After reading and enjoying I'LL MEET YOU THERE by the same author, I had to have more of Demetrios' writing. EXQUISITE CAPTIVE did have the descriptive writing that was easy to fall into from I'LL MEET YOU THERE, but every other aspect couldn't have been more different. 
 A romance-centric plot can work. It worked fantastically in THE WRATH AND THE DAWN and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, particularly because the two still had other elements and the romance itself was enjoyable. It definitely did not work here. 
 There is a love triangle. It can be argued that it's not a true love triangle, but due to the main character's swaying feelings, I think it was. Due to this setup, there was just too much angst, jealously, and confusion. One love interest is abusive and the other, while nice, seemed based on insta-love. Well, hatred then insta-love. Which is still insta-love to me even if she first hated him. 
 Still, the romance wasn't even my largest issue with the book. What bothered me the most was the huge focus on materialism and the constant parties. Having brands in books, particularly one like this that is supposed to be fantasy, really takes me out of the story. I understand that there are two worlds and one is modern society but I couldn't care less about what type of fancy car the characters drive or what brand of suit the love interest wears or how much something costs. Especially when it happens all the time. 
 I didn't really connect to the main character, Nalia, that much either. She makes poor decisions and doesn't seem to learn anything from them. Although I do have sympathy for her because she has been through some hardships, she still came off as somewhat of an immature and hesitant protagonist that doesn't really do anything, despite the fact that she is "all powerful." 
 Add in cringe-worthy moments and some poor attempts at humor, and this one just wasn't for me, which really was a shame because I enjoyed the author's contemporary books and this one sounded so good.