Mini Reviews: Kingdom of Curses and Shadows 1-2 and Because of Us

It has been a very hot minute since I last did mini reviews — well over a year ago! The last set of mini reviews I did was back in November 2021 and it was to clear out some super old reviews (I had more, but I later opted to just post them on Goodreads only to get them out of the way). Thankfully, no terribly old reviews this time around, at least.

The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao

The Cup and the Prince by Day Leitao
Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #1
Published by Sparkly Wave on October 15, 2020
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Format: eBook
Source: Owned

When a girl set on revenge meets an arrogant prince, sparks fly and tempers rise.

Yes, Zora cheated her way into the Royal Games, but it was for a very good reason: Spite.

Her ex was an asshole and thought she could never attain glory on her own. Just because she's a girl. So she took his place.

Now she's competing for the legendary Blood Cup, representing the Dark Valley, a place where shadow creatures spawn in the dark and survive in sunlight. It's her chance to prove her worth and bring glory to 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 to win this competition 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.

Trigger & Content Warnings: cheating, misogyny

The moment Zora decided she was going to take her ex’s place in the Royal Games as revenge because he thought she could never attain glory on her own (or do things by herself) was the moment I decided I might enjoy (even love) this book. Because that is peak queen behavior and I love she sees her worth (wish I could do the same sometimes).

Or I’m a petty bitch. Also possible (but her ex is a cheating scumbag, so I think he deserved it).

Unfortunately, while The Cup and the Prince has a great concept, with all the elements that I love in a book (revenge and royal competition), it was not so great at the execution. At least it was a quick read.

I think the book’s strongest element is the themes explored throughout by Leitao, especially being female in a male dominated world, which is a huge, integral part of the novel. Zora is the only female at the Royal Games, and she’s mocked and underestimated from almost everyone around her the moment the games begin. She doesn’t let that take her down though, and I love some moments in the games where she proves this to everyone.

Everything else, however, was where things didn’t turn out so great. The writing isn’t the greatest and doesn’t flow well; implied romance felt shoehorned (seriously, the chemistry was just… no); characters are mostly unforgettable and relatively flat (even Zora, as much as I love her), but I did like how they fit into the overall plot. Leitao does a pretty good job of keeping you knowing as much as the protagonist does and doesn’t show all the cards until the end, but I felt this backfired in the world-building, which we sadly don’t get to know too much.

All that said, this was quick to read, and I’m honestly curious how things will develop in the second book, so I dove into The Curse and the Prince shortly after finishing.

The Curse and the Prince by Day Leitao

The Curse and the Prince by Day Leitao
Kingdom of Curses and Shadows #2
Published by Sparkly Wave on January 14, 2021
Age Group & Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Format: eBook

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.

Trigger & Content Warnings: sexual harassment, death, periods (mentioned)

The Cup and the Prince turned out to be more of a disappointment, but I was fully invested in finding out what happens in The Curse and the Prince after the ending of the first book. And I was very much hoping the second book in the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows trilogy would be an improvement from the first, but it just wasn’t in the cards. I DNFed this at 41%.

• There’s more POV switching in this one; the first simply had Zora and Griffin (and one other for a chapter). While I’m all for getting into the heads of new characters in sequels, when they’re mostly unforgettable, it makes things difficult to waddle through.
• The writing flows a tad better compared to its predecessor, but not by much.
• Literally nothing happens in the amount that I read.
• Moment of appreciation, but I love the discussion of periods were included, even if it’s just 1-2 sentences. So little books talk about this, especially in the fantasy genre. It’s such a small thing, but definitely worth mentioning (at least, in my opinion).
• There’s more world-building in the sequel, which I loved reading about. I wish we got to spend more time in the Dark Valley where Zora grew up because I feel like it’s such an integral part of the story and plot of the series from what we did get to know.

This ultimately felt like a bit of a repeat of the first book where Leitao only shows a few cards and keeping us on our toes (mostly whatever the character knows) and then will only reveal the rest at the last possible moment (and I’ll get suckered into reading the next book because I’m simple). The only difference here is Zora and Griffin are on the run after nothing goes according to plan at the Royal Games, and I felt like too little was being shown that added with all the other issues and the pacing of the book, it was a disappointment.

Because of Us by Nina Arada

Because of Us by Nina Arada
Published by Self-Published on November 4, 2022
Age Group & Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Representation: Cuban protagonist
Format: eBook
Source: Kindle Unlimited

He was my first love. He was my twin brother's best friend. He is my undoing.

Wes Miller gave me an unforgettable summer, but our chapter ended as quickly as those warm nights spent in his arms, and I left town with a broken heart.

Seven years later I return stronger than I've ever been, and our worlds collide. His presence awakens emotions that should have been left in the past, and I’m overwhelmed with how desirable I feel beneath that familiar ocean hued gaze.

He wastes no time trying to right his wrongs with gifts that prove he hasn’t forgotten a thing. The tattoos that mark his skin show he’s changed. And the way he loves to hate my workout shorts tells me he’d worship my body just like he used to.

There’s no denying the fire still burning between us, but can I trust him? Can I give him my heart and go all in like we did that summer? Will forgiving him destroy the years of progress I’ve made?

Is Wes Miller worth a second chance?

Trigger & Content Warnings: sexual assault (on page), alcoholism, car accident, death of a loved one, drunk driving (mentioned), abortion (mentioned)

Whew, Because of Us gets heavier the further you get along in the book, but it was so worth the emotions it brought out in me.

I love good second-chance romances (the history! the pining! the tension! chef’s kiss), but they usually end up a hit or miss for me. Arada’s debut novel was definitely not a disappointment – the chemistry between Josie and Wes? AMAZING. The entire time I felt like Josie’s close friend Cassie when she and her partner Brandon found out they had a history and just started shipping them together (Cassie is such a fun character; I love her and must protect this sunshine).

The book alternates between seven years ago when Josie and Wes form a secret relationship and the present when they cross paths again. While the alternating might not be for everyone, I felt like it added a lot of depth to their characters and it was great seeing how they’ve developed over the years. I also think had the story focused solely on the present day, it wouldn’t have been as emotionally impactful as it ended up being. I laughed, I wanted to cry, I wanted to hug the characters.

Because of Us isn’t for everyone though. It has its light and fun moments; I enjoyed this a lot and I’m looking forward to reading Arada’s next novel. But a good portion of the book dances around heavy topics that’s very central to Wes and Josie’s history. It also goes into a fair amount of detail as well, so if you do plan on picking this up, I would definitely take note of the trigger warnings.