Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Damsel

Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

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

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kblevs's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.0

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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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morsa's review against another edition

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fast-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? It's complicated

0.25

THIS WAS SOBAD.
Firstly, the plot was weak and predictable

Ama was the dragon?? I couldn't have guessed... I wasn't expecting it at all /s. You know what I didn't guess? Emory's third weapon. I was SPEECHLESS and not in a good way.

None of the characters were likable. Ama was the only one I felt a little sympathetic for. But she was still poorly written. And some of her actions didn't really make sense. I hate "girlboss" moments that don't make sense and they're just there for the sake of being "girl power" moments. And guess what this book has? Exactly, girlboss moments that don't make sense.

The pacing didn't make sense at all. To be honest, the only thing I liked about this book was the short chapters.

Also, how many times does the author have to mention Ama's breasts and Emory's dick? Weird.
That's one of the many reasons this book shouldn't be YA.

Also there should've been TWs before starting the book bc I was absolutely shocked.

TW: Sexual Assault, Rape, Suicide, Abuse, Blood, Self harm

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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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.

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chaotic_reading's review

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1.0

The premise of the book was interesting and had merit, but the execution felt lacking, underdeveloped.

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plutotoujors's review against another edition

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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

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egurgens's review against another edition

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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.

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