Audio issues

How could the performance have been better?

I had issues with the performance at times in that the narrator would suddenly get very quite so it became very hard to hear especially while driving on the highway over the holidays. I had to turn up the volume almost as high as it would go which is headache inducing. Otherwise besides it was hard at times to distinguish voices and the narrator also had a very bored cadence to his voice. I am hoping book 2 is better

23 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Not for me but probably for someone.

The narration was good. I just should've done more research on the book. Didn't expect so much graphic sex and rape. Not bad, just not at all my taste. Giving it 3 because the overall story is interesting and she did an ok job of world building.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

B+ Story/C- Narration

I gave this audiobook a B+ for the book and C- for the narration at AudioGals.

Narrated by Stephen Bel Davies

The Captive Prince Trilogy caught my eye when the previously released e-book version gained quite a popular following on Goodreads as can be evidenced by its over 29K ratings at just under a 4-star rating. This is a large number of ratings for any romance, but when you factor in that this book is an M/M dark romance, I was instantly intrigued. After having finished the first book, Captive Prince, I am definitely beginning to see what the buzz is about as this story is chock-full of entertainment with politics and leadership lessons and societal dynamics among classes being largely in play. The fact that it is also set in a medieval like fantasy world with knights and servants (including love “pets”) certainly also adds a mythical and titillating allure to this story. Unfortunately, the one area where this audiobook did not fully deliver was in the narration department. Additionally, it is worth noting that Captive Prince is really only the introduction of the story – in fact, the romance doesn’t even get started in this book – and books 2 & 3 must be read or listened to in order to get the entire story.

When a coup by his own illegitimate half-brother (Kastor) sends Prince Damen, the rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, to the enemy territory of Vere disguised as a slave, Damen’s life is completely altered. Once trained and groomed to be a king, Damen is an accomplished and legendary military hero in his own right. In fact, it is Damen who single handedly led the battle that killed the former King of Vere. His being banished to Vere disguised as a slave is therefore no coincidence but merely all part of now King Kastor’s sadistic plan for doing away with Damen and any further legitimate claims that might take away his throne. Left with no choice and subsisting in a very precarious position, Damen accepts his subservient position (a difficult feat for he is clearly an alpha male) and adapts to his new reality by concealing his identity while laying in wait for the perfect opportunity to escape, seek his revenge and gain back his rightful place. If he can also manage to inflict further pain on the new heir to the throne of Vere, Prince Laurent, or his uncle the Regent of Vere, before leaving enemy lands, so much the better.

What Damen least could have expected, though, after being drugged and beaten, is that he would be placed in the service of Prince Laurent himself (as his personal pleasure slave). Mind you in this alternate fantasy world only same sex relationships are accepted out of wedlock because the thought of having children of illegitimate birth is avoided at all costs. All that said, Prince Laurent seems anything but interested in Damen, instead treating him with great disdain and vehemence. Laurent hates everything that has anything to do with Akielos especially the former Prince Damen who killed his beloved older brother (the former King of Vere). Though their general approaches to political strategy and human interrelationships are completely different, Damen being generally good and altruistic (the good prince) whereas Laurent is cunning, calculated and vengeful (the evil prince), the one thing they both share is a common hatred for one another and what the other prince’s kingdom represents – the classic battle of good vs. evil. What could possibly come of the joining of these two people who so greatly despise one another? Moreover, all is not well within the Kingdom of Vere itself. As is frequently the case when the leadership of a nation is in flux (the Uncle Regent is supposed to turn over the kingdom of Vere to Prince Laurent once he reaches majority age which is scheduled to occur in less than a year), there are multiple factions – those that support the Regent and those that support the Prince Laurent. Does the Regent truly have Laurent’s best interests at heart?

See the full review at AudioGals.

8 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Favorite Trilogy

After reading the reviews of this audiobook, I was nervous about the quality of the narration, but found myself pleasantly surprised. It took me a couple of chapters to get accustomed to the inflection and tone the narrator provided for each separate character, but by chapter four or five, he was able to hold my complete, captivated attention despite having read the book in print multiple times.

Overall, despite the narrator's tendency to speak a little too quietly sometimes, I've enjoyed the first installment so much that I'll probably splurge for book two before receiving my monthly credit. Treat. Yo. Self.

8 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Intriguing and intense

I love seeing Damien react to all the wildly different circumstances and the conflicting feelings. Watching him try to figure out what he's feeling and how he wants to proceed in whatever the situation might be was super interesting.
I love seeing Damien's view of Laurent shift and become more complex throughout the book- from hatred to admiration to lust all layered together.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Excellent piece, just be cautious

This is one of my favorite trilogies I've ever come across. It has incredible reread value and where the summaries make it out to be far more scandalous than it actually is, it's an extremely immersive political thriller romance.

It does have a lot of content in it that can be difficult to stomach (really only in the first book with slight smatterings in the second and third), but it never glorifies it and it's always presented to be interpreted as negative and as a plot point for future development. Basically, if you managed to watch Game of Thrones, you should be fine here. It certainly isn't a piece for everyone but it is so incredibly satisfying when you read them through and through.

The characters make such an incredible journey and they are such wonderful compliments of one another that keep you gripped and, especially in the first book, you wonder how things could possibly be different or change.

I could sing praises forever about the book but I suggest people just read it if they're curious enough. The narrator is not bad, though I don't necessarily agree wi

25 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Baffling

I'm frankly quite surprised at all of the positive reviews. You're going to have to go well past the midpoint to reach any sort of plot. The main character laments on his misfortune of being a sex slave and grandly proclaims his refusal to rape another slave while fondly recalling sex slaves he has 'enjoyed' as a royal. The love interest attempts to have the main character raped in front of a large audience, physically abuses him, nearly has him killed from torture, and then succeeds to have him raped in front of a crowd. I have no issues with dark subject matter but the laissez-faire attitude towards rape, sex slavery, and pedophilia is just bizarre. The main character commenting on the injustice of it all is overshadowed by his and his countries participation in similar acts with just a bit more privacy. I can't think of a single character that I like. The author tries to dismiss the awful actions of certain characters by giving them tragic backstories which results in an incredibly predictable and trite story line. I keep reading reviews trying to figure out why this novel has such high ratings. There isn't an intriguing plot or interesting world. This isn't a sexy or romantic. This isn't a tragedy with sympathetic characters or something deeply thought provoking. I hear the 2nd and 3rd books are much better but having to slog through this first is cruel.

9 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Captive audience

Why did I wait so long. This story is rich in scenery, character building and storyline. Highly recommended. I'm off to book two now.

3 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Good but

This is a re-read for me and although I liked it and am incredibly happy that its finally on audiobook the narrator's voice made it hard in the begining to differentiate between characters

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Wonderful story, but audio quality is questionable

This is a trilogy that I know and love dearly- having read before on my own and to have the luxury and having read to me now. The narration was superb- but the playback on some chapters were extremely choppy.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile