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jonie_rich's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Gore, Grief, Pregnancy, Blood, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Confinement, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Excrement, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicide, Self harm, Pregnancy, and Violence
ka_ke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Sexual content
camilla_p's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This story is much darker than I had originally expected it to be, and because of that it was pretty hard to read. I found myself having to put the book down multiple times because I could not process what was happening in it. Putting aside the thematic weight of the story, the story telling was very slow and I couldn’t help but feel like there was more that could’ve been added to the story to make Ama’s ending better. even though we know that she finds freedom in the end, it feels incomplete because of everything she had to suffer through for the rest of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Gore
chaotic_reading's review
1.0
The premise of the book was interesting and had merit, but the execution felt lacking, underdeveloped.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
plutotoujors's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
sunflowerscribe's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book is extremely graphic in multiple instances and I don’t appreciate the lack of trigger warnings especially as it’s marketed towards young adult readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Kidnapping and Gaslighting
egurgens's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
TLDR: excessively obscene writing, excess of misogynistic characters, and weak willed women.
First of all, let me just say the writing in this is VULGAR. Now, I'm not afraid of smut, even graphic smut. But the author added obscene details to parts of the book where they don't belong! Like during sex, I get it. But when the character is just being dried off, you don't need to go into such detail. "...he started with her arms, rubbed her breasts, the hard, pink, nubs of her nipples, her stomach, her buttocks, the fire of red hair between her legs, her legs themselves." Keep in mind, this is supposed to be a young adult novel. This is meant for 12-18 year old kids. Just so much unnecessary graphic nudity. Now, there is no smut, or any sex written in this book. Just graphic nudity. While reading this, I thought the author was a man, based on the descriptions used. How overly sexualized un-sexual moments are. Like, I don't want (or need) to know that "...the thick meat of him, a fleshy tusk, white like ivory in the bed of curled black hair." Like, it was a non-sexual moment. The reader does NOT need to know that much detail. Like sure, you can describe the dick some, but maybe not to that amount of detail. Damn.
Anyways. Now for the actual review. Rant over. The character of Emory is so wholly misogynistic, I wanted to stab him myself. Through the pages. As if rescuing someone makes them your property. As if her being your fiancé gives you the right to gaslight her, emotionally abuse her, and more. The men in this story are so shitty, not one is even decently mannered. You would think that the queen mother, who was in the same position as Ama, would be sympathetic. It seems as though Ama is the only sane character in the book! Like, who doesn't resent someone forcing themselves on you, someone that tries to kill your only companion, someone who won't even let you go OUTSIDE on your own? Who parades you around on a leash because you didn't ask permission for something? Who treats you like an object, "You are my bride, and your flesh is my flesh. Do not treat it so roughly," she literally just got a small burn, dude. She is not your property.
I am sorry that I am so critical of this book. I really enjoyed the general idea, and the general plot. But some things I just cannot get over. I read the whole book, and I greatly enjoyed the end. However, the whole time I was just super frustrated with the writing and the characters. The only acceptable characters in this are Ama, Tilley, and Sorrow. That's it. Ama did grow throughout the story. She tries to accept her role, but as she learns more about it, the more uncomfortable she becomes with her role. But still, she stays long after any reasonable character would have taken some sort of action. I mean, to be fair, she has no prior knowledge of any family or anything, so she would try to make the best of things. But I think there should be a limit. It's not like she loves him, or anyone in the castle. She is not pregnant with his child. She could have left. Where would she go? I don't know. Anywhere but there. So she is a bit weak willed, but eventually takes action. Tilley isn't perfect, she was only a servant, and she obeyed what she was told. She could have helped Ama, or told her what she knew about the other Damsels. Anyways. There were no strong female characters in this book. As a 20 something woman, I think we need to do better. Women need to write strong women, to help raise other women up. Don't write every woman as pathetic or weak, have some diversity, set some good examples for your young readers. Do better, Elana K. Arnold.
TLDR: excessively obscene writing, excess of misogynistic characters, and weak willed women.
First of all, let me just say the writing in this is VULGAR. Now, I'm not afraid of smut, even graphic smut. But the author added obscene details to parts of the book where they don't belong! Like during sex, I get it. But when the character is just being dried off, you don't need to go into such detail.
Anyways. Now for the actual review. Rant over. The character of Emory is so wholly misogynistic, I wanted to stab him myself. Through the pages. As if rescuing someone makes them your property. As if her being your fiancé gives you the right to gaslight her, emotionally abuse her, and more. The men in this story are so shitty, not one is even decently mannered. You would think that the queen mother, who was in the same position as Ama, would be sympathetic. It seems as though Ama is the only sane character in the book! Like, who doesn't resent
I am sorry that I am so critical of this book. I really enjoyed the general idea, and the general plot. But some things I just cannot get over. I read the whole book, and I greatly enjoyed the end. However, the whole time I was just super frustrated with the writing and the characters. The only acceptable characters in this are Ama, Tilley, and Sorrow. That's it. Ama did grow throughout the story. She tries to accept her role, but as she learns more about it, the more uncomfortable she becomes with her role. But still, she stays long after any reasonable character would have taken some sort of action. I mean, to be fair, she has no prior knowledge of any family or anything, so she would try to make the best of things. But I think there should be a limit. It's not like she loves him, or anyone in the castle. She is not pregnant with his child. She could have left. Where would she go? I don't know. Anywhere but there. So she is a bit weak willed, but eventually takes action. Tilley isn't perfect, she was only a servant, and she obeyed what she was told. She could have helped Ama, or told her what she knew about the other Damsels. Anyways. There were no strong female characters in this book. As a 20 something woman, I think we need to do better. Women need to write strong women, to help raise other women up. Don't write every woman as pathetic or weak, have some diversity, set some good examples for your young readers. Do better, Elana K. Arnold.
TLDR: excessively obscene writing, excess of misogynistic characters, and weak willed women.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Would NOT rereadwondereads13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Damsel is a wonderfully poignant, character-driven, meaningful book. You get very invested in the main character and her journey of self-discovery. It depicts the development of a toxic relationship in a way that is different from what we are used to but also carefully metaphorical. It has some amazing commentary on rape culture and misogyny, and it evoked an emotional response from me. If you're worried, it has a hopeful ending. Everyone should read this book (but please keep in mind that it's for older readers!).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
mayhem24_7reads's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Until now, I have never hated a book so much that I drove back to the store to return it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Not suitable for children or teens, this should not be marketed as a YA book