Category Archives: books/book review

Book Review of Captive Prince, by C.S. Pacat

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Captive PrinceI borrowed C. S. Pacat‘s Captive Prince from my local library.

Description from Goodreads:
Damen is a warrior hero to his people, and the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos. But when his half brother seizes power, Damen is captured, stripped of his identity, and sent to serve the prince of an enemy nation as a pleasure slave.

Beautiful, manipulative, and deadly, his new master, Prince Laurent, epitomizes the worst of the court at Vere. But in the lethal political web of the Veretian court, nothing is as it seems, and when Damen finds himself caught up in a play for the throne, he must work together with Laurent to survive and save his country.

For Damen, there is just one rule: never, ever reveal his true identity. Because the one man Damen needs is the one man who has more reason to hate him than anyone else…

Review:
My Goodreads & Twitters feeds are FULL of this series, so of course I had to follow trend and pick it up. I was pleasantly surprised. I can’t say I loved it, but I sure did like it. And that’s an accomplishment because slave romances are not my thing. I find them uncomfortable and rarely erotic.

I liked the clash of cultures. I liked that there isn’t any sort of insta-love. Heck, these two don’t even like each-other. Slow burn is an understatement for the romantic element of this book. I liked the subtitles at play between the other characters. There are some truly heartbreaking moments here, but they aren’t all overt and in your face. I appreciated that. It is a cliffhanger, which sucks, but I happily give this two thumbs up. I’ll be looking for the sequels.

Sir Edric's Temple

Book Review of Sir Edric’s Temple, by Thaddeus White

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Sir Edric's TempleI received an e-copy of Sir Edric’s Temple from the author, Thaddeus White, in exchange for an honest review.

Description from Goodreads:
When Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska, is summoned to attend the King in the dead of night he fears imminent execution. Committing adultery is frowned upon in King Lawrence’s domains, especially when it’s with Lawrence’s wife. The King, however, has something else in mind. Priceless royal treasures have been stolen, and the King dispatches Sir Edric to retrieve them in a mission that could optimistically be described as suicidal. 

Accompanied by his pathologically loyal manservant Dog, the prudish elf Lysandra, and a man called Colin, he must travel to the Unholy Temple to retrieve the royal treasures from a mysterious thief

Review:
I can say this book was funny. It had good dialogue. It was well edited. (There was a time or two where I doubted the use of a word, but it wasn’t often.) So objectively it’s a fine book. Unfortunately I found the main characters so disgustingly off-putting that it completely ruined the book for me. Yes, his utter contemptibility is supposed to be so complete as to be a joke in itself, but I just wanted to be done with him and no longer subjected to his vileness. He’s like a 41yo dude-bro, convinced of his own superiority and lacking any respect for women beyond his ability to break their body parts down for his own sexual satisfaction. Ick. The problem for me was that this was the primary running joke of the book. So, it’s basically asking me, the reader, to engage in and laugh at women in the age old tradition of paternalism everywhere. Ummmm, no thank you. I get it. It’s “a joke”….at my, a woman’s, expense. I could do without it, thank you. [Cue the “lighten up, don’t be such a bitch” retorts.]

Book Review of The Dragon Business, by Kevin J. Anderson

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The Dragon BusinessI won a paperback copy of The Dragon Business, by Kevin J. Anderson, from Goodreads.

Description from Goodreads:
King Cullin may be known as “the Dragon Slayer,” but he fears his son’s legacy will be as “King Maurice Who Speaks with Proper Grammar.” The boy keeps his nose buried in parchments, starry-eyed at the idea of noble knights and eager to hand royal gold to any con man hawking a unicorn horn. Tonight, though, Cullin will educate the prince in the truth behind minstrels? silly songs of glory?

Long ago, in a kingdom, well, not that far from here really, young Cullin traveled the countryside as squire to brave Sir Dalbry, along with Dalbry’s trusted sidekick Reeger, selling dragon-protection services to every kingdom with a coffer. There were no dragons, of course, but with a collection of severed alligator heads and a willingness to play dirty, the trio of con men was crushing the competition. Then along came Princess Affonyl.

Tomboyish and with a head for alchemy, Affonyl faked a dragon of her own, escaped her arranged marriage, and threw in with Cullin and company. But with her father sending a crew of do-gooder knights to find her, the dragon business just got cutthroat.

Review:
This was amusing, as it was meant to be. It is almost wholly satire, after all. It’s witty and well-written. I generally really enjoyed it. But there came a point when the joke just kind of got stale and all the anachronisms (which are purposeful) started to grate. But if you’re looking for a laugh that pokes fun at fairy tales, pretty pretty princesses and knights in shining armor, look no further.

As an odd aside: I take issue with this sentence in the description: But with her father sending a crew of do-gooder knights to find her, the dragon business just got cutthroat. It simply doesn’t happen in the book. Go figure.