This had potential, but the writing left a lot to be desired. Stream of consciousness style + very “tell don’t show.” Almost every sentence is a run-on. Frequent use of “ugh” & modern slang. The FMC felt extremely juvenile for her age & I had no emotional connection to her or the world her story is set in.

Posted review on Goodreads 2/14/24

This is the first installment in a romantasy series that includes a female main character that has a secret identity that cannot be revealed and finds herself involved in an arranged marriage with a disgraced prince. It's an enemies-to-lover romance that is character and dialogue heavy. It has a promising premise, but the execution fell flat. There are elements that I did enjoy, but overall I did not enjoy the reading experience.

the writing
My biggest issue with the book is the writing. It felt so amateur and immature, as if there were so many millennial phrases added that do not fit the fantasy aspects of the story. Examples include the use of "ugh" and "oh, well" that pull you away from the world. I will say the writing does improve slightly in the last quarter of the book and I hope that changes are made before the release date. Based on what I read, it felt more like a rough draft. The spicy scenes were also so sudden that it took me off guard, especially in the beginning. I wouldn't say the book is a spicy read and the addition of it felt unnecessary.

the world building
The world building is a whole mess. It felt like everything was dumped into the story hoping it would make some sense and all it did was feel overwhelming. A new location was introduced every few chapters and aside from the name of the place and a few details, there is no way for the reader to fully immerse themselves in the world. The magical elements were the only aspect that I enjoyed, but it wasn't explained very well and opens up more questions.

the characters
The book mainly focuses on the female main character and her internal dialogue, which I found to be so infuriating at times. From the beginning, she seems so boy crazy and annoying and that doesn't really change as the story progresses, with the exception of a few moments of growth. For being dialogue heavy, at times there was so much being said without saying or revealing anything. The disgraced prince, Marlak, is fine. He's not by any means a new Rhysand or Xaden, but he's not unlikeable either. The banter between them was good at times, but again sometimes they were saying so much without actually providing information to the reader. I'm usually fine with pet names, as long as they're not that cringe, but the overuse of "wife" and "husband" got on my last nerve. There is no way that "wife" should have been used in every. single. sentence. of Malark's.

I really wanted to like this book because of its blurb, but it was ultimately a disappointing read. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to review it, but I will unfortunately pass on the next ones in the series.

This was a fun read. You get the romantasy element of enemies-to-loves layered with the added element of steamy dreams. The author does a good job of pacing this and keeping the reader engaged. Despite the use of fae the author was able to create a unique plot and world. The world building was well done and not overly complex making it an easier read. The reader will be left a few loose endings. That said, I expect that they would be answered within the second novel. And while there were some loose ties it wasn't an abrupt cliffhanger by any means.

What can I say? As soon as I read the blurb, I was excited to read this book, and it didn’t disappoint! It was so beautifully written it sucked you into a whole other dimension and I wish I could wipe my memory and read it again! Highly recommend!

A quality romantasy with a unique plot and world. I loved the banter between the main characters and the slow burn while they are having dreams about each other was so entertaining. I even laughed out loud at one point. I'm definitely going to read the Second book when it comes out.

"𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐰, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐤."
𝐇𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫. "𝐀 𝐜𝐨𝐰, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐰?"

This book, is the book i wanted to read, i needed to read. From start to finish I was sucked into its world and characters.

Just by reading the summary, I knew I was going to like this book. But what I didn't know was that I would fall in love with this book.

From the start I immediately liked the characters, Astra and Malark. Two people who come from different worlds but who are nevertheless destined for each other.

Do you want a real enemies to lovers? Here it is. Read this book and you will see that this is clearly what we want when a book is categorized as enemies to lovers.

Astra is a substitute, an orphan, a woman who was trained so that she could pass herself off as the princess of the kingdom of Kastel. Every night she dreams of a man, she dreams of her kindred soul. His first mission leads her to meet Malark. The disgraced fae prince who has killed almost everyone in his family who turns out to be the man of her dreams. However, there is a big difference between the man of her dreams who loves her, and the real man who gives her no importance other than what his plans require.

And that's where it all begins.

