Book Review: The Curse and the Prince by Day Leito

About the Book:

Title: The Curse and The Prince

Author: Day Leito

Series: Kingdom of Curses and Shadows – Book 2

Page Length: 310

Publication Date: Jan. 10, 2021

Publisher: Sparkly Wave 

Synopsis: A troubled prince.
A deadly curse.
A mysterious cup.
And the power to save or doom the kingdom.

Of course things didn’t go as planned at the Royal Games. When do things go as planned?

Now Zora is on the run, and has to join a disgraced prince in order to retrieve a powerful magical artifact that might undo her valley’s curse. For the first time in her life, she has real hope for her people.

Problem is, for the second time in her life, she’s falling for someone she shouldn’t. Finding a hidden object is hard enough on its own, she could do without the heart palpitations and lack of air. And she could certainly focus better without the constant memory of his lips on hers, his arms around her… Gaah! See? How can she avoid pursuers and decipher enigmatic writings when her brain has been turned to mush? Painful, hopeless mush.

But the real trouble is that there’s more than one curse in the kingdom. And not enough objects or time to get rid of them all.

LINKS:     Goodreads     |      Amazon      |    Book Depository

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My Review:

I was so excited to read The Curse and the Prince, especially after the major cliffhanger in book one! As the story begins, Zora and Griffin, hunted by Griffin’s brother, journey to find the cup in the hopes of breaking curses that plague Griffin and their world.

The story is told from several perspectives, which works well since the characters are in different places throughout the story. As Zora and Griffin search for the cup, Larzen and Raidne remain behind and face their own obstacles. Knowing the thoughts and feelings of these (and a few other) characters gives a well-rounded view of what is happening.

I like that we see a more vulnerable side to the characters in this book, and I feel like many of the characters go on an emotional journey in addition to their physical journey. Zora, Griffin, Larzen, and Raidne all go through so much throughout the novel, and it’s interesting to see their characters grow and change.

Zora and Griffin grow closer, and both begin to let their guard down. Zora also begins to trust others again and becomes a bit more honest with herself. She faces her feelings, as does Griffin, and it’s fantastic. You can feel Zora’s hesitancy and fears of rejection, as well as her feelings of inferiority. I like how she becomes more confident and more sure of herself and Griffin’s feelings as the story progresses.

The story delves into Larzen’s story more, which I found fascinating. He is so mysterious and complex, and I love his enigmatic personality. In this book, we see more than just the manipulative and conniving brother. His fears, lies, and past actions are revealed and add such depth to his character.

Larzen’s blossoming romance with Raidne is also intriguing and a bit dangerous. The foundation of the relationship is built on lies, deceit, and threats, but underneath it all is an undeniable longing and glimmers of honesty. The conversations that Larzen and Raidne have when they are honest and real are some of my favorite parts of the story, and I’m curious to see what happens to this couple as the series continues.

The story has a ton of action with several revelations, and the plot is really well-layered. Prophesies, riddles, mysterious places, deadly enemies, ancient curses, shadow creatures, and more plague the main characters, and there is rarely a calm moment.

The ending, like the first book, ends on a cliffhanger. Many questions remain unanswered, and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Thanks so much to Booksirens and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Rating:

Favorite Parts:

• The character development.

• The romance. Actually, there are two romances in the book, and I’m here for them both (I think)!

• The twists and turns. There’s never a dull moment!

Favorite Lines:

If you want to change what is considered important, first change whose opinions you give importance to.

Invisible chains are still chains.

She’d face a thousand lions if that was what it took to save him.

She wanted all his kisses and hugs and wanted to enjoy every moment of it and allow herself to let her feelings flow like the water running outside. And this was like rain falling down after being locked in dark clouds, something that couldn’t be stopped. Releasing her feelings, accepting them, that felt freeing.

Together, hope and fury were more than a flame in her heart; they formed a scorching blaze that would burn down this Kingdom of Shadows with everything in it.

Recommendations:

Interested in learning more about the series? Check out my review of the first book!

The Cup and The Prince