Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

18 reviews

dragonbloom's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

0.75

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Suicide

Much of the book is spent musing on the beauty of, specifically pale, skin.

madzcp's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Incest, Torture, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

lavender_lores's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

2.0

this book is literally so problematic, it's got way too many sexual abuse/harassment/violence scenes for anyone to read it while sane, not to mention the almost fetishization of gay people in the effort of making a queernorm world and the underlying colorism/racism with the way pale people with blond hair is throughout glorified as a damn plot point. i read this after dark rise, which i loved so much, but after reading this i'm not sure if i can support the author anymore. there was too much going wrong here to be covered up by "it's not glorification, we need to discuss dark topics." this is not the right kind of dark..... anyways look at the damn content warnings before reading. i will stay optimistic about the author for now but i sure am wary over this book

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War

eggersens's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious relaxing sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and War

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Racism, and Toxic relationship

cryclops's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.0

Quite honestly, I'm not even sure if I can call this a guilty pleasure because I'm not sure if I enjoyed it. I continued reading and I'm invested enough to go onto the second book, which so far is much better, but I am unsure how I feel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racism and Slavery

seanamcphie's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Abortion, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

caspian's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Incest

beelixs's review against another edition

Bad slave romanticism book for white people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault