Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - Damsel

The first thing you need to understand about this book is that this is NOT a children’s book, and I don’t think it’s a YA book either. At least the audiobook is falsely advertised as Children and YA.

I read some reviews, and I think part of the “problem” with this book is that people start reading it with entirely wrong expectations. The book takes the classic “a prince saves a damsel from a dragon”-trope and tells it from the damsel’s perspective. So, in a way, it’s a fairytale retelling.

Prince Emory saves Ama from a dragon. Ama has no memory of her life before being rescued. As she learns more about her saviour and what is expected of her, she starts to wonder whether she has been saved after all.

The writing style is beautiful and very fitting for a story like this. I listened to this as an audiobook, and the narrator (Elizabeth Knowelden) tells the story in a lovely way, albeit her voice is barely a whisper in parts, so I could not listen to this audiobook in a noisy place.

But let’s get back to the story. It’s NOT a romantic story, and it’s NOT a happy story. If you are familiar with Robin Hobb’s books and her villains, the villain in this book is on par with them. If you like reading about how things get progressively worse for the protagonist and can stomach some heavy topics, I’d definitely recommend this book. But do not go into this thinking that this is a feminist retelling of a classic fairytale because I think you’ll be disappointed.

Spoilers!

I have two main complaints with this book. I didn’t agree with the author’s choice of the three “weapons” needed to conquer a damsel. It was weird and off-putting. My second complaint is that I had to suffer through 98 % of misery to get to the end, which was over very quickly. The ending was satisfying, and I think that the last sentence about the Queen Mother witnessing the dragon’s rise was poetic. But still, 98 % of this book is pure misery.

Content Warnings

aliciaofalaska's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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agenericmirkwoodelf's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

(Minor Spoilers)
So many thoughts! I don’t have time to list them all right now, but here are a couple key points:

Positives:
- The prose. Though it took a few chapters to become used to, the writing is gorgeous, and wonderfully sells the fairytale aspects of the story!
- The symbolism. So much potential for analysis here! (Though, admittedly, you really don’t have to reach far. It’s a little on the nose)
- The pacing (for the most part) was very well done! I couldn’t put it down at times! Though there was hardly any action, no part of it felt dull

It’s a good book! But, if you’re considering picking it up, please please please check the triggers! There are a lot of them!

Negatives:
- I thought the plot twist was neat! But a little obvious!
- The ending felt a bit rushed.

Content Warnings

lisashelves's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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taliatalksbooks's review

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

0.25

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold was unsettling and hard to read. It’s language was formal, uninteresting, and never showed much action, opting instead to tell the reader about some pretty horrific things. All of the characters are flat, and none of them do anything interesting during their time in the castle or journeying to it. While I don’t mind books with controversial topics, this book didn’t have many, if any, redeeming qualities to make up for this barrage of explicit and uncomfortable content…other than a cover that draws you in. This is a mislabeled YA, so I want to specify it is 100% adult fantasy content, but if you’re looking for an enjoyable read, keep searching. This book isn’t creating a thought provoking discomfort, it’s just creating a situation the reader is so disgusted by they don’t want to finish the read. I can count on a single hand the books I have not finished in my life, and I can honestly say, this just about made that list. I’m not sure who the intended audience was for this, but if you are looking for a dark twisted fantasy that will have you questioning your sanity for subjecting yourself to the boredom and disgusting antics of Emory then I guess look no further? I really wouldn’t recommend this to anyone under the circumstances, but if you want to see the monstrosity for yourself, I say go for it.

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mattiedancer's review

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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

Content Warnings

mypatronusisajedi's review against another edition

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dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's 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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