CONTENT WARNING: blood, gore, death, death of a parent, grief

I read this as a buddy read with Julie @ One Book More, and I’m so glad that I did. To be honest, I would have struggled more with this one if I didn’t have someone to discuss it with as I read through it, and Julie was the perfect person to talk about this book with, since she noticed a lot of the same things that I did, and she kept me laughing with a flood of hilarious gifs in our discussion thread.

I really enjoyed some parts of this book. My favorite thing about it was the relationship between Elodie and her sister Floria. They are two smart young women who are very close and devoted to each other, and I love the way that they interacted together. These two sisters rely on each other for support and comfort and guidance, especially without a mother, a father who is present but doesn’t quite show up for their emotional needs, and a stepmother that they haven’t really bonded with. Elodie is also really devoted to the people of her lands, and consistently goes above and beyond to do anything that she can to help them in any way that she possibly can.

The book is going to be a movie, and the way it’s written comes across as being better for the screen than as a book. The writing is really on the young end of YA with a fairytale feel, although there is some emphasis on Elodie’s prior sexual experience and her desire to get some action with the prince, so it felt a bit strange. I would have liked to see more depth in the story and the characters, and I guess because it’s written more for the screen, there’s a lot of telling rather than showing, for much of the story. We’re told that Elodie is smart for so much of the book, but it isn’t until really close to the end that we actually get to see Elodie being smart in action.

While the world-building was intriguing, the book felt overly full of tropes to me. And it didn’t quite disguise the fact that there were some major plot holes in the story. I was hoping that they’d be fixed by the time the book ended, but alas, they were not. However, the story was fast-paced and I wanted to find out how it ended. Ultimately the ending felt like everything wrapped up a bit too neatly, and although I was fairly happy with how things worked out, there was one thing that left me out of sorts and upset. In the end, this book wasn’t quite a good fit for me, but I do think that the movie has some good potential, and I’ll be looking forward to it!

There are certain aspects of Damsel that I really liked. The writing is immersive, and the protagonist is compelling. I love the relationship between Elodie and her sister Floria. They have such a beautiful 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 about strength, sisterhood, and forgiveness 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. I love how Elodie uses their knowledge and stories to survive.

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. That being said, I appreciate how the opulence and good cheer in the kingdom contrasts the depravity and moral bankruptcy of its leaders and the complicity of its citizens. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.

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.

Fighting for her life is not what Elodie imagined when she agreed to marry the Prince of Aurea. Wooed by his kind letters, she agrees to the arrangement as it will help her poverty stricken country with wealth and resources they could only dream of. When Elodie is taken to the top of the mountain as part of the wedding ritual, and dropped into the vast cavern, she suddenly realizes the betrayal and and horror of her situation. She becomes the hunted prey of the dragon that lives in the mountain. Her fight for survival is nothing but miraculous as she is assisted by past princesses, through their blood on the walls that share memories with Elodie. Memories of where she can safely hide from the dragon and find edible mushrooms and clean water.
In her fight for survival, she learns that the kingdom of Aurea bargained with the dragon to provide 3 sacrifices a year in exchange for peace and prosperity and that this has been going on for generations. The betrayal of her father, knowing what was to happen was a harrowing and heartbreaking realization. Discovering the surprising outcome will keep readers engaged until the end (if they like this sort of novel).
A grim story of survival with a strong and resilient female character makes for an interesting story. Probably not everybody's "cup of tea".

1.75/5 stars. I didn't even realize when I started reading this that it's being produced as an upcoming Netflix film. I'm struggling with how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I love a well-done damsel in distress fights her way to freedom story. But on the other hand, there is little to know worthwhile world-building here. The origin of the story seems sound but I feel like the author wasn't sure how to get to her ending so she just started throwing things at the wall and seeing what stuck. I have enjoyed other books by this author so I'm not sure what happened here. Some reviewers are saying 'well its YA so...' but I disagree with that argument. I have read some YA fantasy novels that were highly complex and ornately designed. This is much more juvenile than the majority of those. May young young readers, (3rd-4th grade) could enjoy this perhaps. I'm nervous to see if Netflix allows this flat of a story on screen or if their graphics teams are going to make the backdrop and world-building so much more magnificent so the story can try to match it.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Elodie is a duke’s daughter from a very poor, drought-stricken duchy. While her father just seems to be a friendly, good-natured man, Elodie is the one who watches over the people and the land. And she loves her people. When a prince from a far-off land wants to marry her, in exchange for food and water, it seems to be a blessing for the duchy. The written correspondence with the prince seems to form a good bond before they even meet.

When Elodie and her family arrive at the Aurean Kingdom they are treated to feasts and Elodie is given expensive gifts. But soon there are hints of a darker side to this marriage. I thought it a bit extreme to place Elodie alone in a tall tower, but that was just the beginning of her odd treatment.

I liked the beginning, but then the story seemed to drag a bit towards the middle and was just a simple YA story. By the end, there were enough surprises that I couldn’t stop reading, wondering how Elodie was going to survive and what would the future be for this kingdom. And since there is no surprise that a dragon is involved, I looked forward to her interaction with the dragon. It wasn’t until Elodie was dropped off at the dragon’s door that I really became interested in the story, and then I couldn’t stop reading until the end of the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc of Damsel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow, what a journey! The summary of the book was interesting enough, but also lead to the question, if I know of the ending, why should I read this? It's easy to say that if a princess is sacrificed to the dragon, and you are reading about it, you will get a HEA or not. Simple. Many might be interested, just because it is marketed as a new Netflix hit with a famous actress. I was interested because of that. Being a fan of other YA dystopian and fantasy fictions, such as Hunger Games series, many readers will also find themselves engrossed with the journey of Elodie, and cheering for her until the very end.

I can see that this is a YA directed book of fans of Game of Thrones, clear as day. I was honestly surprised with the amount of detail put into the gore and distress in a YA read, bravo! The novel has many unexpected twist, turns, and redemptions for characters as well which were unexpected in both a good and cheesy HEA way. Keeping in mind, this is directed at YA, I have no complaints. Yes, the ending might be over the top, and a bunch of bologna to some older readers, but remember, Aurea is a land of magic.

Something that I don't see often is language lessons in books. Towards the back is the language used and lessons on how to speak it. Many times I DNF a book that has a complex grammatical language(s) in a world building fantasy novel that is just too much when I am expecting a light read. This book checks the boxes for a slow build into the magic world as well. Perfect for a light fantasy escape.

The story plot sounded really good. I do think maybe they shouldn't have mentioned the dragon in the description. It lead me to knowing what was awaiting her and just waiting for the shoe to drop. Elodie seemed like a selfless and smart leader.

I'm not sure how to accurately state the pacing. Chapters were not overly long. Then we would get flashback chapters that would be a page or two long. During most of the book the pacing was a tad slow but then something would happen leading into a lot of action.

The main character is Elodie. She is the daughter to the duke of Inophe. This is a draught ridden kingdom that has caused the country to be more on a bartering system than that of money. The people are used to a harsh climate and hard life. Elodie has been training since her mother died ten years ago to take over the dutchy. She cares for her people, tries to make sure that they can receive all that she can give for them to survive. We will also see chapters from her younger sister Floria, step mother Lucinda and Queen Isabella. Also there will be chapters from other ladies that paved the way for Elodie's story to end.

In Damsel Elodie's father the duke has arranged for her to marry Prince Henry of Aurea. She agrees to this match as Aurea has agreed to send grain and other foods to Inophe to help their people. Elodie is willing to possibly sacrifice her happiness to be able to provide for the people. She is also willing to learn and do whatever is needed for the people of Aurea. On her wedding night she learns exactly what that price is. Now in mortal peril Elodie refuses to give into the fear and danger. She vows to be the princess that survives. Through the paths left by other princesses before her, Elodie fights with everything she has to get back to Floria.

Elodie was told to us as such a smart character, a creator of mazes, someone who was athletic and strong. However after arriving at Aurea and the way everyone was acting so very sketchy but she didn't catch on. I get being awkward, thinking what you said might have been uncouth but there were several times when it was obviously something else.

I did enjoy the way the story ended. If only those actions could have happened originally the kingdom of Aurea could have been far less bloody. There are some questions I have with how some items came to pass though. Other parts were a bit of a stretch to believe even with magic but we will let them go. The story came to a joyful conclusion for all the females involved. While I didn't love the book I liked what the author was trying to do with the story. As this was a movie story line first she did have to stay within certain plot parameters. I think if this hadn't been a movie things could have been changed that would have made the story make more sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars. Rounded up to 3 stars. This book was written from a screenplay of a Netflix series, and that was apparent. I think this will be good on film, but it seemed like there was too much going on and not enough development or backstory.

I found the first bit of the book to be slow, and I had trouble getting into the book until Elodie is thrown into the pit and meets the dragon, probably because that part of the book is all action, and more in line with a screenplay. I found several parallels between Damsel and other books, namely Amarantha’s trials in ACOTAR, and I found the concept of bringing new sacrifices into a seemingly charming family to continue the bloodline and feed a monster reminiscent of Mexican Gothic.

That said, the ending was surprising, but if I’m being honest, I’m a tad confused about how shapeshifting came into play. Using blood to view others’ memories I could get behind since it was explained as magic and introduced multiple times, but physical transformation was abrupt and undeveloped.

All in all, I probably would have enjoyed this as a teen and I think it will make an entertaining show, but it didn’t knock my socks off.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read this eARC!

Full transparency: I DNF'd at 25% or so. I couldn't get into the story, I didn't really like any of the characters, the writing wasn't that great. I really wanted to like it but it just wasn't good. It definitely is face paced and I think it might have been too fast for my taste.

Damsel is a fast-moving and compelling story of Elodie, a gutsy and capable princess from a parched land who considers herself lucky to marry Harry, prince of Aurea, a rich, lush, fertile island...until she learns that her marriage is a sham and really, she is to be thrown to a dragon as part of a sacrifice.

And so, without any debate about why we are still producing books in which princesses are tossed as sacrifices to cranky dragons, Elodie is plunged into a chase to the death, in which she uses her intellect and athletic ability to attempt to outsmart the dragon. But when she finally breaks loose, her would-be husband, intent on competing his deal with the dragon, kidnaps her sister and tosses her to the dragon as bait. Elodie does figure out a way to deal with a dragon AND with Henry, but it's a twist you wouldn't expect, in which everyone gets what they had coming.

This book is a fun ride while you're reading it, but I do prefer books in which the dragons are multifaceted partners rather than rather flat evil predators.

I wanted to enjoy this but found it to be not what I was expecting. I couldn't get into the story or the characters and found the writing a bit off.

*Received as an ARC from NetGalley*

As a lover of YA fantasy, unfortunately overall this one was not for me. I could see young teens responding more to this book, and I think I'm a bit aged out of this one.

My positives: the book starts out solid, and our lead character Elodie's relationship with her sister Floria is quite endearing.

My negatives:
• The book reads like a script - there is a lot of "showing", and not a lot of internal development or subtext. After learning that this was indeed a script for the show first, and then developed into a novel, it now makes sense.
• LOTS of tropes. Felt like they were all thrown in without being properly developed.
• Glaring plot holes.
• I was a bit troubled by the way Elodie was presented in certain instances. It felt like in order to make her seem unique and strong, it was at the (negative) expense of how other women typically behaved. Especially if this book is to be targeted toward's young women, I feel there are more positive and constructive ways to make your main character seem "unique" and different.

All in all, I think there are other books of this genre and age range that make for a more impactful and nuanced read.

Reading the author note clicked everything in place for me. This book was written like a screenplay; very fast paced, lots of action and storytelling and an ending that is fit for the screen. And it will be. Elodie is a good character, as are the supporting ones around her (even the thinly drawn ones) that I could see having more depth off the page. But it's a quick read and a good YA book for those looking for a resourceful heroine in a fantasy world.

3 stars

Elodie is the heir to an impoverished Duchy when a prince from a far away land offers to make her a Princess and give her people the kind of wealth that will save lives. However, married for less than a day Elodie discovers that Princesses don't last long in this new land - in fact, they are quickly fed to the resident dragon.

This is such a brilliant fantasy, with a fast plot and a building tension. At times, Elodie does seem to be a bit confused as to her character - there were moments where she felt like a different person. However, the multi person points of view have a good insight into the other characters and were used really well to tell the story! Really enjoyed this one

Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hard to give a description without ruining the plot. Elodie is a princess from a poor kingdom and so promises to marry a prince from another kingdom. But all is not it seems and soon she leaves the opulence of the castle and is fighting for her life.

