I received an eARC via the author, this does not affect my opinion of the book, all my thoughts are my own and are honest.
I wanted to say a huge apology to Day Leitao for this review coming so late. I have had some health problems which meant I couldn’t read for the longest period of time and wasn't posting on my blog. But I really appreciate that I was given a copy of the book to review and I loved this series as a whole, I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.
The first book in the series The Cup and The Prince synopsis
‘Yes, 17-year-old Zora cheated her way into the Royal Games, but it was for a very good reason.
Her ex-boyfriend thought she couldn't attain glory on her own. Just because she was a girl. And he was the real cheater.
So she took his place.
Now she's competing for the legendary Blood Cup, representing the Dark Valley. It's her chance to prove her worth and bring glory for her people. If she wins, of course.
But winning is far from easy. The younger prince thinks she’s a fragile damsel who doesn’t belong in the competition. Determined to eliminate her at all costs, he's stacking the challenges against her. Ha. All he’s doing is making her want that cup more than ever.
The older prince is helping her, but the cost is getting Zora entangled in dangerous flirting games. Flirting, the last thing she wanted.
And then there's someone trying to kill her.’
The Dawn and the Prince is the third and final book in the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows trilogy. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to review all three books on this blog. You can find the links to the other two reviews here. 'Cup' 'Curse' As this is part of the series I’ll have a spoiler-free review, then a section at the very bottom where I have a few spoiler thoughts.
There were many things I felt this book did well, and some things I felt were lacking and weren’t as strong as they were in the first two books. This book expanded on the world and the magic, going into depth as to how everything came to be, and how the heroes found themselves in the positions they are in today. I enjoyed that and it fleshed out the world Leitao created.
One of the most unexpected things to come out of this book was the banter between some characters. It was amazing. It had me laughing, smiling and rooting for them to sort themselves out and TALK. It was seamless how their conversations were strung together like they were real conversations and not forced at all. It helped bring the characters to life and show us just how different all of them were.
What I found off about this book was the pacing. Throughout the previous books, they have been fast-paced and engaging. I can normally read one of these books very quickly due to not being able to put the book down. But I didn’t feel this engagement until around 40% until then it was very slow going. It didn’t feel like it fit with the plot.
The final conflict was also wrapped up too quickly. It felt like there was this huge build-up from the first page and it was all to a very abrupt end, and I was left wondering why everyone went through everything they went through for such a short conflict. Overall it wasn’t my favourite of the series, but I still very much recommend it if you are looking for a quick fantasy romance that has pining characters, the miscommunication trope, mystery, strong female main characters, and princes whose egos make you laugh.
I will be picking up more work from Day Leitao in the future.
3 ⭐️
Thank you Day Leitao for approving me a copy.
Find Day Leitao Here -
Find The Cup and the Prince Here -
Now for the small spoiler part.
How could Leitao give us two books of pinning between Griffin and Zora only to separate them? My heart. It got to the point where I was saying I didn't care if one of them was dying on the battlefield, as long as they got to see each other. Then Leiot gave us such a heartfelt reunion. It was beautiful. I honestly love them as a couple, they complement each other so much, Zora’s weaknesses are Griffin’s strengths and vice versa. I am so glad they had their happy ending, they truly deserved it.
The truth serum scene had me cracking up. Like seriously. Zoya was all innocent, and Larzen and Riadne took less than two seconds to admit they loved each other. They are an underrated couple, unexpected and very much wanted. They broke down their walls and showed sides of each other that I don’t anyone especially themselves knew existed.
