The Curse and the Prince

One of my favorite things that sequels do is pick up right where book 1 left off. And that's what happens here. Zora and Griffin have escaped and are now on their way back to Zora's homeland. Larzen is trying to figure out what is going on. Riadne is trying to not have her secrets exposed. There is so much that happens throughout the book, but yet nothing really seemed to happen? I felt like the pacing in this book was a little slower, at least in the beginning. It didn't really go anywhere. But secrets are revealed between Zora and Griffin which I'm so glad are out in the open. I think it would have been agonizing to go through the whole book with them not telling each other certain things that had happened. Then Riadne, unknowingly, exposes herself to Larzen so he finds out who she truly is. The end of the book is when all the excitement picks up and I'm really excited to continue this story. Was there some repetition and some pacing issues? Yes, but as a whole, I really enjoyed it. I will say the one aspect of this book I really enjoy is not ignoring where Zora is weaker. In the first book, it was clear that her strength didn't compare to the other competitors but she was smart and found ways around this. Fighting side by side with Griffin, it's apparent that against Human enemies, she's not as good but when it comes to fighting Shadows, she has the advantage. It just bothers me sometimes when woman characters have to be just as strong as their male counterparts when in reality, it just doesn't happen. But there are differences where they are stronger and I felt like this book does an amazing job of showing that reality.

Zora didn't change too much except realizes how much she actually like Griffin. She is still strong-willed and bull-headed as before but becomes more accepting of it. While she loves her home, I think she realizes that she is so much bigger than it. I like how Zora is so committed to them but also realizes that she has a lot more potential. Honestly I didn't have any issues with Griffin in the first book, and I didn't in this book. Sure, he is a little clueless at certain points but more of his background is given and it's enjoyable watching him and Zora grow closer. Larzen and Riadne also get a lot of book time as well. I enjoyed Larzen and thought more of his point of view did good for the book. I found it a little strange how quickly Riadne's personality and vendetta turned but she is definitely way more enjoyable like this.

Overall, The Curse and the Prince by Day Leitao was a great second installment. While I found some issues with the pacing and some repetitiveness, I enjoyed myself overall. I finished the book rather quickly because once it picked up, I didn't want to put it down. There is and isn't a lot of events that happened in this book. A little hard to explain without spoiling but it's how I felt. More point of views are offered and I thought that it was a great addition. I was excited to see Zora and Griffin share all their secrets and grow closer. Larzen and Riadne work together to help save Griffin. And other secrets were exposed as well. If you liked the first book, then I'd absolutely recommend continuing this series. I'm excited to see how it ends!