Reviews with content warning for Blood - Captive Prince

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

52 reviews

brdiaz1123's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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zoey_blk's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I read this book through in the span of 3 hours max and really enjoyed Damen as a character. Laurent is a pain in the ass, but I can feel his attitude change ever so slightly. They didn't lie when they said this was a slow burn book. Since I read this book solely because of Tiktok videos about Laurent and Damen I was taken a back by the customs of the world the story plays in. The slave and rape culture made me very uncomfortable every time I came across it. It's a topic I generally don't enjoy, but I tried to look past than for the sake of the Mcs stories.

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mary_jinxedit's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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? No

3.75

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witheredflower's review against another edition

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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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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foxo_cube's review against another edition

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dark 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

2.0

I really don't know what to say about this book because it's a very nothing kind of book.

Okay, so, for context, a friend of mine has lent me the trilogy because she says it's a fun hate-read, but despite being warned that nothing really happens until the latter half of the second book, I'm just a bit at a loss. How was there enough words to make this a book? The actual story that happened could have been half the length, maybe even less.

Due to its premise and setting, it ends up coming across as pornless porn. I don't know how else to explain it. Everyone's got a sex slave and having public sex and the nobles all watch rape as a fun performance from slaves trained to do that and yet it is written in a strange, sanitised kind of way that does the impossible and makes that absurdly depraved idea come across as boring. That sort of thing should be shocking! Damen is shocked, for one, or so we're told. That guy's got the personality of a flannel, so it's hard to tell. In <i>his</i> country, they are much nicer to their sex slaves, he thinks.

The fact that in not-France everyone has only gay sex because hetero sex is taboo outside of marriage is SO funny. It makes me think of that Gacha Life screenshot of the guy like "it's my first day at gay high school, I hope nobody finds out I'm straight". Also got to love the one token named woman with a female "pet" who's clearly thrown in there to make it seem marginally less like Pacat isn't just the ultimate fujoshi.

The politics and intrigue could have had the potential to be interesting if a) we had any reason to care and b) they were a little less straightforward. The entire cast of characters are very head-empty and this includes the ones that we are <i>told</i> are these incredible political masterminds (looking at Laurent).

I don't know. I feel like the vision for this book was clearly to be shocking and dark and intriguing and probably erotic(?), but it falls flat like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't even hate it because that's too strong a feeling. I will have forgotten everything about it within the week. The second one had better be more entertaining otherwise I will have to disown my friend.

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nat_kiverse's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

1.0

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mollyhrose's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

I did not expect to like this book. It had very dark themes warned in all the reviews and that made me nervous but I saw a TikTok of someone doing a skit of a scene and decided to read it anyway.

I am GRIPPED. I finished it in like 6 hours, and just could not put it down. The dark themes were still there and definitely stressful but the high stakes at every turn kept me reading at every chance!!!

I expected to hate Laurent forever after his mistreatment of Damen. Specifically when he immediately puts him in the like rape pit (thankfully he fights his way free) and then has him whipped until he nearly DIES. But somehow the writing of his fuckin book has me giggling and kicking my feet whenever they share a significant look and what is that ABOUT.

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