Captive Prince

HELLO HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OUR LORD AND SAVIOR DAMIANOS OF AKIELOS

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The first time you read this book, you start off a little unsure. ‘Is the master/slave dynamic really for me? It's not something I usually have any interest in' you might think. This book goes hard, right from the start. It is not for the faint-hearted. It includes all the elements of the master/slave trope that would usually make me run the other way screaming ‘NO THANKS, SATAN.' Sexual slavery, rape, abuse, torture, pedophilia...it's all there, permeating the background of this story. But—this is the important part—absolutely none of it is glorified. Captive Prince takes the typical master/slave trope and flips it on its ugly head, challenges it to be something else, something better. And oh boy, does it succeed.

My first read of this book was a back-and-forth of two constantly battling emotions. Emotion 1: appalled—by the world and the characters' actions and wondering What The Hell Is Happening. This works because you know you're supposed to feel appalled. Pacat writes that feeling into every negative encounter, and she manages to do it in a way that feels natural, rather than heavy-handed. Emotion 2: completely engrossed—in the world-building and the characters' interactions and wondering What The Hell Is Gonna Happen Next. This works because you stay up until the wee hours of the morning flipping pages and glaring at the clock as if you could stop time by sheer force of will (Laurent probably could).

My rereads went much the same way: equally APPALLED and ENGROSSED. But there's a new level of appreciation to take away from book one after you've read book two. Everyone and their librarian agrees that book two is superior, but part of that is because book two begins to reveal the many hidden layers of book one that you didn't even know to look for the first time around. And once you go back and reread, you realize there's a whole lot more to book one than you initially thought. More plotting and scheming. More brilliant writing. More investment in the characters and their relationships. More pain.

Other thoughts (nowhere near an exhaustive list): Gorgeous writing. Gorgeous. Pacat can write a simple phrase and make you fall in love. Or cut your heart out of your chest, still beating. Every single page is packed with action, emotion, deception, and intrigue—every time I finish this book I think ‘there is no way that was less than 300 pages.' And every time, I am wrong. Fascinating, unreliable narration, by a lovable narrator. Witty, clever dialogue. Tension so thick you could turn it into stew. Some of the most interesting and engaging character and relationship development I've ever read. In short: I LOVE! THIS! BOOK! I LOVE! THIS! SERIES!

But listen, I was doomed to love it from the moment I found out the main character was a bisexual prince with a big ol' heart of gold. So. That's where I stand.