TW: Rape, sexual slavery, sexual abuse, drug use, aphrodisiacs, torture.
SPOILER WARNING AHEAD
One-Sentence Summary:
Betrayed by his brother, Damen, prince of Akielos, is forced into slavery serving Laurent, the prince of enemy country Vere.
My Review:
Most people who read this book go in knowing what to expect: a lot of graphic r*pe and sex slavery. I read the book anyways, thinking “it can’t be that bad.” It was.
So one thing you need to know about this book is how controversial it is. Many people hate it and everything it stands for (I’m one of them), but some actually love the book and claim it’s incredibly misunderstood.
Throughout the book, Damen, the main character, is frequently mistreated by the love interest, Laurent. Laurent sends Damen into a fighting ring to be publicly r*ped, pays someone to try to whip him to death, and more. I wouldn’t say the book romanticizes sex slavery like a lot of people have said, but it’s definitely horrible. I was absolutely disgusted with the treatment of a lot of characters.
I actually didn’t hate the writing or world of the book besides the slavery. It was well-done, just overshadowed by the horrifying nature of the rest of the book.
I’m reading the sequel now, and there’s much more concrete plot and less r*pe, but how anyone could give the first book above three stars is beyond me, and three is generous.
⭐️💫/5.
The Fiction Feature 