Captive Prince (The Captive Prince Trilogy Book 1)

Sarah

Captivating

"This book is one of the best that I've read and among them, one of the most complex and intriguing. Let me start off by saying that I read the first two volumes online. Two years have passed and I have not revisited the series until the third volume came out. I've finished the first volume just yesterday, so let me do a comparison of what I recall of my impression of the series two years ago as compared to my impression now. Two year ago when I first came upon this series, I held it in the highest regard. It is fantastic, it is great, it is the best thing that I've ever read. The characters are intriguing, their dynamic intricate and complex, the story line so amazing as to always keep me guessing. Amazon asks what describes the mood of the series the best and the answer would always, always be suspenseful, followed by anticipatory on the reader's end. I recall two years ago that once I started reading the story online, I could not stop scrolling and clicking until I reached the end. Now, two year from then, in the present day, I did the same with the physical copy of the book. I finished it in a day and pretty much ignored everything until I did so. When I finally did, I pulled my head away from the book, closed it and went to bed way past my usual sleeping hours, only to awake the next day and repeat the same process. I'm on the second book now, so needless to say, my impression of the book two years previous and now is both very favorable. The volume is as good as I remembered. It is a known fact that stories sometimes are not as good on the second read: you notice inconsistencies, flaws, things that previously made sense but now you clearly saw didn't. You are older, more mature, you've read far more and much better stories out there. And there is some of that in here, but not in the way you would think. Fascinated and awed by the world-building and details of the story, I never noticed how odd some sentence structures of Captive Prince were (ie."'A reward.' Laurent, flatly."). Commas are use in abundant, parenthesis not often used but still more frequently than common in novels, the start of many sentences with 'and.' They weren't enough to detract from the story Captive Prince is telling, but they were jarring in the beginning. Thankfully enough, the first two fell away from usage after the first half of the book and the third, it was easy enough to grow used to after a while. While I'm on the topic, the author uses really sophisticated language often, which was distracting for me because I had the option of either 1) searching it up or 2) ignoring it. I went with the second option after a while when my anticipation made it impossible for me to continually pause in my read. So I mentioned the flaws that I came across during my rereads and here are some pros. Captive Prince is essentially a story of court intrigue and double-dealing. Upon reread, I noticed just how much was set up. Details that were seemingly unimportant suddenly come back with vengeance chapters later as an essential part of the plot. While reading the second book today, I noticed the same thing. When you read, pay attention to details just like the characters would, because there are layers upon layers with their actions and words. That impressed me and also the fact that even though I recalled enough of the main plot points of the story, I still looked forward to every turn of my page nevertheless. My knowledge of what would happen, instead of detracting from the pleasure of reading, only made my anticipation of every next line grow. The prose is beautiful and the dialogue, once again, full of double-meaning that I could never resist rereading some parts of it. I'm just writing whatever comes into my mind right now, so here's some of the things that captivated me. The characters are amazing. Damen is a Prince who is a warrior and has no head for court deception and he becomes the slave of Laurent, who is known as a cold, ruthless and entirely-too-sly prince. Damen is by no means dim, but he is nothing compared to Laurent. Laurent's reputation, as you will soon read, is not-at-all an exaggeration. He has grown up in Vere, a country that is full of double-dealing and focus of sex as sport. While I'm at it, I'll warn you that there's going to be rape, betrayal, incest, slaves, same-sex relationship, pedophilia and also non-con. Some of these don't happen between the main characters, but it will be there in the background nevertheless for the sake of plot. Laurent grew up in a country like that, so he treats Damen badly in the beginning and the two of them had a very antagonistic relationship at the start. Despite that, both of them do grow closer but at a very slow pace. If you want to see them fall in love by the end of this book, you will be disappointed. They only starts learning to trust each other by the end. Anyway, besides that, the world-building is amazing. Damen comes from a different country than Laurent and the way that Damen constantly notes makes both countries and himself more realistic (Vere is more decorated, clothing with way more laces than necessary, etc). The author puts a lot of details in the different settings and cultural differences. In conclusion, if a slow developing romance, intelligent characters, and court intrigues interests you, then congratulations, this book is for you. However, once again, keep in mind my warnings. All these things are at least implied: rape, betrayal, incest, slaves, same-sex relationship, pedophilia and also non-con. ["

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June 18, 2016 Verified Purchase

K.M.

Spoilers! Don't read this if you don't want to see major spoilers.

