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danas_daydreams's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
kekeli's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Murder, Drug use, Body horror, Alcohol, Death, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship
mousieta's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Slavery
Moderate: War
jjnich's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Torture, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual assault
zeppelinnyx's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
4.79
This is at least the fourth time I’ve read this series. I’m positive that number is higher, but not by how much. I genuinely wish so badly that I’d done some kind of review for this series when I’d originally read it, especially for the first installment. But, that’s was years ago, so now I can only read this book again already knowing everything there is to know about the characters and their true natures and motivations. Still, this series holds strong in its position as my favorite. It’s most definitely not something that I would recommend to everyone and not even something I feel comfortable sharing with a lot of people, because I understand the troubling nature of some of the content. Arguably, most of the content in the first installment. It’s very troubling though, to see so many people that only read the first book criticizing the entire series as if it’s all the same. I can only believe that those people read the first book, decided it wasn’t worth finishing the series and then spew vitriol about the entirety of it. There is valid criticism to be said of the series, but it’s rarely what people talk about. My ratings of this book will probably be higher than deserved, but I don’t know how to remove my bias as a person that’s reviewing based on a revisit of the series.
Quality of Writing: 10/10
Pacing: 10/10
Plot Development: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
This is at least the fourth time I’ve read this series. I’m positive that number is higher, but not by how much. I genuinely wish so badly that I’d done some kind of review for this series when I’d originally read it, especially for the first installment. But, that’s was years ago, so now I can only read this book again already knowing everything there is to know about the characters and their true natures and motivations. Still, this series holds strong in its position as my favorite. It’s most definitely not something that I would recommend to everyone and not even something I feel comfortable sharing with a lot of people, because I understand the troubling nature of some of the content. Arguably, most of the content in the first installment. It’s very troubling though, to see so many people that only read the first book criticizing the entire series as if it’s all the same. I can only believe that those people read the first book, decided it wasn’t worth finishing the series and then spew vitriol about the entirety of it. There is valid criticism to be said of the series, but it’s rarely what people talk about. My ratings of this book will probably be higher than deserved, but I don’t know how to remove my bias as a person that’s reviewing based on a revisit of the series.
Quality of Writing: 10/10
Pacing: 10/10
Plot Development: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Enjoyability: 10/10
Ease of Reading: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Torture, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Animal death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Forced institutionalization, and Grief
freya_amber's review against another edition
4.5
This book had me hooked. It's got some dark content (slavery, rape, paedophilia), and both countries sound awful. The two main characters are flawed people and interesting to read about.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Rape
diana_raquel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
[The following review contains descriptions of content warnings that can be triggering and spoilers. Those descriptions are hidden as spoilers.]
“A golden prince was easy to love if you did not have to watch him picking wings off flies.”
Around 2018-2019, I was looking for fantasy series that would have LGBTQIA+ characters and ended up finding this trilogy. I remember that, at the time, I started reading and was immediately hooked. Captive Prince was the book that made me love Pacat but also explore less-known authors. So, when I finally got my hands on physical copies of this trilogy, I decided to read it again. And although I knew what was going to happen, I found that I still loved this trilogy as a whole.
However, over the years, I also read a lot of negative reviews about this trilogy, especially about this book. And although I understand part of the backlash, there was this particular recurring argument that never made much sense to me, and lead me to think that the person using that argument only read the first book without giving the benefit of the doubt and continue reading. Which is totally fair - I also have abandoned series that I didn't like. What I didn't understand was that even when other people would defend the book and the trilogy as a whole, the first person would accuse the other of being a horrible person for not thinking that the trilogy was worthless trash with no value. So allow me to defend this book and this trilogy.
Look, you are entitled to your opinion, and I will respect it, however, in my opinion, just because a book contains darker and horrible elements, doesn't mean that the book is problematic. Just because this book contains horrible elements that doesn't mean that it romanticizes those elements. Yes, slavery and rape are accepted parts of the culture of Vere, however, the book never gives the impression that this is in any way acceptable. Yes, Laurent also takes part in this, however, we later discover that this is a way to revenge his brother's death (it doesn't excuse his actions but it does provide some needed context). And don't even get me started on Damen. Yes, he is a victim. And, no, nothing that happens to him in this book is in any way excusable. However, he isn't a damsel in distress with Stockholm syndrome (side note: Stockholm syndrome isn't considered a mental disorder, so can we stop it using it?). He never accepts what's happening to him and he resists every step of the way.
I think that when using this argument people forget that the slave culture is also a part of Akielos culture (Damen's country) (although there are differences, it's still a slave culture). And this is important. Although Laurent is against any type or form of slavery, Damen isn't because he sees the culture of Akielos as a more acceptable form of slavery. However, after being subjected to slavery, Damen starts to see that his own culture isn't acceptable. That's why this book is so hard to read. The main character has to experience slavery and the violence that comes with it to understand that no form of slavery is acceptable. At its core, this is a story about dismantling power structures and understanding why those power structures have to be dismantled.
Another argument used to prove the "romanticization" of this book is that, from the first chapter, is clear that Laurent and Damen are endgame. And yes, they are. However, it should be mentioned that they are mortal enemies, from enemy countries (yes, it's very Shakespeare, I know), and their relationship is one of hate, at first. However, the romanticization of their relationship only starts when they start to trust each other. With time, Damen is no longer Laurent's slave, he is a friend, and that's when feelings start to appear.
So, as a first book, this is quite a difficult book, due to its subject matter (that's why I decided to give it a 3 stars rating). However, it's a well-structured book, with well-developed characters and an intriguing plot. The pacing is perfect and the narrative flows in a very natural way. I guess that the only thing that I ask is this: if you are willing to read this book (and have read the content warnings list- seriously, do it), please, give this book the benefit of the doubt to this book and read the second one. I promise that its worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Sexual violence, Violence, Incest, Drug use, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent and War
madzcp's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This series is my all time favorite. I reread them almost every year. The subject matter can be challenging to read, and is presented in a controversial way. However, it is MEANT to be that way. People who give these books bad reviews, but have not read all three, should not be condemning them for the trigger warning type content. It is addressed in the future books. There is purpose to the content. It is meant to make you uncomfortable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Violence, Slavery, Torture, Sexual content, Rape, Racism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Murder, and Confinement
Moderate: Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, War, Torture, Pregnancy, Grief, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, and Child death
paigeautum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Torture, and Child abuse
soldierarcs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
The best parts of this book are the characters. It touches some important topics, and I'm not quite sure it does a good job in handling them. Not in the first book for sure. In the other two it gets better.
If you want a characters driven story with good plot too and a strong and tense queer enemies to lovers trope, then this trilogy does the job for you.
If you want a characters driven story with good plot too and a strong and tense queer enemies to lovers trope, then this trilogy does the job for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse