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.

This book was great fun but was also majorly faulted.

Positives:

- Pacing: one thing that you can say about "The Cup and the Prince" is that you want to keep reading, regardless of where the plot is going. I appreciated the author's style, which I found perfect for this type of fun, unpretentious young adult.

- Humor: although I wasn't always rooting for the main character, she has great humour. She tries (and fails miserably) to be petty: she is good at heart but has a sharp tongue. 10/10.

Things-that-I-enjoyed-but-could've-done-better:

- Characters: they were okay-ish characters, and I don't hold any particular grudge against them. However, they were almost flat and mostly resembled "personality tropes" rather than well-rounded people, e.g. the new friend, the unlikely friend, the bitchy bitch. The protagonist started with wanting revenge, and she changes her mind without any development in the middle of scenes. The male protagonist, the prince, is mostly depicted as a bland, slightly annoying boy with way too much power and no respect for himself–okay, the last part is, actually, well done, given that he *spoilers* is a monster and hates himself for it *spoilers*

All the side characters were bland and stereotypical, and I believe that the author could've done a better job with them.

- Themes: I appreciated that the book tries to evade misogynistic assumptions that are often found both in these types of young adult books and late 90's rom-com. I'm sure that the book means well yet may of the scenes managed to be both progressive and offensive: for instance when the main character feels dehumanised by her portrays (aka this artist sexualised her to sell some paintings), she decides that it's okay because that's what sells.

- Writing style: Yes, I did enjoy this book and it was a fun ride. It was quick and easy to read and, despite its flaws, I couldn't put it down. I'm sure that it will make someone happy and that's far better than MANY pointless YA that I've read. On the other hand, the text was a continuous flow of repetition: the narrator will repeat what just happened or just describe again and again the same thoughts processes. It felt like the author was convinced that her readers were dumb and constantly needed to be reminded of what had just happened.

For me, that was the major flaw because I don't always want a perfect book. I can put up both with okay characters and cranky themes, that's okay. But I don't need to be repeated all over again that x thing happened.

Major flaw:

- The wordbuilding: there just wasn't one. It was a random kingdom with random people and random monster.


Overall, I do believe that "The Cup and the Prince" is a cool, funny YA book. I read it in two days: it's entertaining and enjoyable. However, you need to a) know what you are reading and b) be aware that no everything will make sense, and c) be in a mood for a very light read.

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!

HAPPY RELEASE DAY!

"Maybe your highness is afraid of getting your high ass kicked".

"That's the problem with people, they won't jump into danger to defend what's right"

Perfect for fans of The Cruel Prince, ToG and Grishaverse. Since it has some vibes and similarities to these, which made me like it instantly.

I'm SO EXCITED and CAN'T WAIT for the sequel coming on January 2021.

I knew I was going to like this book since I saw the gorgeous cover and read the synopsis, a plus is that the author is Brazilian (yay!), so I had that feeling that I had to read it, it caught my attention immediately. Turns out that i was right! because i did enjoy and like it, i think the author and this book series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows have potential. This is the first book i read from Day Leitao and it sure won't be the last! I'm actually glad i found this book since i have been in a reading slump and since i started reading it i couldn't stop, i binge read it!! it had me completely hooked. It's an easy and entertaining read.

I totally reccomend reading first The Shadows and the Children (you can get it for free at Day's website), which is a short story and the prequel to The Cup and The Prince. It's a nice introduction into the serie and the world it's set in, i wish it hadn't been separated from the book, i think it should have been added to it before the first chapter began, because i feel it adds more to the book and readers will get a better and complete idea of Zora's background and the world, so they won't be kinda lost as i was during the first chapter.

Aspects i DID LIKE:
-The world building and plot, i'm excited to know more about the Dark Valley and the other regions of the kingdom, such as Linaria.
-FIERCE PROTAGONIST with a sword named Butterfly that has pink glow bc why not?!
-Prince Griffin, the dark and cursed prince! Also competing for the Blood Cup. He has some Cardan and Nikolai vibes!
-Princess Alegra, what a plot twist! I'm excited to know more about her!
-The magic in it, and the potion making stuff.
-The fact that the author was inspired by Minecraft, there's these dark creatures in the Dark Valley that spawn from dark spaces and attack people.
-It talks about about being a woman in male-dominated spaces, so feminist in a way. Zora is the only woman in the Royal Games, so she fights against these issues and stands up for herself and her beliefs.

Aspects i DIDN'T LIKE:
-Short and felt like some parts were kinda rushed.
-Felt lost at the beggining with the worldbuilding.
-In my opinion, Prince Kiran and Larzen's behavior and comments towards Zora sometimes felt odd. I understand if the author may had wanted to make a point, argument or are part of the plot or characters personality, which i get, but personally i didn't like it.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!! In exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

This was so much fun, I really enjoyed it!

I read it in a day! It’s fast-paced with an interesting plot and characters. I absolutely loved all the trials and the mystery element.

Not five stars as I would have liked more descriptions and world-building.

I liked the start of the romance and THE ENDING of the book so I will definitely be picking up book 2!

(actual rating: 3.5/5)

This book is pitched as "Throne of Glass meets Minecraft", and it did not disappoint.

The only reason Zora cheated to get into the Royal Games is that her boyfriend cheated on her, thought that she could never win because she was a girl, and planned on leaving the Dark Valley on their own. But things start heating up and her life becomes more and more in danger, while she gets increasingly involved with the drama surrounding the princes.

One of the biggest things I liked about this book was the main character. Sure, she makes some bad decisions, but who doesn't? Especially when you've been cut off from the rest of society for your entire life. She refuses to back down and holds her own in tough situations. Other than that, the Minecraft references in this book seemed really obvious, even if they weren't very important to the plot (yet. I suspect the next book will rectify that). The pacing was good - pretty fast and action-filled, but not overly so. There's even some political intrigue and some romance drama, which I enjoyed.

The world-building was decent, and the characters remained just shy of feeling 3-dimensional. The writing gets the job done, but isn't anything particularly special. Zora's constant paranoia gets a bit irritating at times, but it is understandable. Even though this book claims to be YA romance, the romance itself isn't very important until the end, and even then, it didn't feel all that well developed to me.

I think my favorite character was either Larzen or Zora. My least favorite character may have been Griffen, because of how contradictory and overly 'protective' he was, but I hated his relationship with Alegra even more because of how rainbow-unicorns-puppies-and-fluffy-kittens it seemed.

(Just a side note that this book ends on an extremely dramatic cliffhanger, to which I had only one word: WHY??)

All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a light fantasy read.

If you know me, you know that I never used to be into books about magic, or sword fighting, or potions or things like that. But it's books like these that have been changing my mind. A solid read, this story is full of mystery, questioning, a brave character that just keeps proving her own doubts wrong, and of course a lot of confusion. But all of that confusion doesn't make for a bad story, in fact it made for an amazing story. And of course, I can't wait for the next book after that insane cliff hanger of an ending. I really loved this book.

Following a seventeen year old girl named Zora, she hasn't really found her footing yet in life. Teaching children to sword fight for as long as she can remember has made her a very good fighter in The Dark Valley, the only place in their world where shadow monsters spawn from darkness. So, they don't let there be shadows anywhere. Always wearing tight fitting clothes, never using blankets or wearing skirts, and keeping furniture close to the ground as well as lights on at all times. Her life is about to change though, when her boyfriend starts pressuring her for something she's not ready for, and she realizes that he's been cheating on her. He doesn't love her, and she's humiliated, and sometimes when that happens, you need to take revenge swiftly, because if you think about it for too long, than your chance will be gone. And that's exactly what she does.

She steals his letter out of his bag that he foolishly has been too confident to sign his name on, proving that he's the champion of The Dark Valley, and giving him acceptance into The Royal Games, and this year, competing for The Blood Cup against the other strong champions. But what she doesn't realize until she gets there, is that there's something bigger at play, and someone's out to get her. Not only because she's the smallest, and not because she's the only girl, but because she's getting in the way of their plan. And that's not good for anyone.

Like I said earlier, I haven't always been into full fantasy stories like these with potions and sword fighting and enchantments, but books as great as these are making me really enjoy them. Once I started this book, I couldn't get enough, and because it's not as long as other books I've been reading lately, I really tore through it, and enjoyed the entire ride. Especially the ending, because I really didn't have a clue that any of that stuff was coming. I think my favourite character is Zora, because she's just so tough, an even when she's not sure of herself, she's able to face her fears, and her anxiety, and really power through it to get what needs to be done, done. I also love the cover. I think it's beautiful, and I really love the whole aesthetic of it. I would love a copy of this book for my collection, to look at, to re read, and of course, let my friends borrow to see if they would like it as much as I did. I think if you like stories about perseverance, a strong young woman who faces her fears, and a very interesting storyline, than this is something you should check out next.

(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

Yeah … this wasn't the book for me.

Even I started this review, my computer started making an ominous burning smell, which bodes very well. (sarcasm implied).

So yes … there were some glaring issues with this book that really didn't sit well with me.

But let's hit the positives first, which for the least part are the less spoiler filled. Firstly, the idea of monsters being formed in dark spaces, and having to light up an entire valley to protect people is a stroke of genius writing. That kind of idea really carried the first tenth of the book (for as long as the idea was actually used). Secondly, I actually liked the idea of a kingdom being run by a man that isn't 1. like 50 years old and 2. an actual tyrant, like many other books. And I appreciated the dynamics (even if they were simply the barest of bones) between three brothers, one of which is a king.

Yeah … that was about it for things I liked. And surprisingly my main issue isn't even the fact this book didn't pass the Bechdel test.

It was the unnervingly similarity to Minecraft and Throne of Glass. And the writing with the content being completely unbloodied and without any stakes or feel of fear in the reader. And the complete lack of development. And the fact we are stuck with a massive Mary Sue.

Firstly with the issues with taking from other sources. You know back when you played Minecraft, as most Gen Z and Millennials did when they were a few years younger, and when monsters would spawn in the dark and shadows, with potions and enchantment tables. Yep. This book pretty takes all of their signature ideas and rolls with it as their own. I really liked the way that magic is used, but not when it has so many similar characteristics its either a massive editorial error or a blatant rip off. And Throne of Glass, unfortunately it just felt like … what was her name again? Zora? Zora. It felt like Zora was just another MC who was trying to replicate Celaena's Slytherin magnificence from ToG.

Secondly, the writing. Yeah I didn't really rate the writing. Firstly because the action doesn't really start to happen until way into halfway through the book, which is when the person trying to kill Zora turns up. And she isn't even like … actually scared by it? She thinks about it for a page or two and then forgets about someone literally trying to kill her. It also includes cringeworthy gems like this: "Goody-goody-hopeful-nice-girl Zora. Let them think so. Some might say she snapped. Nope. She had awoken. And seen the light." Meanwhile I'm sitting in my office chair trying not to let my lemon yogurt from earlier make a reappearance. Why? This kind of cringe worthy writing doesn't have a place in a story that's trying to tackle institutional sexism and a competition that required murder. To add more fuel to my fire, there is another passage from later, ""There's more. The Blood Cup required a sacrifice. If you win all the tasks, you'll still have to face and kill a lion, using only a shield, a sword and a lance." Zora glanced up at the poor animal and felt horrified. "No!" Her scream came out before she realised she should have been quiet." Let's just say I facepalmed at this. Because a few chapters ago she was poisoning her ex-boyfriend and only mildly concerned if she had overdosed and killed him. Followed by tackling the topic of consent and sex, despite never saying the word, it also cannot say wine either. "She had a cup with red juice in it and lifted it. "Cheers.""

Thirdly, with absolutely no development, Zara or whatever her name was, get's turned into a MASSIVE Mary Sue. At seventeen she's given the mind/temperament of a fifteen year old and the skills of a seasoned warrior. Even in the Dark Valley where she lives, she is already considered adept at fighting (why they didn't choose her as the volunteer I'll never know. "Zora had faces shadow wolves and even shadow balls." (Yes they literally call one of the main unnatural antagonists 'Shadow Balls'. "She taught children how to face them." At 17, if she's so good she's already teaching others how to defend themselves surely she should be better and less childish than she is. There's more- despite being desperate to save her people she's also completely unbothered by her impending doom by cheating her way into the competition. "Zora kept her face neutral, almost bored. Death?" Yikes this was just not the kind of vibe we need from a developed MC. And in addition to her literally living her life under constant light and fires to protect against the shadow demons, she wasn't even a little bit scared of the dark, even after never experiencing it. "Griffin probably thought she would freak out in the dark. Didn't he remember she'd been locked in a dark room in a library for a long time?" That long time being like half an hour. Sheesh.

So yeah … long story short, this really wasn't the book for me. It read like a first draft, which should have ended up mostly on the cutting room floor. Perhaps for the younger aspects of YA it might be a lot more appealing, but it really wasn't hitting it for someone who is meant to be a year older than the main character.

After facing heartbreak, you'd think Zora would learn her lesson and try not to fall in love with two people with different intentions... of course, we're clearly wrong and she falls for one of the guys while dealing with the tournament... Overall this book was a somewhat quick read and while there were parts that brought a smile to my face there were parts of the tournament that weren't really high-stakes. I felt like the stakes could've been higher and honestly it would have made the tension in the book so much better!

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

Such an amazing premise and amazingly executed. The whole competition was beautifully written and the main character was one you could relate to and was completely human in her emotions and feelings. She was kind and such a strong warrior character with emotions. The whole plot was beautifully written and had a great pace. I binged the book in one day, I couldn’t stop reading. The friendship between characters was amazing and genuine. The love between characters was written wonderfully with a good pace with a great enemies to lovers trope. Such a great book with an unbelievable plot twist at the end. A super quick read but well worth it!

Thank you to netgalley and sparkly waves for approving me for the e-arc for The Cup and The Prince. I did enjoy reading parts of this book and some of the characters. It was a pretty short read and it felt like everything was rushed especially with the whole tournament and characters in the end.

This book is fast paced, strong willed and bad ass. Zora is crafty and cutthroat and oh my gosh you have to love her for it. If you're looking for your new must read, fly through because you can't stop reading series this is absolutely it.

This is a wonderful read and draws the reader into a world of adventure and low key magic With sword fighting , flirting and intrigues this story has something for everyone. The characters are brilliantly written and Zora is fantastic. If your a fan of fantasy, action , adventure this it totally the read for you.

I. Throughly enjoyed this read and look forward to the next part of our champions journey!