Reviews with content warning for Rape - Captive Prince

Diving into this trilogy i had no idea what a brainrot it would give me. Literally cannot stop thinking about these books. So here are my thoughts on the first book because i need to RAMBLE.

”Is there anyone at this court who isn't my enemy?"

"Not if I can help it," Laurent said.

I strongly think that instead of a trilogy it should have been one huge brick of a book. This is because the first book reads very differently after having finished the whole trilogy. The second and third book gave me such a different perspective of the first book because we never got the full picture until then. I do really enjoy this about C.S Pacat’s writing style and I think he’s a very talented writer. He slowly peels back the layers as the story goes on until we get the broader vision, making us look back and see certain actions and events in a different light. It’s really genius how she manages to switch the whole narrative around, and a little bold. This also comes with a problem though. We don’t get the full picture until the other books which makes the first book look weak on its own.

My first impression of Damen was that he’s very loyal and honorable. He has very strong morals about what’s right and wrong in certain situations that he follows even if they don’t benefit him. Though i STRONGLY disliked Laurent i found myself intrigued by his character, especially towards the end when he makes quite the sacrifice to save Damen. I was like hmm there’s something MORE to him behind this frigid bitch persona. I was curious to see where C.S Pacat would take the building trust between Damen and Laurent and how their relationship would continue to develop. Also, Laurent is just wayy too clever. I want to study his mind under a microscope. I found the dynamics between the other characters really interesting too. The tension between Laurent and the regent (who I want to burn alive)… Laurent and Nicaise’s bittersweet plotting against eachother… Erasmus and Damen’s interactions were really interesting to read as well.

This is probably the first fantasy book without magic that I’ve ever read and I think it works really well. I don’t think that magic would have been necessary in this story. The politic intrigue and mind games definitely filled that hole and kept me on my TOES. Everything’s honestly so clever and significant for the plot. Nothing is there without a reason behind it and not just as useless fillers — it continues to have importance for the rest of the trilogy.

Lastly i need to adress the controversy surrounding these books, because its dark themes and long list of trigger warnings (which i highly suggest looking up if you’re interested in reading the trilogy) is no secret. I’ve seen some reviews saying that this book glorifies rape and slavery which I personally don’t agree with.

In the first book C.S Pacat spends time to show all the horrific things going on in the Veretian court where no one bats an eye at the rape and slavery. Even In Akielos, Damen’s nation, slavery is part of the culture, and he has grown up with it being normalized which has affected his view of it . This changes as he goes from being a privileged prince to a slave in Vere. We get to experience this dark world through Damen’s eyes who’s been raised with this normalized idea of slavery ingrained in him which is why the tone of the book can be read as not always critical. This doesn’t mean that there’s any condoning for the slavery and rape. Damen’s appal and horror is very clearly portrayed as he becomes a victim of it, and sees others experiencing it around him.

Content Warnings

radelyn's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart but I think this is a pretty good start to a trilogy, though I really need to stop reading slow burn and getting mad when the burn is slow.

Content Warnings

cm02's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious relaxing tense slow-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

4.5

Content Warnings

gehnehsis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Content Warnings

natnat_7's review

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Content Warnings

natblida's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.25

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

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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

aphrodykie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

Content Warnings

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