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4.37 AVERAGE
4.37 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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:
Yes
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
The intrigue thickens, the plot expands, and the characters keep showing new layers. It’s a strong and satisfying end to the series - I loved the journey and these characters, even when they tested every last one of my nerves.
By the end, though, I was boiling. Laurent stays five steps ahead at all times, while Damen… bless him, sweet summer child, he’s still catching up. 🤣 I always knew Laurent was the brainpower in this couple, but sometimes Damen’s naivety really had me sighing.
Funny thing - I went full circle with them:
- Started by hating Laurent → ended by loving him.
- Started by loving Damen → ended by being annoyed with him.
I do still love them both, but let’s be honest: Damen… sweetheart… cling to Laurent for dear life. Because without him? Whew.
But then, hey, that’s the beauty of their dynamic: Laurent is the brain, Damen is the soul. Together they make a whole that feels unshakable. And even if I wanted to shake Damen a few times myself, I can’t imagine one without the other.
But then, hey, that’s the beauty of their dynamic: Laurent is the brain, Damen is the soul. Together they make a whole that feels unshakable. And even if I wanted to shake Damen a few times myself, I can’t imagine one without the other.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
This series has me going feral. I feel insane now.
LAURENT BEING UPSET ABOUT DAMEN KILLING HIS BROTHER, AND THEN COMING FULL-CIRCLE AND KILLING DAMEN'S BROTHER? ICONIC. OMG
AND LAURENT THINKING HE IS ALL ALONE. THIS ENTIRE TIME, HE HAS BEEN ALONE. He was alone, all his family gone, and the only person there abused him. Took advantage of his innocence. So he was always all alone and had to be pragmatic, strategic, in order to survive. Can't trust anyone, because what if they ended up like Aimeric? Guion? He didn't even lean on Damen, who was the one person who was 100% supporting him near the end. Even Jord who was unwaveringly loyal. He acted alone with all his plans, his thoughts, everything. He was even surprised Damen came to save him because he had never had anyone on his side before. It was heartbreaking. And the pure shock he showed when people supported him? Loyse and Paschal and Damen, all rallying around him. Baby has not felt true love in a while and cannot handle it. My poor child.
Never have I been this angry at being right. I saw the way Laurent was tense and flinched whenever things got intimate and I went, oh he just doesn't like sex. That's why he doesn't have slaves. Or let anyone see him naked. Or let anyone touch him. Or... oh wait. Signs of abuse. I clocked it and wanted to be wrong, but then the Regent had the AUDACITY TO USE THE ABUSE AGAINST LAURENT? BLAMING HIM, AND REINFORCING THE CREEPY POWER DYNAMIC BETWEEN THEM? So happy he is dead with no fanfare. The begging almost had me crying. This poor boy just wants to exist and his uncle is making that so fucking painful.
I want to take a moment to apologize to Nicaise. It is not your fault a pedo got to you. You deserved better. Laurent saw it, and now we all know. You were loyal to the end and I'm sorry. Poor child.
SO happy the council turned out to be good and HATE PEDOPHILIA. I thought everything was going to get forgiven, but no.
I have so much to say. Jokaste being good in the end? Laurent seeing kindness in her like he sees in himself? Herode slaying? CHARLS COMING IN CLUTCH AND BEING THE BEST CLOTH MERCHANT? The banter? THE FUCKING OKTON WHERE LAURENT TIES AND IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD? all of this book slaps, from the intrigue to the dialogue. It kept me guessing and I adored every part. So action-packed and fascinating, while also being deep and true to the characters. Well done, CS Pacat.
I fucking love this series.
Spoiler
CAN WE TALK ABOUT SOME IMPORTANT THINGS?LAURENT BEING UPSET ABOUT DAMEN KILLING HIS BROTHER, AND THEN COMING FULL-CIRCLE AND KILLING DAMEN'S BROTHER? ICONIC. OMG
AND LAURENT THINKING HE IS ALL ALONE. THIS ENTIRE TIME, HE HAS BEEN ALONE. He was alone, all his family gone, and the only person there abused him. Took advantage of his innocence. So he was always all alone and had to be pragmatic, strategic, in order to survive. Can't trust anyone, because what if they ended up like Aimeric? Guion? He didn't even lean on Damen, who was the one person who was 100% supporting him near the end. Even Jord who was unwaveringly loyal. He acted alone with all his plans, his thoughts, everything. He was even surprised Damen came to save him because he had never had anyone on his side before. It was heartbreaking. And the pure shock he showed when people supported him? Loyse and Paschal and Damen, all rallying around him. Baby has not felt true love in a while and cannot handle it. My poor child.
Never have I been this angry at being right. I saw the way Laurent was tense and flinched whenever things got intimate and I went, oh he just doesn't like sex. That's why he doesn't have slaves. Or let anyone see him naked. Or let anyone touch him. Or... oh wait. Signs of abuse. I clocked it and wanted to be wrong, but then the Regent had the AUDACITY TO USE THE ABUSE AGAINST LAURENT? BLAMING HIM, AND REINFORCING THE CREEPY POWER DYNAMIC BETWEEN THEM? So happy he is dead with no fanfare. The begging almost had me crying. This poor boy just wants to exist and his uncle is making that so fucking painful.
I want to take a moment to apologize to Nicaise. It is not your fault a pedo got to you. You deserved better. Laurent saw it, and now we all know. You were loyal to the end and I'm sorry. Poor child.
SO happy the council turned out to be good and HATE PEDOPHILIA. I thought everything was going to get forgiven, but no.
I have so much to say. Jokaste being good in the end? Laurent seeing kindness in her like he sees in himself? Herode slaying? CHARLS COMING IN CLUTCH AND BEING THE BEST CLOTH MERCHANT? The banter? THE FUCKING OKTON WHERE LAURENT TIES AND IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD? all of this book slaps, from the intrigue to the dialogue. It kept me guessing and I adored every part. So action-packed and fascinating, while also being deep and true to the characters. Well done, CS Pacat.
I fucking love this series.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
read this book JUST READ IT
i think i’ll never be able to LOVE another book that much, i feel like no books will ever makes me feel this way. how i felt while reading it, crying, screaming, being completely speechless and amazed by the entier story and ALL the plot twists!!
this saga was literally written by a genius, she puts all her heart writing this story and the French translation was also amazing!! so well writing, every scènes so well developed in terms of details (scenes, dialogues) DIALOGUES please there were SO incredible and powerful : impacting !!!
for this book, i'de say that laurent's development is one of the most important part of this book, all the conclusions are perfectly done, plot twists are breathtaking, .... anyway literally the best trilogy on earth !!!!!
this is THE BEST ENEMIES TO LOVERS fantasy / dystopian i’ve EVER read !!!!
i think i’ll never be able to LOVE another book that much, i feel like no books will ever makes me feel this way. how i felt while reading it, crying, screaming, being completely speechless and amazed by the entier story and ALL the plot twists!!
this saga was literally written by a genius, she puts all her heart writing this story and the French translation was also amazing!! so well writing, every scènes so well developed in terms of details (scenes, dialogues) DIALOGUES please there were SO incredible and powerful : impacting !!!
for this book, i'de say that laurent's development is one of the most important part of this book, all the conclusions are perfectly done, plot twists are breathtaking, .... anyway literally the best trilogy on earth !!!!!
this is THE BEST ENEMIES TO LOVERS fantasy / dystopian i’ve EVER read !!!!
quality: 3.5 / 5
enjoyment: 5 / 5
cs pacat has done it again. he and his books have me in an inescapable chokehold.
i’ll start by saying that nearly everything i praised about his previous books are also worth praising here. i appreciated the new scale of everything, as well as the introductions of all these new characters. i’d argue that in comparison to the other books, king’s rising is easily the most fun to get through. prince’s gambit may be my favorite, but this one is by far the easiest read, with intense political stakes and fun antics in between. so many concepts are introduced in this book that make the culture of akielos in particular much more believable and (in comparison to other authors) it’s refreshing how pacat continues to worldbuild up until his finale.
now, onto the more obvious things. damen and laurent’s relationship is easily more compelling here than in any of the other books.
unfortunately, though, this book still has its issues. i think that for the first time ever cs pacat has some real pacing problems here. everything in the first 3/4 is completely on par with his usual work, but the ending feels extremely rushed.
i miss these books already, and i’d give anything to be able to read them again for the first time. i love this series with all of my being, and damen and laurent will always have a special place in my heart. i can't wait for when i inevitably revisit these books again in a few months.
enjoyment: 5 / 5
cs pacat has done it again. he and his books have me in an inescapable chokehold.
i’ll start by saying that nearly everything i praised about his previous books are also worth praising here. i appreciated the new scale of everything, as well as the introductions of all these new characters. i’d argue that in comparison to the other books, king’s rising is easily the most fun to get through. prince’s gambit may be my favorite, but this one is by far the easiest read, with intense political stakes and fun antics in between. so many concepts are introduced in this book that make the culture of akielos in particular much more believable and (in comparison to other authors) it’s refreshing how pacat continues to worldbuild up until his finale.
now, onto the more obvious things. damen and laurent’s relationship is easily more compelling here than in any of the other books.
Spoiler
despite their very romantic exchanges at the end of prince’s gambit, they start this novel as enemies once more. this, for me, was as painful as it was interesting from a narrative standpoint. because as much as we see damen and laurent as enemies in book one, their power imbalance is ridiculously skewed in laurent’s favor. prince’s gambit was the closest they ever came to being on equal footing, since laurent was in charge but damen was the one who knew what he was doing. here is the first time we get to see damen with slightly more control over the situation (as much as he can have against a person like laurent) and it’s really nice seeing damen step into his role as king for the first time. and when they do finally get together it’s so easy to root for and feel for them when things aren’t going their way.unfortunately, though, this book still has its issues. i think that for the first time ever cs pacat has some real pacing problems here. everything in the first 3/4 is completely on par with his usual work, but the ending feels extremely rushed.
Spoiler
don’t get me wrong, there are still aspects of the ending that i really enjoyed, like the scene in the kingsmeet and the fight between kastor and laurent. and i appreciated how the ending involved both of our leads stepping out of their comfort zones, with laurent having to fight his way to a solution while damen has to make his case before a court. but while we’re on the subject of the court, i will say that i found it underwhelming how the story’s conflicts were resolved with nothing but a trial. i wasn’t particularly moved by the scene, and i wish we’d gotten more scenes with paschal and guion’s wife so that it would hit those emotional beats. but i still appreciated how the series has the bookends trope where it ends the same way it begins. the series starts with bells at ios, and ends with bells at ios. the plot is set in motion by damen killing auguste, and the plot ends with laurent killing kastor. some people have issues with the fact that there are no domestic moments following the ending, which is why i’d argue that the side stories are essential viewing.i miss these books already, and i’d give anything to be able to read them again for the first time. i love this series with all of my being, and damen and laurent will always have a special place in my heart. i can't wait for when i inevitably revisit these books again in a few months.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes