ARC Review: Kings Rising by C.S. Pacat

Recommended Read!

“I don’t think fans of this series will be disappointed with the conclusion to this epic saga.”
~ Under the Covers

Fans have been eagerly awaiting for the last installment of the Captive Prince trilogy. C.S. Pacat created an obsession when she paired together Laurent and Damen, two men who couldn’t be different from one another. Damen is a warrior, forced into slavery for a man whose brother he killed. On the other hand, Laurent is powerful in his own right, always thinking, always devising a plan in that clever mind of his. One can never truly know what is going on in that head of his. Despite the fact that death separates them, there’s a constant pull between them that neither can resist. While Laurent continues to play his games, Damen tries his best to figure out if he has be trusted.

Pacat spends most of the book going over details that most Fantasy novels do. With the political aspects of this world, there’s plenty to explore. There’s games. Lots of mind games to keep you guessing. The uncertainty of whether or not Damen can be the leader he needs to be creates a thread of tension throughout the entire novel. And to make matters worse, readers will still be wondering where does Laurent stand in all this. Will he be an enemy standing in his way?

If you’re new to this series you can probably see that I’m making an effort to stay away from spoilers. With a series like this one, it’s better to read on your own. I will say though that this series is not for everyone. It involves violence, slavery. Even rape so if you know that’s not for you, it might be best to stay away. However, I do think this story is a special one. And I think that’s mainly due to the two male heroes who bring this story to life.

I will speak briefly about something that annoyed me about this book. I don’t know why but the writing in this one seemed less eloquent and choppy. In the very beginning, I had a hard time getting back into the world because of the order of certain words. This is a Fantasy novel so Pacat does what most other Fantasy authors do as well. They tend to drag out the tension until the very last minute, hitting you hard in the last third of the novel until you can barely breathe. It makes to a thrilling ride but I found the build up to be too drawn out. Maybe I just wanted more Damen and Laurent but you can’t hang me for wanting that, can you? Nevertheless, I don’t think fans of this series will be disappointed with the conclusion to this epic saga.