A Cursed Son Book Review

Review

Book 1 of the Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom series, A Cursed Son by Day Leitao is exactly what you’d want from a fae fantasy romance. Set against the backdrop of political intrigue, elemental magic, and life-threatening secrets, this enemies-to-lovers tale will have you hooked.

The story follows Astra, a royal decoy trained to impersonate the Krastel princess, and Marlak, the disgraced prince of the Crystal Court rumored to have murdered almost his entire family before escaping with several important relics and treasures. Following a degrading first romantic encounter, Astra seeks pious comfort from the Almighty Mother and is able to establish a dream connection with her “kindred soul.” After her carriage is attacked by Marlak she realizes that he is the man of her dreams, and their paths become intertwined in a whirlwind of deception and desire. Facing a dangerous reality and pushed into a marriage of “convenience” (with forced proximity), they must navigate their mistrust of each other and worries of betrayal while grappling with their growing attraction and the secrets that threaten to tear them apart. Truths are revealed, promises are made, and we’re left with a major cliffhanger in anticipation of the next book, A Traitor Sister, which cannot be released quick enough!

With a unique premise, a great opening hook, and good use of imagery throughout (not to mention that gorgeous cover), I just knew that I would enjoy this book. Filled with various characters, distinctive circumstances, and wonderful world-building, readers are immediately thrown into Leitao’s world of fantasy. Yet, while certainly appreciated and great knowledge to have overall, this information overload at the start can be quite confusing and required me to take notes for the first few chapters to set everything straight in my mind (e.g., who was fae v. who was human, who each of the characters were and how they related to others, etc.). Something else that – given how enthralled (read: obsessed) I was with the rest of the story – surprisingly didn’t detract as much as it usually does, but that I would be remiss for not mentioning, is the overuse of a handful of “tic” words and phrases (e.g., “wife,” “and yet,” “indeed,” “in truth,” etc.).   

Additionally, one of the first storylines we’re introduced to is one in which Astra comes across a bit unhinged as she fairly intensely pursues a potential love interest (who had seemingly never indicated any kind of interest beyond a smile), just for the whole thing to be as quickly forgotten as it was introduced. Besides the problematic extreme measures taken by Astra here, it felt like this was only used to ensure that our female main character was a certain location at a certain point for the occurrence of a major plot point – something that could have been achieved in a different manner that would tie into the main story and make more sense. It is also partially due to this that my initial impression of Astra was that she was quite childish, immature, and downright dangerous at first (though I did enjoy her subtle dry humor). I did not care for her in the beginning few chapters and felt she was selfish and someone who didn’t think through her choices or actions. Nevertheless, I suppose something positive that could be said about this side plot is that it painted her in such a light that her growth throughout the rest of the book is truly remarkable. Yet, her characterization here just also doesn’t seem to ring true or feel accurate compared to everything else we know about her, even early on.

Despite any issues I’ve pointed out, this book had me in a chokehold. In fact, I literally could not put it down and read it all in one sitting. Both the storylines and the setting/world-building are reminiscent of, and singular for, a fae fantasy romance. There are a number of diverse characters (and even some LGBTQ+ representation!), a couple of which became favorites of mine. The relationship-building and growth, as I’ve mentioned, of not just Astra, but Marlak, especially in light of their traumatic and distressing pasts, is incredible. But my absolute favorite part? Marlak, himself. Everything about him. I was almost instantly in love with this man. A morally grey, entirely misunderstood, overprotective, physically hot (with scars and tattoos), good man? ACOTAR fans obsessed with Rhysand will know what I mean. Sign. Me. Up.

A Cursed Son is a delicious, extremely slow-burn fae fantasy romance you will want to add to your TBR list ASAP.

Content warnings include manipulation, violence, death, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and on-the-page romance.

Expected publication date is 6 March 2024.