Prince's Gambit

I enjoyed this book a little more than the first because it had more action, a lot more character development, and we saw more of the lands and culture within Vere. A lot of the twists honestly surprised me - like Damen, I am not of a scheming mind like Laurents and couldn't have predicted a lot of his plans, but Pacat has done an excellent job tying the twists together to make a cohesive plot (no doubt by benefit of being published by Penguin with an actual editor, unlike the first book which started as a self-published web series). This book did have a lot less sex than the first (since they are away from the palace and “bed slaves”) which made the will-they-won't-they between Damen and Laurent a little sweeter - the “slow burn” many reviewers have mentioned. I'm definitely enjoying this series.

2019 reread: I. Am. Again. A. Mess. Of. Human. Emotion. Sobs continuously I should just read these books every 6 months.

I. Am. A. Mess. Of. Human. Emotion. I did not expect to like these books. At the start of the first book I was so nervous, getting major Anne Rice Sleeping Beauty vibes but I thought it might be more scary. Now here I am having just finished book two at 3am...silently screaming because my husband is asleep in bed next to me and I don't want to wake him up.

I'm the type of reader who often doesn't give a shit about what's happening in a book as long as I can get emotionally invested in a character. I will say I'm emotionally close to multiple characters in this series and it both makes my heart swell with joy, and tears me apart with worry for them because some real shady shit is going on.

I am so anxious to read the third book but, just like when I was a kid at the start of summer vacation, dreading the end.

This sequel has the same compelled-to-finish feeling as the first one.

The first book ended with the cliffhanger that the Regent was trying to kill Laurent and if succeeded he would go after Akeilos next. So Damen and Laurent are forced to work together to prevent that. It was a great chance of scenery having them headed towards the frontier and out of the court and shifting the focus on tactical moves on war prevention and camaraderie. The inclusion of the neighboring kingdoms was also very welcome. Although some of the twists and turns were a little disjointed, the overall plot was pretty engaging.

I guess I liked the progress in their relationship, overall, although I would have appreciated it even more development. They didn't interact enough to justify their newly acquired super closeness, for my taste. I could barely detect any chemistry between them so when they finally got together (all consensual, thankfully) it felt pretty jarring and sudden even though it's been two books in the making. I feel like they are more of a bromance than anything else. I can see them go from enemies to friends but I don't buy the enemies to lovers part. I'm still invested in how their stories will all end, I just don't see them as a couple. I've read books with barely a touch between the characters and there was so much chemistry and tension you could cut it with a knife. But here, there was still a coldness between them despite being intimate physically (besides the big elephant in the room aka Damen killed Laurent's brother). I don't know, maybe I'm asking too much from a book in this genre.