A review by tragedies
Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If Captive Prince was set in the depraved Veretian court, Prince’s Gambit follows Damen and Laurent’s journey through the Veretian countryside. Along with the Prince’s Guard and a ragtag group of mercenaries-turned-soldiers, they travel to the border in the hopes of preventing a deadly plot meant to break the fragile peace between Vere and Akielos.

“I didn’t understand what being king meant to you.”
“What’s that?”
“An end to fighting.”

Outside the watchful eyes of the court, Damen starts seeing Laurent in a different light. Though the Veretian prince is cruel and ruthless, Damen discovers that he is also just and self-sacrificial. To protect his country and save the people he loves, he puts everything on the line even without recognition, honor, or support. Damen never understood the unflinching loyalty of the Prince’s Guard or Erasmus’ praise of Laurent’s kindness, but as they spend night after night planning strategies and going on secret missions in ill-fitting disguises, Damen gets glimpses of a young, tender prince who won the hearts of many in secret.

“And perhaps out of this, a thin thread of respect was growing. It was apparent why his uncle had kept Laurent away from the reins of power: he was good at leading.”

Damen also begins to question worldviews he once thought immutable. As an Akielon prince, he never imagined fighting with Veretians, much less training with them and sharing meals with them, but all these he does, forging a sense of camaraderie with the people he used to see as enemies and, in turn, earning their respect as much as his. This includes Laurent, who now regarded him with as much esteem as an equal in all but title.

“What makes you think Kastor is the weaker man? You don’t know him.”
“But I’m coming to know you,” said Laurent.

I’ve always loved the enemies-to-lovers trope, and this is definitely one of the best I’ve ever read. There’s so much tension and turmoil but also tenderness and forgiveness. There’s a time for snarky, lighthearted banter and another for raw, more intimate conversations. Both characters complement each other’s strengths and flaws. Laurent’s cunning mind helps Damen understand and come to terms with the betrayal of his loved ones. Damen’s kind heart offers Laurent a safe space to fall apart and fall back together. They’re everything I ever hoped for in an enemies-to-lovers romance.

“Never had he wanted something this badly, and held it in his hands knowing that tomorrow it would be gone, traded for the high cliffs of Ios, and the uncertain future across the border, the chance to stand before his brother, to ask him for all the answers that no longer seemed important. A kingdom, or this.”

Prince’s Gambit is a breathtaking sequel that takes everything I love about the first book and turns it into something more — angst, action, humor, and a blossoming slowburn romance that coalesce into one wild emotional rollercoaster. Reading it now was just as exhilarating as the first time, if not more. It’s easily my favorite in the series, though Kings Rising is a very close second. 
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