Scan barcode
kissjjong's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Gore, Violence, and Slavery
bugcollector's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I just finished reading dark rise beforehand, bestie how is this the same author
It rubs me off the wrong way that some slaves are introduced as "meant to be submissive" and "born to serve".
and how am i supposed to ship emπ rape isn't swag and this book isn't romance, i suppose it will come in the 2nd one but still
It rubs me off the wrong way that some slaves are introduced as "meant to be submissive" and "born to serve".
and how am i supposed to ship emπ rape isn't swag and this book isn't romance, i suppose it will come in the 2nd one but still
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Grief, Violence, Death, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Torture, Body horror, Classism, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, War, and Sexual harassment
alexandryareads's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Blood, and Slavery
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Minor: Gore
afi_whatafireads's review
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
Personal Ratings: 3.65/5π
I went in expecting more romance but I got more politics instead π
I mean, not that I hated it. I would think the politics in here are actually quite well written and the I can see that the romance would be the SLOWEST. BURN. EVER.
ππ§πππππ§ πππ§π£ππ£ππ¨: ππ§π€π¨π©ππ©πͺπ©ππ€π£, πππ‘π-ππ§π€π¨π©ππ©πͺπ©ππ€π£, ππππ€π₯πππ‘ππ, πππ₯π, ππ€π§π, πΏπππ©π, π½πππ©ππ£ππ¨, ππ£π¨π‘ππ«ππ’ππ£π©, ππππ£ππ₯π₯ππ£π, πππ©π§ππ’π πππ¨π‘ππππ©ππ£π, ππππͺππ‘ πΌπ¨π¨ππͺπ‘π©
Short Summarys
Damen is the rightful heir to Akielos and when his stepbrother pulled a coup d'etat on his family, not only he was stripped of power, but he was sent as a slave to the neighbouring country, in which, the current prince harbors a deep, deep, hatred , especially for him. Sold as a slave, Damen had to keep his identity in order to survive and to at least gain his strength to save his country, whilst having to work with his now-master that loathes him to his very core.
Personal Thougts
I would say this makes a VERY slowburn romance, with LITERAL, enemies-lovers. The way Damen and Prince Laurent LOATHED each other, its to a point that you felt sorry for Damen sometimes on how he was treated.
Writing-wise, this is my first book from Pacat and I have to say, its not bad. Its straightforward, with a hint of lyrical writing but its not too-overly done. Its pitched as a romance fantasy, and I can say, for the first book, there's not much romance (which I don't mind) because I enjoyed the court politics.
The Politics in this book was well-written. For something that is pitched as romance fantasy, the politics in this book is something that I enjoyed. Everyone here is scheming something and I like that Damen did not lose himself even he had been beaten down. As much as Laurent is cold and cruel in this book, I also like his character. He exudes a persona that just bows down to people but has his own plans up his sleeves, which I can't wait to find out in the second book.
Pacing-Wise I think one of my problems with the book was the pacing. I was okay with the idea but it got a bit tedious and repetitive when Damen was CONSTANTLY tortured. I mean, I get it, you hate the guy, but I felt that Damen's torture scene got boring at some point. There was also parts that I felt was a bit unnecessary and the plot can progress faster.
Overall
I went in not knowing much about the book but I am surprised to say that the book kinda grew on me and I'm anticipating how it will turn out in the second book. Please come in with precautions as this book consists very gory scenes, but its one that I'd say I'm actually looking forward to? I'm curious on Laurent's and Damen's relationship so , yes, I'll continue with the second book to see how it goes.
I went in expecting more romance but I got more politics instead π
I mean, not that I hated it. I would think the politics in here are actually quite well written and the I can see that the romance would be the SLOWEST. BURN. EVER.
