Official blurb:
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. Ha. All he’s doing is making her want that cup more than ever.
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 is a quirky, fast-paced YA fantasy with romance, action, and intrigue, for readers 15 and older. It’s book 1 in the series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows.
My rating: four stars out of five
I loved the whole girls besting the boys dynamic, and there were so many layers of intrigue during the tournament. The best part was the amount of shadiness going on behind the scenes. I wanted to get to the end immediately to learn all of what was going on between the princes, Zora, and other players. And the ending didn’t disappoint! I have to say I wasn’t expecting any of it (a really good thing in my book).
The world was interesting, and I especially thought the Dark Valley, where monsters spawn from shadows, was really intriguing. I can’t say much about the magic without spoilers, but it plays into the story nicely.
I liked Zora as a main character. She has a gentle but fierce nature. Sometimes she’s confused, but she’s always resilient, even as the underdog in a royal cup tournament. Totally relatable (her personality and actions, not the tournament part). I was hoping Zora and Griffin would get together from the start…and I can’t say anything further because spoilers.
Griffin, the Dark Prince, was also quite likeable, though sometimes I wanted to yell at him for his questionable choices. The chapters from his point of view really round out the story and let the reader see it from another angle. I only wish we had found out more about him in this first book—but of course now I need to read the second book to find out! Well played.
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