“One should not make a pet out of a wild beast.” – 4.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: damsels, amber eyes, hawks, baby lynxes, falcons, gems, dreams, lost memories, dry meat, secrets, dragons, sweet maids, red hair and glass eyes.

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

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

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

This book. Wow, what a masterpiece. By far one of my favorite books I’ve read this year!

You would think “what could possibly go wrong with what looks like your typical happy-ending fairy tale?”. Well, in this case, everything goes wrong. “Damsel” is a very dark and twisted novel, with no hint of humor in it.

The book tells the story of a damsel who was rescued by a prince, after he defeated the dragon. She doesn’t remember anything before her rescue, so she trusts the prince and returns home with him to be his bride. The only problem is… she doesn’t want to be his bride. So of course, things get very ugly, very fast. She is controlled, abused, humiliated and she has to follow his orders even if she doesn’t want to. She keeps trying to remember her past and she soon finds out that there are a lot of things the prince hid from her…

The synopsis caught my attention, so I knew I had to pick this up… and I’m really glad I did. I was hooked to the story from the start and I was intrigued to know how it would all end. My favorite thing about it is how the entire book is a giant metaphor! The way the prince tries to tame her, discipline her and make something of her that she isn’t was heartbreaking. The only thing I’m going to say about that, is that this is a true feminist book.

I really liked the characters in this! For the first time ever, I found a book character that I really disliked. I hated Emory with every fiber of my being, and that was very refreshing! I really liked how unlikeable he was. His friend was also trash.

The ONLY thing that I wasn’t a fan of (and what stopped me from giving 5 stars to this book) was the way Emory defeated the dragon (the third weapon situation). I just can’t wrap my head around it and it still doesn’t make sense to me. But I decided to see it also as a metaphor. Still, I was really satisfied with the ending! Kudos to the author.

The book made me feel angry and sad and heartbroken for Ama, but it was completely worth the read. I wouldn’t recommend this to a younger audience/kids because of the heavier topics, such as sexual assault and abuse. But it’s an incredible book for an older audience!