Their first meeting is simply iconic and everything that follows from it is just as iconic. I loved their relationship, they were really funny.

The tension between them, their distrust, their hatred, everything was really perfect.

I really enjoyed reading this book and immersing myself in its world even more. However I would have liked the worldbuilding to be a little more constructed and provided. It would have been really great if we had more explanations.

But it was pleasant to discover this world where magic reigns.

This book really focuses on the Malark/Astra relationship and if you're a fan of slow burn then go for it. It's only towards the end that we have the right to to lovers. And it’s so well done?

Because before this to lovers, we don't have time to get bored, the characters get to know each other, the tension reigns between them and their interactions are a source of pleasure.

Besides the romance, we are treated to political intrigues which make the whole thing much better.

Regarding the ending, I absolutely wasn't expecting it and maybe I would have liked something else? The ending seemed a bit rushed to me. Then I think it would have been interesting to finish this book on the plot twist and let us ask ourselves questions. Questions that would have their answers in the second volume.

In itself, it still remains a pleasant ending.

I can't wait to discover the rest of Astra and Malark's adventures.


Here's my favorites passages :

"𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. 𝐈'𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞."

"𝐍𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐌𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐞."

"𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮," 𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬. "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

"𝐈 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐀𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚. 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞. 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮?"
"𝐍𝐨. 𝐈—"
𝐇𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞. 𝐌𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞. 𝐈 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐝. "𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮."
𝐇𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐤. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬. 𝐈'𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐭.
𝐌𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲. 𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩? 𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞?
"𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭?" 𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧. "𝐒𝐞𝐞? 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮."

Thank you NetGalley, Dei Leitao and Victory editing.

The Cursed Son - Day Leitao
Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom, Book 1

With thanks to the author, and NetGalley for an ARC and the opportunity to offer my honest thoughts.

*Spoilers*

Marlek, a disgraced fae prince. Astra, a princess's “substitute”, bound to a life where her decisions are not her own. In dreams, Astra finds love and a lover, a vision of what else could be. In the cold reality of waking, her dream lover is her grumpy enemy. Together, through a marriage of necessity, they must navigate big magic, mystery, warring houses, unstable alliances, a repairing of history and each other.

I sought this ARC out after seeing the most beguiling character art of Marlek and Astra.

The dream sequences in the first half of the book were delightful. The contrast between dream and reality was quite unusual to read and lent a beautiful etherealness to the romance. I was a little disappointed when more of the relationship didn't play out in the land of nod in the latter half of the book. A small disappointment.

As much as I loved Astra and her independence, as a young person trained as a guard or stand in for royalty, her self-sabotaging internal “moan-alogues” and insecurities didn't quite fit my perception of her. Her moments of proactivity, healing, support and snark fitted better than the “but you don't think I'm pretty” petulance. However, she has the most potential for growth and absolute “badassery” as she discovers who she is and what her destiny is alongside Marlek.

Marlek is a misunderstood softie. I am looking forward to his story and his truth coming out. I loved that his loyal companions were able to see his love and adoration for Astra so clearly while she was oblivious.

The supporting cast has the potential to come alive and I look forward to seeing more of Astra’s companions and Marlek’s loyal court come to the fore as the found family they both need. I felt that this book was setting us up for subsequent books.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Cursed Son.

A Cursed Son by Day Leitao ⚔️
Overall Rating: 5/5 🌟
Publishing Date: March 6, 2024

I was hooked immediately and felt like the world came together seamlessly around me. I liked Astra from the start and found myself rooting for her the whole time.

I found it hard to put this book down as the story is quite fast faced and so much happens so quickly. This made the readability a solid 5/5 for me. There didn't seem to be unnecessary scenes included and I never felt any scene dragged on longer than it should have.

I liked the connection between the characters and appreciated the whole enemies to lovers banter.

Overall I really enjoyed the story and am excited to read the next books in the series.

