The Cup and the Crown

Silver Bowl #2

by Diane Stanley

Readers who love the adventure in Megan Whalen Turner’s Newbery Honor novel The Thief will be captivated by Molly’s dangerous magical quest in this thrilling sequel to Diane Stanley’s novel The Silver Bowl.

Night after night, Molly has visions of a beautiful one of her grandfather’s loving cups, which he filled with magic that bound people together. So it hardly surprises Molly when handsome King Alaric asks her to find a loving cup to help him win the heart of the beautiful Princess of Cortova. 

As Molly and her friends Winifred and Tobias journey in search of a loving cup, a mysterious raven joins their quest and appears to guide them all the way to the hidden city of Harrowsgode. There, Molly discovers secrets about her own family as well as the magic of the loving cup. But Harrowsgode is hidden for a reason, and leaving is more difficult than Molly imagined. Will she be able to escape, let alone bring a loving cup to King Alaric? 

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Childrens, Romance, Historical Fiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 27, 2012

About the author

Diane Stanley is an American children's author and illustrator, a former medical illustrator, and a former art director for the publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons. Born in 1943 in Abilene, Texas, she was educated at Trinity University (in San Antonio, TX) and at Johns Hopkins University. She is perhaps best known for her many picture-book biographies, some of which were co-authored by her husband, Peter Vennema. (source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

❕ pining has entered the chat ❕ i am 100% here for this

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was the second book in a trilogy, until about half way through when I started to wonder. Clearly then, you can read it on its own.

The copy I have says it is for ages 10 and up, and I was completely on board with that age range and was really enjoying it. And then it ended. Just like that, the words stopped. I actually looked to see if my copy was missing a few pages. If I had been a ten year old I think I would have thrown it across the room. It wasn't even a cliffhanger, because nothing was really happening, but it just ended. Maybe my copy was printed wrong... surely there was more?

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I think I have another favorite character from this series. Tobias and Jakob are my favorite characters I think. But I also like so many of the other characters so I don't really know. But I'd still say that Tobias is my favorite character for sure.

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly is now a lady...a reward for saving the young prince from an evil plot. Her elevated status doesn't stop her visions. In her dreams, Molly sees a cup. When the king (the former prince) asks her to find him a loving cup made by her grandfather, Molly isn't surprised. With her friends Winifred and Tobias, she journeys first to Austlind and then to the hidden city of Harrowsgode where she finds much more than a loving cup.

What I thought: The Cup & The Crown was a riveting read. It's fast-paced and filled with both action and peril. This book can be enjoyed without reading the previous book. Molly remains a wonderful heroine. I loved seeing her grow and mature in her second book. The descriptions of Harrowsgode were gorgeous. Who would expect such beauty to hide such treachery? (Wait! Didn't the same thing happen in The Silver Bowl?) The new characters introduced in this book were great. I especially like Molly's cousin. Medieval fantasy fans will love The Cup & The Crown. I would also give this title to historical faction fans.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like usual, I finished the book and began skimming other reviews on Goodreads. It sometimes helps me make up my mind by figuring out what other people think and whether I agree or disagree. However, that doesn't help me much with this book.
I don't want to think about it logically. I just want to say, I really, really enjoyed The Cup and the Crown. I did not expect the sequel to be anywhere as good as The Silver Bowl. I almost didn't pick it up. What a waste that would have been!
Because this particular sequel, unlike most, adds another dimension to the story. Our spunky adolescent heroine is turning into a name-taking, butt-kicking epic young lady of magical proportion. There is great character change and a new host of characters. Some slight gray, moral ambiguity is introduced as well for moral dilemma.
I can't wait for more. At some points intense and exciting, at others just fun and creative, The Cup and the Crown did not disappoint me.

[Loretta Marchize · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom got this book for me (library) and I'm not entirely sure what to think of it.
I liked it, I really did. It was just very interesting and different from what I usually read. It was good. (I actually read it Sat. but forgot to put the review up until I saw it beside my bed)

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this series! I can't wait to see how she wraps it up.