"This review contains big plot spoilers and plot guessing (shame on me), and should be considered as a review for books one and two. First off, because I like to be upfront where I got/purchased a book, I read both books in this series on LiveJournal first. Why? Because a recent reviewer abandoned the first story. I noticed when I received my Goodreads email. Of course an abandonment always makes me curious when so many others shove a five star rating on the same book. Curiosity led me to look at Amazon reviews, especially the bad ones, and then I found a mention that the entire first novel was over on LJ and off I went. To be honest, the title did not encourage me to want to read (because it sounded like an erotica novel) and nor did the sample. When it all comes down to it, bad or good, the reviews never help me decide. It's the sample. The sample wasn't all that great. I didn't get enough clues to know if the book would be worthwhile. Rather, I was given a bad impression. But I was still curious and so began reading on LJ. So why the four star? Well, I knocked off a star for the sample. I should probably knock off another for poor punctuation in the LJ versions, but perhaps the author fixed those in the eBook; I don't know. Doesn't matter really. I gave the four star for the remaining content after the poor beginning. Why do I feel the beginning is poor? We have a prince who is assaulted, coming out of a sound sleep to witness his sex slave butchered before his eyes and then he is beaten, chained and placed in the slave quarters prior to becoming a slave to an enemy prince. What are his reactions? Anger. Sure. Fear...? Well, the impression is dim. Panic? Dim again. Murderous outrage? Ok, sure. There was that. Caution? Too much, probably, considering there should have been more panic. Shock? Not enough shown. Denial? Yeah, but it was naive, a bit too naive since the POV character (and there is only one for this story) didn't show the shock necessary to make it plausible. Basically what I'm saying here is that the first chapters glossed the reality of the captive prince's situation. Panic is mentioned. Naivety is mentioned. But did I feel it like one does when fully engaged with a character? No, not really. But perhaps the writer had good reason to do it. Perhaps the story would have been too grim if the more realistic aspects were shown. This is a prince--raised to believe he was all but sacrosanct--getting torn from his bed and having a full social reversal. He becomes a nobody, a slave, a sex slave. There should have been a hell of a lot more emotional upheaval, but I didn't see any real depths emotionally until after the sample, when the captive confronts the possibility of a violent rape. Actually, just a bit before, he confronts that someone inserted an oiled finger into him to prepare him. His absolute unthinking shock was the first intimation of realism for me. Oh, yeah. Not much sex in the first novel, btw. There is some groping and a semi-faked rape. This is not an erotica novel. And there's why the title put me off. I didn't want to read an erotica novel. Most of those have no plot. I like plot. This story has plot and not much sex at all, though it doesn't shy away from sexuality. For me, the story is very worth reading for what follows the sample. Get underneath the politics and the warfare in this story, and you find love at the roots, a false love, a fetish that pretended love, and there at the end of that love, the broken young man who still hasn't fully accepted a rejection that occurred because of a change in his body. He grew up. And now he is unloved. Now place this burden on a man destined to be a king and you have what I feel is a really engaging story, a very human story, and I really do want to read to the end to see Laurent rise above his early trauma and win at everything he sets his mind to. I have to give major kudos to this author. Captive Prince is a non-magical fantasy world in which the pedophilia is realistic (but not at all graphic). Pacat nailed the details of pedophilia that truly ruin lives, the details that haunt a victim long afterward. The author has, in this series, grasped the depths of what a victim goes through who was seduced to love his victimizer, and also the depths of manipulation and control a pedophile levies on his victims. And it's all set in a world where few question the rights of high born men who do this, yet the story questions it very thoroughly. Four stars for book one. Five for book two. Highly recommended. P.S. Purchased as an ebook after. ["

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March 16, 2013 Verified Purchase