This review will be posted to Instagram and Goodreads on February 13th 2024

Fae Reality,

In Day Leitao book A Cursed Son (The 1st book in The Remnants of The Fallen Kingdom series) you get transplanted into the intriguing deadly game of manipulative power struggles between the Fae Kingdoms/Fae Courts where poison, magic, assassins, and magical trinkets/relics are the reality.
Malark, the disgraced Prince, and Astra a guard with dream visions (or are they nightmares?) are thrown together in a bizarre game. Can they trust each other? "What is the goal, plan? If you can't handle the game, don't play it."

First of all, I want to say thank you for providing me the ARC to this book.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at around 10%. I was very hopeful of this book as the synopsis sounded very interesting and fun, the genres are some that I really like and the reviews were great.
The book in all is not bad, and I still think, that it might be the perfect book for a lot of people. I also like the idea that our FMC 'meets' the MMC in her dreams and feels a connection there. I also enjoyed it a lot that our FMC seemed to be sassy and fun, with a sense of dutifulness. For me personally however, the story felt a bit rushed and choppy at times. As we read from the point of view from our FMC, her thoughts went from one thing to another very quickly, which left me lost for a few seconds. I would have wished for a bit more introduction into the world as well and into why, our FMC is a substitute and protector for the princess for example.
All in all, I still think this is a good book, that I might pick up at a later time and give it another chance. Maybe I am not in the right mood at this point in time.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’d give this book 3.5 ⭐️ because I really did enjoy the story and the characters but there were just a few things that bothered me.

Give that this is Book 1, I’m assuming it will be a series. Given that, I wish there would’ve been a little bit more world building thrown in there. The book follows Astra who is a substitute princess but the reason as to why she has the role was explained on a surface level and I would’ve liked to have a deeper understanding of why that system was set up. There is also a lot of magic and different races (fae, nymph, pixie) and I would’ve liked the author to dive a little deeper into how they all coexist together. The plot is structure very well over all and seems like it will progress well over a few books for a series.

On that note, one part of the plot that stuck out to me that I had a big issue with is this: Astra has dreams and there is mention of the ability to share past events through visions. Sounds pretty cool right? The way it’s written makes it very difficult to understand what’s going on. It’s clear that the author is trying to foreshadow certain events with these dreams/visions but the way it’s written isn’t great. Whoever is talking about experiencing the dream is written in first person, which is fine, but the characters know information in the dream that they don’t know in real life. While I think that’s great for foreshadowing, I think it should’ve been written as if the character was watching it happen rather than experiencing it as it just causes a lot of confusion.

The description also mentions that it’s a very “spicy” book and while there’s a few mentions of spicy activity, it’s not SPICYYY. I actually really liked that the spice wasn’t the central plot of the book but I just wouldn’t consider it as an intense, spicy book at this point.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, adventurous book thats easy to read and I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

This is a super sweet enemies to lovers romance with an intriguing fantasy plot. It starts out a bit slow but, after the first few chapters, I found I didn't want to put it down. The energy and tension between the two main characters is delightful. The author did an amazing job balancing lighthearted and fun with serious and dramatic. The ending was completely unexpected and exciting and I can't wait to read the next book! I would have liked to see a bit more world building as it was a little sparse for my tastes but as a fantasy series I imagine we'll be learning as we go!

The initial chapters felt a bit chaotic, but once the story found its stride, I was completely immersed.

Astra, is a compelling character whose unfiltered thoughts and speech added depth to the narrative. While at times her inner monologues felt repetitive, her authenticity was refreshing.

However, the true standout for me was Marlak, the disgraced prince with a mysterious past. His unwavering loyalty and respect for Astra added a layer of complexity to their relationship that I found incredibly intriguing.

Leitao's storytelling kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning pages.

Overall, A Cursed Son was a thrilling read that left me eagerly anticipating the next installment. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a mesmerizing blend of fantasy and romance.

I really enjoyed the plot of “A Cursed Son” and look forward to reading the next book in the series to see where the story goes and how it ends. I like the main characters and as mentioned, the plot has a lot of potential. I’m rating the book 3 stars because there were times that the writing was a bit hard to follow – aspects of the story seemed to jump or it seemed like there were gaps… but because I enjoyed the story I was able to overlook most of the choppiness. Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Royal politics, elemental magic, fae royals, and so much more. The plot was unique and the characters were interesting with funny dialogue between them. The writing was choppy at times, which sometimes made it hard to follow but overall, a fun read.

