason.

The side characters are easily forgettable and again, one dimensional and lacked true substance and backgrounds to make them ones you would remember. Scenarios didn't seem at all believable, for example Zora succeeding in successfully surprising a trained soldier and holding him at swordpoint. Even distracted, his training wouldn't permit him to remain held for a second. Yes, work of fiction but come on, it needs to at least make some sense.

Given that Zora has lived in the Dark Valley, where shadows are monsters as well as places were they hide? I thought that they would have been present to aid the reader in fully understanding just why Zora struggles in a place where shadows are naught but shadows.

The Cup and The Prince has so much potential but this book felt like it was the second or third draft and not a completed first novel in a series. Perhaps book two will deliver more, but sadly I won't be reading as this book lacked so much that I love in a gripping and vivid fantasy where the world building has me feeling as though I'm a character in the book myself.

I really wanted to like this book, and maybe I will at another time.
The idea of it was great and interesting. I love a strong heroine and I loved the shadow creatures.
But, the writing felt too juvenile for me. It was a bit choppy and we didn’t get to really know the characters inner thoughts or workings. It was very face value.
So, I DNF’d about halfway through. I might pick it back up again at a later time, because the plot really did seem promising. But, for now, I have to set it aside.

Ok to tell the truth I didn't expect much from this book because the cover sorta looked like just another cheasy fantasy book, but the description sounded interesting, so I thought let's try read it. And what a surprise I got, I could not put this book away, and I absolutely love Zora, and I can't wait for book 2.

So I'm excited over this book, it's easy to read and follow and it spellbound me to keep reading. The writing is allso great, cause there is a secret that you will only find out what it is, by keep reading. And I do allso love a good twist in a story and I got that, and I do love some difficult romance and I get that too. So I love this book and can deffently recoment it.

I got this book as an Arc on Netgalley for an honest review.

I unfortunately did not like this book.
I did not like the characters because they seemed not to have any sexual morals. This book is supposed to be a YA Fantasy but because of all the inferring to sexual encounters I would have made it an adult fantasy. By the time I made it to 65% of the book I realized I did not care about the the characters or the story as a whole.

The cup and the prince is a mix of Warrior of the wild and Throne of glass and i love it.

It follows Zora, a young girl from the Dark Valley, who discovered her boyfrriend has cheated on her so her revenge is taking his place on a competion for warriors. She really want to win but one prince wants her out and the other prince wants her as his pwan.

The story is quick to read and its very interesting. I really enjoy the reading and Zora is the kind of characters that i love. I'm looking forward to read more about the author

The Cup and the Prince is the first in a new series by Day Leitao. It follows Zora who has grown up in the Dark Valley which has been cursed with shadow creatures because of their ancestors past use of dark magic. After being slighted by her boyfriend she decides to take his place in a challenge as the Dark Valley’s champion and win the Royal Games. Well that’s not the only game Zora gets wrapped up in as she becomes a pawn to one prince, anther prince wants to eliminate her from the Royal Games, and the King(the third brother) wants her for something else entirely. The story is a quick read and did a great job on the intrigue and mystery of not know what’s going to happen next. While I enjoyed most of the plot the characters left me wanting more. There were no tight bonds formed but some mild friendships and there really wasn’t any real romance. Good idea but not quite there on a character development level, I'm hoping the next book is a bit better in that area.

I was provided with an electronic ARC through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The book is descriped as a mix of Throne of Glass and Minecraft, which is admittedly an odd mix but hits the nail on the head. Our main character, Zora, becomes a champion in a competition for the so called Blood Cup.

I'd say that the very beginning is the only part that's reminiscent of Minecraft while the later part is mainly focused on the competition itself.

To get straight to the things that bothered me: I thought that the worldbuilding was unfortnately lacking a lot. We get a few climpes of the Dark Valley in the beginning but that's it. I would have loved to get a better feel for the world itself.
The characters also felt a little flat to me. None of the main and side characters felt really new or innovative to me. Which doesn't immediately have to be bad. But they just didn't feel fleshed out enough for me to really care about them or to get emotionally invested.

