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Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

37 reviews

dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No

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dark tense medium-paced

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dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Writing: 5⭐️/5 
The writing is strong throughout the book. A few moments that lacked ease and clarity were outshone by the brilliance expertly demonstrated throughout the rest of the novel. The poetic nature of the work fit nicely within its prose format. Arnold also demonstrates great control over the voice throughout the story. Tremendously done. 

Characters: 5⭐️/5
The characters were both hyperbolic and realistic in the best balance between the two. Arnold does a tremendous job creating motivated characters whose stories and origins. This is most fantastically demonstrated with the Prince/King, whose perspective we begin with, whose story we understand, whose side we are almost on until the story slowly unfolds in front of us.

Plot: 5⭐️/5 
The plot is fantastically paced and thoroughly enjoyable to read. I personally love the focus on a deep and unforgiving feminine rage that is both necessary and welcomed. So much of this story is exactly what I wanted to read, while also being precisely what I needed to read. 

Post-Reading Rating:  5⭐️/5
I will be recommending this to so many people.

Who Should Read This? 
  • Women looking for a feminist fairy tale
  • Those who love fairy tale reconstructions
  • Those who want all that plus dragons and castles
 
Final Rating: 5⭐️/5

CW:
Blood, injury, suicide, sexual assault, sexual content, rape, toxic relationships, misogyny, sexism, emotional abuse, violence, domestic abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, animal cruelty, animal death, death, death of parent, eating disorder, classism, pregnancy, kidnapping

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No

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dark sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Nothing will ever scar me as much as this book did. It will live rent free, on a loop, in my brain for the rest of my life. 

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mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

DAMSEL is a fable of a prince, a dragon, a princess, and her Sorrow. It is languid, methodical, and unsubtle in its metaphors in a way that wraps all the way around to making it difficult to discuss without spoiling the plot. 

This is an extended, decently layered metaphor for a bunch of things related to sexism, misogyny, and ideas of cis women in relation to cis men. Given the particulars of the Ama's characterization, it feels like she's someone who isn't a cis woman but is being forced to behave as though she is. That is literally what's happening, in one sense, but I can't tell whether the book is engaging with ideas of queerness or if this very long metaphor for a woman's role in relation to men is missing ideas of queerness entirely. In one very important sense, Ama is not a woman, is not attracted to men (or at least is not attracted to Emory), and is being made to behave as if she is a woman who likes men. She must fulfill her role in order to support Emory in his role, where that someone does what she is told to do is essential, but the very fact of her being the one to do it is completely irrelevant. Her station matters but her personhood does not, as far as everyone around her is concerned.

In order to save her wildcat's life from her king's wrath, Ama must tame her, removing those qualities which make Sorrorow (the wildcat) so fierce and vibrant. The more Ama learns what is and will be required of her, the more she tries to find a way out, some other option which will let her be happy. 

I like the audiobook narrator, this was a good performance which helped the story flow easily. My favorite part is Ama's project towards the end of the story.

There are some pretty explicit discussions of sex but they use antiquated terms for everything, in keeping with the vaguely medieval setting. I was able to guess the ending reveal ahead of time. Part of that is the way it's coy but not subtle. At the end my reaction is kind of meh. I liked it, but its bluntness meant I wasn't waiting to find out happened. Instead I was waiting for it to get where I already knew it was going. That can be fun, but I thought it would have more to it in the end. 

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Damsel is darker than I was expecting. MUCH DARKER. There is a lot to unpack in this novel, but also a satisfying ending? Prince Emory and all the men in this book gave me the creeps, which I suppose was intended. It definitely made me glad we have feminism today! 

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