Reviews with content warning for Murder - Captive Prince

No sé si lo dejaría en 3 o 3'5 ⭐ la verdad.

Damianos, príncipe de Akielos, es enviado por su hermanastro como esclavo sexual para el príncipe de Vere, Laurent. A partir de ese instante tendrá que enfrentarse a todas las costumbres que existen en ese reino y, lo más importante, tratar de encubrir su identidad.

La verdad es que la primera mitad de este libro es dura, tiene escenas que no son para todo el mundo y si no lo hubiese empezado sabiendo dónde me metía me habría llevado una sorpresa. Creo que es algo que todas las personas que quieran leerlo deberían saber, leer advertencias y saber en qué historia se están metiendo.

Dicho esto, el libro me ha gustado mucho, se me ha hecho muy entretenido y la historia me parece interesante cuanto menos. Tanto Damen como Laurent son personajes complejos y cuyas interacciones son curiosas como poco. Hay muchísima tensión entre los dos y, aunque en este libro no es muy lógico shippearlos, yo no he podido evitar hacerlo. Estoy deseando ver cómo continúa la relación de ambos en los siguientes libros.

Por último, mencionar que toda la parte política, de engaño e intriga es impresionante y eso que solo es el principio.

Pd. Quiero hacer especial mención a la obsesión que tiene Damen con los rizos dorados de Laurent. Si no los describe en el libro 50 veces no los describe ninguna 💛

Content Warnings

rhi_'s review against another edition

Go to review page

dark 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? It's complicated

1.0

Content Warnings

eidal's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

violetlunablossom's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional 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

4.25

For years, I had put off reading Captive Prince, partly because I had other books higher on my TBR list and partly because of the ever pervasive controversy of its handling of certain subjects. And honestly, I can completely understand why people are put off by this book. There are definitely scenes that are hard to get through and language used to describe what's happening doesn't make it much better. To most, this does seem like a book that fetishisizes such subjects, and I wouldn't blame people for thinking this. But it gets a little easier to understand certain world building decisions that Pacat made, in my opinion, when you view them through the historical inspirations that they come from. Akelios and Vere are very clear based off of two different cultures from the past, so things kind of click into place when you realize the context.

That being said, I did find the political intrigue and world building to be surprisingly strong, and the way that deceit and the abuse of power is displayed is incredibly engrossing. Damen is a protagonist that I was immediately endeared to and watching him navigate Veretian society and politics while trying to keep his identity a secret was very engaging. Conversely, Laurent was a compelling secondary protagonist, with all his brutality and wit. Every time him and Damen shared a scene, I was glued to the page because of how unpredictable everything was. The two of them are obviously being set up as a slowburn enemies to lovers and I couldn't be more excited to see how their relationship grows.

Content Warnings

More...