BOOK REVIEW: CAPTIVE PRINCE BY CS PACAT

• STAR RATING:  4.5 stars
• PAGE LENGTH: 240 pages
• WHAT SERIES? The Captive Prince series
• WHAT BOOK DO I START WITH? Captive Prince
• HOW MANY BOOKS IN THE SERIES? 3
• DATE PUBLISHED:  May 22nd 2012
• PUBLISHER: Berkley 
• CONTENT WARNINGS: Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia
• IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: I’ve got nothing for recommendations similar to this one, sorry!!

SYNOPSIS

Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…

Captive Prince is definitely not a book for everyone. It deals with being forced into slavery, into a (what I imagine is a Roman-inspired) culture where slaves are predominantly sex slaves. It’s not a light-hearted book. There is rape. There is torture. I just want everyone to know all of that right off the bat. Despite that, I really liked this book. Does that sound odd? I’m sure it does. It all makes sense in the story, and doesn’t feel particularly overdone in the setting.

Damen was the crown prince of Akielos, but once his brother kills their father, and seizes the thrown, well. Things don’t go so well for him. He’s given away to their country’s biggest rival, Vere, and eventually given to the prince, Laurent.

They do not get along.

Ever.

Wheeeeew. Watching them butt heads was very entertaining. I kept reading, waiting for the next horrific thing to happen to Damen due to Laurent. Damen was quite obviously my favorite. He is — as far as we know at this point in the story — a decent person who only wants to help the other people from Akielos that were sent as slaves along with him. Laurent is a cold-hearted snake most of the book. I can’t wait to find out how he shifts as the story goes on.

I do wish there had been slightly more world-building in the book, but it is on the shorter side. I was much more interested in the characters, anyway. Here’s hoping there’s more in the next books? Which I will 100% be reading ASAP. I already have them checked out from the library.

Add to your Goodreads, or preorder at at the following links:

GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP.ORG | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE