C.S. Pacat

Damianos of Akielos has returned. His identity now revealed, Damen must face his master Prince Laurent as Damianos of Akielos, the man Laurent has sworn to kill. On the brink of a momentous battle, the future of both their countries hangs in the balance. In the south, Kastor's forces are massing. In the north, the Regent's armies are mobilising for war. Damen's only hope of reclaiming his throne is to fight together with Laurent against their usurpers. Forced into an uneasy alliance the two princes journey deep into Akielos, where they face their most dangerous opposition yet. But even if the fragile trust they have built survives the revelation of Damen's identity – can it stand against the Regent's final, deadly play for the throne?

Book Three of the Captive Prince Trilogy

Kings Rising: Book Three of the Captive Prince Trilogy

[LOUD SCREAMING] 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️SYMMETRY

cee 

i got so involved that i read the trilogy in the same month. damenlaurent has my whole heart.

rachele

capisco benissimo damen perché anche io farei di tutto per salvare laurent

Julia Moran 

I just don't have any words to describe how I'm feeling after reading this book... Wow.

Aishling

** spoiler alert **
           Idek, like it was good but that ending was so bloody abrupt. I guess I’m glad I’m done the series, I don’t regret reading it but I don’t think I’d recommend it to anyone. My dislike for the first book and a half still remains.

Inez

4.5 tbh.

This one feels like a perfect ending for everything. And I am happy!

Jamieson

“I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly.”



So, this series definitely doesn't do it for me as it does for others but I have to say this is easily and by far the best book in the series. Both on a technical level and on a personal enjoyment level. I found the writing much smoother in this book and the characterisation better executed. Laurent definitely has one of the most iconic character redemption arcs, truly outstanding. I can't believe it but this book did finally convince me to ship it.

I feel better now, knowing what all the fuss with this series is about. I can now rest easy x

3.5 stars

Olivia

Becky A

I tore through this and really enjoyed it - it was a satisfying conclusion to the series for sure. But I do sort of wish the plot didn't rely so heavily on Damen being so unobservant.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WAS THE ENDING THIS TRILOGY WAS SO BEAUTIFUL I NEED MORE

Annabella

I'm done. Empty, exhausted--and yet, at peace.

Arianna M

A satisfying ending to a good trilogy. I'm happy.

Kasper E.

Easily the best book in the trilogy.

Everything I had trouble with in the past two books seemed to have been left out of this, and that in itself is enough to make it the best in the series. 

the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the ending. IT WAS SO ABRUPT. like literally the book just ended not even 5 minutes after the final climax. 

I know there are short stories, but I just needed time for the characters/my emotions to calm down immediately after the book.

Other than that, a great ending to a great series.

Isabela H 

** spoiler alert **
           UGH 
We took a whole bunch of steps forward only to go back to like, the beginning of book two!?! It was so frustrating but so gratifying to watch both of them figure out both how to be the kings they are while still trying to stay true to themselves and each other. The ending was so beautifully perfect (we love self-sacrifice)

sophia n

Elisa Bieg

This was an EXCELLENT conclusion to a series that has, quite unexpectedly, become one of my favorites.

(I literally only bought the first book because I found it as a Kindle deal, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Now I see.)

Last books are hard. Think of your favorite series or trilogies, and tell me for how many of them you can say that yes, the last book is as good as the rest. (Go on, I’m actually interested.)

We often find that the story has kind of taken a life of its own and has sort of run away from the writer a little bit, and they find themselves in the position of having to catch it, and wrestle it back in place, and somehow grab all those loose threads and weave them together into some sort of conclusion that is not only 
  consistent
to what we know about the world and everything that’s happened, but also 
   does justice to the story 
so far and to the character development on which said author has (hopefully!) worked so hard.

Yeah. That’s a lot. Which explains why so many last books in trilogies and stories... well, kind of suck. Sometimes a little bit, sometimes enough to make us want to throw the book at the wall. Or swear off the whole series. Or make us break into a stream of profanities that would make a seasoned sailor blush. (Any reference to actual occurrences is purely coincidental. No, really, it is! Totally.)

Which makes it all the more impressive that this is, in my somewhat humble and 100% rambling opinion, THE BEST DAMN BOOK IN THE TRILOGY. Which isn’t a diss on the others. Just impressive, is all. 

So yes, those 5 STARS? All for this book. Completely deserved.
Character development is incredible; the story development is unexpected and surprising at times, yet completely logical and consistent, as well as perfectly paced.
Not to mention that rather than resting on her laurels, the author continues developing the world building  here, seamlessly weaving details and info into the narrative, without info dumps and without breaking pace for a minute, and somehow shaping it into something even more immersive and vivid than it already was, and in turn making this part of the story all the more compelling (as if the 
  intense
 character journey weren’t enough! Damn, girl.)

But awesome as it is, I can’t review the last book in a series without reviewing the series as a whole.
At first this was, as I mentioned, more about satisfying my curiosity than anything else. This series is a little divisive, with lots of people absolutely in love with it and singing its praises, and just as many talking complete shit about it and criticizing it for the brutality, the portrayal of the characters, and several other choices the author made in creating it.
Divisive work always makes you wonder, doesn’t it? (Particularly when some of the negative reviews make you go ”Yikes” but then three different friends turn out to be huge fans and heartily recommend it to you. Hmmm 🤔)

Anyway, my point: though this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, nor would I recommend it to everyone, I find myself falling squarely on the side of those who love it. I’m sorry if that disappoints you (I’m just kidding, I don’t really care. Sorry not sorry.), but this story is extremely well-crafted, with original, interesting world-building, compelling characters, and great story-telling.
Also, there is courage in telling a story like this. Honestly — in addition to some serious writing chops, it takes 
  guts
. I can safely say that this is unlike anything else I’ve read; and in a world of overused tropes, cookie-cutter characters, and trite storylines, that already deserves a not-insignificant amount of props. 

So to bring this to a close (no doubt to a chorus of about fucking time), I give this trilogy 4 1/2 STARS as a whole, and really recommend it, providing you go in fully aware of possible triggers.

This book, as I already said, gets a full 5 STARS, as well as my thanks to C.S. Pacat for not only creating these characters and taking us on this journey with them, but also for concluding their story (as we know it) in a way that brings the reader so much satisfaction. (Though for complete closure, I do recommend you finish everything off with the Summer Palace novella.)

jess

I have fallen absolutely in love with this series and Damen and Laurent, who are just so incredibly SOFT and in love. The problem, I suppose, with slow burn romances is that because all the tension comes from the couple getting together, you doing get to see a lot of them being together, which is a pity because I love their dynamic, and I want to see more. 

But this was a fantastic conclusion to the series, a complete roller coaster of emotions, with moments that had me in a bundle of nerves and some that had me laughing out loud. We also got to see into Laurent's head a bit, which was sooo exciting, and we got to see drunk!Laurent, which was hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure. Damen cares about Laurent so much, and it was wonderful to see the evolution into enemy to friend to lover throughout the novels. And even though they did have a bit of a break-up in this book (which had me absolutely screaming) everything came together so, so right at the end and I am so emotional about everything. 

And it wasn't just Laurent and Damen that had me engrossed in this book. The plot twists were so well-written, and constantly had me guessing what was going to happen. And the book definitely escalated a lot in humour: notable moments are when (view spoiler)[Laurent disguised himself as Jokaste, the soldiers commented on "Jokaste's" beauty, and Damen tells Nikandros, "Don't think about it too much." Another one was the whole thing with Charls. Laurent has so many good moments, and, uh, y'all, do you think that so many people love Laurent because of how much Damen loves Laurent? I'm in tears. Also, Laurent appearing in front of Damen wearing a chiton and Damen absolutely losing it. (hide spoiler)] The banter, everywhere, was so good, and it was nice to see Laurent surrounded by Akielons and adjust to their culture when it has been Damen doing the same. 

I really, really enjoyed this series. Even though the first book didn't do it for me, I'm now completely sucked in, and I adored so much of it.

Adele 

Carley Whitehead

Th conclusion was absolutely EPIC. 
Laurent is such a bitch but he’s a bitch who only has eyes for Damen. And Damen is so evidently in love with Laurent. Please they understand each other so well and are willing to sacrifice themselves for the other. The only regret I have is how those two professed their love in so many ways but didn’t say those three words ARGHHH. And the end is killing me. I know they finally united their kingdoms and everything but I wanted to see them live together and marry and shit y’know 🥺
The last book was so good and amazing and I couldn’t put it down.

Nia Kharebashvili 

ამ წიგნის სერიის მიმართ ძალიან ბევრი უარყოფითი შეფასება წამიკითხავს და მომისმენია, რადგან მასში საკმაოდ ღიად და ნათლადაა ნაჩვენები თითქმის ყველა ძალადობის ფორმა. აქ არის გაუპატიურება, აქ არის მონობა, პედოფილია და ა.შ. 

ავტორს უნდა ჰქონდეს იმის უფლება, რომ შექმნას ზუსტად ისეთი სამყარო როგორიც სურს. პასატს უნდოდა აღეწერა სამყარო სადაც ყველა სახის სიბინძურე ორი მთავარი გმირის გარშემოა თავმოყრილი, რომლებიც, სხვათა შორის, ამ ყველაფრის აღმოსაფხვრელად ყველაფერს აკეთებენ. 
უსამართლობაა ავტორის დადანაშაულება violence supporting-ში, როდესაც მკითხველი ვერ იგებს ნაწარმოებს ისე როგორც საჭიროა. 
თუ ამ წიგნს რამე მინუსი აქვს, აღწერილი სამყარო ერთ-ერთი მათგანი ნამდვილად არაა. ასევე გასათვალისწინებელია ის ფაქტი, რომ ეს არაა YA. ეს იმას ნიშნავს, რომ ჩემი და ამას 4 წელიწადშიც კი ვერ წაიკითხავს.

ეს სერია არის enemies to lovers trope-ის საუკეთესო მაგალითი. Literal definition of enemies to lovers excellence. ულამაზესი სიყვარულის ისტორია მტერი ქვეყნების უფლისწულებს შორის, რომლებსაც ერთად უწევთ გაიარონ ურთულესი და აი იმ “სიბინძურეებით” სავსე გზა სამართლიანობის მისაღწევად.

უდიდეს რეკომენდაციას ვუწევ იმათთვის ვისაც იზიდავს ეს trope, პოლიტიკური დრამები, სტრატეგიები, იდუმალება, plotting და რაც მთავარია SMUT.

Tatiana Alvarez 

i have reached the last of if my binge read of this series and I gotta say that these are definitely books you want to read right after each other. It reads like one, long continuous book, so stopping after the end of one just did not feel right.

Finally, Damon and Laurent stand together as who they truly are, rightful heirs of the throne and enemies. However in order to get back what was taken from them, they have to work together and convince their armies to work together as well. Tensions are high and alliances shatter easily.

Damon's story throughout this book was exactly what I wanted it to be for him. I craved so desperately for him to rally his men and lead as the true king he was. I loved seeing the men who were loyal to him and how he treated the men who were not. However, he is loyal to a fault, but Laurent really balances him out.

Laurent. Oh Laurent. I hated him. I despised him. Then I loved him. Then I hated him again. And now I will die for him. He is by far the most interesting character that I have ever read. He is highly intelligent. I always felt like he was three steps ahead of everyone else. Nothing happened without him knowing or his approval. He is fiercely independent and had gained quite a reputation for being ice cold. Damon unnerves him. Makes him guess and question. It scares him and excites him all at once.

I went into these books thinking they would be all steam. No. These are a slow burn, enemies to lovers book. The moments when both Laurent and Damon could shed their titled and be alone were truly my favorite part. Not because they were steamy, which helped, but because they were so human. With human needs, desires, and fears. You see a new part of these men that their men don't get to witness.

Laurent and Damon never said I loved you, and I wanted them to terribly. However, they showed love through their actions and sacrifices. It was so evident how madly in love they were, but I just wanted one of them to say it.

The ending is rather abrupt and i would have liked a little more from it. Not a massive battle scene, but something more than what we were given. Don't get me wrong, it was not a bad ending at all, I just felt like it lacked in certain placed. I so want a short novella that takes place afterwards so I can see where the two lovebirds ended up.

This was a fun series. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone because of the sensitive topics in this book, but I would definitely tell someone how much I enjoyed this series if they wanted my opinion.

Sahi K

** spoiler alert **
           Very rambling spoilery review

I’m so much in love with this series and the characters, so this is probably going to be less of a review and more of a random rambling about my favorite parts in this book. I apologize in advance for sounding quite incoherent.

I don’t talk about it much, but I love action sequences. I love reading about or watching elaborate fight scenes and this book had exactly one of those. We’ve always known Damon is a great warrior and he killed Auguste but watching him decimate his enemy ruthlessly, despite his disappointment about Laurent abandoning him, is a sight to behold. He is a whole class apart and this book shows how natural it is for him to transition into his role as King. We also learn early on that he is going to be a great one.

Instead of dealing with his conflicting feelings about the man who killed his brother, Laurent decides to go back to his facade and cut down Damon with his humiliating words. But Damon understands Laurent so much and he can see past the hurtful words and understand the feelings of a boy who lost his beloved brother. We’ve always known Laurent’s strength is his mind but in this book, he also shows he is capable of physical strength when needed. And the scene where he tries so hard to fight with Damon is very very intense, but it feels more like an argument between lovers who don’t know how to express their anguish except through a sword fight.

But when it’s time to put their differences aside and unite their forces to fight the Regent and Kastor, we see how much they really trust and love each other. Their understanding of each other is at a level where they don’t even need to communicate and just know exactly what the other person needs. It’s beautiful to see two people so much in love. As days go by, they grow comfortable around each other and it’s wonderful to see them on equal footing and also letting other people see their relationship.

Nikandros is my new favorite character in this series. He is so loyal and loves Damen a lot, not just because he is his King but because he is his closest friend. He is very skeptical of Laurent and tries to dissuade Damen from being in a relationship, but ultimately supports him in whatever he chooses to do and always has his back. It speaks more to Laurent’s strength because he never had that kind of support in his life after Auguste. And it’s heartening to see Damen become that support system for Laurent.

I hate the Regent even more than I thought I could. We all knew he was manipulative and cunning, but the lengths to which he could go to discredit Laurent and becoming King himself was just disgusting. I was actually expecting the revelation of Laurent being abused by his uncle since book 2, but watching it unfold and Damen’s visceral reaction to it quite mirrored mine.

The way the ending played out and the truth was revealed seemed fitting because Laurent was never going to defeat the Regent in all out war and it had to be in front of the court. But I still didn’t see the revelation coming. Never thought the Regent could be so cruel in his greed for power. I’m glad the council saw the truth but I still think the Regent got a very easy death. Damon deserved to serve the death blow and I think that’s my only gripe. The whole story comes full circle when Laurent kills Kastor to protect Damen. There is no epilogue and I was very disappointed because I just wanted to read more about how the kingdoms would go on from there and how Damen and Laurent would proceed with their relationship. But I know they will be together.

Initial thoughts
WOW WOW WOW!!!!
Angst and tension is at a whole different level here... I just can’t even describe all the emotions I felt. All I know is this is one of my all time favorites now and I wish there was more Damen and Laurent..
RTC

Saré

decisamente il migliore della trilogia, il finale perfetto per la storia di Damianos e Laurent

Kings Rising: Book Three of the Captive Prince Trilogy Book Three of the Captive Prince Trilogy

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