Damsel

By: Evelyn Skye

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A damsel in distress takes on the dragon herself in this epic twist on classic fantasy—based on a screenplay by Dan Mazeau comes a groundbreaking collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Evelyn Skye and the team behind the upcoming Netflix film Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown.

A price must be paid.

Elodie never dreamed of a lavish palace or a handsome prince. Growing up in the famine-stricken realm of Inophe, her deepest wish was to help her people survive each winter. So when a representative from a rich, reclusive kingdom offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts without hesitation. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Prince Henry.

But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower. A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious “V.” Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. And Elodie is the next sacrifice.

This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself, but the future of her new kingdom as well.

Dragon Language by Reese Skye.

©2023 Random House Worlds (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Elegant and explosive, Damsel has all the fantasy, beauty, dragons, and intrigue of Game of Thrones, elevated by a feminist lens and a powerful heroine—a long line of heroines—determined to do right by the world and by her fellow women.” —Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma and The Violence

“A must-read novel by a must-read author, this brilliant story sparkles with adventure, unexpected love, and stunning twists expertly crafted. Block off an entire day—you’re not going to want to put Damsel down.” —Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Give the Dark My Love and Night of the Witch

“With deft prose and intricate invention, Damsel brings the perfect spin to a fantasy fairy tale.” —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

Listened to this before the movie

Great book. Very interesting and fast paced. I loved the character and how strong she is.

I LOVED the ending so much!

I liked everything! The author did such a good
Job with the story and descriptions of the dragon! The narrator had such great voices for all the characters.

Fantastic narrator with fun, interesting plot

I had never heard of this book until I saw the Netflix movie based upon it. I liked the movie and decided to give the audiobook a try, dubious that I would really enjoy it. However, I was immediately caught up in the story by the excellent narration. She captures multiple characters very well and keeps you invested in the story. I was pleasantly surprised that the book varied at various points from the movie which is mostly the case. An enjoyable fairly short read/listen go for it.

Great tale of Girl who refused to be a damsel

i enjoyed the overall story. I love the insights on Elodie and her struggles to survive. I will stay I truly appreciate the changes the movie made to the story, mostly the ending. It makes some things make more sense verses the book.

No classis fairytale!

Audiobook review

5 stars

Narrator: Imani Jade Powers

I would never have discovered that jewel of a book if I didn’t see it on Mogsy’s blog! And I am so glad that I visited her that day because that book is an absolute treat!
I couldn’t help thinking of Disney’s Rapunzel reading that book. Not because Elodie escapes a tower but because like Rapunzel, she takes her fate in her own hands and does not wait for the prince to save her.

I have seen mixed or bad reviews on Goodreads on that one and I guess it depends if you are the targeted audience or not. I am not a teenager but I still adore YA books and Disney movies. I guess that explains why I adored that story.

This is a clever twist of the classic fairytale where the prince is the villain and the princess is in a deadly predicament. Elodie will literally be thrown by the prince into the dragon’s lair without any weapon to defend herself!
Said dragon has been alive undefeated for centuries. There was a bargain made with the people of Aurea and each year three princesses have to be sacrificed to the dragon.
We don’t have the classic warrior princess that we see in many stories! Elodie was never trained in weaponry or hand to hand combat. With a sprained ankle, in a wedding gown complete with a tiara, she will truly have to use her wits and obstinate will to live if she hopes to survive. That made the story riveting and very refreshing!

Elodie is a character you can’t help but love.
When we met her, we can see that she cares deeply for her people of Inophe. Her isle is poor and Elodie has a golden heart. That’s why she is ready to marry a prince she has never met: to insure her people’s future. She also has a deep connection with her younger sister, Flora that she raised since birth. That sisterhood warmed my heart all along
Fortunately, Elodie is no meek flower. She was always climbing trees, racing horses, building houses to the utter despair of her mother in law who wants Elodie to be a “proper lady”. That tomboy upbringing and her games of designing mazes for her sister to solve will be Elodie’s greatest asset in this story! She might not be trained in war but she is far from powerless.

We will see all the ordeals she went through in the dragon’s lair, all the burns she got, twisted ankle, dislocated shoulder and more! Her pugnacity was remarkable truly! I was rooting for her all along, wondering how she was still standing after all she went through. This was brutal, desperate but Elodie was so determined!

Another thing absolutely incredible is the language of the dragon! Evelyn Skye explained how that invented language is fully functional and was created by her 13 years old daughter, linguist prodigy! If you are interested, we have tons of explanation, grammar etc at the end of the book.
Congrats to the narrator for her pronunciation too!

And I absolutely adored the ending! How not only her intelligence but also her empathy will be crucial to Elodie’s salvation.

I have learned that this will become a movie or a show on Netflix and I can’t wait!

Beautiful!

This was a fantastic book! I saw the movie first and instantly got it. I loved every second and was so full of emotion. The language was beautiful and the narrator was wonderful. Everything I love about audiobooks was present in this one. LOVE LOVE LOVE

Kept my attention!

I read this because of the upcoming Netflix movie and it kept my attention throughout the whole book. That feat in itself was impressive. It ended well but it makes me wish there was a sequel. I will forever be impressed by the fact the writer’s daughter made a beautiful language at the young age of thirteen. Kinda reminded me of Dothraki from GOT. The story was enjoyable.

Absolutely Magical

If you want a classic story of the prince saving the princess, and all the romance that entails. This book is not for you. If you want a Badass woman who saved the day in the most unexpected way. Well this is a must read!!

Way better than the Netflix adaptation

Wow!! This book was awesome!!! I listened to the audiobook before watching the movie and omg! The movie was such a disappointment compared to this awesome story! The ending was unexpected yet absolutely brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

1,000,000 times better than the movie

ok, so I listened to this because I saw the movie with Millie Bobbie Brown...I love her, but I was really disappointed by the movie. Characters weren't fully developed, we had a surface understanding of the conflict and the people involved. The ending felt rushed.

THIS BOOK, HOWEVER, was fabulous. It legitimately solved all of the issues from the movie because previously we get 3rd person internal monologue. We get many different POV, from Elodie to Henry, to Florida, to Lucinda, all the way to the dragon. That confusing vision bit in the movie, WAY cooler in the book.
The ending? I won't give spoilers, but suffice it to say- it. was. amazing. if the movie had done this ending I would've been jumping up and down and pumping my fist!!!!
fun side note, the authors 13 year old daughter created the entire dragon language used in this. There's grammar and syntax and even a post book appendices!!!!

blown away!!!! fantastic job!!!!