Another point was the pacing. I thought that The Cup and the Prince was a generally quick read but some parts just felt really rushed. Friends were made too quickly and easily, hardships were overcome to easily, sometimes we didnt't really get to "see" parts of the story that might have made things more interesting (like skipping the potion making, the entchantments and other things like that). Maybe with a hundred pages more, more complex worldbuilding and characters that were a bit more fleshed out we would have gotten a more intriguing book. It just gave an overall unfinished, or unpolished, feeling. The idea was good it just lacked the proper implementation.

Nontheless iI have to say that the last few chapters really had me on the edge of my seat and that I'm definitely interested to see where this is going in the next boook.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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2,5*
Pros: Interesting world-building and premise. A lot of feminist notes. Includes magic and mystical creatures. Loved all the pettiness and shade thrown. Intriguing and mysterious.
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Cons: For a book boasting so much feminism, the female MC was still mostly a pawn to men. It also pitted women against each other, which is a tired trope. And then added unnecessary, unfounded romance. Secondary characters easily discarded or used as props. Clumsy execution and senseless ending.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I thought this was a strong start to a series.

This really wasn’t for me at all, just fell a bit flat for me, the characters were not well developed and just seemed like poor copies of Throne of Glass, especially the main character Zora , the writing doesn’t flow and it made it hard to stay interested, just not my book and a shame because the synopsis made it sound so good

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Thank you to Day Leitao for getting me out of a book slump!
NEVER underestimate a girl from the shadowlands. When Zora's boyfriend tries to pressure her into sex before he leaves for a tournament. She does the only logical thing… She drugs him and takes his place.
Zora then has to use her wits to overcome the challenges of the tournament while not getting caught in her deception. She also has to maneuver with the three royal brothers who each seem to have their own schemings going on and someone is trying to kill her!
This book was fast-paced and exciting. It may not seem groundbreaking to some but it was thoroughly enjoyable for me after a run of mediocre books. I will definitely be watching for book two to come available to see what happens with Zora.

This story deals with a young girl leaving her cursed land to partake in a legendary tournament. During this tournament, the participants go through different trails; the winner receives an enchanted cup.

During this tournament, Zora realizes, as she participates in this tournament, but she becomes part of a bigger game. As Zora is trying to survive the tournament, Prince Griffin is trying to get rid of her and hiding a secret.

There was nothing remarkable about this story. However, that is true with most YA stories, especially if they're the first book in a series. It is a simple story that is not hard to follow, and the reader is learning with Zora, the main character, about this new town and society.

One of the downsides in this story, aside from the slow pacing, is the cliffhanger. As the story begins to reach a point of intrigue, the story cuts off. The most frustrating aspect is Griffin and his secret. At the beginning of the book, there is a scene that Griffin appears to be hiding a secret. It isn't reintroduced until the end, as Griffin admits to being a "monster."

Unfortunately, the upside is the suspense of Prince Griffin. The power play between Griffin and his two older brothers is interesting. All three play a dangerous game that no one, but themselves, knows how to play. The frustration with the three brothers is that there is no hint to this game.

If you have no problem with a book that doesn't provide any answers to the questions it raises, then this is the book for you. There is nothing special about a girl wanting to prove herself and crush the patriarchy. The cliffhanger does hint at a fantastic upcoming sequel.

I really love this book. It started fast and kept that pace throughout. Zora is on the edge of morally gray, but her determination to succeed for the sake of her home is what pushes her just off it. Although her actions in the beginning I am 100% for. You go girl!

The three brothers are so different from one another and there is such complexity behind their relationships (between the three of them and the rest of the court). Griffin gives me Carden vibes, which is amazing. And Larzen reminds me a Locke who hasn’t fully shown his colors.

Despite the similarities character-wise to THE CRUEL PRINCE, the plot is totally different and so good. I am really excited to see where this series goes and you should definitely pick it up if you like competitions set in a fantasy world with a strong sarcastic female lead!