Scan barcode
intheend's review against another edition
3.0
I love how Zora won the boulder challenge, she was brave and creative. Griffin was played by everyone it seemed like. The ending is a cliffhanger and I’m wondering what’s going to happen next.
aelynreads's review against another edition
2.0
I was quite disappointed by this book. The premise is interesting, but the delivery felt unfinished and awkward. Although there is a bit of mystery in the plot, it's intrigue was completely ruined by the obvious way in which it was presented. The whole story lacked depth as there is very little world building and the characters are under-developed. None of the characters stood out at all - I can barely say anything about them; they just didn't have any personality. One of my main issues is that there is no closure at the end of the story. I appreciate that the author wanted to end on a cliffhanger, but the book feels incomplete and unsatisfying.
If you're looking for something similar to this book with a fierce female fighter, a prince, magic, mystery and betrayal, I would recommend the Steel and Fire series by Jordan Rivet instead.
If you're looking for something similar to this book with a fierce female fighter, a prince, magic, mystery and betrayal, I would recommend the Steel and Fire series by Jordan Rivet instead.
travelwithnes's review against another edition
2.0
I wish this book was better developed. I loved the girl power. I loved the poetry that the author brings to the story. But then there is a lot of development missing. We don't know details of the world or the plot. Sometimes I felt like I skipped things or you know there is something missing. This is a book plot driven and it is not that we'll written. The characters, I love many things about them but there are things missing... This could be an awesome book but there is a lot of developing needed.
sofirifi5's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
ark99's review against another edition
3.0
~arc provided by netgalley~
This was a pretty good book! It kept me engaged throughout however it wasn't really special. I did enjoy the banter of the protagonist with everyone else in the book and I enjoyed seeing how strong the protagonist is. I am a bit confused on the description of the book, though, "throne of glass meets minecraft" I do understand the throne of glass part because of the competition and the strong protagonist but not really the minecraft part? I haven't really played minecraft, much but the story didn't really give me minecraft vibes? I know in Zora's village there are shadow monster things and maybe that is why?
I think that some of the things in this book could have been explained a little more. At the start of the book I don't remember there being mentions of these shadow monsters that Zora kept talking about later on in the book. There could have been talk and I just missed them, but later on in the book when they are talked about they seem pretty important and really affect her as a character and how she lives her life, because it's so different from the other places in the book.
I also feel like I do see chemistry with Zora and Griffin but I feel like the kiss at the end was too sudden and too soon, it didn't feel natural. I also did not see Griffin being some kind of "monster" coming, there may have been signs throughout the book, but they weren't obvious enough for me to see them, which could be good or could be bad depending on who is reading it. Also Alegra's motives weren't really explained either. I guess it could be explained in the second book but the way the book ended just seemed incomplete, even for a sequel.
Overall this is a decent book and I'd probably read the sequel!
This was a pretty good book! It kept me engaged throughout however it wasn't really special. I did enjoy the banter of the protagonist with everyone else in the book and I enjoyed seeing how strong the protagonist is. I am a bit confused on the description of the book, though, "throne of glass meets minecraft" I do understand the throne of glass part because of the competition and the strong protagonist but not really the minecraft part? I haven't really played minecraft, much but the story didn't really give me minecraft vibes? I know in Zora's village there are shadow monster things and maybe that is why?
I think that some of the things in this book could have been explained a little more. At the start of the book I don't remember there being mentions of these shadow monsters that Zora kept talking about later on in the book. There could have been talk and I just missed them, but later on in the book when they are talked about they seem pretty important and really affect her as a character and how she lives her life, because it's so different from the other places in the book.
Spoiler
Also with the older prince helping her and having her "flirt", at the end there really isn't an explanation as to why? It was never really resolved as to why he wanted to do that and I feel like there was an explanation but it was never explained.I also feel like I do see chemistry with Zora and Griffin but I feel like the kiss at the end was too sudden and too soon, it didn't feel natural. I also did not see Griffin being some kind of "monster" coming, there may have been signs throughout the book, but they weren't obvious enough for me to see them, which could be good or could be bad depending on who is reading it. Also Alegra's motives weren't really explained either. I guess it could be explained in the second book but the way the book ended just seemed incomplete, even for a sequel.
