Echt sehr gut, aber Triggerwarnungen sollten ernstgenommen werden! Ich habe das Buch in zwei Tagen durchgelesen, was bei mir echt was heißt. Man wird direkt in die Handlung geworfen, was mich am Anfang ziemlich überfordert hat. Es passieren viele Dinge auf einmal und dazu kommen auch noch sehr viele Namen, was für mich persönlich nicht so leicht war, weil ich mir Namen nicht so schnell merke. Trotzdem war das Leseerlebnis insgesamt sehr angenehm. Was ich richtig gut fand, war, dass nichts beschönigt oder romantisiert wird. Gerade die Szenen, die moralisch schwierig sind, werden genau so dargestellt, wie sie sind. Man ist manchmal echt angeekelt, aber gleichzeitig fühlt man total mit dem Hauptcharakter mit. Das hat mich emotional ziemlich mitgenommen, im positiven Sinne. Besonders gefallen hat mir auch, wie langsam sich alles entwickelt. Zwischen den beiden Hauptfiguren passiert noch gar nichts und das finde ich super. Es wirkt realistisch, man spürt auch, dass sie sich eigentlich nicht leiden können, und genau das macht die Dynamik so spannend. Ich liebe Slow Burn und das hier ist wirklich gut gemacht. Damen finde ich als Figur total gelungen. Er ist sehr nachvollziehbar, gut beschrieben und ich mochte ihn direkt. Laurent hingegen war für mich einfach nur unausstehlich. Aber genau das macht ihn zu einem starken Charakter, man merkt richtig, dass er so geschrieben ist, dass man ihn erstmal nicht mögen soll. Das ist gut gemacht. Was mich außerdem begeistert hat, war die Welt, in der das Ganze spielt. Es ist total spannend zu sehen, wie unterschiedlich diese Gesellschaften funktionieren und was da alles im Hintergrund läuft. Es gibt ständig etwas zu entdecken. Ich habe 4 von 5 Sternen vergeben, weil es mich zwar nicht komplett umgehauen hat, aber ich konnte das Buch trotzdem kaum weglegen. Und genau das ist für mich ein Zeichen, dass es auf jeden Fall richtig gut war. Fazit: Spannend, intensiv, emotional und definitiv lesenswert. Ich bin gespannt, wie es weitergeht und kann den ersten Band auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen.

📱 Ich wusste so gar nicht was mich hier erwarten wird und es war auch schon überraschend. Es geht um einen Prinzen, der sein Königreich verliert. Er wird verkauft und muss als Sklave dem Prinzen des Feindeslandes dienen. Man ist direkt mitten im Geschehen, das war mal was anderes. Es gab nicht wirklich eine Einführung in die Welt oder überhaupt weiß man nicht, wie diese aufgebaut ist oder in was für eine Art von Welt wir uns befinden. Fantasy gibt es nicht. Der Schreibstil ist in Ordnung aber der Inhalt ist schon recht gewöhnungsbedürftig, würde ich sagen. Irgendwie war die Geschichte gut aber irgendwie auch nicht. Komplett gefesselt hat sie mich nicht aber es gab trotzdem einige gute Stellen. Interessieren würde mich jetzt allerdings schon, was noch passiert, also mal schauen, wann und ob überhaupt ich auf die Reihe zurückkommen werde. War wild auf jeden Fall. Aber verpasst hat man glaub nichts sorryyy. Checkt vor dem lesen vielleicht noch die TW! (Im E-Book habe ich keine gefunden)

Auch wieder ein gutes Buch, nur am Ende ging es mir dann zu schnell hätte da gerne noch ein Kapitel mehr gehabt. Trotzdem eine sehr gute Story.

6/10 - 3/5 I like the book somehow but it has some flaws and is kinda terrible? Still, it was fun to read. I don't know how to rate this book or how to judge it. I've been made aware before that the first book in this series cannot stand on its own and that things become better later on, so I knew what was expecting me. Thus I don't want to judge this book alone, esp since it is so short. However, that doesn't mean I don't feel uncomfortable with some things in this book. After all it is an individual book and even if the series as a whole may be better, it can be judged at least partially on its own. -Writing- The word choice is very vulgar and honestly I hate that so much. Whenever anyone talks about sex it's all “fuck” and “fucking” and that disgusts me so much. -Worldbuilding- I don't know how to call the setting. It's NOT fantasy, it's a fictional history setting not in our world. I’m sure there’s a term for it but idk it. I actually greatly enjoy this kind of setting. Not everything needs to be magical but I like fictional worlds and their different cultures and places. We meet the countries of Vere and Akelios. They are quite different but also similar in some ways. What's probably most interesting about Vere is how much their fear of bastards affects their behavior and culture, to the point that we see almost exclusively same-sex relationships of any sort in this book. Akelios on the other hand is very militaristic and has slaves. The slavery topic is….. difficult. Different to how we know it, their slaves are supposed to be treasured and treated well, because submission is supposed to be a honorable thing. I like the concept and the conflict it creates in the book, but still… Especially the bonus chapter that tells a slave's story makes me feel a bit icky. The book almost paints it as if those people by nature need to be submissive and that they are lost without their masters. Sometimes the way people talked about the countries confused me because their complaints were so similar. Like they pride themselves on being different from the other but actually there are so many similarities. Like when it comes to sexuality, akelios is very skin-showing and not afraid of nudity. And while vere is very prude when it comes to clothes, sexuality and sex is almost an act of public display in the nobility. I suppose those contradictions are part of what makes countries interesting. -Characters- I can't help it, Damen reminds me of kaladin and daligar from way of the kings. It has been a long time since I've read that book but he is similar to both of them. He has a strong set of values and prides himself on them. But he is also a bit dumb sometimes. Definition of a himbo? I like him a lot. Laurent is so so horrible, what a monster. But he's also fascinating. He is cunning, cold and cruel. But he can also be considerate. Personal theory <spoiler> I think he was SAd from his uncle. There is one line where the uncle says “you used to be so nice as a kid” and that was practically right after it was revealed that he was a pedophile. If this turns out to be true, then it’s masterful writing because it is so subtle but powerful. </spoiler> -Relationships- Honestly I don't think there's much to be said on the relationship between Damen and Laurent. They don’t have the slightest bit of a romantic relationship here. The progress will surely happen in the later books buttttt there is a little bit here already, not in the romantic way though. But slowly they develop a bond of necessity and reluctant trust. It's quite peculiar. <spoiler> I mean they went from hating each others guts to Damen saving Laurent’s life. And Laurent has helped Damen a few times as well, like protecting him. </spoiler> I'm reaaaaallly curious how it will be possible to build a romantic relationship from THIS. But I like that as well because these two are enemies to the bone. Lately I've been feeling like I dont like enemies to lovers and this is making me feel the tension again. Really interested in how their relationship will progress from this. Personal theory <spoiler> Personally I think that Laurent knows Damens identity. Why else would he be this shitty to damen? ESPECIALLY after seeing that he doesn't other akelians like this - he is really nice to Erasmus. So it isn't about akelians, it's about damen. Then ofc their first meeting and Laurents focus on the scar. It just is VERY suspicious. That obviously puts his whole behavior towards damen under a different light. </spoiler> For some reason the two feel closer at the end, despite actually not being. -Plot/Pacing- The plot is obviously a bit slower and more uneventful because Damen is in captivity and doesn't have that much agency… but we see him handle his situation and try to get the best out of it. The focus definitely is on the political intricacies and intrapersonal conflicts. The further I got, the more I was invested and on my toes, waiting for what was going to happen. <spoiler> The fake rape fight scene was incredibly disturbing, I was distraught and didn’t want to continue reading because I neither wanted Damen to win, nor to lose. Luckily there was a way out. Then there’s all the political stuff where Damen is more or less an observer, until there’s an assassination attempt on Laurent after which Damen tries flying but is caught. So much happens in those last few chapters, it really is a whirlwind. </spoiler> -Conclusion- Despite the violence and lowkey glorification of slavery I enjoyed this quite a bit. It was short, easy to read and interesting. The characters are interesting and I want to know more about them.