I received an e-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an donest review.

There were things I liked about this book. It's a story of women helping women and I love that. But it just really fell flat.

The characters felt quite two dimensional. Elodie and Flor were just a little too flawless in their internal monologues.
And their relationships with each other were boring. Complex relationships were mended easily as if there was no complexity at all.
The worldbuilding was mostly creating mysteries that were never explained (What were the blue slugs? <spoiler>How did the dragons help the land become more fertile?</spoiler> <spoiler>Why did combining blood turn Elodie into a dragon?</spoiler>). And the ending basically skips over the interesting part of what's going on and jumps right to a resolution. I was left with so many unanswered questions.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I first heard about this book based on the Netflix adaption that is happening with Millie Bobby Brown. I was really excited when I read the blurb, and knew this would be right up my alley.

I think this was a decent YA fantasy, but I was hoping for more. Elodie was a strong heroine who stood up for herself, but brought nothing new to the table as far as YA heroines go. The story itself was interesting and entertaining, but I was never wowed by it. I think I'll probably still tune into the adaption to see how they do it though.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Damsel is about twenty year old Elodie, who is put into an arranged marriage with Prince Henry from a different land. While her home is starving and is in a seventy year drought, Prince Henry's is flourishing but for a terrible price. Three women are unknowingly chosen to be a sacrifice to the dragon in the mountains. As long as these sacrifices are made, the land will continue to grow and the people won't suffer.

I really liked the first half of Damsel and I enjoyed the fairytale writing for the most part... but I started to lose interest after the 50% mark. I like Elodie and the idea of following her as she is trying to survive the clutches of a dragon filled with blood lust. The story itself dragged at the halfway point and the pacing suffered for it. Damsel should have been a couple of chapters shorter and only have Elodie's POV. I get why the other POV chapters were written but they didn't flow well with Elodie's adventure. There are a few flashbacks that referred to other princesses who didn't survive and, while that's a cool insight, I didn't care very much for it.

Damsel is a stand-alone book and I liked how Elodie's ending was written. I enjoyed the sisterly bond between Elodie and her thirteen year old sister Floria. It was very sweet and endearing.

I've tried Evelyn Skye's other duologies like The Crown's Game and Circle of Shadows but I couldn't connect with them. I wanted to give Damsel a shot because of the premise and honestly the cover is gorgeous but I think her writing might not be for me.

3 stars

I will admit that the beginning of this book was a little slow. It was hard to imagine Elodie as a twenty year old. She was really innocent, close to her family, and completely oblivious and trusting of those around her. But when the dragon shows up in the story, the pacing takes off!
I would recommend this to fans of strong willed female protagonists who also offer a touch of femineity. It was a quick read that scratched that itch for a good ol' dragon story.

Elodie, although the daughter of a ruler, is used to living a difficult life in her harsh homeland. So when she receives an offer of marriage from a wealthy prince who is willing to give her homeland enough wealth to save her people, she knows she can’t refuse. Once she and her family arrive to her betrothed’s kingdom, they are astonished by how lavishly they’re treated. But Elodie notices some strange things before her ceremony, and too late realizes that she was purchased to satiate the hungers of a dangerous elder being.

This work started off strong. I was drawn in by the author’s writing style and the great descriptions that were included and added immersion to the work. Though the worldbuilding wasn’t that interesting and was never really explored or incorporated into the story in a meaningful way. I started off enjoying Elodie as a protagonist and felt that she was going to be a strong female lead that I could get behind. I also liked her and her sister’s relationship and how lovely it was.

Unfortunately, things became much too below-average YA for me to continue enjoying it. While I enjoyed Elodie at first, she didn’t undergo any growth during the work and actually felt like she regressed as the book went on. Her character was written with all the stereotypical YA protagonist tropes (supremely special, not like other girls, best at everything, smarter than everyone, etc.) and never really had any agency – nothing she did changed the plot, she just reacted to things that happened. It didn’t help that the author always told us how characters felt rather than showing how they felt, which made them all feel flat.

There was nothing unique or groundbreaking or “epic twist” related (as the book was touted as being), but there were plenty of plot holes. Unfortunately, I don’t recommend this work – hopefully Netflix will do a better job with this story. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this work, which will be published in March 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.