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Діва проти біди
Елоді, донька лорда Бейфорда, ніколи не прагнула залишити рідне герцогство Інофі, радше навпаки — була переконана, що її призначенням є всіляко допомагати своєму народові. Життя в їхньому краї непросте: клімат непередбачуваний, врожаї мізерні, а люди часто-густо потерпають від голоду. Тож коли батько повідомив доньку, що свататиме її за Генрі, принца з успішного та квітучого острова Аврея, в обмін на повні сховища цієї зими й кожну зиму опісля, вона погодилася. До того ж Елоді листувалася з Генрі та знає його як приємну й цікаву людину. А проте, щось не сходилося. Інофі отримає підтримку та провізію. Що натомість матиме Аврея? На жаль, Елоді про все дізнається, коли вже буде принцесою в земному раю, який цілком може стати смертельною пасткою. Тим паче, вона не перша дівиця, котра погодилася на таку на позір вигідну угоду з дивним гаслом: «Життя за життя. Кров за вогонь».
368 pages, Hardcover
First published March 14, 2023
327 people are currently reading
16190 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Skye
17 books2,457 followersEvelyn Skye is the New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including The Incredible Kindness of Paper and The Hundred Loves of Juliet. She has also written for books for Netflix and Disney. Evelyn’s novels have been published worldwide and translated into sixteen languages.
Evelyn is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Law School. She lives in California with her husband and daughter.
Evelyn is a graduate of Stanford and Harvard Law School. She lives in California with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,064 reviews
January 29, 2023
If there is one thing I want people to take away from this post, it is my desperate plea for adult readers to stop denying the validity of themes that no longer apply to you.
I don’t know why someone would go into a princess & dragon fairytale reimagining and be mad it isn’t Tolkien, but personally, whenever I want to read Tolkien, I just go pick up some fucking Tolkien. And I know everyone loves pretending to be the insufferable Simon Cowell of this site, I’m begging some of you to try meeting a book where it’s at, especially if you’re going to spend a dozen paragraphs tearing it down. Even more so when using the same stale, boilerplate (and honestly, kind of sexist) critiques of young, female protagonists. I don’t turn on the Real Housewives and get mad when it’s not Succession. So if you’re looking for more mature characters or writing styles, then move to a different section of the library or book store. Sophisticated writing isn’t limited to one age group or genre, but if your standard for what’s “good” or not depends on abandoning certain genre conventions or not being on BookTok, then I wouldn’t really trust your recommendations in the first place.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with no longer connecting to YA, but what continues to irritate me are the grown-ass adults who read YA, complain about how much they hate it, then continue to read it. I can’t relate to the desire to seek out something I know I won’t like just to shit on it, but it’s telling how often this is directed at the interests of teenage girls, specifically. It’s also funny how often those ‘critiques’ end up using some of the same tropes that they’re criticizing—we get it, you’re Not Like Other [teenage] Girls™. I keep coming back to this quote by Bonnie Burstow, but the inverse of it:
“Often father and daughter look down on mother (woman) together…They agree that she is not bright as they are, cannot reason as they do. This collusion does not save the daughter from the mother’s fate.”
This mockery does not change that most adult women were once those teen girls, and they too had their interests, thoughts and enthusiasm dismissed. Some teenagers won’t like it, sure, but a lot will, and I’m failing to see benefit of making sweeping statements on behalf of an entire demographic because you personally didn’t connect to the story. The adaptation has cast Millie Bobby Brown in the lead, and—surprise—she is also a teenager. Given her star-status and relationship with Netflix, it’s safe to say that if she wasn’t really excited about the story, she wouldn’t have taken on the project.
So please work through this thought experiment with me—what seems the more likely scenario, that the market for fantastical coming-of-age stories where a young woman rejects societal expectations and learns to fight her own battles has suddenly dried up….or that you grew out of the target demo and no longer identify with the heroine. It also doesn’t seem a coincidence that those who decry how YA has “gone downhill” recently seem to believe that tipping point occurred right as the genre began to diversify, but I digress.
As for the book itself, I found Elodie to be a refreshing divergence from the ‘damsel in distress’ trope, saving not only herself and her sister, Floria, but those would not lift a finger in her defense. And though Elodie’s agency is what dooms her initially, it’s also the thing that’s forged her into the person who can survive harsh conditions and solve impossible problems.
This book knows the tropes it’s playing into, and I think some early readers are missing that self-awareness. It subverts other popular fairy tale standbys like the ‘wicked stepmother’, ‘prince charming’ and ‘slaying the dragon’. But the real love story in Damsel is the one between Elodie and Floria, their bond as sisters propelling them through even the most impossible circumstances. The antidote to their world’s coldness is the recurring strength of familial love, which is echoed in several other relationships within the story. Even in countries like Aurea and Inophe where there is some level of gender equality, society still treats young women and girls as both disposable and interchangeable, and a character like Elodie is a direct challenge to that belief system. (I’m suddenly realizing why some reviewers don’t like her)
The story’s least interesting aspect is the dragon language and its cataloguing, which did not need to be as in depth as it was. Elodie’s action sequences and quiet moments of contemplation would have been a better use of that space, though it’s clear the author is very proud of the work she put in to the language’s mechanics. And while the ending on the whole was triumphant, it was a little rushed and could have used some clarification and elaboration. Though not explicitly defined, the few known rules in Aurea’s magic system are repeated enough to where they can be accepted by readers without too much explanation. Some authors use magic as a means to tell a story, as opposed to being the story. So while those details may make the world richer, as a character-driven adventure fantasy, Damsel builds its foundations on its characters’ arcs and relationships.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
I don’t know why someone would go into a princess & dragon fairytale reimagining and be mad it isn’t Tolkien, but personally, whenever I want to read Tolkien, I just go pick up some fucking Tolkien. And I know everyone loves pretending to be the insufferable Simon Cowell of this site, I’m begging some of you to try meeting a book where it’s at, especially if you’re going to spend a dozen paragraphs tearing it down. Even more so when using the same stale, boilerplate (and honestly, kind of sexist) critiques of young, female protagonists. I don’t turn on the Real Housewives and get mad when it’s not Succession. So if you’re looking for more mature characters or writing styles, then move to a different section of the library or book store. Sophisticated writing isn’t limited to one age group or genre, but if your standard for what’s “good” or not depends on abandoning certain genre conventions or not being on BookTok, then I wouldn’t really trust your recommendations in the first place.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with no longer connecting to YA, but what continues to irritate me are the grown-ass adults who read YA, complain about how much they hate it, then continue to read it. I can’t relate to the desire to seek out something I know I won’t like just to shit on it, but it’s telling how often this is directed at the interests of teenage girls, specifically. It’s also funny how often those ‘critiques’ end up using some of the same tropes that they’re criticizing—we get it, you’re Not Like Other [teenage] Girls™. I keep coming back to this quote by Bonnie Burstow, but the inverse of it:
“Often father and daughter look down on mother (woman) together…They agree that she is not bright as they are, cannot reason as they do. This collusion does not save the daughter from the mother’s fate.”
This mockery does not change that most adult women were once those teen girls, and they too had their interests, thoughts and enthusiasm dismissed. Some teenagers won’t like it, sure, but a lot will, and I’m failing to see benefit of making sweeping statements on behalf of an entire demographic because you personally didn’t connect to the story. The adaptation has cast Millie Bobby Brown in the lead, and—surprise—she is also a teenager. Given her star-status and relationship with Netflix, it’s safe to say that if she wasn’t really excited about the story, she wouldn’t have taken on the project.
So please work through this thought experiment with me—what seems the more likely scenario, that the market for fantastical coming-of-age stories where a young woman rejects societal expectations and learns to fight her own battles has suddenly dried up….or that you grew out of the target demo and no longer identify with the heroine. It also doesn’t seem a coincidence that those who decry how YA has “gone downhill” recently seem to believe that tipping point occurred right as the genre began to diversify, but I digress.
As for the book itself, I found Elodie to be a refreshing divergence from the ‘damsel in distress’ trope, saving not only herself and her sister, Floria, but those would not lift a finger in her defense. And though Elodie’s agency is what dooms her initially, it’s also the thing that’s forged her into the person who can survive harsh conditions and solve impossible problems.
This book knows the tropes it’s playing into, and I think some early readers are missing that self-awareness. It subverts other popular fairy tale standbys like the ‘wicked stepmother’, ‘prince charming’ and ‘slaying the dragon’. But the real love story in Damsel is the one between Elodie and Floria, their bond as sisters propelling them through even the most impossible circumstances. The antidote to their world’s coldness is the recurring strength of familial love, which is echoed in several other relationships within the story. Even in countries like Aurea and Inophe where there is some level of gender equality, society still treats young women and girls as both disposable and interchangeable, and a character like Elodie is a direct challenge to that belief system. (I’m suddenly realizing why some reviewers don’t like her)
The story’s least interesting aspect is the dragon language and its cataloguing, which did not need to be as in depth as it was. Elodie’s action sequences and quiet moments of contemplation would have been a better use of that space, though it’s clear the author is very proud of the work she put in to the language’s mechanics. And while the ending on the whole was triumphant, it was a little rushed and could have used some clarification and elaboration. Though not explicitly defined, the few known rules in Aurea’s magic system are repeated enough to where they can be accepted by readers without too much explanation. Some authors use magic as a means to tell a story, as opposed to being the story. So while those details may make the world richer, as a character-driven adventure fantasy, Damsel builds its foundations on its characters’ arcs and relationships.
**For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
November 5, 2022
I have nothing positive to say about this book, that started so promising but soon became a chore to read, so I'll be brief and to the point: it's very YA, and traditional and tropey at that.
This is about a duke's daughter from a drought-stricken duchy called Inophe that is married off to the crown prince of Aurea to save her people from famine and worse hardships, but that, on arriving to the isle and marrying the charming prince, finds out there's a dark secret she was not expecting. As a consequence of decisions taken long ago, the Aurean kingdom owes its prosperity to questionable practices that will have Elodie facing a dragon. She's supposed to kiss life goodbye then but manages to do what no damsel has done before, saving the day for herself and everyone.
So far, so good, doesn't it sound so? But where is the difference, the uniqueness and the breaking of new ground the blurb promised, I have to ask? Elodie is a typical YA heroine, and a special snowflake that does everything right where no man can do right, including her stupid father. She acts and talks like your average YA heroine, with cringey lines such as an all-caps "BURN ME, BITCH!" and is generally so superficially written she is a cardboard cutout of every single YA heroine you've seen everywhere; she reacts to the plot, the plot doesn't move because of her but the reverse, and she has such a generic personality she's easy to forget and hard to relate.
Not even her "taking on" of the dragon is really anything unique or groundbreaking. Maybe it would have decades ago when damsels in distress were all the rage, but now that every YA heroine acts like she doesn't need anyone in the world to save her sorry hide from scrapes she gets into, this is the default trope, actually. I can remember a number of books with this Dragon Sacrifice trope in which the damsel "takes on" the dragon in ways that are really just twists in which it's revealed the dragon isn't really a bad fellow or, like here, resorting to a trick a male dragonslayer has used and writing a female in his place. If you think Elodie's solution to the dragon is so unique, you need to read more mythology. Perseus and Medusa, anyone?
And if it weren't enough, the revelation about how she "takes on" the dragon (I don't think this is a fair way to put it, since Elodie didn't go for the dragon and was forced to) is so very convenient, done at the last moment with little build-up, and melodramatically executed so it interrupts a wedding, allows Elodie to give some dramatic speech, and crowns her as this overpowered saviour of a world that's so poorly built it's not even developed as a place that feels lived in and rich but a Fantasy copypasta of several European countries, mostly England. And don't even let me started on the 800 uninterrupted years of dragon sacrifice that didn't lead to rebellions or trouble and that somehow stayed a mystery for near a millennia until Princess Special Snowflake could break the streak with the help of, you know, magic, because magic is the new Deus ex Machina.
But the thing that really bothered me early on was the invented language. I appreciate the creativity that goes into inventing a fictional language, it's truly a work of art, and there's fictional languages out there that have a deserved cult following, such as Tolkien's Elvish. But this? The language used here is incredibly crude to the point it's likely to sound laughable to a speaker of any of the languages it's based on. To me, it was so like a butchered amalgamation of French, Italian, and Latin with some nonsensical sounds that when I sounded them out loud they rang like a drowning Dothraki. It's so crudely done it's annoying, and also very childish. If they thought we'd not notice how lazy it is, too, then they underestimated the audience. To a native speaker of any of these languages, it'll be obvious that it's merely changing some letters and calling it a "new" language. As if writing "merdú" and "vorrai" would fool anyone that it's anything but merda and vorrei (in Italian).
Chopping up words from a given language and giving it new vowels and endings doesn't make a new language. Stringing together grating sounds and slapping the grammar rules of a existing language on them doesn't make a new language. It's simply letting your child play Scramble while pretending it's somehow as genius as Tolkien. And I'm sorry, but this isn't Quenya, isn't Klingon, isn't Valyrian, and isn't Dothraki. It's an amorphous blob and the creator is not the new Tolkien. Leave the creation of fictional languages to people who actually know how to create them, and don't drag your child's hobby into a novel because you think it's cute.
I'd imagine Netflix want to hop on the dragon bandwagon started by GOT and House of the Dragon, but they could've done better than this. Not recommended.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is about a duke's daughter from a drought-stricken duchy called Inophe that is married off to the crown prince of Aurea to save her people from famine and worse hardships, but that, on arriving to the isle and marrying the charming prince, finds out there's a dark secret she was not expecting. As a consequence of decisions taken long ago, the Aurean kingdom owes its prosperity to questionable practices that will have Elodie facing a dragon. She's supposed to kiss life goodbye then but manages to do what no damsel has done before, saving the day for herself and everyone.
So far, so good, doesn't it sound so? But where is the difference, the uniqueness and the breaking of new ground the blurb promised, I have to ask? Elodie is a typical YA heroine, and a special snowflake that does everything right where no man can do right, including her stupid father. She acts and talks like your average YA heroine, with cringey lines such as an all-caps "BURN ME, BITCH!" and is generally so superficially written she is a cardboard cutout of every single YA heroine you've seen everywhere; she reacts to the plot, the plot doesn't move because of her but the reverse, and she has such a generic personality she's easy to forget and hard to relate.
Not even her "taking on" of the dragon is really anything unique or groundbreaking. Maybe it would have decades ago when damsels in distress were all the rage, but now that every YA heroine acts like she doesn't need anyone in the world to save her sorry hide from scrapes she gets into, this is the default trope, actually. I can remember a number of books with this Dragon Sacrifice trope in which the damsel "takes on" the dragon in ways that are really just twists in which it's revealed the dragon isn't really a bad fellow or, like here, resorting to a trick a male dragonslayer has used and writing a female in his place. If you think Elodie's solution to the dragon is so unique, you need to read more mythology. Perseus and Medusa, anyone?
And if it weren't enough, the revelation about how she "takes on" the dragon (I don't think this is a fair way to put it, since Elodie didn't go for the dragon and was forced to) is so very convenient, done at the last moment with little build-up, and melodramatically executed so it interrupts a wedding, allows Elodie to give some dramatic speech, and crowns her as this overpowered saviour of a world that's so poorly built it's not even developed as a place that feels lived in and rich but a Fantasy copypasta of several European countries, mostly England. And don't even let me started on the 800 uninterrupted years of dragon sacrifice that didn't lead to rebellions or trouble and that somehow stayed a mystery for near a millennia until Princess Special Snowflake could break the streak with the help of, you know, magic, because magic is the new Deus ex Machina.
But the thing that really bothered me early on was the invented language. I appreciate the creativity that goes into inventing a fictional language, it's truly a work of art, and there's fictional languages out there that have a deserved cult following, such as Tolkien's Elvish. But this? The language used here is incredibly crude to the point it's likely to sound laughable to a speaker of any of the languages it's based on. To me, it was so like a butchered amalgamation of French, Italian, and Latin with some nonsensical sounds that when I sounded them out loud they rang like a drowning Dothraki. It's so crudely done it's annoying, and also very childish. If they thought we'd not notice how lazy it is, too, then they underestimated the audience. To a native speaker of any of these languages, it'll be obvious that it's merely changing some letters and calling it a "new" language. As if writing "merdú" and "vorrai" would fool anyone that it's anything but merda and vorrei (in Italian).
Chopping up words from a given language and giving it new vowels and endings doesn't make a new language. Stringing together grating sounds and slapping the grammar rules of a existing language on them doesn't make a new language. It's simply letting your child play Scramble while pretending it's somehow as genius as Tolkien. And I'm sorry, but this isn't Quenya, isn't Klingon, isn't Valyrian, and isn't Dothraki. It's an amorphous blob and the creator is not the new Tolkien. Leave the creation of fictional languages to people who actually know how to create them, and don't drag your child's hobby into a novel because you think it's cute.
I'd imagine Netflix want to hop on the dragon bandwagon started by GOT and House of the Dragon, but they could've done better than this. Not recommended.
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 3, 2024
I requested this for the beautiful cover months and months ago before coming to the conclusion that I cannot trust a book by its cover. Should I make a dating analogy? No?
I won't go into it too much, but know this. I should've trusted A Mac and Marquise. They clearly know me better than I know myself.
YA fantasy. Dragons. Boring leads. Where have we read that recently? Anyway, this is not for me. My to-review backlog is literally haunting me at this point, so if you see me slogging through some similar books soon, no you didn't.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds
I won't go into it too much, but know this. I should've trusted A Mac and Marquise. They clearly know me better than I know myself.
YA fantasy. Dragons. Boring leads. Where have we read that recently? Anyway, this is not for me. My to-review backlog is literally haunting me at this point, so if you see me slogging through some similar books soon, no you didn't.
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Worlds
March 28, 2024
Everyone knows the tale of the princess saved from the dragon by the brave and handsome prince who slays the beast. But what if the prince is actually the one who put her in such a predicament in the first place and she must slay the dragon herself, or die trying? This twist on the classic fantasy story endeavours to enlighten you.
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
20-year-old Lady Elodie Bayford of Inophe, daughter of a Duke, is betrothed to marry Crown Prince Henry of the kingdom of Aurea, an arrangement recently acquired to save her people from starvation though as a bonus she has always yearned to travel outwith her land. Eight months after exchanging letters, she is presented to him, King Rodrick, and Queen Isabelle. She spends time with Henry and likes him very much.
After the wedding ceremony, wherein her blood is mingled with Henry’s to make her of royal blood, Elodie is taken to Mount Khaevis to perform a sacred ritual all newly wedded princesses do. All is strange but going well until her beloved Henry hurls her into the caverns and tunnels below, inhabited by a fierce dragon.
Left to be slaughtered, afraid, alone and claustrophobic, Elodie soon discovers she is not the only princess to have been slung down here. Eight centuries ago, Aurea pledged to the dragon that they would sacrifice three princesses every year so the dragon would leave them in peace or else it would destroy them all. How will Elodie ever get back to her family? And who is the mysterious “V” who has left messages on the walls?
This is written from a past-tense third-person POV, the majority of it from Elodie’s perspective, but there are a few chapters from the POVs of Elodie’s sister Floria, their stepmother Lucinda, Queen Isabelle, Victoria one of the first princesses, Alexandra, Henry and even Khaevis (the dragon).
OVERALL OPINIONS
A few nights ago, I watched Netflix’s recent film “Damsel”, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and of course the incredible Shohreh Aghdashloo who voices the dragon. The moment I heard the dragon’s voice I got goosebumps (listening to her through headphones? Bad idea, I got so scared)! Anyway, I wondered if there was a book it was based on and looked it up, turned out it was the other way around: this book is based on the screenplay for the film and came out last year.
With the film and my thoughts of it fresh in my mind, I decided to read this. I love retellings and I love dragons so I knew I would enjoy it. As a young adult book, therefore aimed at teenagers, it was a great little read, rather quick, expanding on existing scenes and building depth through new scenes. I feel that, much like the film, if I had been younger I would have loved it even more. It was reasonably similar so I could tell exactly what point we were at in relation to the film, and of course had quotes straight from the film that was nice to see.
It also answered a lot of the questions I had from watching the film:
• Q: How many centuries ago was the deal with the dragon meant to have been? A: 8 centuries.
• Q:How long were Elodie and her family out at sea? A: Weeks, because the Aurean ships are quicker (had it been their own fleet, it would have taken months).
• Q:What is the significance of Victoria, was she just one of the cleverer princesses? A: While it is not known in the film, Victoria in the book is one of the first princesses sacrificed to the dragon, and she is determined to leave clues to help future princesses if she fails.
• Q:How is Elodie not freezing to death in the mountain? A: Most of the mountain is still part of an active volcano and the floor in particular in the Safe Cave is roasting because of the thermal vents, meaning that she cannot stay in the Safe Cave for too long as she will dehydrate.
Unfortunately, the book also created questions such as: why can Elodie, upon touching bloodstains of previous princesses, receive visions – especially before she is even married? Why is it only women who have this gift? How was Queen Isabelle spared by the King? Why does the mixing of her blood and dragon’s mean that she is now “kin” and can transform?
I understood the changes that were made (see the section below for a full list of differences between the book and the film), but I preferred the film ending to the book’s. I mean, suddenly Elodie is queen and can transform into a dragon? I don’t know, that idea felt very random.
ㅤ writing
Is the story cliché and predictable? Yes, of course. Did that take anything away from it? No, not at all! I would say the story lacks emotion at times, the feelings are touched upon but not delved into. One such example of this was Queen Isabelle and her relationship with her husband King Rodrik. We are told that she was one of the previous princesses chosen for sacrifice but instead, King Rodrik spared her. The author notes in more detail elsewhere that this is because he fell in love with her and decided to marry her. It is told in a matter-of-fact way, which could be argued is because it is based on the screenplay. Having never read Evelyn’s work before, I am not sure if this is her writing style.
Writing from various points of view can be difficult but it was done effectively here. Some perspectives were there to add more mystery, others were to reveal things. I especially liked the plot-twist that Victoria is responsible for a lot of the things happening in the book, but she is not a proper villain either. Her family was exiled from their home Talis due to earthquakes and infestations so they searched for new land. Aurea was perfect, uninhabited - save by the dragon. Her father was the one who sent out knights to kill it. All the knights die, and Victoria begs the dragon for forgiveness, saying they will do anything to live in peace. The dragon takes advantage of this and says she will have all three sisters, and three women every year thereafter. If they do not, come three days, the dragon will destroy them all. Victoria made a mistake but only wanted what was best for her people.
It was interesting to see the perspectives of Queen Isabelle, who is very reluctant to go through with the ceremonies but again like Victoria is doing so for the good of the people, and a new character Alexandra Ravella, a royal envoy responsible for selecting the future princesses, or rather, victims who is burdened by guilt and redeems herself by aiding in the attempt to rescue Elodie from the mountain.
The best parts had to be the bond that Elodie and Floria share as sisters and the eventual love between them and their stepmother. Elodie and Floria have sweet conversations that remind me of the things my sister and I talk about or do together. Elodie after escaping the mountain goes back to save Floria from the dragon, and it is very sweet and heroic the lengths she will go to protect her sister. It is nice at the end that Elodie refers to her stepmother Lucinda as “mama”.
ORIGINS OF THE “DAMSEL IN DISTRESS” TROPE
🠚 The earliest examples of tales with damsels in distress are from Greek mythology, with Perseus encountering Princess Andromeda of Aethiopia helplessly chained to the rocks, awaiting death by the sea monster Cetus (often depicted as a serpent or dragon). Perseus immediately is besotted with her beauty and slays the monster, and they then wed – not of course without some family drama and people being turned to stone over it, as per the norm of Greek myths. Another example from Greek mythology is Hercules rescuing Princess Hesione of Troy from another sea monster.
🠚 In Japanese mythology, Susano-o rescues the princess Kushinada-hime in the legend of Yamata no Orochi the eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon. This dragon demanded each year one of an elderly couple’s eight daughters. They are now down to their last child, Kushinada-hime and the dragon will come for her soon. The storm God, Susano-o, was cast out of heaven and sent down to Mount Torikama where the elderly couple, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, are. He marries Kushinada-hime in exchange for slaying the dragon, thus redeeming himself and allowed back into heaven.
🠚 In European mythology, there is the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon resides in a lake terrorising the village and to appease it, the people begin offering their livestock as sacrifice. Soon, the sheep are gone so the dragon demands people, mainly women and children, who were chosen by lottery. One day, the local princess is chosen. George of Lydda is passing by on his travels when he discovers all this, and decides to slay the dragon so the princess is safe.
INSPIRATION
<< Myths >>
From the myths above, it can be seen that this book is similar to:
🠚 The legend of Yamata no Orochi
ㅤ• the dragon demands the sacrifice of the couple’s daughters until the dragon’s defeat breaks the cycle (this is how the pact with the dragon is made via Victoria’s family, sacrificing their daughters and future generations of women)
🠚 Saint George and the Dragon
ㅤ• the people offer sacrifices to the dragon in an attempt to appease it, and the dragon demands further sacrifice of women and children (Victoria’s parents sacrifice their daughters to the dragon)
ㅤ• the Princess is chosen as a sacrifice and is reluctant about it (Elodie is chosen and once she realises wants nothing to do with it)
<< Tolkien >>
• Elodie talking to the dragon reminds me of Bilbo talking to Smaug (this book and the descriptions remind me of Tolkien) take this example:
• “a single loaf of bread made from aurum flour contains all the nutrients a person would need for an entire day.” – reminds me of Tolkien’s elven bread
• the songs sung in this reminded me of something Tolkien would write
• “If you cannot do it, Elodie, no one can.” | “You are a ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. The task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will.”
• the dragon descending upon the town is akin to Smaug soaring to attack Lake-town
<< Harry Potter >>
• “Neither of us shall live without the other. -the dragon in Damsel | “Neither can live while the other survives” -the prophecy in Harry Potter.
THEMES
All the themes are a twist on the stereotypical idea
• Damsel in distress – a damsel, yes, but certainly not in distress
• Evil stepmother – Elodie and Floria’s stepmother Lucinda Bayford is the opposite of this, being a very kind and concerned stepmother.
• Prince Charming – Prince, yes, but his charm is only at face-value, he is actually very cruel and bitter
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THE FILM
• Elodie climbs trees and rigging which accounts for some of her abilities in the mountain, whereas in the film all she does is chops wood
• Elodie has claustrophobia in the book, meaning the whole ordeal is even more terrifying for her
• King Rodrik in the book is ill, distant, and has bad episodes reliving “the memories of princesses he had married when he was younger, and the ceremonies tossing them to their doom.”
• the dragon has its own language unlike in the film where it speaks English
• the dragon has violet eyes and does not have a gender in the book, it’s a female in the film
• every time book Elodie touches the bloodstains of one of the previous princesses, she gets visions
• Henry's demeanour is different, a "heart was made of cold iron", a lot harsher and unkinder than film Henry who is far more reluctant about the whole thing (and even tries to intervene when Floria is taken to Mount Khaevis). I see why it was done because it is to show that “prince charming” is not as charming as all that.
• the Queen, Isabelle, in the book is the more reluctant one. Again, I prefer the film version.
• there is a swallow that helps her in the book
• Victoria at first is someone whom Elodie trusts and follows her trails, but then there is the big plot twist that she is the very same person who put everyone in this predicament (whereas Victoria is simply one of the smarter princesses in the film where not much is known about her but she leaves a trail too). I liked this plot twist, but I also liked the film’s idea of the King being the evil one instead, killing the dragon’s three babies so it wants the three daughters. I think if these plots had become combined in some way that would have been even better.
• Lord Bayford, Elodie's father, in the book is burned alive. In the film, he is mortally wounded by her talons stabbing him (in the book this "death" is given to Elodie, though stabbed in the back rather than the front) and they can properly say goodbye.
• instead of Elodie cutting off her hair to set on fire and using a sandbag to topple the amour in the film (a very complicated scenario for a distraction), she props a shield on one end of a makeshift scale and the waterskin on the other, piercing a hole in it with her father’s sword
• the dragon’s babies were stillborn in the book, not slaughtered by the King in the film
• the dragon had a mother in the book, poisoned by Victoria
• the dragon believes her blood will bring back dragons in the book
• Elodie eats the glowworms as insurance
• Elodie kills the dragon which then “kills” Elodie, something which does not happen in the film. In the film, the dragon begs Elodie to kill her and she decides to heal her instead
• book Elodie, having merged her blood with the dragon’s, is now able to transform into a dragon herself
• Henry survives at the end as he flees the castle before it is set ablaze, unlike in the film
FAVOURITE QUOTES
• She had, unfortunately, a gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. When faced with social interaction, especially the expectation that she say something, Elodie seized up
• Never let it be said that women's fashion is merely shallow decoration.
• Even the most predictable life can gift you with the unexpected.
• “Life in Aurea is like a pond at sunrise, serene and reflecting golden light. You’ll break it if you throw rocks in the water.” “But what if I like throwing rocks?”
• “I thought dragons were just supposed to be stories,” Elodie whispered.
“Erra terin u farris. I am the *end* of stories.”
• For in this cave, Elodie was not alone. There was a sisterhood here, and a belief that even though their lives spanned centuries, they were still stronger together.
• Perhaps the dragons were terrible. Perhaps humans were. Or perhaps they were all the same, only doing the best they could in an imperfect world.
“I will get you, princess,” the dragon rasped. “Like all the ones before.”
“I am not just one of the many! My name is Elodie!” she shouted. “And the other princesses had names, too. Beatrice! Amira! Charlene! Fatima! Audrey! Rashmi! Yoojin!” She yelled all the names carved in the Safe Cave wall. “You will remember them! You will respect them!”
[ Contains some spoilers ]
PLOT SUMMARY
20-year-old Lady Elodie Bayford of Inophe, daughter of a Duke, is betrothed to marry Crown Prince Henry of the kingdom of Aurea, an arrangement recently acquired to save her people from starvation though as a bonus she has always yearned to travel outwith her land. Eight months after exchanging letters, she is presented to him, King Rodrick, and Queen Isabelle. She spends time with Henry and likes him very much.
After the wedding ceremony, wherein her blood is mingled with Henry’s to make her of royal blood, Elodie is taken to Mount Khaevis to perform a sacred ritual all newly wedded princesses do. All is strange but going well until her beloved Henry hurls her into the caverns and tunnels below, inhabited by a fierce dragon.
Left to be slaughtered, afraid, alone and claustrophobic, Elodie soon discovers she is not the only princess to have been slung down here. Eight centuries ago, Aurea pledged to the dragon that they would sacrifice three princesses every year so the dragon would leave them in peace or else it would destroy them all. How will Elodie ever get back to her family? And who is the mysterious “V” who has left messages on the walls?
This is written from a past-tense third-person POV, the majority of it from Elodie’s perspective, but there are a few chapters from the POVs of Elodie’s sister Floria, their stepmother Lucinda, Queen Isabelle, Victoria one of the first princesses, Alexandra, Henry and even Khaevis (the dragon).
OVERALL OPINIONS
A few nights ago, I watched Netflix’s recent film “Damsel”, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and of course the incredible Shohreh Aghdashloo who voices the dragon. The moment I heard the dragon’s voice I got goosebumps (listening to her through headphones? Bad idea, I got so scared)! Anyway, I wondered if there was a book it was based on and looked it up, turned out it was the other way around: this book is based on the screenplay for the film and came out last year.
With the film and my thoughts of it fresh in my mind, I decided to read this. I love retellings and I love dragons so I knew I would enjoy it. As a young adult book, therefore aimed at teenagers, it was a great little read, rather quick, expanding on existing scenes and building depth through new scenes. I feel that, much like the film, if I had been younger I would have loved it even more. It was reasonably similar so I could tell exactly what point we were at in relation to the film, and of course had quotes straight from the film that was nice to see.
It also answered a lot of the questions I had from watching the film:
• Q: How many centuries ago was the deal with the dragon meant to have been? A: 8 centuries.
• Q:How long were Elodie and her family out at sea? A: Weeks, because the Aurean ships are quicker (had it been their own fleet, it would have taken months).
• Q:What is the significance of Victoria, was she just one of the cleverer princesses? A: While it is not known in the film, Victoria in the book is one of the first princesses sacrificed to the dragon, and she is determined to leave clues to help future princesses if she fails.
• Q:How is Elodie not freezing to death in the mountain? A: Most of the mountain is still part of an active volcano and the floor in particular in the Safe Cave is roasting because of the thermal vents, meaning that she cannot stay in the Safe Cave for too long as she will dehydrate.
Unfortunately, the book also created questions such as: why can Elodie, upon touching bloodstains of previous princesses, receive visions – especially before she is even married? Why is it only women who have this gift? How was Queen Isabelle spared by the King? Why does the mixing of her blood and dragon’s mean that she is now “kin” and can transform?
I understood the changes that were made (see the section below for a full list of differences between the book and the film), but I preferred the film ending to the book’s. I mean, suddenly Elodie is queen and can transform into a dragon? I don’t know, that idea felt very random.
ㅤ writing
Is the story cliché and predictable? Yes, of course. Did that take anything away from it? No, not at all! I would say the story lacks emotion at times, the feelings are touched upon but not delved into. One such example of this was Queen Isabelle and her relationship with her husband King Rodrik. We are told that she was one of the previous princesses chosen for sacrifice but instead, King Rodrik spared her. The author notes in more detail elsewhere that this is because he fell in love with her and decided to marry her. It is told in a matter-of-fact way, which could be argued is because it is based on the screenplay. Having never read Evelyn’s work before, I am not sure if this is her writing style.
Writing from various points of view can be difficult but it was done effectively here. Some perspectives were there to add more mystery, others were to reveal things. I especially liked the plot-twist that Victoria is responsible for a lot of the things happening in the book, but she is not a proper villain either. Her family was exiled from their home Talis due to earthquakes and infestations so they searched for new land. Aurea was perfect, uninhabited - save by the dragon. Her father was the one who sent out knights to kill it. All the knights die, and Victoria begs the dragon for forgiveness, saying they will do anything to live in peace. The dragon takes advantage of this and says she will have all three sisters, and three women every year thereafter. If they do not, come three days, the dragon will destroy them all. Victoria made a mistake but only wanted what was best for her people.
It was interesting to see the perspectives of Queen Isabelle, who is very reluctant to go through with the ceremonies but again like Victoria is doing so for the good of the people, and a new character Alexandra Ravella, a royal envoy responsible for selecting the future princesses, or rather, victims who is burdened by guilt and redeems herself by aiding in the attempt to rescue Elodie from the mountain.
The best parts had to be the bond that Elodie and Floria share as sisters and the eventual love between them and their stepmother. Elodie and Floria have sweet conversations that remind me of the things my sister and I talk about or do together. Elodie after escaping the mountain goes back to save Floria from the dragon, and it is very sweet and heroic the lengths she will go to protect her sister. It is nice at the end that Elodie refers to her stepmother Lucinda as “mama”.
ORIGINS OF THE “DAMSEL IN DISTRESS” TROPE
🠚 The earliest examples of tales with damsels in distress are from Greek mythology, with Perseus encountering Princess Andromeda of Aethiopia helplessly chained to the rocks, awaiting death by the sea monster Cetus (often depicted as a serpent or dragon). Perseus immediately is besotted with her beauty and slays the monster, and they then wed – not of course without some family drama and people being turned to stone over it, as per the norm of Greek myths. Another example from Greek mythology is Hercules rescuing Princess Hesione of Troy from another sea monster.
🠚 In Japanese mythology, Susano-o rescues the princess Kushinada-hime in the legend of Yamata no Orochi the eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon. This dragon demanded each year one of an elderly couple’s eight daughters. They are now down to their last child, Kushinada-hime and the dragon will come for her soon. The storm God, Susano-o, was cast out of heaven and sent down to Mount Torikama where the elderly couple, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, are. He marries Kushinada-hime in exchange for slaying the dragon, thus redeeming himself and allowed back into heaven.
🠚 In European mythology, there is the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon resides in a lake terrorising the village and to appease it, the people begin offering their livestock as sacrifice. Soon, the sheep are gone so the dragon demands people, mainly women and children, who were chosen by lottery. One day, the local princess is chosen. George of Lydda is passing by on his travels when he discovers all this, and decides to slay the dragon so the princess is safe.
INSPIRATION
<< Myths >>
From the myths above, it can be seen that this book is similar to:
🠚 The legend of Yamata no Orochi
ㅤ• the dragon demands the sacrifice of the couple’s daughters until the dragon’s defeat breaks the cycle (this is how the pact with the dragon is made via Victoria’s family, sacrificing their daughters and future generations of women)
🠚 Saint George and the Dragon
ㅤ• the people offer sacrifices to the dragon in an attempt to appease it, and the dragon demands further sacrifice of women and children (Victoria’s parents sacrifice their daughters to the dragon)
ㅤ• the Princess is chosen as a sacrifice and is reluctant about it (Elodie is chosen and once she realises wants nothing to do with it)
<< Tolkien >>
• Elodie talking to the dragon reminds me of Bilbo talking to Smaug (this book and the descriptions remind me of Tolkien) take this example:
“Nythoserrai vinirre. Visirrai se.”• having a whole creation and structure of the dragon language was excellent. It reminds me of what Tolkien did with his languages. It is lovely that it is Evelyn Skye’s 13-year-old daughter Reese who made it so I appreciate it even more (conveniently, this is the same age as Floria in the book, and coincidentally the same age as Tolkien when he made up his first language)
Elodie snorted. “I am very well aware that I can fall.”
The dragon hissed in surprise. “How do you understand Khaevis Ventvis? My tongue?”
“I am a clever one, remember? Syrrif drae, you said. I listened to you, and I learned.”
• “a single loaf of bread made from aurum flour contains all the nutrients a person would need for an entire day.” – reminds me of Tolkien’s elven bread
• the songs sung in this reminded me of something Tolkien would write
• “If you cannot do it, Elodie, no one can.” | “You are a ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. The task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will.”
• the dragon descending upon the town is akin to Smaug soaring to attack Lake-town
<< Harry Potter >>
• “Neither of us shall live without the other. -the dragon in Damsel | “Neither can live while the other survives” -the prophecy in Harry Potter.
THEMES
All the themes are a twist on the stereotypical idea
• Damsel in distress – a damsel, yes, but certainly not in distress
• Evil stepmother – Elodie and Floria’s stepmother Lucinda Bayford is the opposite of this, being a very kind and concerned stepmother.
• Prince Charming – Prince, yes, but his charm is only at face-value, he is actually very cruel and bitter
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THE FILM
• Elodie climbs trees and rigging which accounts for some of her abilities in the mountain, whereas in the film all she does is chops wood
• Elodie has claustrophobia in the book, meaning the whole ordeal is even more terrifying for her
• King Rodrik in the book is ill, distant, and has bad episodes reliving “the memories of princesses he had married when he was younger, and the ceremonies tossing them to their doom.”
• the dragon has its own language unlike in the film where it speaks English
• the dragon has violet eyes and does not have a gender in the book, it’s a female in the film
• every time book Elodie touches the bloodstains of one of the previous princesses, she gets visions
• Henry's demeanour is different, a "heart was made of cold iron", a lot harsher and unkinder than film Henry who is far more reluctant about the whole thing (and even tries to intervene when Floria is taken to Mount Khaevis). I see why it was done because it is to show that “prince charming” is not as charming as all that.
• the Queen, Isabelle, in the book is the more reluctant one. Again, I prefer the film version.
• there is a swallow that helps her in the book
• Victoria at first is someone whom Elodie trusts and follows her trails, but then there is the big plot twist that she is the very same person who put everyone in this predicament (whereas Victoria is simply one of the smarter princesses in the film where not much is known about her but she leaves a trail too). I liked this plot twist, but I also liked the film’s idea of the King being the evil one instead, killing the dragon’s three babies so it wants the three daughters. I think if these plots had become combined in some way that would have been even better.
• Lord Bayford, Elodie's father, in the book is burned alive. In the film, he is mortally wounded by her talons stabbing him (in the book this "death" is given to Elodie, though stabbed in the back rather than the front) and they can properly say goodbye.
• instead of Elodie cutting off her hair to set on fire and using a sandbag to topple the amour in the film (a very complicated scenario for a distraction), she props a shield on one end of a makeshift scale and the waterskin on the other, piercing a hole in it with her father’s sword
• the dragon’s babies were stillborn in the book, not slaughtered by the King in the film
• the dragon had a mother in the book, poisoned by Victoria
• the dragon believes her blood will bring back dragons in the book
• Elodie eats the glowworms as insurance
• Elodie kills the dragon which then “kills” Elodie, something which does not happen in the film. In the film, the dragon begs Elodie to kill her and she decides to heal her instead
• book Elodie, having merged her blood with the dragon’s, is now able to transform into a dragon herself
• Henry survives at the end as he flees the castle before it is set ablaze, unlike in the film
FAVOURITE QUOTES
• She had, unfortunately, a gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. When faced with social interaction, especially the expectation that she say something, Elodie seized up
• Never let it be said that women's fashion is merely shallow decoration.
• Even the most predictable life can gift you with the unexpected.
• “Life in Aurea is like a pond at sunrise, serene and reflecting golden light. You’ll break it if you throw rocks in the water.” “But what if I like throwing rocks?”
• “I thought dragons were just supposed to be stories,” Elodie whispered.
“Erra terin u farris. I am the *end* of stories.”
• For in this cave, Elodie was not alone. There was a sisterhood here, and a belief that even though their lives spanned centuries, they were still stronger together.
• Perhaps the dragons were terrible. Perhaps humans were. Or perhaps they were all the same, only doing the best they could in an imperfect world.
December 21, 2022
I love a good damsel-chained-to-a-rock-refuses-to-be-eaten story (I've written one or two myself!), and so this book was extremely my jam! I went in prepared to be skeptical: I have a high bar for dragon stories, I have a high bar for tough princess stories. But this was glorious. I loved everything about our "damsel," who at first came off as a little too self-sacrificing, but then that ferocious love and loyalty became her strength and driving force. The dragon- speaking its own language, no less!- was wonderfully strange and terrifying. I enjoyed the contrast of how pampered and luxurious Elodie's life in the palace was, compared to her ordeal in the dragon's caves. The sense of despair, hunger, pain was so sharp, I was wincing! And kept thinking, man I bet a bath would feel amazing right about now . . .
I was also concerned from the beginning about whether the ending would deliver, and what it would deliver. Would it be tragic? Romantic? Excessively violent? I will not spoil anything, I will only say: it surprised me, and I loved it.
When I had first heard about the movie, I was like, Oh, that sounds fun. But now I can't stop thinking, I wonder how that scene will look . . . I wonder what the costumes are going to be like . . . Who did they cast as so-and-so . . .
I was also concerned from the beginning about whether the ending would deliver, and what it would deliver. Would it be tragic? Romantic? Excessively violent? I will not spoil anything, I will only say: it surprised me, and I loved it.
When I had first heard about the movie, I was like, Oh, that sounds fun. But now I can't stop thinking, I wonder how that scene will look . . . I wonder what the costumes are going to be like . . . Who did they cast as so-and-so . . .
January 14, 2023
There are certain aspects of the story that I really liked. I love the relationship between Elodie and her sister Floria. They have such a lovely connection, and that never wavered. I also like how Elodie and Floria’s relationship with their stepmother Lucinda grew and changed. They all have big realizations about their bond once thrust into a life-or-death situation.
There are also some great messages throughout the story, and the plot is very fast-paced and suspenseful. It’s engrossing and high-stakes, and I was really interested in seeing how Elodie would be able to save herself from the dragon because it was pretty clear no one was going to help her.
Elodie does receive help in places where she least expects it. The story includes many chapters from the points of view of princesses who came before her. These chapters reveal what happened to them after they were sacrificed to the same dragon, and they offer a bit more detail into the history of the kingdom.
However, the story very much reads like a screenplay, which makes sense since it started as a screenplay. There were A LOT of plot holes, and I found myself having more questions than answers when I finished the story. I also felt like the story lacked development. I think that’s why I had so many questions. Everything felt very surface level, and I wanted more – more character and relationship development, more world-building, more…everything.
The story feels like it was written for a younger audience, minus the scenes that brought up Elodie’s sexual experience and excitement to be intimate with the prince. Those scenes felt out of place contextually in comparison to the rest of the story and made me wonder who the story was geared toward.
On a bright note, I do think this will transition well to film, and I read the Millie Bobbie Brown is starring in it alongside Angela Bassett and Robin Wright (Yay Princess Buttercup!). I’m intrigued! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
There are also some great messages throughout the story, and the plot is very fast-paced and suspenseful. It’s engrossing and high-stakes, and I was really interested in seeing how Elodie would be able to save herself from the dragon because it was pretty clear no one was going to help her.
Elodie does receive help in places where she least expects it. The story includes many chapters from the points of view of princesses who came before her. These chapters reveal what happened to them after they were sacrificed to the same dragon, and they offer a bit more detail into the history of the kingdom.
However, the story very much reads like a screenplay, which makes sense since it started as a screenplay. There were A LOT of plot holes, and I found myself having more questions than answers when I finished the story. I also felt like the story lacked development. I think that’s why I had so many questions. Everything felt very surface level, and I wanted more – more character and relationship development, more world-building, more…everything.
The story feels like it was written for a younger audience, minus the scenes that brought up Elodie’s sexual experience and excitement to be intimate with the prince. Those scenes felt out of place contextually in comparison to the rest of the story and made me wonder who the story was geared toward.
On a bright note, I do think this will transition well to film, and I read the Millie Bobbie Brown is starring in it alongside Angela Bassett and Robin Wright (Yay Princess Buttercup!). I’m intrigued! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
March 27, 2024
This was one wild ride!!! I wasn’t sure what to expect because in my experience, books that come after the movie or even while the movie is in progress, the book hasn’t been all that great. I’m thrilled to report that this book stands wholly on its own. Elodie is our main character and she’s everything I would hope our heroine to be. Brave, kind, loving, and she can stick up for herself.
Without giving too much away, our main character is dumped into a situation that should have killed her, but she rises above it to charge her way to the end of the book. There are exciting scenes, frightening times, and I was sitting at the edge of my seat, dying to know what happened next. This book is nearly unputdownable.
I recommend this to those who enjoy a good fairytale that has princesses and dragons and princes, but where the princes aren’t necessarily the best thing since sliced bread. 😜
Without giving too much away, our main character is dumped into a situation that should have killed her, but she rises above it to charge her way to the end of the book. There are exciting scenes, frightening times, and I was sitting at the edge of my seat, dying to know what happened next. This book is nearly unputdownable.
I recommend this to those who enjoy a good fairytale that has princesses and dragons and princes, but where the princes aren’t necessarily the best thing since sliced bread. 😜
June 14, 2024
4 stars!
Okay, I had really high hopes for this book because of the movie. And you know what? This book delivered. It fulfilled all of my expectations. Honestly the book is better idk why the movie isn’t exactly like this.
I didn’t love the cover because I usually don’t like people on the cover, but Millie Bobby Brown was on it! I love her so much I don’t care about the cover.
Okay I’m getting off track lol
Possibly some spoilers ahead??
Elodie the baddest b**** alive
She was amazing. She was so smart and I love how she survived everything using her wits and quick thinking. They should’ve done so much stuff in the movie. Did you know that Elodie literally taught herself the dragons language? She cared so much for her people and would do anything for them. She asked questions and didn’t let people decide her destiny. And she would do anything for Floria, who I loved too. I liked how she still held a grudge on her dad (may he rest in hell because he knew the whole time) and she dealt with everything perfectly. I just love her sm.
The Plot
This was really messed up. So idk if this is in the movie, but they sacrifice three women EVERY YEAR. And the prince started marrying when he WAS 5.
In the caves you know how she saw all the other sacrificed princesses? Well in the movie they were all crying and feeling sorry for themselves. In the book? The princesses were making sure the future ones knew where everything was, making weapons, all doing something to keep their memories alive.
This book was filled with just plain feminine anger. All of the women would not go down easily, and neither would Elodie. She kept pushing because she knew no one could write her fate.
The dragon was soooo cool tho! And the ending is even better in this!
Final thoughts
I loved this book. A solid 4 stars. I still love the movie, and maybe the book was based off of the original script, but the book will always be the OG for me. <3
Okay, I had really high hopes for this book because of the movie. And you know what? This book delivered. It fulfilled all of my expectations. Honestly the book is better idk why the movie isn’t exactly like this.
I didn’t love the cover because I usually don’t like people on the cover, but Millie Bobby Brown was on it! I love her so much I don’t care about the cover.
Okay I’m getting off track lol
Possibly some spoilers ahead??
Elodie the baddest b**** alive
She was amazing. She was so smart and I love how she survived everything using her wits and quick thinking. They should’ve done so much stuff in the movie. Did you know that Elodie literally taught herself the dragons language? She cared so much for her people and would do anything for them. She asked questions and didn’t let people decide her destiny. And she would do anything for Floria, who I loved too. I liked how she still held a grudge on her dad (may he rest in hell because he knew the whole time) and she dealt with everything perfectly. I just love her sm.
The Plot
This was really messed up. So idk if this is in the movie, but they sacrifice three women EVERY YEAR. And the prince started marrying when he WAS 5.
In the caves you know how she saw all the other sacrificed princesses? Well in the movie they were all crying and feeling sorry for themselves. In the book? The princesses were making sure the future ones knew where everything was, making weapons, all doing something to keep their memories alive.
This book was filled with just plain feminine anger. All of the women would not go down easily, and neither would Elodie. She kept pushing because she knew no one could write her fate.
The dragon was soooo cool tho! And the ending is even better in this!
Final thoughts
I loved this book. A solid 4 stars. I still love the movie, and maybe the book was based off of the original script, but the book will always be the OG for me. <3
July 18, 2024
Absolutely phenomenal I loved the movie but the book was way better even had the dragon speak an ancient language! Must read for dragon lovers. The MC elodie and the dragon were badass 🥰
April 20, 2023
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2023/04/18/...
I loved Evelyn Skye’s Damsel, a collaboration with the writing team behind the screenplay of the upcoming Netflix film of the same name. But as most projects like these are often nebulous about their target audience, your enjoyment will likely depend on whether it’s the right book for you.
First of all, its premise is one that draws inspiration from a timeworn and familiar fantasy trope: a princess, our damsel in distress, is taken by a dragon. Cue the charming prince at this point, who rides off on his shining steed on a heroic journey to rescue her. But Damsel takes things in a different direction. What if the prince was the one who created this mess in the first place, leaving it up to the princess to fight for her own survival?
Elodie is the oldest daughter of an impoverished duke from the struggling realm of Inophe. So when a marriage proposal from the elusive kingdom of Aurea arrives, the family believes it will be the solution to all their problems. Henry, the Aurean prince, has been searching far and wide for a bride, and if Elodie agrees to the marriage, Inophe would be showered with wealth and lavish gifts. Determined to help her people, Elodie accepts right away, quickly establishing a correspondence with Henry to find out with pleasant surprise that he is a sweet and devoted fiancé. A veritable Prince Charming.
Sailing to Aurea, Elodie is met with glittering riches upon arrival. She is showered with attention in the days up to the wedding, and when the big day comes, it is as perfect and magical as she had imagined. But then, on her very first day as princess, Henry and his royal parents request that she partake in a strange ritual that has been an Aurean tradition for almost a thousand years. With horror, Elodie learns that Aurea’s prosperity had been bought at a steep price. Every year, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a dragon who in turn uses powerful magic to keep the land fruitful and safe. Thousands of women before her had been deceived as she had, brought here to be fed to a hungry dragon. Some had fought and managed to delay the end, but ultimately all had perished. While Elodie’s chances of survival look just as grim, her will to fight is strong and she will do anything to make it out of the dragon’s lair alive.
Thing is, Elodie is no intrepid heroine. She’s just a girl who has been duped, which makes her angry, yes, but at the end of the day she’s just as scared as anyone when suddenly faced with a terrifying monster that wants to eat her. She barely manages to survive her first two days and only by the skin of her teeth, and most of it was only due to sheer dumb luck. Not sure what the film will be like, but the Elodie in this book isn’t a kickass smart-alecky heroine with a solution for every problem. She’s burned, she bleeds, and she suffers. She is the princess who decides to save herself not because of some underlying ego-driven agenda but because the only other alternative is to lay down and die.
Damsel also feels YA sometimes, even if it isn’t clearly marketed that way. Since all my experiences with the author have been with her young adult novels in the past, I personally wasn’t too surprised or bothered, but for someone not expecting that, I can see how they might find some of the YA-ness a bit jarring. Also keep in mind since the story relies on riffing off classic fairytale and fantasy tropes, that might also skew things younger.
Regardless, I had a great time with this novel. The pacing was slower at the beginning due to the initial set up, but once Elodie was literally thrown into the dragon’s den, it was a heart-racing gallop to the finish. There is also an interesting magic system in play here involving residual blood and memories, and I enjoyed the periodic glimpses into the past through the eyes of previously sacrificed princesses, which gradually give way to answers about the origins of this macabre practice. My only one criticism has to do with the inclusion of the dragon language—a neat idea, but in the grand scheme of things, kind of unnecessary. I later found out in the author’s note at the end of the book that it was invented by Skye’s 13-year-old daughter, which is super sweet and awesome, but not gonna lie, the haphazard tossing around of made-up words was very distracting.
Ultimately, Damsel will not be every reader’s cup of tea, but if you think you might be the target audience to enjoy this, I encourage you to check it out. I read the novel with the expectation that it would be a fairytale-inspired YA and wasn’t disappointed. Before this, the upcoming movie was merely on the edges of my attention but now I’m really looking forward to it.
I loved Evelyn Skye’s Damsel, a collaboration with the writing team behind the screenplay of the upcoming Netflix film of the same name. But as most projects like these are often nebulous about their target audience, your enjoyment will likely depend on whether it’s the right book for you.
First of all, its premise is one that draws inspiration from a timeworn and familiar fantasy trope: a princess, our damsel in distress, is taken by a dragon. Cue the charming prince at this point, who rides off on his shining steed on a heroic journey to rescue her. But Damsel takes things in a different direction. What if the prince was the one who created this mess in the first place, leaving it up to the princess to fight for her own survival?
Elodie is the oldest daughter of an impoverished duke from the struggling realm of Inophe. So when a marriage proposal from the elusive kingdom of Aurea arrives, the family believes it will be the solution to all their problems. Henry, the Aurean prince, has been searching far and wide for a bride, and if Elodie agrees to the marriage, Inophe would be showered with wealth and lavish gifts. Determined to help her people, Elodie accepts right away, quickly establishing a correspondence with Henry to find out with pleasant surprise that he is a sweet and devoted fiancé. A veritable Prince Charming.
Sailing to Aurea, Elodie is met with glittering riches upon arrival. She is showered with attention in the days up to the wedding, and when the big day comes, it is as perfect and magical as she had imagined. But then, on her very first day as princess, Henry and his royal parents request that she partake in a strange ritual that has been an Aurean tradition for almost a thousand years. With horror, Elodie learns that Aurea’s prosperity had been bought at a steep price. Every year, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a dragon who in turn uses powerful magic to keep the land fruitful and safe. Thousands of women before her had been deceived as she had, brought here to be fed to a hungry dragon. Some had fought and managed to delay the end, but ultimately all had perished. While Elodie’s chances of survival look just as grim, her will to fight is strong and she will do anything to make it out of the dragon’s lair alive.
Thing is, Elodie is no intrepid heroine. She’s just a girl who has been duped, which makes her angry, yes, but at the end of the day she’s just as scared as anyone when suddenly faced with a terrifying monster that wants to eat her. She barely manages to survive her first two days and only by the skin of her teeth, and most of it was only due to sheer dumb luck. Not sure what the film will be like, but the Elodie in this book isn’t a kickass smart-alecky heroine with a solution for every problem. She’s burned, she bleeds, and she suffers. She is the princess who decides to save herself not because of some underlying ego-driven agenda but because the only other alternative is to lay down and die.
Damsel also feels YA sometimes, even if it isn’t clearly marketed that way. Since all my experiences with the author have been with her young adult novels in the past, I personally wasn’t too surprised or bothered, but for someone not expecting that, I can see how they might find some of the YA-ness a bit jarring. Also keep in mind since the story relies on riffing off classic fairytale and fantasy tropes, that might also skew things younger.
Regardless, I had a great time with this novel. The pacing was slower at the beginning due to the initial set up, but once Elodie was literally thrown into the dragon’s den, it was a heart-racing gallop to the finish. There is also an interesting magic system in play here involving residual blood and memories, and I enjoyed the periodic glimpses into the past through the eyes of previously sacrificed princesses, which gradually give way to answers about the origins of this macabre practice. My only one criticism has to do with the inclusion of the dragon language—a neat idea, but in the grand scheme of things, kind of unnecessary. I later found out in the author’s note at the end of the book that it was invented by Skye’s 13-year-old daughter, which is super sweet and awesome, but not gonna lie, the haphazard tossing around of made-up words was very distracting.
Ultimately, Damsel will not be every reader’s cup of tea, but if you think you might be the target audience to enjoy this, I encourage you to check it out. I read the novel with the expectation that it would be a fairytale-inspired YA and wasn’t disappointed. Before this, the upcoming movie was merely on the edges of my attention but now I’m really looking forward to it.
November 9, 2022
Thank you, NetGalley for the arc! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This book took every YA trope known to man and shoved it into one book, hoping it would make up for the lack of world-building and help us overlook the gaping plot holes throughout it.
First, some things I liked about the book. I loved Elodie and Floria's relationship. I love sibling bonds and the dynamic between them was really sweet. Elodie's love for her people was inspiring. She was very selfless in how much she cared for them, even if they did not always like her.
This book started off fairly well. Elodie is from a poor duchy and just wants to help her people. When she is arranged to be married to the prince of Aurea, in exchange for crops and water for her duchy, she accepts. She is thrilled to have a chance at love and save her people at the same time, but something terrifying is waiting for Elodie to fall into its trap.
I love a good story about a girl who saves herself, but this one was not it. This read so much like a script. We are always told and not shown how characters feel, especially Elodie, making it hard to truly care. When books are written this way, the characters are not given any room to be nuanced or grow into themselves. Elodie's actions seemed at odds with each other at times. If the book had taken more time to truly delve into Elodie's personality, her decisions would not have seemed so ludicrous. The villain was almost comical in their evilness since we did not have the chance to get to see their motives in different lights. Everything, from the characters to the world-building, has just enough details to be readable, but flat and uninteresting.
Elodie was hard to read about. Several times it is pointed out how unlike other girls she is, all because she climbs trees and lost her virginity before marrying. Several times characters comment on how unique she is, or how no one else would do such a thing. Damsel has fallen into the classic trap of trying to prove how strong the main female character is by tearing all other women down. In an effort to make her more relatable, it is often mentioned how awkward she can be, and how she says the wrong things. The wrong things were not even that terrible, and her speech was not consistent. Sometimes she was so eloquent with her words, only to say something jarring in the next conversation.
The plot had so many holes. I will not go into detail to avoid spoilers, but so many things happened that were just too convenient to be believable. The biggest plot hole though, is how does Aurea keep their monstrous activities a secret? It is widely known throughout the kingdom, among the royals and the commoners. In fact, it is actively encouraged to tell your children from a young age so they can be grateful for what the royals sacrifice. However, trade abounds in this kingdom. People are allowed to come and go as they please. The fact that one person would not have let slip what awful things the royals do, is ridiculous and made the book even harder to enjoy.
I think this would be a book that twelve to thirteen-year-old girls would like, but there were things mentioned that I think would make it inappropriate for that age group as well. It lacked good writing and plot that would keep older teenagers engaged yet had some disturbing things that younger girls might not be prepared for.
I think this will make a good movie. This book just needed several more rounds of editing to form a plausible story and a likable heroine.
This book took every YA trope known to man and shoved it into one book, hoping it would make up for the lack of world-building and help us overlook the gaping plot holes throughout it.
First, some things I liked about the book. I loved Elodie and Floria's relationship. I love sibling bonds and the dynamic between them was really sweet. Elodie's love for her people was inspiring. She was very selfless in how much she cared for them, even if they did not always like her.
This book started off fairly well. Elodie is from a poor duchy and just wants to help her people. When she is arranged to be married to the prince of Aurea, in exchange for crops and water for her duchy, she accepts. She is thrilled to have a chance at love and save her people at the same time, but something terrifying is waiting for Elodie to fall into its trap.
I love a good story about a girl who saves herself, but this one was not it. This read so much like a script. We are always told and not shown how characters feel, especially Elodie, making it hard to truly care. When books are written this way, the characters are not given any room to be nuanced or grow into themselves. Elodie's actions seemed at odds with each other at times. If the book had taken more time to truly delve into Elodie's personality, her decisions would not have seemed so ludicrous. The villain was almost comical in their evilness since we did not have the chance to get to see their motives in different lights. Everything, from the characters to the world-building, has just enough details to be readable, but flat and uninteresting.
Elodie was hard to read about. Several times it is pointed out how unlike other girls she is, all because she climbs trees and lost her virginity before marrying. Several times characters comment on how unique she is, or how no one else would do such a thing. Damsel has fallen into the classic trap of trying to prove how strong the main female character is by tearing all other women down. In an effort to make her more relatable, it is often mentioned how awkward she can be, and how she says the wrong things. The wrong things were not even that terrible, and her speech was not consistent. Sometimes she was so eloquent with her words, only to say something jarring in the next conversation.
The plot had so many holes. I will not go into detail to avoid spoilers, but so many things happened that were just too convenient to be believable. The biggest plot hole though, is how does Aurea keep their monstrous activities a secret? It is widely known throughout the kingdom, among the royals and the commoners. In fact, it is actively encouraged to tell your children from a young age so they can be grateful for what the royals sacrifice. However, trade abounds in this kingdom. People are allowed to come and go as they please. The fact that one person would not have let slip what awful things the royals do, is ridiculous and made the book even harder to enjoy.
I think this would be a book that twelve to thirteen-year-old girls would like, but there were things mentioned that I think would make it inappropriate for that age group as well. It lacked good writing and plot that would keep older teenagers engaged yet had some disturbing things that younger girls might not be prepared for.
I think this will make a good movie. This book just needed several more rounds of editing to form a plausible story and a likable heroine.
Want to read
April 5, 2023ARC received!! Thank you, Ballantine!!
First of all, this cover? Stunning! Then, the synopsis. This is going to be so good!!!
First of all, this cover? Stunning! Then, the synopsis. This is going to be so good!!!
April 11, 2024
Elodie hat schon ein komisches Gefühl, als der Prinz des wohlhabenden Königreichs Aurea um ihre Hand anhält, aber ihr eigenes Königreich ist ziemlich verzweifelt und daher hat sie eigentlich kaum eine andere Wahl. Dort angekommen muss sie feststellen, dass ihre neue Familie schon ziemlich genaue Pläne für ihre Zukunft hat - eine Zukunft, die nur sehr kurz ausfallen soll.
Da das Buch (und damit auch das Hörbuch) auf dem Drehbuch zum gleichnamigen Film basiert, habe ich auch den Film im Anschluss gesehen und möchte beide Geschichten vergleichen. Obwohl das Hörbuch eine gekürzte Ausgabe ist, hat es in jeder Hinsicht mehr Tiefe als der Film und bei den meisten Unterschieden zwischen Film und Hörbuch hat mir das Hörbuch besser gefallen. Elodie und ihre Familie, Aureas Königsfamilie und die früheren Prinzessinnen haben hier alle bessere Hintergrundgeschichten und Charakterentwicklungen bekommen und auch einige Logikfehler aus dem Film scheinen ausgebessert. Ich fand jedenfalls, dass die Autorin wirklich viel aus dem vermutlich eher mittelmäßigen Drehbuch herausholen konnte.
Elodie ist clever und hinterfragt schon das große Glück, dass sie zu haben scheinen, aber sie ist auch verantwortungsbewusst und sorgt sich um ihr Volk und ihre Familie, daher widersetzt sie sich ihrem Schicksal kaum. Nach einigen Briefen mit ihrem zukünftigen Ehemann ist sie auch schon gespannt, was für ein Leben sie in Aurea erwartet. Sie lässt sich nicht leicht einschüchtern, packt auch bei schwierigen Aufgaben mit an und man kann fühlen, wie wichtig ihr ihre Familie ist.
Die Erklärungen zu Aureas Geschichte konnten mich nicht ganz überzeugen, aber im Vergleich zum Film werden die Zusammenhänge zwischen Königreich, Wohlstand und dem Drachen, der alles für einen Preis beschützt, viel logischer erklärt.
Fazit
Das Ende konnte mich nicht ganz überzeugen und einige Entwicklungen fand ich schon ziemlich vorhersehbar, aber insgesamt hat mir das Hörbuch mit der cleveren Protagonistin, die nie aufgibt, und einer Geschichte über das Leid vieler Prinzessinnen ganz gut gefallen.
Da das Buch (und damit auch das Hörbuch) auf dem Drehbuch zum gleichnamigen Film basiert, habe ich auch den Film im Anschluss gesehen und möchte beide Geschichten vergleichen. Obwohl das Hörbuch eine gekürzte Ausgabe ist, hat es in jeder Hinsicht mehr Tiefe als der Film und bei den meisten Unterschieden zwischen Film und Hörbuch hat mir das Hörbuch besser gefallen. Elodie und ihre Familie, Aureas Königsfamilie und die früheren Prinzessinnen haben hier alle bessere Hintergrundgeschichten und Charakterentwicklungen bekommen und auch einige Logikfehler aus dem Film scheinen ausgebessert. Ich fand jedenfalls, dass die Autorin wirklich viel aus dem vermutlich eher mittelmäßigen Drehbuch herausholen konnte.
Elodie ist clever und hinterfragt schon das große Glück, dass sie zu haben scheinen, aber sie ist auch verantwortungsbewusst und sorgt sich um ihr Volk und ihre Familie, daher widersetzt sie sich ihrem Schicksal kaum. Nach einigen Briefen mit ihrem zukünftigen Ehemann ist sie auch schon gespannt, was für ein Leben sie in Aurea erwartet. Sie lässt sich nicht leicht einschüchtern, packt auch bei schwierigen Aufgaben mit an und man kann fühlen, wie wichtig ihr ihre Familie ist.
Die Erklärungen zu Aureas Geschichte konnten mich nicht ganz überzeugen, aber im Vergleich zum Film werden die Zusammenhänge zwischen Königreich, Wohlstand und dem Drachen, der alles für einen Preis beschützt, viel logischer erklärt.
Fazit
Das Ende konnte mich nicht ganz überzeugen und einige Entwicklungen fand ich schon ziemlich vorhersehbar, aber insgesamt hat mir das Hörbuch mit der cleveren Protagonistin, die nie aufgibt, und einer Geschichte über das Leid vieler Prinzessinnen ganz gut gefallen.
November 30, 2024
досить прохідне чтиво, якщо чесно
бачила екранізацію і розумію, що на ній можна було і закінчити
дуже багато не зрозумілостей і дірок в сюжеті
тішило лише те, що читалось легко і швидко 😶
5/10
бачила екранізацію і розумію, що на ній можна було і закінчити
дуже багато не зрозумілостей і дірок в сюжеті
тішило лише те, що читалось легко і швидко 😶
5/10
March 15, 2024
2.75 stars
Like the goody two shoes bookworm that I am, I read the book first before watching the film.
Like the goody two shoes bookworm that I am, I read the book first before watching the film.
October 29, 2024
De recensie is oorspronkelijk gepubliceerd op: https://bazarow.com/recensie/recensie...
Elodie’s grootste wens is dat de inwoners van Inophe het goed hebben. De bevolking van Inophe woont in een woestijnachtige omgeving waar bijna geen eten te verbouwen is en waar het iedere winter opnieuw de vraag is hoeveel inwoners de hongersnood overleven. Elodie’s motto is dan ook dat ze altijd alles voor de inwoners van Inophe zal doen, om ervoor te zorgen dat hun levens beter en gemakkelijker worden.
Wanneer het rijke koninkrijk Aurea aan de hertog van Inophe aanbiedt om de inwoners van Inophe betere kansen te bieden in ruil voor een gearrangeerd huwelijk, grijpen Elodie en haar vader, de hertog, de kans met beide handen aan. Er wordt iets gezegd over een draak, maar zover Elodie weet bestaan draken alleen in mythen en sprookjes. Zonder er lang bij stil te staan vertrekt Elodie met haar gezin naar het koninkrijk Aurea om te trouwen met kroonprins Henry.
Daar aangekomen is de sfeer niet zoals verwacht. Het koninklijke gezin staat hun niet op te wachten en het is niet zo feestelijk aangekleed als gedacht. Hoewel dat vraagtekens oproept blijven Elodie en het gezin hoopvol. Het blijkt dat het welkomstcomité niet klaarstaat doordat de boot te vroeg is aangekomen. Elodie en de anderen geloven dit zonder twijfels.
Niets is wat het lijkt
Wanneer de koninklijke familie van Aurea zich eindelijk heeft klaargemaakt om Elodie te ontvangen begint het allemaal feestelijker te worden. Elodie wordt goed in de watten gelegd, maar eigenlijk voelt dit voor haar niet goed. Ze denkt telkens aan de inwoners van Inophe, die iedere dag hun best moeten doen om ook maar iets eetbaars op tafel te krijgen.
De dag van de bruiloft begint prachtig, maar wordt ruw verstoord door een klein meisje die Elodie waarschuwt om niet met de kroonprins te trouwen. Ze wordt afgevoerd en de ceremonie gaat door, maar niet heel veel later ontdekt Elodie waarom het meisje haar waarschuwde.
Offer aan de draak
Al meer dan 800 jaar leven de inwoners van het koninkrijk samen met een heuse draak. Het rijkdom van het koninkrijk wordt dan ook snel verklaard. Om de inwoners van Aurea veilig te stellen dient het koningshuis ieder jaar 3 prinsessen in te leveren bij de bloeddoristige draak als offer. En Elodie is dus het volgende offer.
Filmscript
Damsel is een Young Adult fantasy stand-alone geschreven aan de hand van het script voor de film Damsel. In dit geval was er dus eerst het filmscript en daarna pas het boek. Je kunt dit in het verhaal merken, doordat scènes elkaar snel opvolgen zonder mooi verloop of verband met elkaar.
De schrijfstijl van New York Times-bestsellerauteur Evelyn Skye is passend bij de doelgroep. Het is toegankelijk en goed te volgen. In combinatie met de vaart van het verhaal zorgt dit ervoor dat je het verhaal ook vlot uit kunt lezen. Dit gaat echter wel ten koste van de diepgang in het verhaal.
Voorspelbaarheid
In Damsel probeert Elodie te overleven in de grotten van de gevaarlijke draak en uiteraard komt hier wat spanning bij om de hoek kijken. Echter zijn de twists in het verhaal niet heel uniek of bijzonder en je weet als lezer van te voren dat het hier gaat om een stand-alone, waardoor het ‘wauw’ effect achterwege blijft. Er zit ook vrij weinig tot geen diepgang in het verhaal verwerkt, zo blijven er vragen onbeantwoord en weet je verder niets over de wereld van Inophe en hoe deze in verhouding staat met het koninkrijk van Aurea. Jammer, want het verhaal aan zich klinkt veelbelovend.
Voor drakenliefhebbers
Damsel is een boek dat prima is voor tussendoor, maar niet een verhaal dat je eeuwig bijblijft. Het is vermakelijk, maar ook niet meer dan dat. Dat maakt het niet perse een slecht boek, maar meer een fantasy-verhaal voor tussendoor. Het is immers ook wel eens prettig om een fantasy verhaal direct uit te hebben gelezen, in de plaats van dat je een serie van 8 boeken dient te lezen. Damsel is een aanrander voor Young Adults die graag over draken lezen. De draak in het verhaal heeft immers een belangrijke rol en de boodschap die hierin verwerkt zit is tof bedacht.
De film Damsel is op Netflix te bekijken met Millie Bobbie Brown in de hoofdrol.
Elodie’s grootste wens is dat de inwoners van Inophe het goed hebben. De bevolking van Inophe woont in een woestijnachtige omgeving waar bijna geen eten te verbouwen is en waar het iedere winter opnieuw de vraag is hoeveel inwoners de hongersnood overleven. Elodie’s motto is dan ook dat ze altijd alles voor de inwoners van Inophe zal doen, om ervoor te zorgen dat hun levens beter en gemakkelijker worden.
Wanneer het rijke koninkrijk Aurea aan de hertog van Inophe aanbiedt om de inwoners van Inophe betere kansen te bieden in ruil voor een gearrangeerd huwelijk, grijpen Elodie en haar vader, de hertog, de kans met beide handen aan. Er wordt iets gezegd over een draak, maar zover Elodie weet bestaan draken alleen in mythen en sprookjes. Zonder er lang bij stil te staan vertrekt Elodie met haar gezin naar het koninkrijk Aurea om te trouwen met kroonprins Henry.
Daar aangekomen is de sfeer niet zoals verwacht. Het koninklijke gezin staat hun niet op te wachten en het is niet zo feestelijk aangekleed als gedacht. Hoewel dat vraagtekens oproept blijven Elodie en het gezin hoopvol. Het blijkt dat het welkomstcomité niet klaarstaat doordat de boot te vroeg is aangekomen. Elodie en de anderen geloven dit zonder twijfels.
Niets is wat het lijkt
Wanneer de koninklijke familie van Aurea zich eindelijk heeft klaargemaakt om Elodie te ontvangen begint het allemaal feestelijker te worden. Elodie wordt goed in de watten gelegd, maar eigenlijk voelt dit voor haar niet goed. Ze denkt telkens aan de inwoners van Inophe, die iedere dag hun best moeten doen om ook maar iets eetbaars op tafel te krijgen.
De dag van de bruiloft begint prachtig, maar wordt ruw verstoord door een klein meisje die Elodie waarschuwt om niet met de kroonprins te trouwen. Ze wordt afgevoerd en de ceremonie gaat door, maar niet heel veel later ontdekt Elodie waarom het meisje haar waarschuwde.
Offer aan de draak
Al meer dan 800 jaar leven de inwoners van het koninkrijk samen met een heuse draak. Het rijkdom van het koninkrijk wordt dan ook snel verklaard. Om de inwoners van Aurea veilig te stellen dient het koningshuis ieder jaar 3 prinsessen in te leveren bij de bloeddoristige draak als offer. En Elodie is dus het volgende offer.
Filmscript
Damsel is een Young Adult fantasy stand-alone geschreven aan de hand van het script voor de film Damsel. In dit geval was er dus eerst het filmscript en daarna pas het boek. Je kunt dit in het verhaal merken, doordat scènes elkaar snel opvolgen zonder mooi verloop of verband met elkaar.
De schrijfstijl van New York Times-bestsellerauteur Evelyn Skye is passend bij de doelgroep. Het is toegankelijk en goed te volgen. In combinatie met de vaart van het verhaal zorgt dit ervoor dat je het verhaal ook vlot uit kunt lezen. Dit gaat echter wel ten koste van de diepgang in het verhaal.
Voorspelbaarheid
In Damsel probeert Elodie te overleven in de grotten van de gevaarlijke draak en uiteraard komt hier wat spanning bij om de hoek kijken. Echter zijn de twists in het verhaal niet heel uniek of bijzonder en je weet als lezer van te voren dat het hier gaat om een stand-alone, waardoor het ‘wauw’ effect achterwege blijft. Er zit ook vrij weinig tot geen diepgang in het verhaal verwerkt, zo blijven er vragen onbeantwoord en weet je verder niets over de wereld van Inophe en hoe deze in verhouding staat met het koninkrijk van Aurea. Jammer, want het verhaal aan zich klinkt veelbelovend.
Voor drakenliefhebbers
Damsel is een boek dat prima is voor tussendoor, maar niet een verhaal dat je eeuwig bijblijft. Het is vermakelijk, maar ook niet meer dan dat. Dat maakt het niet perse een slecht boek, maar meer een fantasy-verhaal voor tussendoor. Het is immers ook wel eens prettig om een fantasy verhaal direct uit te hebben gelezen, in de plaats van dat je een serie van 8 boeken dient te lezen. Damsel is een aanrander voor Young Adults die graag over draken lezen. De draak in het verhaal heeft immers een belangrijke rol en de boodschap die hierin verwerkt zit is tof bedacht.
De film Damsel is op Netflix te bekijken met Millie Bobbie Brown in de hoofdrol.
April 5, 2024
Reseña completa: https://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/20...
El único deseo de Elodie siempre fue cuidar de su reino, y si para ayudarlos a sobrevivir tiene que casarse con el príncipe de un misterioso país que ofrece una fortuna por su mano, no pondrá pegas. Sin embargo, al llegar a Aurea, un resplandeciente y rico reino, demasiado tarde descubrirá que su prosperidad se debe al sacrificio de princesas a un dragón, durante siglos. Así, obligada a luchar, Elodie se servirá de su ingenio y de la ayuda de doncellas pasadas para vencer al dragón y descubrir los secretos de Aurea.
No esperaba mucha sorpresa, si tenemos en cuenta que la novela es una adaptación del guion, así que en general es bastante fiel a la película, cambiando algún que otro detalle y profundizando más en el worldbuilding, pero en general nada demasiado relevante; lo más reseñable sería la importancia de la magia en la novela, pero que en realidad no aporta demasiado más allá de conectar con las historias de princesas anteriores, sacrificadas hace tiempo.
Ha estado entrenidilla, pero siento que no hay nada especial en esta historia, una especie de reinterpretación feminista del mito de Teseo, pero a la que he sentido que, si bien va sobra de acción y giros, le falta emoción, pues en ningún momento llegué a conectar con los personajes, y carece de algo que la haga inolvidable.
El único deseo de Elodie siempre fue cuidar de su reino, y si para ayudarlos a sobrevivir tiene que casarse con el príncipe de un misterioso país que ofrece una fortuna por su mano, no pondrá pegas. Sin embargo, al llegar a Aurea, un resplandeciente y rico reino, demasiado tarde descubrirá que su prosperidad se debe al sacrificio de princesas a un dragón, durante siglos. Así, obligada a luchar, Elodie se servirá de su ingenio y de la ayuda de doncellas pasadas para vencer al dragón y descubrir los secretos de Aurea.
No esperaba mucha sorpresa, si tenemos en cuenta que la novela es una adaptación del guion, así que en general es bastante fiel a la película, cambiando algún que otro detalle y profundizando más en el worldbuilding, pero en general nada demasiado relevante; lo más reseñable sería la importancia de la magia en la novela, pero que en realidad no aporta demasiado más allá de conectar con las historias de princesas anteriores, sacrificadas hace tiempo.
Ha estado entrenidilla, pero siento que no hay nada especial en esta historia, una especie de reinterpretación feminista del mito de Teseo, pero a la que he sentido que, si bien va sobra de acción y giros, le falta emoción, pues en ningún momento llegué a conectar con los personajes, y carece de algo que la haga inolvidable.
March 14, 2024
Do you like fantasy books, kickass heroines and dragons? Then this is for you!
The movie Damsel is now out and I watched it last night. But I had to reread this one to freshen up my memory. As with every book adaption expect some differences! I'm not going to spoil you, but an important difference I noticed was the fact that the story behind the "tradition" was different. We also get more POVs in the book and there are flashbacks of characters in the past. The ending also is a bit different. I get why these differences happened in the movie adaptation and I actually don't mind them, because they made sense to me. 👌🏻
Overall, I feel like it was a great adaptation of the book and if you watched the movie, then you could also read the book! Or you can read the book first and then watch the movie! Whichever works for you, I definitely recommend both of them ❤️
The movie Damsel is now out and I watched it last night. But I had to reread this one to freshen up my memory. As with every book adaption expect some differences! I'm not going to spoil you, but an important difference I noticed was the fact that the story behind the "tradition" was different. We also get more POVs in the book and there are flashbacks of characters in the past. The ending also is a bit different. I get why these differences happened in the movie adaptation and I actually don't mind them, because they made sense to me. 👌🏻
Overall, I feel like it was a great adaptation of the book and if you watched the movie, then you could also read the book! Or you can read the book first and then watch the movie! Whichever works for you, I definitely recommend both of them ❤️
March 17, 2023
"A price must be paid."
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: animal death, blood, body horror, child death, claustrophobia, death, death of a loved one, fire/fire injury, grief, injury/injury detail, misogyny, stillbirth (not of a human child, but it's still unpleasant), violence, vomit.
This was such a cool concept, that unfortunately missed the mark for me.
On the one hand, I love what the author was trying to do here. She took tons of fairytale tropes and wanted to turn them on their heads, giving depth and dimension to nameless archetypes. The focus of this story primarily turns to the unity of sisterhood, whether by blood or just through the historical challenges faced together.
There were moments that this was so well-done that I wanted to applaud them.
On the other hand, this book was not my favorite. Other than the concept and the message of sisterhood, I can't think of very many aspects that I liked. I struggled with the characters, with the plausibility of the plot (I understand its fantasy and some things were explained, but I still find it hard to believe that no one knows what this kingdom does in exchange for its prosperity if it has been doing it for centuries), and with the jarring - at times really gross - descriptions of things.
And then there was the end.... Clearly I can't say anything about it without spoiling, so I will be very brief and simply ask: why was that the decision made here? I know what the message was supposed to be, but was there no other way to do it?
I feel like I just watched a spin-off of Once Upon a Time and the reveal at the end was something only they could have come up with.
All in all, with all of my negative feelings, I see the good in this book. It definitely reads a bit on the younger side of YA - which I didn't mind - and I know there will be probably be a lot of people that love this. I'm sad it didn't work for me, but thankful I had the chance to read it anyway.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: animal death, blood, body horror, child death, claustrophobia, death, death of a loved one, fire/fire injury, grief, injury/injury detail, misogyny, stillbirth (not of a human child, but it's still unpleasant), violence, vomit.
This was such a cool concept, that unfortunately missed the mark for me.
On the one hand, I love what the author was trying to do here. She took tons of fairytale tropes and wanted to turn them on their heads, giving depth and dimension to nameless archetypes. The focus of this story primarily turns to the unity of sisterhood, whether by blood or just through the historical challenges faced together.
There were moments that this was so well-done that I wanted to applaud them.
On the other hand, this book was not my favorite. Other than the concept and the message of sisterhood, I can't think of very many aspects that I liked. I struggled with the characters, with the plausibility of the plot (I understand its fantasy and some things were explained, but I still find it hard to believe that no one knows what this kingdom does in exchange for its prosperity if it has been doing it for centuries), and with the jarring - at times really gross - descriptions of things.
And then there was the end.... Clearly I can't say anything about it without spoiling, so I will be very brief and simply ask: why was that the decision made here? I know what the message was supposed to be, but was there no other way to do it?
I feel like I just watched a spin-off of Once Upon a Time and the reveal at the end was something only they could have come up with.
All in all, with all of my negative feelings, I see the good in this book. It definitely reads a bit on the younger side of YA - which I didn't mind - and I know there will be probably be a lot of people that love this. I'm sad it didn't work for me, but thankful I had the chance to read it anyway.
December 8, 2025
Ich kannte den Film schon und war gespannt, wie die Umsetzung als Buch klappt. Und was soll ich sagen, es war grandios. Gut zu lesen, spannend und mitreißend. Die Perspektivwechsel waren auch sehr gut gemacht, auch wenn sie an der ein oder anderen Stelle schon Dinge vorwegnahmen, die meiner Erinnerung nach im Film einfach ein größerer Überraschungsmoment waren. Die Charaktere waren großartig, ich würde am liebsten direkt nochmal von vorne anfangen, werde mich aber mit dem Film erstmal begnügen. Für Fans von Fantasy und starken Frauen kann ich hier eine ganz große Empfehlung aussprechen.
April 24, 2024
“I’m not your dinner! I’m no one’s dinner!”
Spoilers below
I’m thrilled Evelyn Skye has decided to come to our French Book Fair (Festival du Livre de Paris) this April, because this book wasn’t on my radar before, and I didn’t even know her name merely a month ago. I know I forego YA books lately and was adamant about sticking to my resolution, but this was a nice surprise overall. The subjects she approached were deeper and took a more mature angle than I expected from YA. I truly can’t wait to attend the conference about Fantasy she will hold with Cassandra Clare to have a deeper understanding of her writing process and to meet her in person to have her book signed.
In Damsel we follow Elodie, one of the duke of Inothe's daughters. Her land is strongly affected by harsh winters and her people are dying from hunger. So when a representative from the Kingdom of Aurea arrives looking for a bride for their Prince, it’s the perfect occasion for Elodie to have a hand in her homeland’s future, as a future queen, she would be able to redirect food and riches to her realm. Upon arriving in Aurea, Elodie accompanied by her little sister, Floria, her father and her stepmother is mesmerized by the wealth of this foreign kingdom and is excited to see what she will be able to accomplish with her future.
“Am I a bad person if I want to be happy?”
But things quickly go south when right after the wedding vows, Elodie is thrown in a cave as a sacrificial offering to be eaten by a dragon as payment for Aurea’s mistakes from the past. This tradition dates back centuries ago, each year, three young girls of royal blood (hence the marriage) have to be given to the dragon, in exchange it will never eat or attack anyone in Aurea. The signs were there, I actually figured out what was going to happen to Elodie as soon as she arrived in this remote kingdom, and yet Elodie was extremely gullible and it took her so long to understand. At first, I was irritated by her inability to have any intuition with something so obvious, she was literally thrown from a bridge and her denial was so strong that she was still thinking this was part of a ritual.
Yet, when she finally got her shit together, this book became so interesting. Damsel gave us a beautiful life lesson about sisterhood and women's rage. I loved that there was no romance and that this book focused on women; women from the present, women from the past, rich ones, poor ones, young ones, old ones, women through and through. I loved that we got to see the former princesses’ journey, how they dealt with their fate, and how each one of them made a contribution to help Elodie in her own ordeal. I loved how even the stepmother’s reaction came from a place of love, and that she considered her step-daughters as her own. The only thing I wish I had, is Elodie teaming up with the following girl to defeat the dragon. But I loved the ending and the final message with the dragon also being a female, wronged by men.
“For in this cave, Elodie was not alone. There was a sisterhood here, and a belief that even though their lives spanned centuries, they were still stronger together.”I also watched the Netflix movie, which in itself was good enough, but it lacked depth on so many levels. The feminist side of the book was completely overlooked, the Queen became the ultimate villain (while in the book she asked his son to keep Elodie and not sacrifice her), the deep relationship with Elodie-Floria and their stepmother is completely rushed, and Cora and her mother are just left out of the movie. The former princesses did not have any weight in Elodie’s survival, which was, in my opinion, the strong point of the book. They also chose to diminish Elodie’s intelligence when they completely deleted the Dragon’s own language. It’s a decent movie but it feels so bland compared to the book.
October 26, 2023
Kendi dilini oluşturmuş, kulede tutulan aciz prenses mitine feminist bir bakış atan, yakında da filmi çıkacak olan çok müko bir kitap olmuş. Unutmayın, bir sahnede bir silah çıkarsa o silah patlar.
June 3, 2024
okay that was way better than the movie idk why they changed it
April 24, 2024
This was …. Wow. Full review will be coming soon
June 4, 2024
Dragon in the story? I’m in!
Well, what can I say, this damsel is not in distress – I liked that. The classic fantasy with a twist when a damsel deals with the dragon herself. And even though I like the main idea and a dragon in it, it wasn’t a very charming read for me.
The cover looks cool!
Well, what can I say, this damsel is not in distress – I liked that. The classic fantasy with a twist when a damsel deals with the dragon herself. And even though I like the main idea and a dragon in it, it wasn’t a very charming read for me.
The cover looks cool!
September 1, 2024
3.75/5
Vi primeiro o filme, não o costumo fazer. Demorei algum tempo a começar a ler, porque queria “esquecer” um pouco o filme. Está muito bem adaptado e achei que a escolha da atriz assentou que nem uma luva. Gostei mais do final do livro.
Quanto à leitura, foi rápida e envolvente. A protagonista é tudo o que eu gosto, destemida, com sensação de dever mas com muito amor-próprio. E acima de tudo, creio que a autora pretende transmitir este empoderamento feminino.
Adorei todos os labirintos, o jogo de gato e rato com o dragão e a luta pela sobrevivência. Gostei que houvesse mais para além do monstro vilão.
Houve algumas partes um pouco mais mortas, mas que em nada estragou a minha experiência. Adorei o final, apanhou-me completamente de surpresa.
Gostei muito desta fantasia e recomendo para todos os que não gostam de mundos fantásticos muito complexos e desenvolvidos.
Vi primeiro o filme, não o costumo fazer. Demorei algum tempo a começar a ler, porque queria “esquecer” um pouco o filme. Está muito bem adaptado e achei que a escolha da atriz assentou que nem uma luva. Gostei mais do final do livro.
Quanto à leitura, foi rápida e envolvente. A protagonista é tudo o que eu gosto, destemida, com sensação de dever mas com muito amor-próprio. E acima de tudo, creio que a autora pretende transmitir este empoderamento feminino.
Adorei todos os labirintos, o jogo de gato e rato com o dragão e a luta pela sobrevivência. Gostei que houvesse mais para além do monstro vilão.
Houve algumas partes um pouco mais mortas, mas que em nada estragou a minha experiência. Adorei o final, apanhou-me completamente de surpresa.
Gostei muito desta fantasia e recomendo para todos os que não gostam de mundos fantásticos muito complexos e desenvolvidos.
March 21, 2024
2.5
Bien, entretenidillo, pero siento que no aporta demasiado al mito de Teseo, es previsible, y no aprovecha para darle algún giro sorprendente o que te haga reflexionar; igual es culpa mía por esperar algo más.
Si habéis visto la película y os preguntáis si merece la pena leerlo, dejadme deciros que a grandes rasgos es lo mismo, aunque sí tenga unos cuantos cambios (no muy relevantes).
Bien, entretenidillo, pero siento que no aporta demasiado al mito de Teseo, es previsible, y no aprovecha para darle algún giro sorprendente o que te haga reflexionar; igual es culpa mía por esperar algo más.
Si habéis visto la película y os preguntáis si merece la pena leerlo, dejadme deciros que a grandes rasgos es lo mismo, aunque sí tenga unos cuantos cambios (no muy relevantes).
February 27, 2024
Ich bin unentschieden, einerseits habe ich das Buch in einem Rutsch gelesen (was aber auch daran gelegen haben kann, dass ich den Großteil des Wochenendes erkältet auf dem Sofa/im Bett verbracht habe), andererseits fand ich den Schluss irgendwie enttäuschend und manche Aspekte etwas unausgereift. Toll fand ich die Drachensprache (da pocht das Herz der Sprachwissenschaftlerin gleich lauter) und auch die Grundidee. Aber einiges kam einem dann doch irgendwie bekannt vor. Zudem frage ich mich, welche FSK die Netflix-Verfilmung haben wird, denn einige Szenen mit dem Drachen sind doch recht blutig/brutal, aber vielleicht war da mein Kopfkino doch extremer, als es dargestellt werden wird? Aber das kann ja keine Kritik am Buch sein, was letztendlich eine kurzweilige Lektüre war. (Spoiler: BTW warum erzählt der Netflix-Trailer eigentlich schon die ganze Handlung? Nur den Schluss nicht?)
November 1, 2023
i have so. many. questions.
if i have to read another novel to get all the answers i might skip. not worth it
if i have to read another novel to get all the answers i might skip. not worth it
December 4, 2023
3,5 ⭐️
Elodie yang cerdas dan visioner rela dijodohkan dengan Pangeran Henry dari Aurea demi mensejahterakan rakyatnya. Apalagi Pangeran Henry memang ganteng dan sweet. Tapi ternyata Elodie hanyalah satu dari ribuan putri yang dinikahi pangeran untuk kemudian dijadikan makanan naga.
***
Novel ini cukup seru dan alurnya lumayan sat set. Meski begitu, aku merasa novelbya kurang emosional. Gimana ya ... semacam kering gitu emosinya. Bagian-bagian yang menurutku bombastis banget digambarkan dengan datar, jadinya ya kurang nge-feel.
Satu hal yang harus aku mention dan digarisbawahi adalah karakter Elodie. Aku suka banget! Dari sekian buku fantasi yang kubaca, kebanyakan tokoh utama cewek selalu sembrono, keras kepala tapi naif, dan bikin pengin mengumpat. Tapi Elodie enggaak. Dia benar-benat mengagumkan, walaupun pas awal-awal memang terlalu positif thinking. Aku sukaaa ❤️
Oh ya, selain kurang emosional, sering juga penulis mengulang-ulang sesuatu yang sudah disampaikan. Salah satunya soal Elodie dan ayahnya yang dia sebut kurang pintar itu. Di sisi lain, ada bagian-bagian yang kurang terjelaskan. Misalnya soal naga dan bayi-bayi naga. BTW, kalo naganya sendirian, gimana bisa punya anak, ya?
Intinya, buku ini lumayan seru dan aku akan menunggu filmnya tahun 2024 nanti. BTW, jumlah halamannya salah nih. Harusnya 360an.
Elodie yang cerdas dan visioner rela dijodohkan dengan Pangeran Henry dari Aurea demi mensejahterakan rakyatnya. Apalagi Pangeran Henry memang ganteng dan sweet. Tapi ternyata Elodie hanyalah satu dari ribuan putri yang dinikahi pangeran untuk kemudian dijadikan makanan naga.
***
Novel ini cukup seru dan alurnya lumayan sat set. Meski begitu, aku merasa novelbya kurang emosional. Gimana ya ... semacam kering gitu emosinya. Bagian-bagian yang menurutku bombastis banget digambarkan dengan datar, jadinya ya kurang nge-feel.
Satu hal yang harus aku mention dan digarisbawahi adalah karakter Elodie. Aku suka banget! Dari sekian buku fantasi yang kubaca, kebanyakan tokoh utama cewek selalu sembrono, keras kepala tapi naif, dan bikin pengin mengumpat. Tapi Elodie enggaak. Dia benar-benat mengagumkan, walaupun pas awal-awal memang terlalu positif thinking. Aku sukaaa ❤️
Oh ya, selain kurang emosional, sering juga penulis mengulang-ulang sesuatu yang sudah disampaikan. Salah satunya soal Elodie dan ayahnya yang dia sebut kurang pintar itu. Di sisi lain, ada bagian-bagian yang kurang terjelaskan. Misalnya soal naga dan bayi-bayi naga. BTW, kalo naganya sendirian, gimana bisa punya anak, ya?
Intinya, buku ini lumayan seru dan aku akan menunggu filmnya tahun 2024 nanti. BTW, jumlah halamannya salah nih. Harusnya 360an.
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