I liked this book way more than I thought. . It was fun and fairytale like. I did think the ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked a slightly different ending. I enjoyed getting to the end though. There is nothing particularly remarkable about this book, but it is good entertainment,

I loved the film and the novel, Damsel by Evelyn Skye, it is such an unique story with great characters.

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.

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. I thought it was going to be a typical twist on the damsel in distress trope in which the damsel saves herself in an overly done “badass girl power” story. And while the damsel does save herself, it’s much more complicated and dark and moving than I initially gave it credit for. I was also intrigued by how this story came about. If I understand correctly, this book was written based off a screenplay of a movie, and that the book and movie were created in tandem. I had kind of written this off as a book adaptation of a movie, which I never usually enjoy. I expected it be shallow, but I was surprised to find interesting worldbuilding and deep characters. It’s not my favorite read of the year but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. My favorite aspect is something I learned after the fact: Evelyn Skye’s thirteen year old daughter created the dragon language used in the book. I also found the ending very satisfying and not what I was expecting. I’m curious to watch the movie since I’ve heard the ending is different from the book.

This book was very cookie cutter and did not seem to know what it was going to be. The book cover also threw me for a loop as I thought this book would have some Asian influences but what I read was very white-washed and had very little Asian inspired concepts. After reading the book, I realized that it would soon be a Netflix movie and that pretty much explained everything to me. I don't understand how a book can be coming out and also the movie within the same year. It just seems like a cash grab and with how meh the book is, I know the movie will be terrible.

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 ❤️

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. 😜

I will not be reviewing this title since this was a DNF. I attempted to start it but wasn't enjoying it and especially after reading other reviews, I think I'll just stick to the movie, as it was intended.

This just didn't work for me, and I honestly wanted it to really badly because it sounded really interesting. However, this book was just so basic, and quite forgetabble really. I don't really have a lot to say about this book either. It's just extremely mediocre, in my opinion. It was a decent enough read. I absolutely didn't hate my time reading it. It was just intriguing enough to keep me reading, but not intriguing enough to actually fully pull me in. It is a shame because this could have been a great, and tense survival story but it just wasn't.
The writing was just a bit too simple for me. It kept me at a bit of a distance as well. So yeah, that wasn't great. It could also feel a bit repetetive at times, and I truly didn't understand some the tangents the author decided to go on throughout this book. There were moments were we really went in depth about things that truly didn't end up matering in the end. However, there are still so many things to this world that don't really make sense to me.
On top of that I also think the characters were just extremely one dimensional. I would have loved to just have some more depth to these characters, especially our main character. I feel like that might have helped get more invested in the book, but oh well. So yeah, everything about this book was just extremely lackluster to me. The story was interesting enough though, and I do think this would translate well into a visual medium, so I am still excited to watch the movie now. So at least there's that.

I got a bit tired of the cat and mouse game, but like the premise. I liked how out of the box the ending was, I didn't see that coming. How we could start to understand the dragon.
Now I'll see the movie.

This book was incredible. Throughout the entire storyline I didn’t see the ending coming. I thought Elodie to be the epitome of a character I would desire to aspire to be in the grand scheme of it all. She is cunning, and bright, and certainly not a damsel in distress at all, but rather uses her vast and unladylike skills to her advantage. Not your grandma’s fairytale, but definitely a delightful feminist retelling that has you cheering Elodie on until the end!

This was a solid stand-alone fantasy read. I loved how the author took this and wove in her own touches. It will be a fantastic movie! Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for a review!

Damsel is a book written to become a movie. That aside it is a good book, it is quick moving, and engaging in the plot and characters. The main lead is a strong character who doesn't always say the right thing but is clever and moral. Is this a deep story with many plot twists and morally Grey characters, no. Is it an entertaining story with themes of family, grit, and mysticism, yes. And who doesn't love a good dragon story.

I really enjoyed this. I thought Elodie was such a badass and just took control of the situation given her circumstances. I thought the communication between her and the dragon, as well as the blood memories, were really interesting.

I can't wait to see the adaptation. It looks like the casting is perfect for the characters we were introduced to in this YA Fantasy!

The classic tale retold in a new way. The Damsel in distress may just be the dragon they are all looking for. This was an enjoyable novel that I thought told a unique story.

This one was interesting for me. Thought it was YA, but I believe it is technically adult. Reads young, but at the same time is a little gruesome. Love a dark fairytale, just marketed with the cover and protagonist in a younger way than adult fantasy. Enjoyed the story and the spin on the traditional fantasy tropes. The movie pulled me in, but the book made me even more excited to watch the movie now. Will be recommending!

This book! I was so excited to read it because I really want to watch the movie when it comes out. I’m someone who HAS to read the book before I watch the movie. Sadly this book was really slow (in my opinion) for the first 3/4. I thought about DNFing it multiple times. However I loved the ending! The ending really saved it for me and I was glad that I stuck with it.

Although I found the book a slow read, there were many elements that I liked about it. You could tell the author did a lot of work crafting her own language for this story. I loved the blood memory element, I felt that added a lot of depth to the story. I’m always here for a strong, brave, and smart female and our FMC Elodie is definitely that and more. I liked all the ways magic manifested in different creatures and ways.

I think this book is worth the read if you are wanting to watch the movie or you are a fan of middle grade writing.

No knight in shining armor is coming to save this princess, she’s going to have to save herself.

Evelyn Skye's Damsel is the story about a damsel in distress who takes on the dragon herself in this epic twist on classic fantasy—a groundbreaking collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Evelyn Skye and the team behind the upcoming Netflix film Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown. Elodie is the daughter of a Duke and her family is responsible for a barren land called Inophe. The country has suffered 70 years of drought and their people are hungry and barely getting by.

So when a representative from the rich, reclusive kingdom of Aurea, offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts with some reservations after exchanging letters with Prince Henry. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Henry. But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower.

A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious “V.” Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices three princesses to a hungry dragon in order to save the Kingdom from destruction. And Elodie is the next sacrifice. This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly.

Some of them like Victoria left clues behind for those who followed her to hopefully survive. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself, but the future of her new kingdom as well. And, to make thinks even more unimaginable, her younger sister, Floria, may end up taking Elodie's place if Elodie doesn't manage to survive long enough to end a centuries long curse.

*Thoughts* So, I picked Damsel after watching the movie trailers for Damsel featuring Millie Bobby Brown. I have to say this. I really hope the author and the producers don't screw this book up. If they do the job I think they can do, the movie is going to be fantastic. I have to say that yes, Elodie is a little naive, but once she figures out she's been sacrificed, there are no holds barred. Her love for her sister is adorable, and I was rooting for Floria to find a way to help Elodie survive somehow. Damsel is not a fairytale with a happy ending. It is a story of a handsome prince and his family who have been sacrificing young women to Dragons every year for 800 years. It is about the women who, like Elodie, are put through hell in order not to become the next Dragon sacrifice.

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. 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.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.