The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao
“Be careful, be careful. It was all people told her. As if the responsibility for not getting murdered were hers.”
One prince wants her out.
Another wants her as a pawn.
Someone wants her dead.
Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
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. Zora hates him, hates him, hates him, and will do anything to prove him wrong.
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.
Well, actually, there’s three princes but that’s a whole different tangent :)
The Cup and the Prince was a snarky, funky, fantasy action adventure series, a genre that becomes increasingly rare as you grow older. I enjoyed the Royal Games and the whole thing gave me major Goblet of Fire vibes in a good way. The challenges were interesting enough, but there were enough layers to the plot to keep you intrigued throughout the story.
“This was it. She was in the Royal Games. Risking death, but she was there. In theory, it sounded quite dangerous and reckless, except that she’s risked death every single day of her life.”
The whole concept of the Dark Valley was also really fresh. In the Dark Valley, any patch of darkness will give birth to shadow creatures. This includes the space under a dropped piece of clothing, the space inside hollow instruments like flutes, the shadows under literally any piece of furniture, etc. This means that Zora has a literal fear of the dark, but it’s fully explainable and necessary for survival where she grew up. However, when she reaches the castle, this instinct is out of place and unneeded. This was a very exciting concept and I’m genuinely interested in exploring it more as the series progresses!
Zora is an interesting protagonist who is easy to root for despite her imperfections. She makes mistakes, but she’s genuine and real. The other characters come off a bit aloof, mainly because Zora just doesn’t bother to get to know anyone. On the other hand, there’s enough characters to keep your interest while still maintaining an air of mystery. Did I mention that there’s teenage royalty in this book? Unfortunately, none of the three princes are actually … cool? All of them are total messes, so it wasn’t really exciting. Still, you don’t get to see much of their actual characters in this book, so they’re each presented as shallow caricatures. Hopefully, that will change in the next book!
Honestly, the biggest drawback was the clunky writing. The narration felt odd at times, and some things were described in excruciating detail while some important moments felt rushed. It was hard to fully immerse yourself in the story because the awkward writing resembled the disembodied voice overs present in some movies. It just immediately pulls you out of the world.
Still, the book was entertaining, even with an unsatisfactory ending. The Cup and the Prince provides a fun, lighthearted YA adventure story with an interesting plot.
One prince wants her out.
Another wants her as a pawn.
Someone wants her dead.
Zora wants to win the cup and tell them all to screw themselves.
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. Zora hates him, hates him, hates him, and will do anything to prove him wrong.
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 Cup and the Prince was a snarky, funky, fantasy action adventure series, a genre that becomes increasingly rare as you grow older. I enjoyed the Royal Games and the whole thing gave me major Goblet of Fire vibes in a good way. The challenges were interesting enough, but there were enough layers to the plot to keep you intrigued throughout the story.
“This was it. She was in the Royal Games. Risking death, but she was there. In theory, it sounded quite dangerous and reckless, except that she’s risked death every single day of her life.”
The whole concept of the Dark Valley was also really fresh. In the Dark Valley, any patch of darkness will give birth to shadow creatures. This includes the space under a dropped piece of clothing, the space inside hollow instruments like flutes, the shadows under literally any piece of furniture, etc. This means that Zora has a literal fear of the dark, but it’s fully explainable and necessary for survival where she grew up. However, when she reaches the castle, this instinct is out of place and unneeded. This was a very exciting concept and I’m genuinely interested in exploring it more as the series progresses!
Zora is an interesting protagonist who is easy to root for despite her imperfections. She makes mistakes, but she’s genuine and real. The other characters come off a bit aloof, mainly because Zora just doesn’t bother to get to know anyone. On the other hand, there’s enough characters to keep your interest while still maintaining an air of mystery. Did I mention that there’s teenage royalty in this book? Unfortunately, none of the three princes are actually … cool? All of them are total messes, so it wasn’t really exciting. Still, you don’t get to see much of their actual characters in this book, so they’re each presented as shallow caricatures. Hopefully, that will change in the next book!
Honestly, the biggest drawback was the clunky writing. The narration felt odd at times, and some things were described in excruciating detail while some important moments felt rushed. It was hard to fully immerse yourself in the story because the awkward writing resembled the disembodied voice overs present in some movies. It just immediately pulls you out of the world.
Still, the book was entertaining, even with an unsatisfactory ending. The Cup and the Prince provides a fun, lighthearted YA adventure story with an interesting plot.
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