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charmedstray's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.5
i did not come into this book expecting to like it. i came into this book feeling extremely skeevy about the whole slavery thing and thinking ah, fuck. it's a classic piece of queer fiction at this point, i better at least see what it's deal is. came out the other end of the trilogy absolutely blown away.
to be clear-- this book & its sequels, & pacat's writing as a whole loves to linger in grey areas. awful and deeply unpleasant shit happens in this book! every character does terrible things! what's crucial, though, is that pacat trusts the reader enough not to have the narration go "yes, the systemic sex slavery and the violence are, in fact, bad and not good," and if you grow to trust the author enough to go "you know what? i bet the themes of this book probably Aren't going to be slavery and rape good and hot actually," you'll have a good time. this feels unnecessarily didactic and condescending of me to say, but i'm so exhausted of the ghosts of terminally online lit discourse brainrot that i'm saying it anyway.
also, for those who also are skeeved out by the slavery thing & would maybe like to know more about it before they commit: the trilogy takes place in two countries. the first is heavily inspired by ancient greece and rome; their country's relationship w/ slavery is an idea of "perfect submission, in exchange for perfect treatment". hitting, violating, or abusing them is considered to be awful and taboo.
the second country is heavily inspired by western europe-- the court where this novel takes place is, imo, heavily reminiscent of the sun king's versailles, or the medici's florence. this culture nominally doesn't keep slaves-- "pets" as they're called, are contracted, can be paid and often have at least some autonomy. they're considered a status symbol & treated ridiculously well.
the idea of slavery (these countries specific ideas of & relationships with it, to be clear) is interrogated throughout the trilogy, and it is textually condemned.
anyway, the first two thirds of this book is dedicated to constructing the convoluted power dynamic between the two protagonists, and also reminding you of the whole slavery thing every single page. in a sort of frog-in-boiling-water way, this turns into intricate political intrigue. if you're not interested in the main premise of the book, the slavery thing, i'd say read it anyway, it gets better. if you're not interested in court intrigue? you will NOT enjoy this!! fortunately, i fucking love this type of thing. also now i'm done with the thesis statement on why this book is Good, Actually!
her writing style irt character is very much like a painting where the most attention and care is visibly concentrated on the most important areas, but all the side characters we meet are still solidly sketched out. the protagonist is.... a little bit blank slate meathead-y. this gets better later, but it does grow a bit tiresome. the pacing in this one is also fairly slow. overall, if you're interested in messy relationships (both platonic & not), convoluted power dynamics, identity shenanigans, or very pleasant untouchable princes who are definitely not always filled with seething hatred and frustration and misery.... crack it open. give it a try.
to be clear-- this book & its sequels, & pacat's writing as a whole loves to linger in grey areas. awful and deeply unpleasant shit happens in this book! every character does terrible things! what's crucial, though, is that pacat trusts the reader enough not to have the narration go "yes, the systemic sex slavery and the violence are, in fact, bad and not good," and if you grow to trust the author enough to go "you know what? i bet the themes of this book probably Aren't going to be slavery and rape good and hot actually," you'll have a good time. this feels unnecessarily didactic and condescending of me to say, but i'm so exhausted of the ghosts of terminally online lit discourse brainrot that i'm saying it anyway.
also, for those who also are skeeved out by the slavery thing & would maybe like to know more about it before they commit:
the second country is heavily inspired by western europe-- the court where this novel takes place is, imo, heavily reminiscent of the sun king's versailles, or the medici's florence. this culture nominally doesn't keep slaves-- "pets" as they're called, are contracted, can be paid and often have at least some autonomy. they're considered a status symbol & treated ridiculously well.
the idea of slavery (these countries specific ideas of & relationships with it, to be clear) is interrogated throughout the trilogy, and it is textually condemned.
anyway, the first two thirds of this book is dedicated to constructing the convoluted power dynamic between the two protagonists, and also reminding you of the whole slavery thing every single page. in a sort of frog-in-boiling-water way, this turns into intricate political intrigue. if you're not interested in the main premise of the book, the slavery thing, i'd say read it anyway, it gets better. if you're not interested in court intrigue? you will NOT enjoy this!! fortunately, i fucking love this type of thing. also now i'm done with the thesis statement on why this book is Good, Actually!
her writing style irt character is very much like a painting where the most attention and care is visibly concentrated on the most important areas, but all the side characters we meet are still solidly sketched out. the protagonist is.... a little bit blank slate meathead-y. this gets better later, but it does grow a bit tiresome. the pacing in this one is also fairly slow. overall, if you're interested in messy relationships (both platonic & not), convoluted power dynamics, identity shenanigans, or very pleasant untouchable princes who are definitely not always filled with seething hatred and frustration and misery.... crack it open. give it a try.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
teagstime's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Very VERY interested to see where this series goes. I ate this book up in a day, which is saying something because reading is terribly difficult for me lately! ❤️ The political intrigue is so fun to read, and really just... takes a good look at power and war and the ruthlessness which accompanies it.
