Reviews with content warning for Blood - Captive Prince

This is a controversial book. After years of hearing from other people what I should think of the book, I decided to form my own opinion.

I hated it.

Fundamentally, I feel it is too horny to be an adventure story, but not horny enough to be erotica. My issues with the plot only compound it.

Laurent, our love interest, is gifted Damen as a sex slave. The court he is surrounded with is hedonistic and sexual, with courtiers regularly having sex in public.

Despite this, there is only one actual sex scene,

when Laurent has another sex slave force oral on a tied up Damen.

If you are looking for some dark erotica, perhaps find it elsewhere, this is lacking in sex.

Despite ordering Damen’s abuse at the hands of his servants,

Laurent never personally lays hands on him.

I can only assume, as

we are supposed to find him more forgivable than if he had personally beaten and raped Damen. I do not. Rape fetish fiction is not my thing, but I understand people like it. However, it would be nice if we didn’t pretend the abuser is not an abuser, as he abuses by proxy.

I found the story predictable. On several occasions, the chapter would end with Laurent dramatically informing the ever oblivious Damen something I had guessed chapters ago, much to Damen’s shock. In these moments, he comes off, not unfamiliar with the venomous court of a foreign land, but stupid.

The regent’s, who’s name escapes me, “pet”,

a 13 year old boy, plotline, feels a lazy effort to make Laurent look better in comparison to his uncle. “Oh, sure, he’s a violent abuser, but look! He’s not a child molester!” I have not read further, but I suspect Laurent was molested by him also. Just a guess.

Regardless, the pedophilia is not romanticised, but is not handled with the sensitivity such a… Well, sensitive, topic demands.

The only thing I can give the book credit for is consistent characterisation, and good use of showing instead of telling.

If you like slow burn, abusive noncon fanfiction, this is probably the book for you. For me? God, no.

Content Warnings

mdvlspencer's review against another edition

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dark medium-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? Yes

2.75

It was decent. I think this would have worked a lot better as the first half of a book rather than a full one of itself. There were too few strands closed to really have any resolution for anything at all. I like the world building, the political machinations is fun as always, and I do really appreciate an actual enemies to lovers where they truly and actually have a reason to hate each other that stems from trauma that they have to overcome.

Content Warnings

i_dont_know_what_im_doing's review against another edition

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challenging 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

5.0

Content Warnings

eleanorrae's review against another edition

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Read all the trigger and content warnings. Then remember that was all before chapter three.

Content Warnings

madzcp's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This series is my all time favorite. I reread them almost every year. The subject matter can be challenging to read, and is presented in a controversial way. However, it is MEANT to be that way. People who give these books bad reviews, but have not read all three, should not be condemning them for the trigger warning type content. It is addressed in the future books. There is purpose to the content. It is meant to make you uncomfortable.

Content Warnings

harmonique's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

bugcollector's review against another edition

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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 em😀 rape isn't swag and this book isn't romance, i suppose it will come in the 2nd one but still

Content Warnings

_mineru's review against another edition

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challenging 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? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

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