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literaryrobin 's review for:
The Cup and the Prince
by Day Leitao
↠ 2.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. After reading the synopsis for The Cup and the Prince, I was intrigued by the premise and prepared to dive right into reading. We follow the main character Zora, as she enters into the royal games under the guise of her village's chosen champion and attempts to win the legendary Blood Cup. Alliances are drawn and loyalties are tested as Zora progresses through the competition, securing her spot, while at the same time making herself dangerous enemies.
Now despite the initial aspects that seemed appealing, the story ultimately failed to live up to any of the expectations it set for itself. There was such an issue with pacing throughout the entirety of the book, that it felt like the whole thing was set on fast forward. That, and there lacked any real depth to the events that were occurring. This can be traced all the way back to the world building itself which was incredibly lackluster and seemingly incomplete. The main event of the plot was supposed to be the competition, but even that fell short as it was overshadowed by unnecessary plot segways. Zora, who is portrayed from the start as this confident and skilled individual, lacked both of those things. This failed to line up with her wins from each stage of the competition and show how she was able to continue at all. The characters themselves, felt to me extremely one-dimensional and not given enough background. Unfortunate that this missed so much of what it was trying to convey. I'm not sure as to whether I will be continuing this series or not. Stay tuned.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review. After reading the synopsis for The Cup and the Prince, I was intrigued by the premise and prepared to dive right into reading. We follow the main character Zora, as she enters into the royal games under the guise of her village's chosen champion and attempts to win the legendary Blood Cup. Alliances are drawn and loyalties are tested as Zora progresses through the competition, securing her spot, while at the same time making herself dangerous enemies.
Now despite the initial aspects that seemed appealing, the story ultimately failed to live up to any of the expectations it set for itself. There was such an issue with pacing throughout the entirety of the book, that it felt like the whole thing was set on fast forward. That, and there lacked any real depth to the events that were occurring. This can be traced all the way back to the world building itself which was incredibly lackluster and seemingly incomplete. The main event of the plot was supposed to be the competition, but even that fell short as it was overshadowed by unnecessary plot segways. Zora, who is portrayed from the start as this confident and skilled individual, lacked both of those things. This failed to line up with her wins from each stage of the competition and show how she was able to continue at all. The characters themselves, felt to me extremely one-dimensional and not given enough background. Unfortunate that this missed so much of what it was trying to convey. I'm not sure as to whether I will be continuing this series or not. Stay tuned.