on
3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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New Adult. Fantasy. Romance.
Rating: 3/5
Started: July 7
Finished: July 9
Summary:
After his brother fakes his death and steals his throne, Damen is sold as a slave to a warring country with a vibrant yet carnal culture so different from his own. Forced to weigh the prospects of escape, aid for the other slaves brought over from his home country, and his hatred for Laurent, the handsome but frigid man who holds Damen's leash, Damen must learn to bargain for survival.
Thoughts:
Very. Explicit. From the get-go, the author did not shy away from anything, but all of the explicit scenes were more brutal -- and brutish-- than romantic, which I definitely found interesting. The passion and color of the worldbuilding was the best part: The court tactics were pretty dull and basic, but something about the carnality of the world was very enticing. It was interesting to have a macho male warrior as a protagonist instead of as a love interest, but Damen himself was a pretty bland character. On the other hand, Laurent was a quite compelling character. Thanks to Andrew Minyard, I have a thing for blonde sociopaths, and Laurent actually reminded me of Andrew more than any other character I've come across, which was cool. I definitely liked him best out of all of the characters. One thing I didn't like beside how basic the plot was, was how helpless every character I liked was. There was no power, which is something I put a lot of stock in. Despite the fact that explicit fantasy authors are sometimes looked down on, the writing itself was pretty nice. The author used a huge array of vocabulary I had never heard before. Aside from that, though, the plot as a whole was disappointingly basic. I intend to finish the series, but I doubt it will become a favorite.
Words:
Efface (v) erase (a mark) from a surface
Esurient (adj) hungry or greedy
Munificent (adj) very liberal in giving or bestowing
Pellucid (adj) easy to understand
Intaglio (n) an engraving below the surface so that the impression reveals the image in relief
Elan (n) vigorous spirit or enthusiasm
Ribald (adj) marked by coarseness or lewdness
Craven (adj) lacking the least bit of courage; contemptibly fainthearted
Obeisance (n) acknowledgement of another's superiority or importance
Divertissement (n) a short dance sequence used as an interlude
Quiescent (n) marked by inactivity or repose; tranquilly at rest
Prevarication (v) to deviate from the truth
Prosaic (adj) relating to prose rather than poetry; dull or unimaginitive
Susurration (n) a whispering sound
Marmoreal (adj) suggestive marble, specifically in coldness or aloofness
Coalesce (v) to grow together
Feted (v) to honor with a party
Unequivocally (adj) in a manner which leaves no doubt
Peripatetic (adj) of or related to walking
Livery (n) identifying design -- lih-vuh-ree
Loggia (n) a roofed open gallery
Couched (v) to phrase or express in a specific manner
Riposte (n) a retaliatory verbal sally
Catamite (n) a boy kept by a pedophile
Fractious (adj) tending to be troublesome
Aseptic (adj) preventing infection
Requisite (adj) needed for a particular purpose
Damascened (v) to ornament something (such as steel) with a wave-like pattern similar to watered silk
Febrile (adj) marked or caused by fever
Idiosyncrasies (n) a peculiarity of constitution or temperament; an individualizing quality
Beetling (adj) jutting
Machicolation (n) openings in a building for discharging missiles
Somnolent (adj) of a kind likely to induce sleep
Intractable (adj) not easily governed, managed, or directed
Censure (v) a judgement involving condemnation
Beleaguered (adj) suffering or being subjected to repeated or constant trouble or harassment
Avuncular (adj) suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality
Winnowing (v) remove by a current of air
Exonerate (v) to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship
Obfuscate (v) to throw into shadow; to darken
Indolently (adj) averse to activity, effort, or movement; habitually lazy