Personally a big fan of Damen and his struggle to understand anything about Laurent- because I, too, struggle to understand him. Laurent... I want to crawl inside your brain. That boy definitely has so much emotion hidden under the cold, cruel demeanor... and I'm sooo ready to dive in 😌
I cannot rec to anyone without them looking into the TW first, because there's some content I can see being... problematic, let's say! But in my opinion, none of those acts are really glorified- our main two characters are/become aware of these issues and want to change things. But, imo, a very good read and I definitely have high hopes for the rest!
Personally a big fan of Damen and his struggle to understand anything about Laurent- because I, too, struggle to understand him. Laurent... I want to crawl inside your brain. That boy definitely has so much emotion hidden under the cold, cruel demeanor... and I'm sooo ready to dive in 😌
I cannot rec to anyone without them looking into the TW first, because there's some content I can see being... problematic, let's say! But in my opinion, none of those acts are really glorified- our main two characters are/become aware of these issues and want to change things. But, imo, a very good read and I definitely have high hopes for the rest!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, War, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use and Death of parent
frantic_vampire's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
Well, I think I found a new bookish obsession! This was so good and I just couldn’t put it down. But it was also really, really fucked up. And yet, I loved every minute of it.
I loved that Damen is our pov character. He’s not shy with his opinions and he’s willing to risk his neck for the injustices he sees happening around him. And I love him for that, even when it leads to worse things for himself. I also love that he’s so against Laurent right now, it’s really building a true enemies-to-lovers romance.
Captive Prince is getting a solid five stars. I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
katamarija's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual violence
livelaughlesbian99's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
3.75
This book is messed up!
And that’s kind what it’s supposed to be, so I’m not judging my rating on that. This takes place in a brutal world where slavery is normalized across many cultures. If that does not sound like a horror you can stomach do not read this book. I can understand why some say this romanticizes slavery, but I saw it more as trying to explore how cultures of the past treated sexual slavery (which is a horrific but prominent part of the human past… this content isn’t based off of nothing. Ancient Greeks and Romans had cultural practices similar to the practices in the book).
Personally I appreciate the focus on how those who were enslaved would have been impacted by societies like this. Between Damen and Erasmus’ perspective you learn a lot about how these systems are justified. I do not believe including morally wrong beliefs in characters means the text condones them. But I completely understand why people have issues with this book and it’s fine if you do. For me books with subject matter like this are also horror books, and like horror books, there can be catharsis in exploring the worst of humanity.
That being said, oh my GOD did I love this book’s political intrigue. It really is as good as people say. While this book is really preamble for the rest of the series, which is why I rated it the way I did, the ending was fantastic.
And that’s kind what it’s supposed to be, so I’m not judging my rating on that. This takes place in a brutal world where slavery is normalized across many cultures. If that does not sound like a horror you can stomach do not read this book. I can understand why some say this romanticizes slavery, but I saw it more as trying to explore how cultures of the past treated sexual slavery (which is a horrific but prominent part of the human past… this content isn’t based off of nothing. Ancient Greeks and Romans had cultural practices similar to the practices in the book).
Personally I appreciate the focus on how those who were enslaved would have been impacted by societies like this. Between Damen and Erasmus’ perspective you learn a lot about how these systems are justified. I do not believe including morally wrong beliefs in characters means the text condones them. But I completely understand why people have issues with this book and it’s fine if you do. For me books with subject matter like this are also horror books, and like horror books, there can be catharsis in exploring the worst of humanity.
That being said, oh my GOD did I love this book’s political intrigue. It really is as good as people say. While this book is really preamble for the rest of the series, which is why I rated it the way I did, the ending was fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Pedophilia, and War
lisareadingbooks_m's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
30something_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Did I randomly pick this up at 10pm last night to feel out the vibes, stay up until 1am reading, and then wake up to finish it this morning?
Yes.
And now I have to go get the other ones because I am invested.
Yes.
And now I have to go get the other ones because I am invested.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Rape
hoppyread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Fire/Fire injury
dontaadme's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
giulia_rossi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Sexual harassment