Reviews with content warning for Blood - Captive Prince

I have many thoughts about this book. while reading it, it felt like slowly putting pieces of a puzzle together. the writing style is beautiful and very very thought out; even the small details end up meaning something and it gave me so many "ohhhhhhh" moments. Damen was my fav throughout the whole book, he seems very real to me - his emotions are believable, as well as his reactions to things. I enjoyed reading from him point of view very much! as for laurent,,, I'm nit gonna lie it took me a good while to warm up to him. at first I was like "this is the guy we are supposed to root for as a love interest??" but then as we get to know him more, he seems less sadistic and the way he thinks makes more sense. the writer did a wonderful job keeping us on the same wavelength as Damen! we learn with him and our opinions change along with his. my only qualm with this book was that I wish that

Damen's sexual assault was treated more like seaxual assault than it actually was. I just feel like it was sort of brushed over? the disgust with other slaves being assaulted was made known for sure but it almost felt like since Damen is super masculine and well built, it's like not a big deal.

idk, maybe this is something that will be addressed in the next few books, so I won't hold it in my heart too permanently.

the side characters were also very enjoyable, I love all the other slaves mentioned. the regent is so unsettling though, sooo so....

I will say that this is the type of book you have to be mentally ready to read. I've owned it for years, but knowing the content warnings, I had to take a step back and wait until I felt ready to handle such heavy topics. with that said, I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Content Warnings

depressionesque's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

green_amaryllis's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

rhi_'s review against another edition

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dark 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? It's complicated

1.0

Content Warnings

nicetomitchya's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

0.25

Content Warnings

meepmeepmia's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I have read this series a few times, I always think this is the lowest of the three. Just as how it is written you don't really get a full picture till you have read everything, so while this may be gritty and certain character may be down right un readable for those who like a good pay off keep going!

Content Warnings

violetlunablossom's review against another edition

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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

4.25

For years, I had put off reading Captive Prince, partly because I had other books higher on my TBR list and partly because of the ever pervasive controversy of its handling of certain subjects. And honestly, I can completely understand why people are put off by this book. There are definitely scenes that are hard to get through and language used to describe what's happening doesn't make it much better. To most, this does seem like a book that fetishisizes such subjects, and I wouldn't blame people for thinking this. But it gets a little easier to understand certain world building decisions that Pacat made, in my opinion, when you view them through the historical inspirations that they come from. Akelios and Vere are very clear based off of two different cultures from the past, so things kind of click into place when you realize the context.

That being said, I did find the political intrigue and world building to be surprisingly strong, and the way that deceit and the abuse of power is displayed is incredibly engrossing. Damen is a protagonist that I was immediately endeared to and watching him navigate Veretian society and politics while trying to keep his identity a secret was very engaging. Conversely, Laurent was a compelling secondary protagonist, with all his brutality and wit. Every time him and Damen shared a scene, I was glued to the page because of how unpredictable everything was. The two of them are obviously being set up as a slowburn enemies to lovers and I couldn't be more excited to see how their relationship grows.

Content Warnings

paholizz's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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