"The Dawn and The Prince": 3 ⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @dayleitaoauthor and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a review).

Whenever I look at this cover, I see a badass female main character, ready to fight badass evil characters. What I got from the story was a character named Zora, who's capable of anything to solve her problems.

What I felt while reading this book, was a disconnection between the 3 volumes. Like, I have read the 2 first books but if I hadn't, I would've understood the story anyway. Sometimes, that's good, because you can just pick it up and there you go. Other times, such as this one, it's not great, because it's supposed to be a continuation.

However, if you're trying to get into fantasy, this book is most definitely for you! I think you'd love reading it for sure if you're a fantasy newbie!

I received an ARC of The Dawn and the Prince by Day Leitao thanks to the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blurb thanks to Goodreads:
"Darkness has taken over her land, and Zora has to find a solution before her world and the Shadow Kingdom merge once and for all—and before Griffin is lost to her forever.

Joined by unlikely allies and facing enemies at every turn, she journeys to a dangerous island where dark secretes are kept, from where nobody gets out alive.

Griffin is in enemy territory and has to play a dangerous game and race against time if he wants to save the people he loves, even if it might mean losing them forever.

The Dawn and the Prince is the action packed, emotional finale to the series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows. Get ready for adventure, romance, creepy magic, and girls kicking ass."

Review:
This is the final book of the trilogy. I adored the first two so was really excited to see how the story was going to end. However, I was not a huge fan. It felt like the entire point of the book was to complete the cliches. Everything that happened was expected. While I still love the characters, specifically Zora and Griffin, their chemistry wasn't enough for me to fall in love with the story. Yes, the prose was great. The world is still incredible. But this just didn't sing to me like the others had.

I really have fallen in love with Zora and her journey, and I have genuinely enjoyed reading these books. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new fantasy series/trilogy for Summer because they're easy to read, but incredibly fun. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3.5 ⭐
I really enjoyed this book. This is the third and last book in this trilogy.

I loved the plot. After reading this, I feel like this is very beautifully written. Loved most of the characters and the closure of Dark valley.

I was expecting a lil bit nicer ending but I am happy with how everything turned out at the end!
If you like reading about second chances, Enemies to lovers, magic, rivalry between siblings and fantasy touch then you should definitely read this book.

This one was a lot of fun! A story full of adventure and strong female characters you're sure to be kept on the edge of your toes the entire time!

Unfortunately this series does not deliver on good writing. It needs a lot more editing and I regret assuming I would enjoy previous instalments because by the time I got here I was wondering why you wouldn’t edit more. I know writing is hard but please get a line editor to check tenses.

I would recommend reading this book. I liked the characters it was a fast and a easy book to read. I enjoyed the characters. I wish now that I had read the first two before. I don’t feel like I missed out but it would have been nice to have more knowledge of the story. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this for my honest opinion

This book was too beautiful!

And the story ended wonderfully.
I could not die of love for all the characters Zora and Griffin were a beautiful couple and worthy protagonists.

But the ones who stole my heart and I will remember with great pleasure are Riadne and Larzen. You can't imagine how beautiful they are and I just laugh that they were happy forever.

A beautiful ending!

The Dawn and the Prince is a wild, adventurous ride filled with danger, tons of action, and many moving parts. The story picks up where The Curse and the Prince left off. Griffin is separated from Zora, and he finds himself in the most dangerous position yet. Zora, with the help of some unlikely allies, searches for a way to help Griffin and the kingdom, and her quest proves just as life-threatening as Griffin’s.
From the first book where we mainly followed the story of Zora, this brave girl from the Dark Valley, who tries to prove to herself and others everything she can achieve with strength and hope, to the cursed prince who tries to protect her and one of the few survivors of a magical town that tries to take revenge. The story begins to open up and show other voices that broaden the image of the story and intertwine to reach a good ending.
I loved how the relationship between Raidne and Larzen grew while facing challenges. And that they also go their happy ending! Their little arguments were so cute and funny. It went so well with the rest of the story.

Thanks NetGalley for my digital copy.

Finally, the moment that I have been waiting for has arrived, the conclusion of the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows trilogy. A huge thank you to Favorite Pages and Day Leitao for allowing me to be a part of this journey. I have become deeply fond of Day's writing, her characters, and the world she has managed to build. This trilogy has without hesitation become one of my favorites and I think it is an excellent introduction to the fantasy genre for teenage readers.

