Damsel

De: Elana K. Arnold

Narrado por: Elizabeth Knowelden

*A 2019 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book*

""Listeners will fall under the spell of the prose and narration and won't wake up until the last word is spoken—and maybe not even then. Highly recommended.""—Erin Entrada Kelly, 2018 Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author

A dark, twisted, unforgettable fairy tale from Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of

The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son the prince 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, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It’s all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale.

As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in.

How I love this story!

Marvelously written, I was emotionally riveted to the very end.
My new favorite book.
Thank you, Elana!

Woah?

In order to become king, every prince from the Kingdom of Harding must slay a dragon and save a damsel—which is exactly what Emory has done with Ama, the new damsel. Ama does not remember what happened to her before she was “saved” by Emory, and has no choice but to believe in what he and other citizens of Harding tell her. By the end of the novel, Ama is able to see past the lies and abuse and reclaim who she was truly meant to be.

Elizabeth Knowelden does a wonderful performance of letting the listener get drawn into the poetic and beautiful prose of the novel, sometimes to its detriment, as listeners may be lulled into a light doze.

I appreciated the poetic prose throughout the narrative and how it clashed with the malignant nature of Emory and his kingdom. Honestly, the ending of the novel was my favorite section. Unfortunately, Ama’s accomplishment wasn’t enough to excuse every other character’s terrible behavior. The metaphors for sex and sexual organs were overdone. The animal abuse was painful, and I believe unwarranted, even for a metaphor. Ama still must act the part of a Damsel to survive and still ends up needing Emory to survive. If it weren’t for her true origins, would she have been stuck where she was at, pretending to be one thing she was not all her life. I would have liked it if Ama had grown more or had done more to break free. The message of the novel was palpable, but the characters didn’t drive the point home. I would instead recommend Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest, which is able to explore the concept of sexual abuse and female empowerment with far better grace and with a more satisfying conclusion.

Love the twisted tale!

A twisted fairytale with a definite twist! I didn’t want to stop reading … just one more page!!

Short

The author did an amazing job with descriptive details and really painted an amazing picture for the reader.

The performance kept me entertained throughout the entire story and her voice and natural accent fed into the story line more and more with every sentence.

The only downside is that I felt the story became rushed towards the end and lost the descriptive qualities and capturing nature. It wasn't until the last few paragraphs where the descriptiveness picked up again.

What did I just read? Omgeee

I know you lying. 🤣 Again, I know you lying.
Sooooooo wait a minute now. This man went up in the lire and what now!