A review by mallorypen
Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

I really, really enjoyed the hell out of this book, and the incredibly satisfying conclusion to a series that I did not particularly enjoy as it began.

When I say "incredibly satisfying," I don't just mean the happy ending where the battered and bruised kings of their respective countries find a way to love one another on their own terms and reunite an ancient and divided kingdom as a result; I mean that the plot answered all the outstanding questions, and that the narrative delivered parallel arcs that made the story feel complete. Here are a couple of things that I really fucking enjoyed:

  • The story began with the knowledge that Damien killed Auguste in a conflict that was understood (at the time) to be orchestrated by Damien and Laurent's fathers as part of an act of war. The story ends with Laurent killing Kastor in a conflict that was revealed to have been orchestrated entirely by the Regent ... just as the initial conflict had been. 

  • The fact that Laurent knew who Damien was from the first moment he saw him?!? Because of course he did - this guy killed his brother. Laurent studied and fought his entire life to be able to kill just this one man. He obsessed over how to end his life. The fact that he didn't immediately kill Damien when he had him under his power was a little strange to me, but I did appreciate how it played Laurent's desire for retribution against his survival instinct. This reveal also lent a new light to all their previous interactions, and proved that Laurent was smart enough to be able to compartmentalize the horrors of war/the actions of a young prince doing what he thought was right for his country. It also showed just how reluctantly Laurent was dragged into first acknowledging Damien as someone who saved his life; then grudgingly respecting him as a smart battle tactician and strategic asset; and finally seeing Damien as someone he could love in spite of it all.

  • Damien and Laurent's characters were so clearly defined, and the way they approached conflict stayed perfectly in those defined characteristics. 
    • Laurent was calculated until he got vicious, at which point he made mistakes, and he only got vicious when his highly-personal tender spots were attacked - anything to do with his uncle's abuse/approval, and anything to do with Damien. Firstly, because he knew who Damien was and was suffused with rage, and then because he learned the truth of Damien's character and then decided loving and protecting Damien was more important than his own political machinations. UGH, my heart.
    • Damien's driving motivations stayed consistent: to do what's right for his kingdom & to adhere to his own moral code. He was smart, but not devious; he was controlled, but not impenetrable. His growing affection for Laurent made him even sloppier, which was shown with devastating effect when he tried to get to the Regent at the kingsmeet. MY. HEART. (Speaking of that moment, it was also a great illustration of how alike Laurent and the Regent were in how they used the emotion and motivation of the people around them to get what they wanted - the Regent revealed his abuse of his nephew in just the right moment to get Damien to lose control in just the right place to gain leverage over Laurent.) I also appreciated that Damien's moral compass made him blind to the motivations of less honorable men - he fully believed that Gion would make good on his promise to give evidence against the Regent, even when he and Laurent were in chains and about to lose everything.

  • Though it was horrific, the throughline of the young men who were abused by the Regent ultimately being his downfall was symbolically fitting. From Laurent, who dedicated his life to beating his uncle at his own game (though his motivations were clouded between actually beating him to impressing him/proving his value independent of his uncle's perverse desires), to Nicase, who saw the writing on the wall and delivered the damning evidence to the physician, to Emeric - the death of whom became the impetus for Gion's wife Loche to break from her husband's schemes and tell the truth. It drove the narrative that, no matter how wiley and intelligent you are, if you are a bad person who does bad things, the truth and karma will out.

So why didn't I give this book a five star rating? Actually, that's a good question, and it may be a reflection of a few things from the series versus things from the individual book - the main thing that comes to mind is how Damien didn't figure out that the Regent had abused Laurent. There's a line in the first book that all but shouted it out plainly, and plenty of evidence thereafter that was glaringly obvious. I also really wanted an out-loud love confession, because I'm a HEA bitch through and through ... even though it was obvious in how Laurent asked Damien about combining their countries and his joy when Damien agreed. And guess what? I adjusted my rating because I simply cannot stop thinking about this book/this series.

Anyways. This fucking slapped!
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