Tropes:
✨Fae
✨Magic
✨Enemies to lovers
✨Forced proximity
✨Arranged marriage
✨Snarky Banter
✨Spice


Astra’s true identity cannot be revealed and is truly grateful for her orphaned life, filling in as the princesses doppelgänger when required to do so. She’s spent her life training for this service and she will not fail her kingdom. But what she never would have expected is being taken by Marlak.

Marlak is the uncrowned prince that is always fighting off his enemies! He notices a carriage crossing his land and he takes hostage Astra and the Prince! Marlak knows Astra has to be controlling his thoughts and reading his mind and this is unacceptable!

Marlak and Astra find themselves in a particular situation and constant danger. Neither understand how their dreams can be intertwined. He thinks she has to be controlling them to gain knowledge for her kingdom and she thinks he can’t be serious and is so crass!

Neither want to reveal their true feelings for the other…

This book was so good! I need the next one in the series immediately!! So very impressed.

•”I promise to honor and protect you, love and appreciate you, cherish and respect you.”

•”If beauty swayed me, I’d be on my knees for you.”

A Cursed Son was one of those mixed-bag reads for me. On the plus side, the plot was interesting and I liked the characters. The story is more character-driven than plot-driven overall; however, we did start to get a few twists and turns towards the end of this first volume in the series. Where things fell down for me was with the writing, as the prose was often repetitive and not very exciting reading. There was a lot of internal, unanswered dialogue, which made things feel a little wishy-washy, as if the author themselves couldn't commit to an answer on plot points or on the character's feelings. Would I read on? I guess the answer is that I would if a copy of the next book was handed to me, but I don't think I'd be rushing out to buy it on release day if that didn't happen. As such, I am giving this book 3.5 stars. It had potential and plenty of good points, but I wish the prose had gone through some more editing and been a bit tighter.

From the moment I delved into the pages of a Cursed Son, I was ensnared by its enthralling narrative. The story introduces us to Astra, a substitute princess harboring a mysterious secret, and her encounter with Marlak, which sets off a cascade of revelations and intrigue.

One of the standout aspects of the book is its protagonist, Astra. She exudes wit, intelligence, and a maturity beyond her years, making her a refreshingly complex and relatable character. Her internal dialogue adds depth to her persona, and her adeptness at navigating the intricate web of politics and deception keeps readers eagerly turning the pages.

Marlak, too, is shrouded in mystery, with layers of secrets waiting to be unraveled. As the story unfolds, tantalizing glimpses of his past and motivations emerge, adding to the suspense and allure of the plot.

As the first book in what promises to be an enthralling series leaves readers hungry for more. With its blend of intrigue, romance, and carefully crafted characters, it sets the stage for an epic adventure that I eagerly anticipate continuing in book two.

In conclusion A Cursed Son is a captivating read that hooks you from the very first page and keeps you spellbound until the final word. Fans of fantasy and intrigue alike will find much to love in this thrilling debut novel.

Published on:
Goodreads on February, 9, 2024
YouTube shorts: February 10, 2024 at 3:00 PM

Review:

OMG 🫨

If you're looking for a fantasy book of survival, deceit, and forced proximity love with world-building is done as the story progresses this is the book for you. ~ The banter in this book had me GIGGLING! ~

Now I will say this does have the miscommunication trope which is why I gave this 4 stars along with the fact that we don't get enough info on the side characters but this is a series so I'm hoping we get more in future books.

BEWARE: this book does end on a cliffhanger, the way I need the next one now tho!!!!!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC read in exchange for an honest review!

THIS BOOK! I stayed up all night reading this and it was pure perfection!

A hot and steamy enemies to lovers Fae book, sign me up. I will never get tired of this trope. Not to mention the low key nod to Reylo fans. I was sucked into this book from the beginning.

One thing I love about Romantasy is the banter between the main characters and Day Leitao captured this dynamic perfectly.

I highly recommend this book!

Solid 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to Day Leitao for the opportunity to beta read this book!