The Cup and The Prince (Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1) by Day Leitao Review

5/5 Stars 256 pages
Published October 15th 2020 by Sparkly Wave

If you know me, you know that I never used to be into books about magic, or sword fighting, or potions or things like that. But it’s books like these that have been changing my mind. A solid read, this story is full of mystery, questioning, a brave character that just keeps proving her own doubts wrong, and of course a lot of confusion. But all of that confusion doesn’t make for a bad story, in fact it made for an amazing story. And of course, I can’t wait for the next book after that insane cliff hanger of an ending. I really loved this book.

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Following a seventeen year old girl named Zora, she hasn’t really found her footing yet in life. Teaching children to sword fight for as long as she can remember has made her a very good fighter in The Dark Valley, the only place in their world where shadow monsters spawn from darkness. So, they don’t let there be shadows anywhere. Always wearing tight fitting clothes, never using blankets or wearing skirts, and keeping furniture close to the ground as well as lights on at all times. Her life is about to change though, when her boyfriend starts pressuring her for something she’s not ready for, and she realizes that he’s been cheating on her. He doesn’t love her, and she’s humiliated, and sometimes when that happens, you need to take revenge swiftly, because if you think about it for too long, than your chance will be gone. And that’s exactly what she does.

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She steals his letter out of his bag that he foolishly has been too confident to sign his name on, proving that he’s the champion of The Dark Valley, and giving him acceptance into The Royal Games, and this year, competing for The Blood Cup against the other strong champions. But what she doesn’t realize until she gets there, is that there’s something bigger at play, and someone’s out to get her. Not only because she’s the smallest, and not because she’s the only girl, but because she’s getting in the way of their plan. And that’s not good for anyone.

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Like I said earlier, I haven’t always been into full fantasy stories like these with potions and sword fighting and enchantments, but books as great as these are making me really enjoy them. Once I started this book, I couldn’t get enough, and because it’s not as long as other books I’ve been reading lately, I really tore through it, and enjoyed the entire ride. Especially the ending, because I really didn’t have a clue that any of that stuff was coming. I think my favourite character is Zora, because she’s just so tough, an even when she’s not sure of herself, she’s able to face her fears, and her anxiety, and really power through it to get what needs to be done, done. I also love the cover. I think it’s beautiful, and I really love the whole aesthetic of it. I would love a copy of this book for my collection, to look at, to re read, and of course, let my friends borrow to see if they would like it as much as I did. I think if you like stories about perseverance, a strong young woman who faces her fears, and a very interesting storyline, than this is something you should check out next.

If you’d like to grab a copy, you can do so here, with my Amazon Associates link.

And if you’d like to keep up with the author, you can do so here on Twitter.

Thanks for reading! Hope you’re doing well and staying safe.

Pretty Dark Nothing (Pretty Dark Nothing #1) by Heather L. Reid Review

As someone who occasionally has sleeping problems where I stay up for days, this book really called to me. The description was extremely intriguing, claiming that Quinn, a young teenage girl, hasn’t slept a full night in about twenty three days. She’s plagued by shadowy creatures when she does finally sleep, and it started about eighteen months ago when her dad walked out on her and her mother.

 

4/5 Stars 321 pages
Published April 23rd 2013 by Month9Books

The shadows aren’t just scary looking, but they tell her bad things. Taunting her, telling her she’s not good enough, and that her ex boyfriend never liked her. The story is told through the third person viewpoint, and alternates views every other chapter, between Quinn and another teenage boy named Aaron. He doesn’t have the happiest backstory either, after losing his mother and little sister in a car accident that he was present for, he almost lost his life as well. His father is a grief stricken alcoholic, and his little brother does whatever he wants. He’s not ready to be a parent, but he has to be for the sake of his family.

 

Though this seems like just another teen romance book from the drama that encapsulates the characters, it’s so much more than that. Yes, it has the makings of the those kind of books, but this story has angels, demons, the afterlife, and even death in it. I  really enjoyed getting to know the characters  and their “powers”, if you could call them that, and I had a very easy time picturing them reacting with the world they’re in. This was a book that I got and forgot about, and I wish I would have read it sooner because it’s really an interesting tale.

 

If you’d like to check out this book for yourself, you can do so here.

 

Here’s a link to the author’s Twitter, if you’d like to keep up with them.

 

Thanks for reading! Hope you have a good day.