Dilyana

A breathtaking mixture of war, intrigue and romance

"Before I start the review: it's on the whole Captive Prince trilogy, not just one book. Writing this review was a HUGE problem for me. No, not because this is the first time I'm reviewing three books all at once, although I feel like I should explain why I'm doing it. It's simple really: when I thought of things to say about Book I, they were the same as I would've said for Book II and Book III. That's why I decided to put Captive Prince, Prince's Gambit and Kings Rising in the same review. But back to why writing this review was a problem for me. This is one of those rare times when I adore everything about the books (covers aside) and am thoroughly engaged from start to finish. It's a bit like a drug because you keep needing more, but there are no side effects. Well, apart from your eyes getting tired and you becoming sleepy because you are not supposed to stay up this late for a book. But let's face it: we all do it. We all go "Just one more chapter" even though we know we won't stop reading after just one more and that we'll be like zombies the next day. So why is it difficult to write a review? Because the whole review will be me gushing about how awesome the three books are. Seriously, I'm in full fangirl mode when it comes to these books. However, I'll try to tone it down a little so the review isn't just "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Let's start with the blurbs. And don't worry: as always, I'll keep the review spoiler-free so I will comment on the books, but I won't tell you exactly what's in Book III thus spoiling Book I and Book II for you. To be honest, I never thought the covers were eye-catching (although they go with the theme of the books), so if I hadn't read the blurbs, I wouldn't have given the books a try. But the blurbs were pretty interesting, promising us adventure and intrigue. I was a little bit worried because I don't like too much political intrigue, but even though it plays a huge part in the series, it never comes off as excessive. There's enough to keep the plot moving, to keep you wondering which of the characters you could trust and which not, but not enough for you to be so totally confused at what's going on that pull you hair out in frustration. A reason why nothing was too much in this book even though something was always going on was the perfect pacing of the story in all three books. You have a slow-paced moment, then a fast-paced one; you have an intellectual challenge, followed by a physical one; you have the all business moments, but also some more intimate ones. Basically, there's something for everyone, it's balanced and well-paced. Another reason why there's no dull moment and I was absolutely engrossed was... Laurent. He turned into one of my all-time favorite characters from any sphere of entertainment (books, movies, anime, comics) from the very start. I'm one of those people who stand by smart is sexy and that guy is very, very intelligent. I also like how he's somewhat of a mystery, a controversy at first. Something would happen and Damen would interpret it one way, but there would sometimes be a hint that he might've gotten things wrong. I also find Laurent's character arc more interesting than Damen's. Don't get me wrong: I like Damen, but that's it. I care for him, I would cheer for him, I wouldn't want him to get hurt, but I can't help but compare him to the other main character and Laurent is just so captivating that Damen pales in comparison. He is interesting, he is developed, we see a change in him, we follow his journey, but he is no Laurent. As for the rest of the characters: some I like more, some I like less, but all are well-written with maybe the exception of Damen's brother. But like in the Damen/Lauren case, it could seem that way because I'm comparing him to others. He just didn't really leave an impression on me. One character who I loved to hate and on whom I wish great physical and psychological harm is the Regent - just as brilliant as Laurent, but lacking redeeming qualities. If he was written poorly, I wouldn't have enjoyed the books so much because without him there would be no intrigue, so I'm glad he was created the way he was. Even though I hate him. With a passion. The last big reason why this is such a page-turner are the twists. Obviously, I'm not going to tell you what they are, but there were a lot of times when I thought "I totally didn't see this coming although it makes perfect sense so I know it was planned and not a whim the author woke up with one morning". The biggest one comes near the ending of Book III and oh, my God, Laurent is brilliant! Yes, I know I'm supposed to skip the "Oh, my God". No, I don't regret using it; it's perfectly in place. Why? Because even though I told you there will be a twist there and you'll now be expecting one, you are still not going to be able to guess it. But once you read it, yep, it will be perfect. I had a lot of squealing fangirl moments while I read the Captive Prince trilogy, but this was probably the biggest one. And before I conclude the review, there's just one more thing I'll add: I like C.S. Pacat's writing style. There are so many other good (pacing, most characters, some twist) and great (other twists, Laurent!) things about the book that the writing style is not the first thing that would come to mind when I think of the trilogy (yes, yes, the first thing is Laurent), but I did enjoy it. It's not overly complicated, it's descriptive where it needs to be, it doesn't slow the tempo with a bunch of details in a fast-paced scene... In short: I enjoyed it. All those things are why the three books would make it to my "Favorites I Read in 2017" list as well as my all-time favorite books. I'd recommend The Captive Prince trilogy to the entire human population and any aliens from outer space who either speak English ('cause according to Hollywood most aliens do) or have the technology to translate the trilogy to their native language. Okay, I was (sort of) joking before, but unless you dislike LGBT books or are sensitive about slavery or humans being paid for sex (mind you, one of them is really young), I can't think of a reason why you shouldn't read these books ["

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April 27, 2017 Verified Purchase

Erin McGuire

Too intense for me

"First, I'll start off by saying that the story was good. It was well written, for the most part, and the characters and their world were fleshed out well. That said, I had a lot of issues with it. MILD SPOILERS BELOW I have seen this story come up in a lot of lists for dark MM romance. It is dark, but it's not sexy dark. It's politically and socially dark and I was not expecting that. At all. Intimacy in the bedroom doesn't even happen until the end of the second book and I can't really say it was worth the wait. It's not that the scene wasn't done well. It was. Rather it's that the dragging on of the story in the second book wasn't worth the wait. Another issue that I had with all of these books was the writing itself. The prose was convoluted and confusing at many points along the way. The author uses words and terms that even I, a very well read person, have never heard of. I am not the sort of reader that likes to stop and look up words and phrases while I'm in the midst of a story unless I'm reading something like the Iliad or Pride and Prejudice. I found it frustrating and way too distracting and it left me lost on how certain situations came to be. I also dont like the fact that the books are so expensive. I paid 40 bucks for less than a thousand electronic pages. I looked up the prices for some of my favorite books and for the same amount of pages, the prices were a quarter of the price for these ebooks. I paid because the first book was really good. Unfortunately, things went downhill starting with the second book and by then I was too invested to give up. The biggest problem I had with the story was all the lies and double-dealing. The results of each deception were too much and I found I couldn't trust anything that was said or done even though I could tell that the situation had changed for the characters. It made for a stressful read that just wasn't enjoyable for me. I couldn't forgive the means that the character felt justified the ends. All in all, I can't say the story was worth my time. It definitely wasn't worth the cost. ["

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April 6, 2024 Verified Purchase