Review – The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review from the author.**

Title The Cup and the Prince
Author Day Leitao
Release Date October 15, 2020
Date Finished January 7, 2021
Availability Free with Kindle Unlimited

Description

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. 

Initial Thoughts

My bestie, @lianne_the_bibliophile picked up a copy of this book a while ago and, of course, I followed suit and grabbed the Kindle Unlimited version. I didn’t get to it in 2020 but, I saw that Day Leitao was looking for ARC readers for her next book, so I jumped at the chance.

Some Things I Liked

• Snarky main character. I live for characters with wit and sass. If you don’t have something clever to say, don’t talk. No, that’s mean. But, kind of true. I loved Zora. She was sassy and her story opens with a plot of revenge. She was awesome.
• Competition setting. I also loved that most of the story revolved around a competition held by the King.
• Enemies to lovers romances. I loved that Zora had a few love interests but it wasn’t quite a love triangle. It was just tension everywhere. It made the banter and the secrets that revealed themselves throughout the story that much more interesting.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

• Some of the scenes felt rushed. Like one page we were standing in Griffin’s office and the next the next part of the contest was over? I think my criticism here is that I wish there were better transitions between scenes.

Series Value

I would definitely keep reading this series. In fact, I already read the prequel novella The Shadows and the Children by Day Leitao. You can read it too if you subscribe to Day’s newsletter.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. I love supporting indie authors and I’m glad I bumped this book up on my TBR. I’m looking forward to the next book, coming out on January 14, 2021.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – I know, I recommend this series a lot, but it’s so perfect. A snarky heroine who competes in a contest held by the king? If you haven’t read it by now, you definitely should.
• The Fate of Crowns by Rebecca L. Garcia – if you liked the secrets and lies as well as the plot of meddling royals, try this new indie series.
• The Curse and the Prince by Day Leitao – I’ll be reading this one really soon but if you want to read it before me, it hits shelves on January 14, 2021!