Scan barcode
A review by haileydonna
The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao
3.0
The Cup and the Prince was a fun introduction to a YA fantasy series.
Zora has spent her entire life in the isolated Dark Valley, where every day is a fight for survival against the shadow creatures. Fierce, determined and completely done with the manipulations of men, Zora sneaks into a potentially competition for the Blood Cup held in the Kingdom of Gravel. Drawn into a whole new world of political manoeuvring and dark magic, Zora must overcome all the obstacles set in her path so that she may earn victory not only for herself but for everyone in the Dark Valley.
I haven't read any YA fantasy in quite some time, so this was a fun book for me. I enjoyed the world building and all the seeds that were planted for the continuation of the story in the rest of the series. Some of the side characters felt a bit flat, but Zora and Griffin were both well written and very enjoyable.
I will say that the book could have benefited from a bit more copy editing and the writing could have been more polished. However, to the author's credit, she is writing/publishing her books without the aid of a large publishing company and all that entails, so I tip my hat to her accomplishment.
There was quite a bit left unresolved at the end of the book, but I imagine those plot threads will play a larger role in later books. I'm eager to know more about the history of the Dark Valley, the creation of the shadow creatures, and the nature of Griffin's dark secret.
This book was a solid start to an entertaining YA series and made an enjoyable summer read. Many thanks to the author, Day Leitao, for providing a copy of this book for review.
Zora has spent her entire life in the isolated Dark Valley, where every day is a fight for survival against the shadow creatures. Fierce, determined and completely done with the manipulations of men, Zora sneaks into a potentially competition for the Blood Cup held in the Kingdom of Gravel. Drawn into a whole new world of political manoeuvring and dark magic, Zora must overcome all the obstacles set in her path so that she may earn victory not only for herself but for everyone in the Dark Valley.
I haven't read any YA fantasy in quite some time, so this was a fun book for me. I enjoyed the world building and all the seeds that were planted for the continuation of the story in the rest of the series. Some of the side characters felt a bit flat, but Zora and Griffin were both well written and very enjoyable.
I will say that the book could have benefited from a bit more copy editing and the writing could have been more polished. However, to the author's credit, she is writing/publishing her books without the aid of a large publishing company and all that entails, so I tip my hat to her accomplishment.
There was quite a bit left unresolved at the end of the book, but I imagine those plot threads will play a larger role in later books. I'm eager to know more about the history of the Dark Valley, the creation of the shadow creatures, and the nature of Griffin's dark secret.
This book was a solid start to an entertaining YA series and made an enjoyable summer read. Many thanks to the author, Day Leitao, for providing a copy of this book for review.