Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Captive Prince

Captive Prince, as a novel, gets a 4☆ for me. As a re-read after 7 years, it was such a fun reading experience! The worldbuilding, though emotionally challenging and shocking, was so well done from the get to. And seeing the progression of Damen and Lauren't dynamics from enemies to temporally reluctant allies is so 🤌🏼 GOOD!

This edition contains an extra short story, Erasmus's training AND IT WAS SO SO GOOD. First time reading it and I'm floored to see how much I enjoyed it. The ending was surprising, heartbreaking and devastating for so many reasons. I hope Erasmus and Kallias find each other again... 4.5☆

This specific edition I give 4.25 because the short story at the end elevates the rating (such a nice bonus!)

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abitbetterbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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kyliereads341's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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xleahmx's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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blupblup's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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dazaireads's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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cookiemonsterrr's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I first read this at an age when I definitely wasn't supposed to, and I fondly remember it being the most scandalous thing I had ever read. Many years later, this book still holds up really well. I found myself genuinely invested in Damen and his struggle to deal with veretian BS, and even Laurent, even as unlikeable as he was in the beginning. I even found myself kind of liking Nicaise. My favourite character is Erasmus. He's adorable and I just want to eat him up. I hope he's happy and I hope we see him again!

Having reread Captive Prince 5/6 years after my first read, it does seem oddly tamer in my opinion (in terms of dark themes). Did the powers that be censor it when it came out in print, or have I read too many dirty, messed up things? 4.5 stars.

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danas_daydreams's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This was a good start and set up for what I think will be a good political scheme plot. The main drawback for me was certain aspects of the cultures that made my stomach turn (check TWs).

Damen is a sassy little shit and I love him for it. However I did find his moral superiority annoying and I’m hoping he gets knocked off his high horse in the next one. In this I’m referring to his complaints around court politics and how often Laurent lies as if he wasn’t at one point part of a royal court that had scheming going on. Laurent is an interesting character because we don’t get his pov and Damen hates him with a fiery passion. We see his cunning and cleverness, moving chess pieces into place before Damen even realizes who is on the board. It’s fascinating to try and connect all the dots. Laurent comes off as an arrogant dickhead (along with other cultural faults that really disgusted me - the ring and the garden scene in particular). But we know he has enemies closing in on all sides so I don’t fault him for being cold and calculating underneath his pristine golden boy court mask.

I’m looking forward to seeing how everything progresses in the next book. Hoping that Govart dies brutally!!

This book/series seriously will not be for everyone so please please check the TWs!!

Favorite quotes: most are the sassiest moments that had me laughing

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” said Laurent, not quite pleasantly.
The words came out before he could stop them. “I speak your language better than you speak mine, sweetheart.”

“His blue eyes were as innocent as the sky; only if you looked carefully could you see something genuine in them. Such as dislike.”

He was worse sober.

He stood much like a young god before whom a priest was about to make an offering.

Laurent, Damen thought with contempt, was good at talking.

Damen stayed where he was. Kneeling and shackled was quite submissive enough.

“To abuse someone who cannot resist- isn’t that monstrous?”

He was not inclined to believe that cruelty delivered with one hand was redeemed by a caress from the other.

Damen said, “Shall I make a face at the ones you don’t like, or is it enough to just look like a barbarian?”
“Shut up,” said Laurent, calmly.

Laurent was a nest of scorpions in the body of one person. Torveld looked at him and saw a buttercup.

“I’m not surprised you’ve driven three men to try and kill you, I’m only surprised there weren’t more,” said Damen, bluntly.

The soldier in charge flushed. “We’ll remove them. Of course. Is there anything else you require from us?”
“Haste,” said Laurent.

“I would never ask you to do anything you found distasteful,” said Laurent.
“Looking at you is distasteful,” said Nicaise.

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