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A review by champagne_reads
The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao
4.0
I was gifted ARC of this book on Netgalley.
Publication date: October 15th, 2020
Publisher: Sparkly Wave
Page count: 256
.
'She knew that part of her was being petty and revengeful like a villain. But villains got away with a lot of stuff.'
.
Characters: 9/10
Atmosphere/World Building: 10/10
Writing style: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Relationships: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 5⭐ (9.33)
.
'Color rose to Zora’s cheek and then what had been a silly joke brought him some satisfaction and a smile. Perhaps just realizing that he affected her that way. She still glared at him, but there was something else there, too. And she was enchanting.'
.
In The Cup and The Prince we follow Zora, who cheated her way into the competition. Why? Because she wanted to prove her ex, who cheated on her, that she can be a hero. When she gets there she has to face a lot of problems. One prince wants her out of competition, the other wants her as his pawn and someone wants to kill her.
.
'Zora had always wanted to be a hero. Honorable, selfless, brave. She used to think that with enough hope and belief, everything was possible.'
.
Our main protagonists are Zora and Griffin. Zora is really an awesome character. She is so fierce and kinda morally grey. On the other hand, Griffin is a prince. I found his personality very weird (he had his reasons tho).To be honest, I don't even know how to describe it. Larzen was very interesting character, but we didn't get enough of him. My 'problem' with characters is that we don't get to explore their personality enough. I really hope we get to see more of them in the sequel!
.
“Beautiful are the birds in the field, the sky in the morning, the flowers we step on. Beauty is unreachable. And yet superficial. And yet I— I feel there’s more beauty. Beauty inside. And that’s what I mean to find. If only you let me try.”
.
I really loved the world the author build! The parts about The Dark Valley were so interesting to read about. Can't wait to get to learn more about it!
.
"Focus too much on the enemy, and you’ll lose sight of your own path.”
.
I loved the writing style! It was so atmospheric and beautiful. The descriptions were amazing. I really want to read more of Day Leiato's books now!
.
"Some books talked about it being used by teen girls wondering if they were loved. Griffin had always thought that was more than stupid. You should know if someone loved you, right?"
.
Even though there are common tropes, plot still had something unique about it. I was hooked from chapter one. If you are looking for fast paced, adventurous book with amazing plot twists, this is definitely a book for you! And that ending...
.
"Even smart people sometimes fall into traps. Of course you can say: I know it’s a trap and I won’t get caught, but maybe the best solution is to stay away from the trap. It catches you unaware, Zora."
.
Honestly, I felt like relationships were a bit undeveloped and rushed. I was expecting romance to go in completely different way, but it didn't and I liked it. One of my favorite things was relationship between Zora and her students. Protagonist usually aren't teachers, so this felt so unique.
.
“Things are not as simple. It’s about creating confusion. There are other pieces on the board. You can’t judge the game based on a pawn’s movement.”
.
Overall, this has been one amazing book. I really enjoyed most of it and I am very excited to continue with the series!
Edit:Lowered to 4 stars
Publication date: October 15th, 2020
Publisher: Sparkly Wave
Page count: 256
.
'She knew that part of her was being petty and revengeful like a villain. But villains got away with a lot of stuff.'
.
Characters: 9/10
Atmosphere/World Building: 10/10
Writing style: 10/10
Plot: 9/10
Relationships: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 5⭐ (9.33)
.
'Color rose to Zora’s cheek and then what had been a silly joke brought him some satisfaction and a smile. Perhaps just realizing that he affected her that way. She still glared at him, but there was something else there, too. And she was enchanting.'
.
In The Cup and The Prince we follow Zora, who cheated her way into the competition. Why? Because she wanted to prove her ex, who cheated on her, that she can be a hero. When she gets there she has to face a lot of problems. One prince wants her out of competition, the other wants her as his pawn and someone wants to kill her.
.
'Zora had always wanted to be a hero. Honorable, selfless, brave. She used to think that with enough hope and belief, everything was possible.'
.
Our main protagonists are Zora and Griffin. Zora is really an awesome character. She is so fierce and kinda morally grey. On the other hand, Griffin is a prince. I found his personality very weird (he had his reasons tho).To be honest, I don't even know how to describe it. Larzen was very interesting character, but we didn't get enough of him. My 'problem' with characters is that we don't get to explore their personality enough. I really hope we get to see more of them in the sequel!
.
“Beautiful are the birds in the field, the sky in the morning, the flowers we step on. Beauty is unreachable. And yet superficial. And yet I— I feel there’s more beauty. Beauty inside. And that’s what I mean to find. If only you let me try.”
.
I really loved the world the author build! The parts about The Dark Valley were so interesting to read about. Can't wait to get to learn more about it!
.
"Focus too much on the enemy, and you’ll lose sight of your own path.”
.
I loved the writing style! It was so atmospheric and beautiful. The descriptions were amazing. I really want to read more of Day Leiato's books now!
.
"Some books talked about it being used by teen girls wondering if they were loved. Griffin had always thought that was more than stupid. You should know if someone loved you, right?"
.
Even though there are common tropes, plot still had something unique about it. I was hooked from chapter one. If you are looking for fast paced, adventurous book with amazing plot twists, this is definitely a book for you! And that ending...
.
"Even smart people sometimes fall into traps. Of course you can say: I know it’s a trap and I won’t get caught, but maybe the best solution is to stay away from the trap. It catches you unaware, Zora."
.
Honestly, I felt like relationships were a bit undeveloped and rushed. I was expecting romance to go in completely different way, but it didn't and I liked it. One of my favorite things was relationship between Zora and her students. Protagonist usually aren't teachers, so this felt so unique.
.
“Things are not as simple. It’s about creating confusion. There are other pieces on the board. You can’t judge the game based on a pawn’s movement.”
.
Overall, this has been one amazing book. I really enjoyed most of it and I am very excited to continue with the series!
Edit:Lowered to 4 stars