Review: Prisoner of the Crown

Prisoner of the Crown by Jeffe Kennedy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not sure what to expect, I picked this book up because I enjoy being surprised by Ms. Kennedy. Surprise I was. This is well written and I rated it 3 star only because of my ill at ease with what happened. This world is loosely connected to the twelve kingdoms. It borrows the Arabic culture with women sheltered and bred for the amusement of men. This is a darker story with non consensual undertones. How a patriarchal society uses it women a pawns, whipping boys and property to trade.

The world building is very well done. I could see the places and I could almost smell the spices as Ms. Kennedy describes this exotic world. From a character building, it was well done with Jenna and her beloved brothers and sisters. The human interaction between these characters is what pulled me into the story and kept me reading, even if I was ill at ease.

Why did I have a problem? It's because the sexual tortures in this story are obviously sadistic and of non-consent. When Jenna breaks down and can't handle the sexual sadism, it breaks my heart because this very sheltered girl who is a starry eyed virgin is sacrificed in a most cruel way - by the people who supposedly love her and are supposed to protect her. And only one is brave or foolish enough to try and save her.

Here's my dilemma. The torture scenes are few and far between. It is also painting a sexual sadist in a very bad light. As it should because this male is doing it for all the wrong reasons. This is a heinous act and should be condemned. This story is not a rape fantasy non-con so this shouldn't generate any sexual arousal. The problem is, this is not a romance story nor is it a BDSM non con fantasy and using this sadistic sexuality is a pet peeve of mine. Too easy to believe this is something those in the kink world believe in and do. I know Ms. Kennedy does not intend it this way and I know this has nothing to do with BDSM. For a fantasy world including scenes which are actually not too bad because there is a bit of magic to fix it, I'm mixed. Because what was perpetrated upon Jenna isn't really that bad if it is consensual. And it is kind of arousing for those of us who are masochists. Sexual sadism aside, this backstory and journey Jenna goes through is interesting even if it moves slowly. This is story that may be a bit hard to get into at first, but once a reader dives in, it has to be finished because I wonder what will happen. And then I want to read the books following!

Recommended for high fantasy readers who enjoy a character progression tale.