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shines14's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Really kept you guessing til the end. I loved the last chapter though.
lilyliod's review against another edition
5.0
This book is everything I wanted from the end of the trilogy and more.
Watching Laurent play everyone from the Akieleon side and being just, so magnetic and so damn hot. I worried for my poor pinning Damen who was already in having such a hard time already!
And when they finally got to talk, it was everything ! Those chapters, with the promises, the hope, and the talk of the future. Those are my favorite ! I wish I could bottle all those sweet, emotion packed moments and keep them with me.
One aspect I loved was also the fact that they didn't just pretend the hatred was never there, didn't pretend that what they had done to each other suddenly didn't exist because they were feeling something more. That the something more didn't miraculously eclipse the hatred, I love that.
I love that it was part of the struggle for both of them.
I enjoyed this trilogy more than I thought I would. I didn't expect I'd grow so found of both of the characters, as well as the supporting cast (shoutout to Jord, Lazel, Pallas and Nikandros I love them so much !). Didn't expect I'd get so invested I'd carry them with me beyond the last page of the books, but I'm really glad I do!
I may have guessed a lot of the plots, but it didn't make the whole experience any less enjoyable, because the characters made it worth it.
Definitely a rereadable series ! Loved it to bits !
Spoiler
The angst is god tier, because Damen isn't exactly fighting his feelings, but Laurent is obviously determined to not let them be a thing. Because Auguste's death still hangs above them and those horrible days of slavery (the scars!!) do too (and probably always will). What little time they got to actually talk was filled with tension. It was painful, it was amazing!Watching Laurent play everyone from the Akieleon side and being just, so magnetic and so damn hot. I worried for my poor pinning Damen who was already in having such a hard time already!
And when they finally got to talk, it was everything ! Those chapters, with the promises, the hope, and the talk of the future. Those are my favorite ! I wish I could bottle all those sweet, emotion packed moments and keep them with me.
One aspect I loved was also the fact that they didn't just pretend the hatred was never there, didn't pretend that what they had done to each other suddenly didn't exist because they were feeling something more. That the something more didn't miraculously eclipse the hatred, I love that.
I love that it was part of the struggle for both of them.
I enjoyed this trilogy more than I thought I would. I didn't expect I'd grow so found of both of the characters, as well as the supporting cast (shoutout to Jord, Lazel, Pallas and Nikandros I love them so much !). Didn't expect I'd get so invested I'd carry them with me beyond the last page of the books, but I'm really glad I do!
I may have guessed a lot of the plots, but it didn't make the whole experience any less enjoyable, because the characters made it worth it.
Definitely a rereadable series ! Loved it to bits !
levendir1021's review against another edition
5.0
Actual rating: 5/5
Series rating: 6/5
I was a fool, blinded by prejudice. I didn’t understand that he was fighting alone, that he had been fighting alone for a very long time.
When I read the first book of this trilogy, I really enjoyed and liked it. I have always liked books that are somehow considered to be problematic by many because I enjoy thinking about all the questions such books bring up. And life is messy, you know. Anyhow, I did not expect what this series would come to grow into, which is sososo much more than that first book was.
What makes this series truly stand out are the characters. While this is not very visible yet in book 1, book 2 built on it and this book is where we get the full brunt of it. I also love how Pacat doesn’t fully spell out everything for the reader but leaves room for interpretation.. Pacat never treats the reader as if they were dumb and leaves room for interpretation here and there, which might be why some people consider the writing style to be bad. Personally, I really appreciate authors taking this risk.
Laurent is… messy, to use that word again. He is so incredibly flawed and complex and because we get to experience the series through Damen’s eyes (with the exception of that one chapter in book two, which was honestly quite the revelation in itself) we struggle to understand him until the very end. Just like Damen doesn’t because he himself couldn’t be more different. Damen is a lot simpler in how he does things. That is not to say that he isn’t a genuinely empathetic person who undergoes so much character development throughout these books, which we get to see the culmination of at the very end. Yet they still remain very much true to themselves and still feel like the same people.
Book 3 also had me truly care for some side characters, whose names in book 1 I couldn’t even remember, and some who weren’t even alive by book 2. Yet they stayed relevant to the very end.
I would say that Captive Prince is very much a character-driven series, I enjoyed the plot of this series. Yet it is very clear that details of our journey are not the main focus here. However, the political intrigues had me guessing (mostly wrong) about what was going to happen and what move would have what effect. The fight scenes in books 1 and 2 were good but nothing that blew me away, in this book, however, wow! I usually do not enjoy fight scenes in my books because I find them to be quite boring usually, I mostly don’t find them described well enough to make sense in my head or just be action for the sake of action. In this book, however, they were not only visually playing out in my head, they were connected to character development and the emotions of the characters. I don’t think I have ever understood a character better THROUGH a fight scene but in this book, this is precisely what happened. I cannot think of a better example of the concept “show, don’t tell”.
Is this book/ this trilogy for everyone? Certainly not! Readers who do not like the exploration of trauma will not like this series! Even after we are mostly past the slavery aspect of book 1.
Will I be adding this to my favourite series of all time? You can be sure I am! (And I will surely be getting that 4th extra book as fast as I can).
Series rating: 6/5
I was a fool, blinded by prejudice. I didn’t understand that he was fighting alone, that he had been fighting alone for a very long time.
When I read the first book of this trilogy, I really enjoyed and liked it. I have always liked books that are somehow considered to be problematic by many because I enjoy thinking about all the questions such books bring up. And life is messy, you know. Anyhow, I did not expect what this series would come to grow into, which is sososo much more than that first book was.
What makes this series truly stand out are the characters. While this is not very visible yet in book 1, book 2 built on it and this book is where we get the full brunt of it. I also love how Pacat doesn’t fully spell out everything for the reader but leaves room for interpretation.
Spoiler
I had a pretty clear idea of where this entire story with Laurent and his uncle was going yet Pacat never draws the whole picture for us in this series, which was unexpected, and I REALLY appreciateLaurent is… messy, to use that word again. He is so incredibly flawed and complex and because we get to experience the series through Damen’s eyes (with the exception of that one chapter in book two, which was honestly quite the revelation in itself) we struggle to understand him until the very end. Just like Damen doesn’t because he himself couldn’t be more different. Damen is a lot simpler in how he does things. That is not to say that he isn’t a genuinely empathetic person who undergoes so much character development throughout these books, which we get to see the culmination of at the very end. Yet they still remain very much true to themselves and still feel like the same people.
Spoiler
(I am desperately not trying to compare this series to The Husky and his White Cat Shizun, and the parallels might be why I liked it so much but it is still very different, so I am trying not to compare).Book 3 also had me truly care for some side characters, whose names in book 1 I couldn’t even remember, and some who weren’t even alive by book 2. Yet they stayed relevant to the very end.
I would say that Captive Prince is very much a character-driven series, I enjoyed the plot of this series. Yet it is very clear that details of our journey are not the main focus here. However, the political intrigues had me guessing (mostly wrong) about what was going to happen and what move would have what effect. The fight scenes in books 1 and 2 were good but nothing that blew me away, in this book, however, wow! I usually do not enjoy fight scenes in my books because I find them to be quite boring usually, I mostly don’t find them described well enough to make sense in my head or just be action for the sake of action. In this book, however, they were not only visually playing out in my head, they were connected to character development and the emotions of the characters. I don’t think I have ever understood a character better THROUGH a fight scene but in this book, this is precisely what happened. I cannot think of a better example of the concept “show, don’t tell”.
Spoiler
All of the fight scenes in this book were great. But can we talk about the one between Laurent and Damen right after eyeryone in that village got slaughtered? I thought I understood him as a character before, nope apparently I did not!Is this book/ this trilogy for everyone? Certainly not! Readers who do not like the exploration of trauma will not like this series! Even after we are mostly past the slavery aspect of book 1.
Will I be adding this to my favourite series of all time? You can be sure I am! (And I will surely be getting that 4th extra book as fast as I can).
hopehelena's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
4.0
grandmasher's review against another edition
5.0
High drama at the climax and a very satisfying satisfying end to the trilogy.
lairofthedragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
phoebe_bluestar's review against another edition
A great review I've read on this series: https://fozmeadows.wordpress.com/2016/06/11/captive-prince-trilogy-review/
I feel like this one was a little less polished than the last book... and upon a second re-read, I'm wondering if the characters grew as much as I thought(felt) they did the first time. At the end of the book, Laurent is still insisting on handling everything himself, even if that means sacrificing everything he's been working to gain and maintain... and Damen still blindly trusts family, and underestimates Laurent's fighting abilities. However, this feels a little pedantic- there's a reason I've re-read these books three times now: they have a way of drawing you in and keeping you there, regardless of their score on a classroom "was this well written?" rubric.
Another reviewer said this book is filled with the most unrealistic parts of the series, with extreme feats of strength and agility, and yet failed to have the complexity of political maneuverings and double dealings of the last two. I think I agree with that. The action scenes in this book are a little Marvel. Damen and Laurent are turned into physical superheroes; no match of strength is anything but decisively won. It's a fantasy book, not historical fiction; I'm fine with that. They flounder and are challenged in other arenas. Of course, I'd argue that the thinking/talking scenes in the other two books are comparatively super human. Laurent in particular seems to have no weakness in his ability to calculate and manipulate plans and people to an intensely competent degree, save for his Weakness, the Regent.
(I'm trying to not think too hard about how Laurent, for all his charm and capacity for incredible dialogue, has found himself with a poor reputation at court. I can suppose that he did not realize his uncle would attempt to seize the throne until it was far too late, and then felt resigned to looking bad at court? It is a little strange to see him wrap strangers around his little finger right away, while struggling to win over the council, even with the formidable and insidious impact of his uncle.)
This excessive competence is fun to watch. The banter is unbelievably witty. I still chuckle thinking about the "Charls!" scene.
Foz Meadows wrote the blog post linked above, which I've returned to for years as I attempt to understand better why I like this series, despite the problems of the narrative. In it, they say something along the lines of, //and yet, all of these problems are of the author's own making.// As the issue of slavery is waggled and discussed and dismissed and ultimately disowned, I can't help but wonder how different (better) the series would be if it had chosen a less bombastic starting position.
After reading Dark Rise and Dark Heir, I'm coming to appreciate something about Pacat's books in general (besides banter that makes my heart skip): they are subtly soaked in themes of power. Dominance. Submission. What does it mean to have power over somebody else, and what is it to use it? What is the joy in power? What is the harm of using power? I think you could write an essay on power dynamics (and how they're portrayed as positive and negative, ethical and unethical) in both series. There's a cast of characters at the beginning of this book; you could easily append a description to each character of what kind(s) of power they hold, over whom, and how they use it to further the plot. So, if you ever want to talk more about power dynamics in this book... please hmu.
That's it for now.
I feel like this one was a little less polished than the last book... and upon a second re-read, I'm wondering if the characters grew as much as I thought(felt) they did the first time. At the end of the book, Laurent is still insisting on handling everything himself, even if that means sacrificing everything he's been working to gain and maintain... and Damen still blindly trusts family, and underestimates Laurent's fighting abilities. However, this feels a little pedantic- there's a reason I've re-read these books three times now: they have a way of drawing you in and keeping you there, regardless of their score on a classroom "was this well written?" rubric.
Another reviewer said this book is filled with the most unrealistic parts of the series, with extreme feats of strength and agility, and yet failed to have the complexity of political maneuverings and double dealings of the last two. I think I agree with that. The action scenes in this book are a little Marvel. Damen and Laurent are turned into physical superheroes; no match of strength is anything but decisively won. It's a fantasy book, not historical fiction; I'm fine with that. They flounder and are challenged in other arenas. Of course, I'd argue that the thinking/talking scenes in the other two books are comparatively super human. Laurent in particular seems to have no weakness in his ability to calculate and manipulate plans and people to an intensely competent degree, save for his Weakness, the Regent.
(I'm trying to not think too hard about how Laurent, for all his charm and capacity for incredible dialogue, has found himself with a poor reputation at court. I can suppose that he did not realize his uncle would attempt to seize the throne until it was far too late, and then felt resigned to looking bad at court? It is a little strange to see him wrap strangers around his little finger right away, while struggling to win over the council, even with the formidable and insidious impact of his uncle.)
This excessive competence is fun to watch. The banter is unbelievably witty. I still chuckle thinking about the "Charls!" scene.
Foz Meadows wrote the blog post linked above, which I've returned to for years as I attempt to understand better why I like this series, despite the problems of the narrative. In it, they say something along the lines of, //and yet, all of these problems are of the author's own making.// As the issue of slavery is waggled and discussed and dismissed and ultimately disowned, I can't help but wonder how different (better) the series would be if it had chosen a less bombastic starting position.
After reading Dark Rise and Dark Heir, I'm coming to appreciate something about Pacat's books in general (besides banter that makes my heart skip): they are subtly soaked in themes of power. Dominance. Submission. What does it mean to have power over somebody else, and what is it to use it? What is the joy in power? What is the harm of using power? I think you could write an essay on power dynamics (and how they're portrayed as positive and negative, ethical and unethical) in both series. There's a cast of characters at the beginning of this book; you could easily append a description to each character of what kind(s) of power they hold, over whom, and how they use it to further the plot. So, if you ever want to talk more about power dynamics in this book... please hmu.
That's it for now.
bethorne's review against another edition
5.0
Marking how I felt the day I read this book: OVERWHELMED. I feel like I've been waiting an eternity to see this game play out, to get answers. This book was everything I wanted it to be and some things I didn't expect. Pacat is a master at retaining the tension and mystery of the character-defining realizations that she set up in the first few chapters of book #1. This is not the simple ending to a trilogy; it is the culmination of a saga. The rise of two kings from the ashes of two families. Perfect, perfect, perfect.
See my full review: http://thats-normal.com/2016/02/much-book-review-kings-rising-c-s-pacat/
See my full review: http://thats-normal.com/2016/02/much-book-review-kings-rising-c-s-pacat/
wdycsm's review against another edition
5.0
PERFECTION.
I... just...
I just finished it and no, I'm aware it is probably not perfect, but I can't describe it any other way when it is every single thing I hoped it would be, and then some.
I... just...
I just finished it and no, I'm aware it is probably not perfect, but I can't describe it any other way when it is every single thing I hoped it would be, and then some.