[Book Review] Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: when the prince-who-will-be-king comes of age, he must venture out into the gray lands, slay a fierce dragon, and rescue a damsel to be his bride. This is the way things have always been.

When Ama wakes in the arms of Prince Emory, however, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon, or what horrors she has faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome prince, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny to sit on the throne beside him. Ama comes with Emory back to the kingdom of Harding, hailed as the new princess, welcomed to the court.

However, as soon as her first night falls, she begins to realize that not all is as it seems, that there is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows–and that the greatest threats to her life may not be behind her, but here, in front of her.

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tw/cw: misogyny, extreme possessiveness, gaslighting, animal/human abuse, sexual assault (explicit at times), rape culture, self-harm, suicide,  bestiality

"One should not make a pet of a wild beast."

This is such a dark fairytale-esq story that had me intrigued with what was going to happen next from the very beginning. I loved the main character, Ama, who is the damsel that is saved by Prince Emory of Harding. She is gentle and kind while also questioning everything around her. When she wakes up in Prince Emory's arms she remembers nothing about her past life, not even her name. I loved that despite being reliant on everyone around her to teach her the ways of Harding and being a queen-in-waiting, she can be incredibly independent. I wanted to drop kick Emory in the throat since the first chapter and that just intensified as I kept reading. The way he saw Ama like a piece of property from the beginning made me quickly distrust him. 

The writing, at first, was incredibly repetitive for me. Typically, I am not very good at pointing out when a story is being repetitive so when I noticed it I was surprised. I do think that it stops happening (or stops being so noticeable)  after thirty pages or so. Despite the repetitiveness in the beginning, I found the writing to be elegeant all the way through the story. It perfectly set up the dark and haunting atmosphere and Arnold does a good job setting up gorgeous imagery. 

"Secrets, like memories, do not disappear just because they are buried by snow or time or distance."

Damsel is going to make you feel uncomfortable while reading for the majority of the book. Arnold takes so many feminist issues and forces the reader to confront the ugliness and damage they can inflict. Arnold wrote this during the cover reveal: "Damsel is about waking up female in a man's world. It's about power, and abuses of power by powerful men. It's about secrets. It's about pride, and anger, and action. I put my anger into this book, and I surprised myself with what my anger and I created." And honestly, her anger shows through Ama so much in a more subtle way and it builds as Ama gets more and more frustrated with the world she has been forced into. Arnold and Ama are both clearly sick of the way women are treated and they've had enough. They're ready to fight back and I love them both for it. 

A lot of the time reading this book my anxiety was high. My anxiousness built as the story progressed and I often felt trapped which made me have to take many breaks. I don't want to make it sound violent or gory. Although, there are definitely violent and gory aspects of the story it was the more subtle attacks on  Ama that impacted me. Ama's overwhelming feeling of helplessness had me affected in a way I didn't expect. Every small thing she thinks she has or owns has an asterisk clarifying that those things aren't actually hers. Her room where she should feel safe, Emory shows up unannounced, her body, Emory uses without her consent because he sees her as his plaything, her pet lynx Sorrow's safety is being threatened by Emory. She is trapped, unable to leave the castle alone, and her suffocation travels through the pages so well that you feel your walls are closing in on you too. And often, Ama isn't sure how to confront these things because everyone around her is telling her not only how lucky she is to be with Emory, but this is how things are supposed to be. This book has raised a lot of discussion about if it should be labeled YA or Adult fiction and honestly I am unsure. I think readers 15/16+ are a good age to pick this book up but anything younger it could be incredibly harmful, unless someone is reading with them to really teach them. I am unsure where I stand with this debate because sexual assault happens to people, majority women, despite their age. But this book also doesn't pull punches with it's content and that could be a bit traumatizing to a young reader. I think the debate is important, and I am listening more than contributing at this point.

"And if something is the way it has always been, who are we to wish it otherwise? Who are we to want anything at all?"

The ending, although incredibly satisfying, wraps up way too quickly. I kind of figured out the twist before it reveals (I had the right idea but I was a little off) and the events that happen right at the end had me super happy. There's a lot of hope that comes with the ending, which is great. I just wish we got a little more. I think the ending could have been stretched out more. I'd definitely have the same conclusion to the exciting ending but maybe if it was fleshed out more it would have felt more rewarding.

Overall, I highly recommend Damsel. I think knowing that there are many triggers to look out for is important, and if any of the triggers I mentioned above make you hesitant to read I would read with caution or maybe skip this one entirely. If I had known there was animal abuse I may have not picked it up, since it's a big no-no for me, but I am still really glad I gave it a shot. I think this story is so important and I am definitely interested in reading more books written by Elana K. Arnold.

Thanks for reading!