ππ§πππππ§ πππ§π£ππ£ππ¨: ππ§π€π¨π©ππ©πͺπ©ππ€π£, πππ‘π-ππ§π€π¨π©ππ©πͺπ©ππ€π£, ππππ€π₯πππ‘ππ, πππ₯π, ππ€π§π, πΏπππ©π, π½πππ©ππ£ππ¨, ππ£π¨π‘ππ«ππ’ππ£π©, ππππ£ππ₯π₯ππ£π, πππ©π§ππ’π πππ¨π‘ππππ©ππ£π, ππππͺππ‘ πΌπ¨π¨ππͺπ‘π©
Short Summarys
Damen is the rightful heir to Akielos and when his stepbrother pulled a coup d'etat on his family, not only he was stripped of power, but he was sent as a slave to the neighbouring country, in which, the current prince harbors a deep, deep, hatred , especially for him. Sold as a slave, Damen had to keep his identity in order to survive and to at least gain his strength to save his country, whilst having to work with his now-master that loathes him to his very core.
Personal Thougts
I would say this makes a VERY slowburn romance, with LITERAL, enemies-lovers. The way Damen and Prince Laurent LOATHED each other, its to a point that you felt sorry for Damen sometimes on how he was treated.
Writing-wise, this is my first book from Pacat and I have to say, its not bad. Its straightforward, with a hint of lyrical writing but its not too-overly done. Its pitched as a romance fantasy, and I can say, for the first book, there's not much romance (which I don't mind) because I enjoyed the court politics.
The Politics in this book was well-written. For something that is pitched as romance fantasy, the politics in this book is something that I enjoyed. Everyone here is scheming something and I like that Damen did not lose himself even he had been beaten down. As much as Laurent is cold and cruel in this book, I also like his character. He exudes a persona that just bows down to people but has his own plans up his sleeves, which I can't wait to find out in the second book.
Pacing-Wise I think one of my problems with the book was the pacing. I was okay with the idea but it got a bit tedious and repetitive when Damen was CONSTANTLY tortured. I mean, I get it, you hate the guy, but I felt that Damen's torture scene got boring at some point. There was also parts that I felt was a bit unnecessary and the plot can progress faster.
Overall
I went in not knowing much about the book but I am surprised to say that the book kinda grew on me and I'm anticipating how it will turn out in the second book. Please come in with precautions as this book consists very gory scenes, but its one that I'd say I'm actually looking forward to? I'm curious on Laurent's and Damen's relationship so , yes, I'll continue with the second book to see how it goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Infidelity, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, War, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Drug abuse
forsyth's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Sexual violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia and Incest
foxcrofty's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
So this book is ostensibly a romance, but by and large it is more brutal and violent than romantic. It certainly is leaning in an enemies to lovers way, but don't expect to get passed enemies to begrudging allies in this first book.
The world building is good, the setting largely based in a vaguely historical Greece/Rome/Venice area. I personally love a court drama and the salaciousness of the sex soaked society was a bit jarring after so much YA but at least it was consistent. The other nice thing is that there seems to be no qualms at all as about same sex couples in this, granted, in most cases they weren't romantic relationships as much as they were this strange master/servant arrangement.
This books absolutely has a content warnings list as long as my arm, so I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn't know what they're getting into.
The characters might be my favorite part. Damen, who would absolutely fit the picture of a muscle bound stock model on any romance cover, is a kind and smart protag who's been thrust into an absolutely impossible situation. Laurent, who for me is like the perfect blend of Kaz Brekker and Prince Cardan wrapped up in the salaciousness of a romance novel, is a nuanced and intriguing character, easy both to hate and to like, which puts the readers in the same shoes as Damen most of the time.
I'm excited to see where they go from here.
The world building is good, the setting largely based in a vaguely historical Greece/Rome/Venice area. I personally love a court drama and the salaciousness of the sex soaked society was a bit jarring after so much YA but at least it was consistent. The other nice thing is that there seems to be no qualms at all as about same sex couples in this, granted, in most cases they weren't romantic relationships as much as they were this strange master/servant arrangement.
This books absolutely has a content warnings list as long as my arm, so I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn't know what they're getting into.
The characters might be my favorite part. Damen, who would absolutely fit the picture of a muscle bound stock model on any romance cover, is a kind and smart protag who's been thrust into an absolutely impossible situation. Laurent, who for me is like the perfect blend of Kaz Brekker and Prince Cardan wrapped up in the salaciousness of a romance novel, is a nuanced and intriguing character, easy both to hate and to like, which puts the readers in the same shoes as Damen most of the time.
I'm excited to see where they go from here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Incest
More...