Overall this is a decent book and I'd probably read the sequel!
nicolecook30's review against another edition
1.0
I’d rather have spent the last three days reading literally anything else.
I very rarely DNF books. You can check my goodreads DNF shelf for proof. But no matter how hard I tried and tried to get through this book, I absolutely could not torture myself anymore. Finally, I got 1/4 of the way through the novel and allowed myself the sweet reprieve of DNF because dear me, that first 1/4 was bad.
I’ve never seen a book make it to publish so loosely developed. The world building was neglected, relying too heavily on its Minecraft comparison to hold its own in any novel. Even if the premise of monsters sprouting from the dark was intriguing, and the fact that they are a result of a dark magical history compelling, the rest of the world just fell flat.
But, if it were just the world that was left underdeveloped, I could have forgiven the author and possibly even finished the novel. But, none of these characters seemed to be anything beyond a caricature of stereotypes and tropes. Zora, our fiery feminist trying to survive in a male-dominated world, attempted to be both soft and powerful - traits that I admire, but she ended up just being naive and impulsive. Her motivations were flimsy. The buildup to this big important decision to steal away into a competition, stealing her lousy ex boyfriend's glory, was glossed over and empty.
The relationships seemed forced, sprouting out of nowhere (kind of like her decision to join a deadly competition). We were just told “this is this relationship” “this is how she feels about this person” with no evidence or explanations. In even the most basic of writing classes, we are told to “show don’t tell” and the first quarter of the book, I thought of taking a shot every time I was told how to feel about a situation, but I figured I shouldn’t blackout only 6 chapters in.
All in all, this book is a mega DNF. I will give 1 star for the misleading summary drawing me in with promises of a great, compelling novel.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
I very rarely DNF books. You can check my goodreads DNF shelf for proof. But no matter how hard I tried and tried to get through this book, I absolutely could not torture myself anymore. Finally, I got 1/4 of the way through the novel and allowed myself the sweet reprieve of DNF because dear me, that first 1/4 was bad.
I’ve never seen a book make it to publish so loosely developed. The world building was neglected, relying too heavily on its Minecraft comparison to hold its own in any novel. Even if the premise of monsters sprouting from the dark was intriguing, and the fact that they are a result of a dark magical history compelling, the rest of the world just fell flat.
But, if it were just the world that was left underdeveloped, I could have forgiven the author and possibly even finished the novel. But, none of these characters seemed to be anything beyond a caricature of stereotypes and tropes. Zora, our fiery feminist trying to survive in a male-dominated world, attempted to be both soft and powerful - traits that I admire, but she ended up just being naive and impulsive. Her motivations were flimsy. The buildup to this big important decision to steal away into a competition, stealing her lousy ex boyfriend's glory, was glossed over and empty.
The relationships seemed forced, sprouting out of nowhere (kind of like her decision to join a deadly competition). We were just told “this is this relationship” “this is how she feels about this person” with no evidence or explanations. In even the most basic of writing classes, we are told to “show don’t tell” and the first quarter of the book, I thought of taking a shot every time I was told how to feel about a situation, but I figured I shouldn’t blackout only 6 chapters in.
All in all, this book is a mega DNF. I will give 1 star for the misleading summary drawing me in with promises of a great, compelling novel.
A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange of an honest and voluntary review.
trin_ney18's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me this book for review. This does not have any influence on my thoughts or opinions.
5/5 Stars
THAT ENDING THOUGH??!!!?
Oh man, what a pleasant surprise. I never go into any book with high hopes because I think they all deserve a fair chance to make an impression on me. However, I never expected to absolutely love this book as much as I did.
This book has some of the things I love most in the book world: court politics, badass women, plot twists you definitely didn't account for, and a dash of love interests on the side.
I think the book was a little short and that some parts of the competition could've been a lot more fleshed out than they were. As it is, everything seems to happen really quickly.
The ending was unexpected and I still don't quite know how I feel about it except that I'm hooked and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT PLEASEEEE!
5/5 Stars
THAT ENDING THOUGH??!!!?
Oh man, what a pleasant surprise. I never go into any book with high hopes because I think they all deserve a fair chance to make an impression on me. However, I never expected to absolutely love this book as much as I did.
This book has some of the things I love most in the book world: court politics, badass women, plot twists you definitely didn't account for, and a dash of love interests on the side.
I think the book was a little short and that some parts of the competition could've been a lot more fleshed out than they were. As it is, everything seems to happen really quickly.
The ending was unexpected and I still don't quite know how I feel about it except that I'm hooked and can't wait to read the next book in the series. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT PLEASEEEE!
jdalton's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Sparkly Wave for the advanced ebook copy of this book.
The Cup and the Prince introduces you to Zora and the magical world she lives in. This book is full of competition, love, and an interesting cast of characters. I was drawn into the world and kept guessing who was being truthful and who was telling lies.
My only gripe was I felt the book was short. While I am glad it is the start of a series, there were aspects of the story, especially at the end, that I felt weren't explained as much and just skimmed over. There were also "twists" that seemed to come out from nowhere and I found myself wondering if I had missed something or if this was just to get you hyped for the next book.
All in all, though, I did enjoy the book and I do want to see what happens next. I just wish the twists were either not in there or that they'd been hinted at more so I wasn't thrown off as a reader.
The Cup and the Prince introduces you to Zora and the magical world she lives in. This book is full of competition, love, and an interesting cast of characters. I was drawn into the world and kept guessing who was being truthful and who was telling lies.
My only gripe was I felt the book was short. While I am glad it is the start of a series, there were aspects of the story, especially at the end, that I felt weren't explained as much and just skimmed over. There were also "twists" that seemed to come out from nowhere and I found myself wondering if I had missed something or if this was just to get you hyped for the next book.
All in all, though, I did enjoy the book and I do want to see what happens next. I just wish the twists were either not in there or that they'd been hinted at more so I wasn't thrown off as a reader.
chateauofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
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.
"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.
bookishemma_'s review against another edition
3.0
E-arc received from Net galley for an honest review
The Cup and the Prince follows Zora as she takes the place of her cheating ex-boyfriend in a royal competition. Which is what first grabbed my attention, after all, who doesn't enjoy a petty revenge story? Zora is representing her home, Dark Valley. The magic system in this book is what made me decide to pick up this book. In Dark Valley everywhere there is a shadow a monster will spawn. In the competition Zora finds herself being in the middle of three princes and their plans. Zora was an interesting and great protagonist, but all the other characters felt a bit flat to me. The romance also felt a bit flat, I didn't truly root for two characters to be together romantically. However, the plot and the pacing of this book was enjoyable, the way things sped up at the end had me turning the pages quicker. This book did have funny banter that I thoroughly enjoyed. Overall this book was a fun read and I feel like it would be good for anyone to pick up that likes fun and quick adventure reads.
The Cup and the Prince follows Zora as she takes the place of her cheating ex-boyfriend in a royal competition. Which is what first grabbed my attention, after all, who doesn't enjoy a petty revenge story? Zora is representing her home, Dark Valley. The magic system in this book is what made me decide to pick up this book. In Dark Valley everywhere there is a shadow a monster will spawn. In the competition Zora finds herself being in the middle of three princes and their plans. Zora was an interesting and great protagonist, but all the other characters felt a bit flat to me. The romance also felt a bit flat, I didn't truly root for two characters to be together romantically. However, the plot and the pacing of this book was enjoyable, the way things sped up at the end had me turning the pages quicker. This book did have funny banter that I thoroughly enjoyed. Overall this book was a fun read and I feel like it would be good for anyone to pick up that likes fun and quick adventure reads.