The Dawn and The Prince has been an excellent conclusion to the trilogy and has resolved all my doubts about the origin of the Dark Valley and the curse of our favorite prince. I started out hating Riadne and Larzen, but in this third book my heart was rooting for them. Really reading Larzen's concern and love for her siblings took me by surprise, I loved him. This installment begins right where The Curse and The Prince ends and I can't help but comment on the anxiety I suffer to think for a moment that we would lose Griffin forever, but he and Zora recieved the ending they deserved. And although I am a sadist who loves bitter endings, I wished with all my heart that this one had a happy ending. Day did not fail me.

The plot was fast, as in the two previous books, in some parts one can feel confused -especially it happened to me with Griffin's parts- but finally everything is resolved. Zora is, as always, my favorite character and I can't help but love her bravery, loyalty and the love that she professes towards her valley and her people. I hope to read new work from the author soon. Do not hesitate to give it a try!

Having read the rest of the series, "The Dawn and the Prince" is definitely a satisfying conclusion to the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows trilogy, but it is nonetheless a very disappointing book. The world-building was in keeping with the rest of the series, but there seemed to be quite a few glitches in it. The plot was okay but the writing style and specifically the dialogues were a tad bit annoying.
I was really looking forward to like this book, as it has been pitched as Minecraft X Throne of Glass, but it was very unsatisfactory and I don't think I will be recommending this book to anyone.
The biggest problem with this entire issue was that the premise, the idea, the concept, the world - all of it was incredible! But the execution was poor.
I do think that the world has a lot of potential, and I will be definitely trying out other books by the author in the future because I love the world that she has created!

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! Most anticipated June read?! Yes please! I have gotten bit by the YA Fantasy bug and I am now obsessed! I cannot begin to express how fabulous The Dawn and the Prince is!! Also I cannot get over that stunning cover! I will be needing character art prints of it! A fabulous read with fabulous character and plot development!

The Dawn and the Prince is the third and final installment in author Day Leitao's Kingdom of Curses and Shadows trilogy. This book picks up right where The Curse and the Prince ends. As a summary: this story focuses on four key characters: Griffin, Zora, Riadne, and Larzen. Since are now 4 main characters, the author alternate's between the characters. Griffin is separated from Zora, and he finds himself in the most dangerous position yet; in another realm. Zora, with the help of some unlikely allies, Riadne's and Larzen, searches for a way to help Griffin and the kingdom, and her quest proves just as life-threatening as Griffin’s.

Griffin and Larzen are brothers along with Kiran who is the current king. Zora is from the Dark Valley which readers will finally learn more about its origins as well as a better understanding of Riadne's people the Solana, including meeting Aelle, and Dada, who are part of a ancient race who knew magic and cursed Griffin's family. Zora spends a lot of time blaming herself for everything that's happening and that's just ridiculous because there's no way anyone in this universe is strong enough to be responsible for everything that has happened going back centuries.

Riadne and Larzen are pretty much a twisted couple. She's got secrets, he tried to exploit Zora to do his bidding, she's got a powerful ability that she can control people not named Larzen. Riadne's cousin Lucas has fallen for Tris, the real Linaria princess, but another type of curse may cause the relationship to fail. Zora carries Griffin's blade after losing her own after finding the Cup said to be able to break Griffin's curse. Griffin is fighting the Shadow King who wants to unite Gravel and the Shadow World which he can then control.

It's a good thing Zora trained so hard to become an awesome fighter since the added protections to Griffin's blade will be needed once they reach Rock Island where nothing is as it seems. There is a welcome return of Mauro who is Zora's friend after he was eliminated from the games that she won. More truths are revealed throughout the novel. Trust is difficult to come by and to save the world, Zora, Griffin, Riadne, and Larzen must work together to overcome their differences. Their travels take them through dangerous territories, where they have to fight to survive and gather information, to which they need to figure out how to use it to save everyone.

Overall: A decent wrap-up to the trilogy. The banter between Riadne and Larzen in this book is hilarious and you never know which way they are going to end up. Zora and Griffin's love for each other has grown solid, and the ending does just enough for me to give this a decent rating.

What an awesome story. Danger all the way for Zora. How will she save the ones she loves. The story definitely draws you in and keeps you guessing as to what happens until the end.

Hey book friends!
If you have checked out any of my previous reviews, you'll know I was reading the Kingdom of Curses and Shadows books in order to get myself ready for the third book to be released! Well, now it is time to tell y'all all about the newest book in the series that was released on June 18th.

Yup, it is time to talk about The Dawn and the Prince. You ready?

Synopsis:
Darkness has taken over her land, and Zora has to find a solution before her world and the Shadow Kingdom merge once and for all—and before Griffin is lost to her forever. Joined by unlikely allies and facing enemies at every turn, she journeys to a dangerous island where dark secrets are kept, and nobody gets out alive.
Griffin is in enemy territory and has to play a dangerous game if he wants to stay alive and save the people he loves, even if it might mean losing them forever.
The Dawn and the Prince is the action packed, emotional finale in the series Kingdom of Curses and Shadows. Get ready for more adventure, romance, and strange magic.
My thoughts:
Overall, I am going to give this book 4/5 stars!

This was an action packed book that was fast paced, and extremely engaging the entire time. In the previous book, I had some problems with Riadne, our resident Solana, but in this book, I felt a much better connection with her and found myself actually rooting for her. I think Day Leitao did a nice job in giving us some real character development in this finale.

Zora and Griffin's love for each other is just so wholesome, I love it. They are adorable, even fighting all odds to be together. I just loved them through out the series. Starting as an enemies to romance made watching their relationship grow even more engaging.

The banter between Riadne and Larzen in this book is hilarious and kept me laughing the whole time!

In a way, this book reads like an action movie, moving from scene to scene with a bristling pace, but it was an effective end to a fun trilogy. I would definitely recommend it for the YA fantasy audience!

☆☆☆☆,75 /5
(English review below!)

Olalalalalaaaaaa ! Je ne sais pas si je dois adorer ce roman parce qu’il était tout simplement génial ou le détester parce que je ne voulais pas quitter cet univers.
J’ai découvert l’auteure à peine l’année dernière et j’ai commencé à dévorer sa trilogie à partir de là. J’avais beaucoup aimé le préquel et les 2 premiers tomes et je dois dire que ce dernier tome conclut toute cette aventure en beauté.
¤
Ce roman débute là où nous avait laissé le tome précédent. Griffin et Zora sont séparés. Le jeune prince se retrouve dans une position bien dangereuse et la jeune femme doit faire équipe avec des personnes, dont elle n’aurait jamais pu être alliée à, afin de sauver le jeune homme et le royaume entier. La tension et la détresse sont présentes dans ce récit et j’ai été complètement plongée dans l’ambiance instaurée par l’auteure.
Le rythme est soutenu. Il se passe énormément de choses. L’aventure continue et les personnages évoluent. Dans ce dernier tome, on a enfin toutes les réponses à nos questions, Les révélations sont distillées à travers le roman et j’ai apprécié comment l’auteure a amené le lecteur avec elle.
Au début, j’étais un peu perdue, notamment lorsqu’on changeait de point de vue des personnages sans prévenir. On suit plusieurs points de vue et j’ai malheureusement trouvé que les changements n’étaient pas assez clairs pour qu’on comprenne qu’on était dans la tête d’un autre personnage. Cela dit, j’ai trouvé cela intéressant car j’ai pu voir comment chaque personnage percevait la situation et en apprendre plus sur chacun.
Griffin, Zora, Larzen et Riadne sont devenus des personnages coup de cœur. Ils ont fini par apprendre à se connaître et malgré leurs différences et leurs secrets, ils sont devenus une équipe. Les suivre tout au long de ce dernier roman m’a fait me rendre compte à quel point je m’étais attachée à eux.
¤
Je suis si triste de devoir quitter tous ces personnages et ce fabuleux univers qu’a créé l’auteure. J’ai beaucoup aimé cette trilogie et bien que j’aie trouvé la fin un peu expéditive, pour moi, cette fin fut celle que cette trilogie méritait.
Bon, aller, moi je vais faire mon deuil pour m’attaquer à d'autres lectures !

