Rating: 8/10
This book, I don't even know how to put into words how I feel about this book. Let me start off by saying that this is a reread. The first time I read this book was two or three years ago and it still stands up. But, I wasn't really doing book reviews back then so I never articulated how I felt. I still really enjoyed it, it was only ~250 pages and it read very quickly. Some warnings regarding the content of the story: This is through and through slave fic, so if that is not something you would enjoy then you shouldn't even bother. There is also a ton of other problematic things that happen in the book that are meant to be "normal" for the cultures of Vere and Akielos that are certainly not normal or okay by normal standards. There is implied rape, implied sexual abuse of adults and minors. I should also point out that the protagonist doesn't act like these things are normal or okay. Pacat didn't glorify them or act as if they were things that were taken lightly. But they are there, so that is something to consider. There is also graphic violence and some sexual content. Now, we can get into the actual book review.
Summary from Amazon:
"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..."
So, I really enjoyed this reread (especially knowing everything I know now). Pacat is great at world-building. The vivid description used to describe Vere and Akielos made them feel so real. The use of description was key in the differentiation of the two kingdoms and the cultures within. The narrator/protagonist/professional Himbo Damen, is comparing the two pretty constantly especially at first. Pacat wastes no time getting into the meat of the story. Most of the time prologues are boring, but this one starts immediately with action and perfectly sets up the plot to the story. We don't get very much from Damen in this book, in terms of character, he's kind of the basic "do the right thing" himbo. Laurent though, you can already tell that his character is going to be multi-faceted. On that note though, the way that Pacat worked out all these scenarios and schemes between Laurent and the Regent was just *chef kiss* so remarkably done. The constant moves between them, trying to outsmart each other is so well-thought out. It's made even better by the fact that Damen is always left reeling and trying to just keep up.
Now, I must say that this book is marketed as a romance, but there is really no romance in this book. This book is for people who want the torture of an incredibly slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers book. This is punishingly slow. This book is so far from romance that it's kind of funny that that is how it's marketed. Of course, there is romance in the later books, but I enjoyed how it wasn't the end-all-be-all of the book. There is a great, twisty story that is woven throughout, full of actual war and so much political under-handedness. There is a lot of action and just a whirlwind of emotion.
My final thoughts are that, if you didn't love the first book but you still somewhat enjoyed it, please read the other two in the series! This book is the most problematic and the frustrating (in terms of romance at least) of the three. They only improve as they continue. Especially Laurent; you really start to understand why he is the way he is as the story continues. Trust me, most everybody hates Laurent in the first book but by the time they finish King's Rising, they adore him (me, I'm everybody). They just get so much better. I highly encourage reading the whole series and not stopping with this book. Even though this book is certainly rife with problematic things, it's still a very good story at the core.