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rainwaterspark[Content warning: The series contains non-sanitized slavery, sexual assault, and a master/slave romance (thus possible consent issues).]
A while back, I read The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, which I'd seen recommended as a rare example of a master/slave romance that actually worked. I found that it fell flat—while not the most problematic execution of the concept I've ever read, the romance and plot were just tepid and boring to me.
Captive Prince was what I had expected The Winner's Curse to be.
And holy cow, did I not see that coming. Captive Prince may be an M/M story, but it has a strong focus on political intrigue and military strategy (in the second book); in fact, the sex is somewhat minimal compared to other books in the genre. Protagonist Damen's reason for keeping his identity secret is compelling and reasonable enough that the dramatic tension actually feels organic instead of manufactured. Damen himself is a wholly sympathetic protagonist, reduced from prince to slave in a shocking betrayal and chafing at his new position, yet still holding on to his nobility of character. Straightforward, honorable Damen is utterly bewildered by the twisting and turning machinations of the Veretian court, yet that doesn't stop him from trying to improve his position and that of the other slaves.
While I did buy the slow-burn romance between him and Laurent in the end (definitely more than the romance in The Winner's Curse, which I flat-out didn't buy), Laurent's character is still somewhat opaque to me, and I'm not sure yet if his character progression in the second book makes up for his cruelty in the first. (I'm also quite curious as to how Laurent's romantic/sexual interest in Damen developed, since, again, it's very opaque until they finally bang in the second book.) And maybe I was reading too quickly, but I didn't understand Nicaise's character, either.
I should say that this series is definitely not for everyone (adult content aside); the descriptions of how slavery works in Vere and Akielos skeeved me out quite a bit, the depiction of slavery is violent and not at all sanitized, and Damen endures an enormous amount of hardship in the first book (both physical and emotional, as the reader keenly feels the humiliation of his being forced into slavery and being forced to cater to Laurent's whims). Still, I found this series quite something, and I am looking forward to the final book and seeing how Laurent deals with learning Damen is Damianos, his brother's killer.
EDIT: Another comment, now that I've read some other reviews:
Some have said that the story romanticizes cultures that have sexual slavery, and while I can't say that's a completely unreasonable interpretation of the book, I personally disagree. Damen is pretty strongly disgusted by slave culture in Vere, so I felt that the reader was also meant to share that view. As for slave culture in Akielos, I felt that the way it was described was creepy as hell, and I think Damen starts to justify it less in the second book. But, your mileage may vary, of course.
A while back, I read The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, which I'd seen recommended as a rare example of a master/slave romance that actually worked. I found that it fell flat—while not the most problematic execution of the concept I've ever read, the romance and plot were just tepid and boring to me.
Captive Prince was what I had expected The Winner's Curse to be.
And holy cow, did I not see that coming. Captive Prince may be an M/M story, but it has a strong focus on political intrigue and military strategy (in the second book); in fact, the sex is somewhat minimal compared to other books in the genre. Protagonist Damen's reason for keeping his identity secret is compelling and reasonable enough that the dramatic tension actually feels organic instead of manufactured. Damen himself is a wholly sympathetic protagonist, reduced from prince to slave in a shocking betrayal and chafing at his new position, yet still holding on to his nobility of character. Straightforward, honorable Damen is utterly bewildered by the twisting and turning machinations of the Veretian court, yet that doesn't stop him from trying to improve his position and that of the other slaves.
While I did buy the slow-burn romance between him and Laurent in the end (definitely more than the romance in The Winner's Curse, which I flat-out didn't buy), Laurent's character is still somewhat opaque to me, and I'm not sure yet if his character progression in the second book makes up for his cruelty in the first. (I'm also quite curious as to how Laurent's romantic/sexual interest in Damen developed, since, again, it's very opaque until they finally bang in the second book.) And maybe I was reading too quickly, but I didn't understand Nicaise's character, either.
I should say that this series is definitely not for everyone (adult content aside); the descriptions of how slavery works in Vere and Akielos skeeved me out quite a bit, the depiction of slavery is violent and not at all sanitized, and Damen endures an enormous amount of hardship in the first book (both physical and emotional, as the reader keenly feels the humiliation of his being forced into slavery and being forced to cater to Laurent's whims). Still, I found this series quite something, and I am looking forward to the final book and seeing how Laurent deals with learning Damen is Damianos, his brother's killer.
EDIT: Another comment, now that I've read some other reviews:
Some have said that the story romanticizes cultures that have sexual slavery, and while I can't say that's a completely unreasonable interpretation of the book, I personally disagree. Damen is pretty strongly disgusted by slave culture in Vere, so I felt that the reader was also meant to share that view. As for slave culture in Akielos, I felt that the way it was described was creepy as hell, and I think Damen starts to justify it less in the second book. But, your mileage may vary, of course.