•°•°•°•

Olalalalalaaaaaa! I don't know if I should love this book because it was just great or hate it because I didn't want to leave this universe.
I discovered the author last year and started devouring her trilogy from there. I really liked the prequel and the first 2 books and I must say that this last book concludes this adventure perfectly.
¤
This book begins where the precedent left us. Griffin and Zora are separated. The young prince finds himself in a very dangerous position and the young woman must team up with people she could never have been allied with in order to save the young man and the entire kingdom. Tension and distress are present in this story and I was completely immersed in the mood set by the author.
The pace is steady. There is a lot going on. The adventure continues and the characters evolve. In this last book, we finally have all the answers to our questions. The revelations are distilled through the story and I appreciated how the author brought the reader with her.
At first I was a little lost, especially when we changed the perspective of the characters without warning. We follow several points of view and unfortunately I found that the changes were not clear enough to understand that we were in the mind of another character. Having said that, I found it interesting because I got to see how each character viewed the situation and I learned more about each.
Griffin, Zora, Larzen and Riadne have become my favorite characters. They ended up getting to know each other and despite their differences and their secrets, they became a team. Following them throughout this last book made me realize how much I had cared for them.
¤
I’m so sad to have to leave all these characters and this fabulous universe that the author has created. I really liked this trilogy and although I found the ending a bit hasty, for me it was the ending this series deserved.
So… Well. I'm going to grieve and then, I will continue to read other books!

This was absolutely amazing! This is book three in this series and I do recommend that you read the first two so it's easier to follow. There was so much adventure and awesome girl power in this book. I've always loved how strong Zora is but it's shown a little more in this one while ahe is separated from Griffin. And we can't forget how awesome Riadne is in this one. There were a few moments where I still questioned her motives but we get to see how truly good and powerful she is interested this book. I loved getting to see more of Larzen as I have always loved his character.

3.5/5

I really enjoyed this series overall. I noticed in the second book an improvement in language flow and lack of proofreading errors. However I have to say that in this third instalment, things again feel a little rushed and unpolished. I did read a Netgalley version so I don't know if the final version is different. There are quite a few awkward spots, such as using "on" where "in" would feel more natural, that could easily be smoothed over by a proofreader.

At the beginning of this final book, Griffin has been transported to the body of a weird lizard-type king in a shadow kingdom. I really loved this turn of events, I thought it had tons of potential, although I do feel it wasn't explored quite as much as I'd hoped in the end. I felt like Griffin got out of it and got his own body back a bit too easily, which was a let down of the tension of him being trapped there in the first place.

The first half felt a little slow and meandering, and the drama between Larzen and Riadne felt a little unnecessary, Riadne just started getting on my nerves. But I really liked seeing Riadne's home, and I loved the whole bit in the Temple on the island. That was really different and interesting. Although the hot air balloon thing was kind of pointless and went nowhere.

I felt like the whole climax of the story just felt a little rushed and underwhelming after all the build up previously. And what exactly was the point of them going to the Temple in the end anyway, it doesn't seem like they got much out of it?

Nonetheless, the whole series was a really fun read and I was happy with how things ended up for the characters. I would definitely read another story set in the same universe.

NOTE: The world "yield" is used quite often in both book 2 and 3, where I think "wield" is intended. To "yield" is to give something up or relinquish. To "wield" is to use or control. If you yield a sword, you're giving it up. If you wield it, you're using it.

I completed it on 13th and completely forgot to write up in here.

I loved the plot so much, we get to have closure around all the mystery surrounding the Dark Valley and its origins. As I reached the almost end, I felt that the book series to be very thoughtfully written. Is it cheating on Griffin and Zora, if I say that i liked the chemistry between Larzen and Riadne more....

Another thing is--The Fight!It just felt very anti-climactic- it was rushed and the buildup throughout the entire book did not justify the poor ending fighting scene. I had expected more from the ending.

I really enjoyed this trilogy and it had been a while since the last series I've read! The books have to do with magic, realms, rivalry between siblings, but also so much more! We have love stories between secondary characters as well, enemies to lovers, evil Vs good battles, it's a beautiful story and I love how each of these books focuses on something different. Each book also gets darker and darker. So keep that in mind.

This one had a more intricate world building than the previous books. We get to see more realms that we didn't see earlier and we get to have more information regarding them and the past. The book is more complicated than the ones before this to the point I wasn't sure if that was something I particularly enjoyed.

Overall, I loved the conclusion of these books and I'm so happy with how everything turned out for every character in these books. Even characters that I didn't particularly sympathize. I hope you're going to enjoy these books if you give them a chance 🥰