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mdwan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
puchasa's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
butlere's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
delilahmae's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
- 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
4.5
mikeg24's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was a great end to a dramatic trilogy! I waited until I finished the trilogy to write my reviews on all 3, so here they are:
SPOILERS
This books is my second fave in the series behind Princes Gambit. It was gut wrenching at the beginning. Going from Damen and Laurent building their trust to being stripped away and their hatred being put on all burners was so gut wrenching. You just want to hope they make it through the end. Luckily they do and it really is sweet to see how they come to understand how the other processes their emotions.
I will say the only part that I felt rushed was then ending, especially Kastors death. While it played out how I figured it should, it did feel a bit fast. Last or wasn’t really a threat or a presence at all and so his death just didn’t hit the same as the regents. I wish he was given a tad more venom before he died.
All in all, I binged this series after not being sure how I felt starting the first book. But I loved it.
SPOILERS
This books is my second fave in the series behind Princes Gambit. It was gut wrenching at the beginning. Going from Damen and Laurent building their trust to being stripped away and their hatred being put on all burners was so gut wrenching. You just want to hope they make it through the end. Luckily they do and it really is sweet to see how they come to understand how the other processes their emotions.
I will say the only part that I felt rushed was then ending, especially Kastors death. While it played out how I figured it should, it did feel a bit fast. Last or wasn’t really a threat or a presence at all and so his death just didn’t hit the same as the regents. I wish he was given a tad more venom before he died.
All in all, I binged this series after not being sure how I felt starting the first book. But I loved it.
a_chickletz's review against another edition
2.0
review to come later... meh
EDIT:
So, I read the first two books. I slogged through them, I originally enjoyed them... and it went downhill and fast.
I ... I don't know what to say about this series, this book in particular. I think the problem is that for it being a romance in a fantasy world, there is the slight fact that the world is REALLY crazy. I mean, what is this alternate universe historical? Fantasy? We'll just have to go with the both of those options.
Why can't the series with two people of the same sex be treated to a world that is somewhat... idk, normal. When I mean normal, I mean normal in the sense that there is no pedophilia, no overly abundance of nakedness, people using people left and right as sex slaves. If this is what the author intended for this series, consider me not a fan.
I also did not care for the lack of reason between the two main characters. Their love for one another boiled down to it being that they found one another hot. That's pretty much it. If I fell in love with someone who killed my sister, I'd be looking for the first way of throwing him (or her, if we're going to flip gazes here) in jail for the mere fact of killing my sister. But nope, it came down to they just fell in love with one another because they were hot.
I feel like there was a story in there, and I feel like there are interesting characters, but their basis and the world they inhabited was not one I was all for and that's my problem for the series. I have a couple other m/m books lined up with a fantasy/historical setting. Maybe that will make me forget about this series.
Again, if you enjoy it, great. I'm just sad that my first introduction to something I was excited to read ended up being meh. I want more, but not like this. For sure.
EDIT:
So, I read the first two books. I slogged through them, I originally enjoyed them... and it went downhill and fast.
I ... I don't know what to say about this series, this book in particular. I think the problem is that for it being a romance in a fantasy world, there is the slight fact that the world is REALLY crazy. I mean, what is this alternate universe historical? Fantasy? We'll just have to go with the both of those options.
Why can't the series with two people of the same sex be treated to a world that is somewhat... idk, normal. When I mean normal, I mean normal in the sense that there is no pedophilia, no overly abundance of nakedness, people using people left and right as sex slaves. If this is what the author intended for this series, consider me not a fan.
I also did not care for the lack of reason between the two main characters. Their love for one another boiled down to it being that they found one another hot. That's pretty much it. If I fell in love with someone who killed my sister, I'd be looking for the first way of throwing him (or her, if we're going to flip gazes here) in jail for the mere fact of killing my sister. But nope, it came down to they just fell in love with one another because they were hot.
I feel like there was a story in there, and I feel like there are interesting characters, but their basis and the world they inhabited was not one I was all for and that's my problem for the series. I have a couple other m/m books lined up with a fantasy/historical setting. Maybe that will make me forget about this series.
Again, if you enjoy it, great. I'm just sad that my first introduction to something I was excited to read ended up being meh. I want more, but not like this. For sure.
reneec1's review against another edition
4.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫
🌶️🌶️🌶️
4.75 only because I could really have used an epilogue, one more chapter, or something.
The path of this book was somewhat predictable based on what had so far happened in the series, but I still loved reading it. I loved the continued development of Damien and Laurent’s relationship as well as finding out a little more about how Jokaste got to where she did.
I’ll definitely reread this series sometime in the future!
🌶️🌶️🌶️
4.75 only because I could really have used an epilogue, one more chapter, or something.
The path of this book was somewhat predictable based on what had so far happened in the series, but I still loved reading it. I loved the continued development of Damien and Laurent’s relationship as well as finding out a little more about how Jokaste got to where she did.
I’ll definitely reread this series sometime in the future!
im_ahlk's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
xtinaji's review against another edition
4.0
For this book in particular: 3.5 stars. Great character moments, and an overall satisfying conclusion. Clean storytelling that gave mostly everything a resolution.
For the whole series: 3 stars. The Captive Prince trilogy felt like one giant epic rather than 3 separate books -- so my review below is for the series in its entirety as well. Each book on their own feel lackluster because there's a lot of things happening at the same time without any resolution -- more like arcs than stories on their own. Taken as a whole though: this story is truly a massive undertaking of character development, slow burn romance, and political intrigue. Still, the horrific events of book 1 remains a stain on what would otherwise have been a great enemies to lovers relationship.
In regards to book 3 in particular , I do take issue with the fact that the execution could have been tighter, less conveniently packaged. I would almost call it a Deus Ex Machina except for the fact there is groundwork that's been done to explain how it came about...it's just not quite enough for me to be hand delivered every answer at the end. There's a lot Pacat is trying to tackle in this story: a conspiracy for two thrones, how sex is both a source of pleasure and pain for every character, Laurent's twisting and turning plot to counteract his uncle -- all while also trying to showcase Damen & Laurent's developing relationship and giving us insight to how the different interactions between characters eventually become relevant to the plot. It's a lot, and it's far more complex and content heavy than most typical romance centered fantasy novels (again, looking at you ACOTAR...). I think my complaints all center around the fact that the books are lacking depth, mainly because there's so many moving parts and it's difficult to truly dive into all of them. Damen & Laurent's relationship is an extremely well done enemies to lovers trope, but the book falls short in terms of world building, the conspiracy itself, deeper insight to Damen and Laurent's individual psyches as characters, and exploring how all this tragedy could have been to enlighten more than just an ascension of Kings and romance.
For the series as a whole - stories do not exist in a vacuum, and this series brings up questions of if these books fetishize gay men for the enjoyment of a female audience. The first book throws you into the worst, filthiest part of its world. I understand why people are disgusted by this series and avoid it entirely. The discomfort and criticisms levied against this series are extremely valid. All I can say is that, I interpreted the author's inclusions of such scenes to set the premise of how shitty the world is, and I stayed only to see how the relationship between Damen and Laurent would evolve within the context of this shitty, fictional world. I find that I must say: if any of these events were to transpire in real life, or if a relationship like Damen/Laurent would develop as it did but in reality, it would be completely, irrevocably unacceptable. I just...don't want to make excuses for this book or its triggers - it is so valid to DISLIKE this book - but I also want to acknowledge that the enjoyment of seeing Damen and Laurent become closer companions is through a lens of knowing it's all fiction. And to add, to what extent can we tolerate what is allowed in fiction?
TLDR; Well executed enemies to lovers trope. A romance-fantasy novel that fulfills the romance aspect to a tee, while still leaving more to be desired from the fantasy aspect. The books are explicit, and it's especially, unforgivably bad at the beginning. Just as much as the books were divisive in the book community, so too am I internally conflicted about what worked well and didn't work well for me. This book is NOT a what a good, positive example of LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy looks like.
For the whole series: 3 stars. The Captive Prince trilogy felt like one giant epic rather than 3 separate books -- so my review below is for the series in its entirety as well. Each book on their own feel lackluster because there's a lot of things happening at the same time without any resolution -- more like arcs than stories on their own. Taken as a whole though: this story is truly a massive undertaking of character development, slow burn romance, and political intrigue. Still, the horrific events of book 1 remains a stain on what would otherwise have been a great enemies to lovers relationship.
In regards to book 3 in particular , I do take issue with the fact that the execution could have been tighter, less conveniently packaged. I would almost call it a Deus Ex Machina except for the fact there is groundwork that's been done to explain how it came about...it's just not quite enough for me to be hand delivered every answer at the end. There's a lot Pacat is trying to tackle in this story: a conspiracy for two thrones, how sex is both a source of pleasure and pain for every character, Laurent's twisting and turning plot to counteract his uncle -- all while also trying to showcase Damen & Laurent's developing relationship and giving us insight to how the different interactions between characters eventually become relevant to the plot. It's a lot, and it's far more complex and content heavy than most typical romance centered fantasy novels (again, looking at you ACOTAR...). I think my complaints all center around the fact that the books are lacking depth, mainly because there's so many moving parts and it's difficult to truly dive into all of them. Damen & Laurent's relationship is an extremely well done enemies to lovers trope, but the book falls short in terms of world building, the conspiracy itself, deeper insight to Damen and Laurent's individual psyches as characters, and exploring how all this tragedy could have been to enlighten more than just an ascension of Kings and romance.
For the series as a whole - stories do not exist in a vacuum, and this series brings up questions of if these books fetishize gay men for the enjoyment of a female audience. The first book throws you into the worst, filthiest part of its world. I understand why people are disgusted by this series and avoid it entirely. The discomfort and criticisms levied against this series are extremely valid. All I can say is that, I interpreted the author's inclusions of such scenes to set the premise of how shitty the world is, and I stayed only to see how the relationship between Damen and Laurent would evolve within the context of this shitty, fictional world. I find that I must say: if any of these events were to transpire in real life, or if a relationship like Damen/Laurent would develop as it did but in reality, it would be completely, irrevocably unacceptable. I just...don't want to make excuses for this book or its triggers - it is so valid to DISLIKE this book - but I also want to acknowledge that the enjoyment of seeing Damen and Laurent become closer companions is through a lens of knowing it's all fiction. And to add, to what extent can we tolerate what is allowed in fiction?
TLDR; Well executed enemies to lovers trope. A romance-fantasy novel that fulfills the romance aspect to a tee, while still leaving more to be desired from the fantasy aspect. The books are explicit, and it's especially, unforgivably bad at the beginning. Just as much as the books were divisive in the book community, so too am I internally conflicted about what worked well and didn't work well for me. This book is NOT a what a good, positive example of LGBTQ+ representation in fantasy looks like.
alibrareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
3.75
To be completely honest, Laurent was infuriating to me lol. I wish there had been a bit more give on his part starting in the last book; a little less frigidity. Or maybe just have some POV chapters from him. I had a hard time warming up to him this entire series until about halfway through this last book, and even then I was reluctant about it. It’s probably just me applying my own preferences to the characters, but that’s how I feel! I appreciate the complexity of Damen and Laurent’s relationship, but ultimately it was more frustrating than fun to me, even though I love the enemies to lovers trope.
I did laugh at the spiderman points at spiderman moment with Charls the infamous cloth merchant, and I don’t think either of the previous books had any moments like that! I also thought the scene at the Kingsmeet was very cool, and I could totally picture that austere and reverent setting. I think the ending was rather abrupt though. I would have liked a bit more follow up on what happens after. I know there is a short story out there that does exactly that, but I wish that had just been part of this book.
I enjoyed the series overall, though it veered so heavily into political machinations and military tactics that it wasn’t what I expected going in! I love Pacat’s writing style, and the explicit scenes were some of the best, if not the best, I’ve read (which, granted, isn’t a lot). I just… Wish I liked Laurent more lol.
I did laugh at the spiderman points at spiderman moment with Charls the infamous cloth merchant, and I don’t think either of the previous books had any moments like that! I also thought the scene at the Kingsmeet was very cool, and I could totally picture that austere and reverent setting. I think the ending was rather abrupt though. I would have liked a bit more follow up on what happens after. I know there is a short story out there that does exactly that, but I wish that had just been part of this book.
I enjoyed the series overall, though it veered so heavily into political machinations and military tactics that it wasn’t what I expected going in! I love Pacat’s writing style, and the explicit scenes were some of the best, if not the best, I’ve read (which, granted, isn’t a lot). I just… Wish I liked Laurent more lol.