04/02/2020
3 ⭐
This was absolutely brutal. While I was reading I was trying to think of a word that summed this book up, and 'brutal' was what kept coming to mind, but as I was getting towards the end, I decided on 'invasive'. This wasn't a bad book by any means, it's just shocking and a lot to get used to, especially if you don't know what you're getting yourself into.
This book is very controversial because of its subject matter, and I'm assuming also because of the circumstances of the main character. But, I think that because this is a made-up world, there is only so much you can criticize. This isn't "the real world" or "our world", this happens to be a world where the royalty is harsh and brutal and thinks of the lower class/servants as property. So, know that there isn't much space to breathe with this book, and it's rarely going to make you smile, if ever.

I think what I came away from this book recognising most, is that C S Pacat is a very skilled writer, she writes about *many* horrible things in this book but never sympathises with the attacker, or makes the reader think that what happens is okay. And, I think that's really important. She's not advocating for these acts by writing about them, but writing about characters in a world that accepts these things as fact, and explaining to the reader (and also the characters) why they're not.

Major triggers for rape (also, rape for sport or entertainment) as well as whipping (until the victim is almost dead), as well as underage sex/relationships

TW/CW: rape, slavery, sexual abuse, torture, violence, paedophilia, whipping, death, murder,