Reviews

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat

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khargaotte's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

styxis's review against another edition

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5.0

He lives. The King's son lives. Damianos.

This is perfect. It has everything I would ever want a book to have.

description

C.S. Pacat's writing style is fantastic and incredibly immersive. I could see myself transported into the landscapes and onto the battlefields that she described. And my god the way she wrote the dialogue between characters is absolutely genius - I fucking love how they all talk to each other. It is often a bit cryptic, especially between Damen and Laurent, and the author really makes you read between the lines to decipher the meaning and intention behind their words. I was having a fucking blast with it.

And my god, the enemies to lovers was truly enemies to loversing in this instalment. I was devouring every single interaction between the two main characters, hanging onto every word, and screaming and giggling whenever Laurent did something as simple as looking at Damen.

description

But it wasn't just the romance that drove me to insanity. All these battles and political schemes were just so amazingly written as well. I honestly never thought of myself as someone that truly enjoys an entire book filled with all of that while the romance plays a secondary role but Prince's Gambit did it fantastically and kept my eyes glued to the pages the whole time. Not to mention the last 10 percent of the book where things went south and my heart stopped beating because of the tension.

I loved this so fucking much and I am so glad I finally read this after seven long years. I wish I could slap my old self across her face for putting this off for so long.

mausoleum's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

judeandolin's review against another edition

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5.0

GOT DAMN. This was even better than the first. I'm in love with this series. [Big ol' bonus: Ace representation from a desirable main character. Thank you, C.S. Pacat.]

onthesamepage's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

"We can face each other as free men. Whatever is to fall out between us can do so then."

I spent about 2 days in a daze because of this book, and that is the highest compliment I can give.

I don't think Pacat knows what middle book syndrome is. Prince's Gambit builds upon everything she so masterfully set up in Captive Prince, both in the politics and in the relationships. I actually loved the political machinations as well—Laurent has a devious mind, and I would pay for a peek. But what had me buzzing like I had consumed 10 shots of espresso was definitely the dynamic between Damen and Laurent.

Usually I tend to prefer multiple POV in my books, but especially in romances, because I love getting to see two characters fall for each other. But I think in this case, reading everything just from Damen's POV makes it more tantalizing. Just like Damen, I can only guess at what is going on in Laurent's head, and I desperately want to know, because I have so many guesses. I can only hope that some of them turn out to be right.

There were scenes here that had me giggling and kicking my feet. Every time Laurent smiled or laughed I was grinning like a goon. I loved seeing how their relationship changed, and how Laurent slowly comes to rely on Damen, but also how Damen steadily learns to read what Laurent wants, without Laurent saying anything. It's a slow burn, but it's so good.

Content Warnings

toni_mahony's review against another edition

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4.25

the second book is a lot more about the plot than the first one. i like
just setting some things right: i really liked this book although it is actually not THAT great. but i just got really immersed and interested. i don´t know what this magic is, but i liked it.