[Hope Ahrens · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like I could have skipped this book entirely. The entire point of this book is to get a magic cup that will seduce a princess, eventually leading to an alliance between two kingdoms. After all they did to get the cup THEY LITERALLY END UP NOT USING IT IN THE THIRD BOOK. Aside from learning a little bit about her past, the protagonist doesn't really experience any character development. The whole book was just completely unnecessary and didn't really add anything to the series.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Though an engaging story in its own right, it was helpful for me to have just finished the first book in this series, the Silver Bowl. The setting was established, as were the characters, though both were fleshed out more in this story.

I appreciated the change of scenery - the characters leave the kingdom of Westria, where the story took place in the first book, and went to a different land where magic is more prevalent. It was a fun change, and served to deepen the characters as well as further the characters.

Having just DNFed a YA novel, I am reminded of the pure simplicity and innocence of juvenile fiction. The stories are just as fun and engaging, if not more so, the writing is good (often better than what's on offer in the YA genre), and there's no poop in the cookie - it's character driven. No stupid romance (if there is romance, it's sweet, not smoldering like stupid YA), no obvious inner angst of the hero(ine), no glaring plot holes or poor world building because everything can be simpler for a younger audience.

All of that to say, I am rededicated to enjoying the delights of juvenile fiction. YA has disappointed me too many times for me to be interested unless A) it's a known quantity that I've read and enjoyed before, B) a stellar author I have utter faith in, or C) it gets fantastic reviews from people I trust.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the first one, but still profoundly unremarkable.

Molly was better, but the story still alternated between elements that strained my suspension of disbelief and things that were boring. Like, the whole tower knows that Molly's new hobby is openly building a giant kite after she was told a story about a guy... escaping a tower... with a kite. And yet no one seems even remotely suspicious. Hmm.

And then there's the part where the whole mission is to get a magic cup that will make a girl fall in love against her will. Creepy much?

And THEN what is the injustice of wiping Tobias's memories of the Top Secret City?

Okay, it's far too dangerous to allow outsiders to remember the Top Secret City. I get it. Tobias is literally innocent, good-hearted, and has no agenda but Molly's happiness, but okay, sure. This would be at least arguable, except that she just straight up TELLS Alaric. Alaric, who has a selfish streak, is worldly-minded, and literally the king of a rival nation. Alaric, who has absolutely ZERO need-to know.

This makes absolutely no sense, and I'm deeply offended on Tobias's behalf.

[Kissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a lovely sequel to The Silver Bowl! Seeing each of the characters come into their own through their seperate adventures was fascinating read. The rags-to-riches/chosen one aspect for Molly was a bit predictable but still enjoyable (a bit of The Princess Diaries vibe). I found myself enjoying this book more than the first; there was more depth to the storyline and everything felt more rounded. It was intriguing picking up on the real life nods during Molly's education, which made the world gain a new layer of depth I wasn't expecting; it did leave me wondering where this world lay in relation to ours though- was it just an alternate universe where magic existed or does it fall more under the vibes of Terry Brooks' Shannara series? Overall, I'm enjoying this series and curious on how it will conclude in the final book.

[Juny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had forgotten much of the first one having read it a couple years ago. But I didn't find this a huge since when they did reference stuff I vaguely remembered, also they didn't reference a whole lot I felt like.
I rather liked the idea of the hidden away city, that was pretty cool.
Anyways I think I might've liked this one more than the first, although I felt that it was a tad anti-climactic. It left me wanting to read the third book since I felt like it didn't quite finish all the way.

[Puck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing was weird. Completely changed from the first book. Nevermind that there's dufferent POV's. Relationship between Tobias and Molly started distant (which was strange as I expected that events in the previous books should've brought them closer), and was irreversibly damaged with the ending. And holy smokes that ending! There was a /love triangle/? O.o

Sort of don't want to read the next one now, as most reviewers expressed disappointment with the ending. Probably read it on the weekends, so i won't lose interest if I do it in one sitting.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I ended up reading this one as well, even though I wasn't a fan of the Silver Bowl. The Cup and the Crown is better, in writing and in story, although I still feel the characters were under-developed and parts of the plot seemed patched together in an inconsistent way. I feel that the author has good stories in her head, she just needs to perfect the telling of them.

[Celeste]

i was a weird kid. and I regularly started series in the middle depending on which book i could find at the library. i don't think i even knew this was part of a series when I picked it up? but that will not stop a 9 year old apparently. anyway im pretty sure i enjoyed it! but i don't remember. i do think i eventually did read the first book like 3 months later

[Aadhya Kuriakose · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy it much I can't tell if that's bc it's meant for a younger audience than I am or if I wouldn't have liked it when I was young either... so basically ignore this review bc this book might be really good in the eyes of the age group it was written for so I can't properly rate it ... but I can say if you are older than middle school you might not like it much

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining sequel to Stanley's young adult fantasy The Silver Bowl. Molly and Tobias are sent by King Alaric to buy a loving cup to the town where her grandfather is from. They are trapped inside the town walls and must plot an escape. Strong female protagonist.

[Mya Baselt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for younger book worms as the story is captivating and filled with exciting developments! I did not expect to see certain pieces of the story play out as they did but it made for a good read!

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like it quite as much as the first, but it was still enjoyable.

[Arlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do I always feel affinity for the rat-catchers? Well, Richard Strange is another one to like.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was harder for me to get into than the first but the ending was great.

[Clover White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting twists in this second book in the trilogy. Molly, Tobias and Alaric journey to find a loving cup-- but get much more than they were looking for.

[Sung Ju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good sequel.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but lacking in depth. A really cool story idea that suffers from being almost entirely flat.

[Meya o_O · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was ok. not as good as the first one.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

B. fiction, YA, fantasy, quest, series, (Silver Bowl, #2). from stash to give as gift. Not as good as first in series.

[Flyingzebras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun series!

[lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

why did she have to erase everyone's memories?? sad :(

[Sophia P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good plot but pretty boring

[WJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening line: The Great Hall was much as she remembered it: the tapestries, the massive iron candle stands, the enormous fireplace, the great gilt screen behind the dais.

I was actually looking for The Silver Bowl by Stanley in the library when I found The Cup and the Crown instead. Although this is the sequel, I really have to give props to the author because you can pretty much read it as a standalone as well. Events that happen in the previous book are briefly mentioned, so that you get a rough idea of character motivations and personality traits, but the story remains intact on its own. She has struck the balance of catering to old fans as well as new readers like myself.

In this book, Molly and her friends are sent on a quest by King Alaric to search for the Loving Cup, a Cup that will allow for whoever who drinks from it to fall in love with someone else. Having dreamed about this Cup every night, as well as a mysterious boy who resembles herself, Molly isn't surprised by Alaric's request and soon starts out on this journey. What starts out as a relatively simple task soon spirals out of control, taking Molly to unknown places where she learns more about her family history.

There were quite a few things that I liked about this book:

1. The love interests were really different but they were both sympathetic at the same time. Usually in YA, we often see the trope of the bad boy being trotted out and you pretty much loathe one character and love the other. In this book, I was pretty conflicted between Tobias and Alaric. Although there wasn't much about Alaric in this book, the backstory that Stanley has provided is enough to make me feel for him. And Tobias, the quintessential best friend, is so adorable and heroic that I can't help but like him as well. I really want to see how this love triangle is going to play out!

2. There's more at stake here than who Molly is in love with. The court intrigue and politics involved made for an exciting read, where characters are often bound by events and duties that are out of their control. For example, I could really feel Jackob's love for his family but also his disdain for how his family has manipulated Molly. The complexity of Westeria and Harrowsgode's politics and the powers of the Great Seer were briefly explored as well.

3. Stanley juggles the cast of characters with great finesse. Each character's voice and attitude is distinct and separate. Although I'm usually not the greatest fan of the third person omniscient, I understood and liked the need for it here. Richard the Ratcatcher's backstory was lovely by the way, tragic and with the right amount of pathos. And he wasn't weighed down by this past, I liked how he had a certain amount of humour about it.

This book did have a few (minor) problems however:

1. While I liked how Stanley juggled the large cast, I didn't quite understand the need for it. There were too many characters we were introduced to in this book such as Mikel,Lorens, Winifred and Lord Mayhew that weren't properly explored. Why introduce so many characters if they're not all pivotal to the plot?

2. At one point, Molly uses a kite to make her escape. I found this pretty unbelievable. The way she defeated Soren was a little anticlimactic as well.

On the whole, The Cup and the Crown was an engaging read and I would definitely be back for more. Molly's powers are growing and I want to stick around to see the kind of repercussions her Gift would have, not only on herself but as well as those around her.