9780062890238
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Damsel audiobook

  • By: Elana K. Arnold
  • Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden
  • Length: 7 hours 42 minutes
  • Publisher: Balzer + Bray
  • Publish date: October 02, 2018
  • Language: English
  • (6925 ratings)
(6925 ratings)
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Damsel Audiobook Summary

*A 2019 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book*

“Listeners will fall under the spell of the prose and narration and won’t wake up until the last word is spoken–and maybe not even then. Highly recommended.”–Erin Entrada Kelly, 2018 Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author

A dark, twisted, unforgettable fairy tale from Elana K. Arnold, author of the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of

The rite has existed for as long as anyone can remember: When the king dies, his son the prince 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, she knows none of this. She has no memory of what came before she was captured by the dragon or what horrors she faced in its lair. She knows only this handsome young man, the story he tells of her rescue, and her destiny of sitting on a throne beside him. It’s all like a dream, like something from a fairy tale.

As Ama follows Emory to the kingdom of Harding, however, she discovers that not all is as it seems. There is more to the legends of the dragons and the damsels than anyone knows, and the greatest threats may not be behind her, but around her, now, and closing in.

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Damsel Audiobook Narrator

Elizabeth Knowelden is the narrator of Damsel audiobook that was written by Elana K. Arnold

Elana K. Arnold is the award-winning author of many books for children and teens, including The House That Wasn’t There, the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of, and the Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat. She is a member of the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program, and lives in Long Beach, CA, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com.

About the Author(s) of Damsel

Elana K. Arnold is the author of Damsel

Damsel Full Details

Narrator Elizabeth Knowelden
Length 7 hours 42 minutes
Author Elana K. Arnold
Publisher Balzer + Bray
Release date October 02, 2018
ISBN 9780062890238

Additional info

The publisher of the Damsel is Balzer + Bray. The imprint is Balzer + Bray. It is supplied by Balzer + Bray. The ISBN-13 is 9780062890238.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Emily May

October 03, 2018

Secrets, like memories, do not disappear just because they are buried by snow or time or distance. What an ugly, awful little book. I thought it was pretty awesome, too, but then I’m a fan of Arnold’s dark twisted feminist stories that most other people seem to hate.It looks like Arnold is continuing her trend of writing horrible, depressing books that leave me in a constant state of anxiety while reading. What Girls Are Made Of ripped my heart to shreds last year, and this dark fairy tale just stomped on the pieces.Damsel begins like many fairy tales. A prince takes on a dragon and sweeps a fair damsel out of the tower to be his future queen. This damsel - who the prince names Ama - has no memories of her life before waking in the tower. She only knows what Prince Emory tells her: that he has saved her, and she is bound by destiny to be his queen.The tale gets nastier and nastier from there. The handsome rescuer is not all he first seems and it's not a spoiler to say this is absolutely NOT a fairy tale romance. Ama finds herself in a land where women must behave, play their role, and shut up about it. And, behind it all, there is the matter of her lost memories. Who was she before? Can she ever recover her past?It is not particularly hard to guess some of the outcomes, but that didn't make it any less horrific or satisfying. I must also stress that this book contains very adult themes. It is being called YA, and yet I can't really understand why. Content warning for: Rape/sexual assault; abuse; self-harm; suicide; animal cruelty. I would also say Damsel is driven by emotion and introspection, rather than action. Much of the book is about discovering the truth of Ama's past and suffering through the suffocating atmosphere of her being completely out of control of her life. But if you enjoy/can stomach dark books and creepy literary fantasy, then I would highly recommend this. It's a book that makes you mostly angry and sad, but that emotional impact is honestly why I'll remember it.And open this spoiler if you're on the fence and wondering if the book might be too depressing: (view spoiler)[The ending is so fucking satisfying. Trust me. (hide spoiler)]Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

Tatiana

May 20, 2021

For once, a book I'd suggested got picked by my beloved real life YA book club. Delighted to see not everyone hated it. Hooray!Upon reread, my rating still stands, although when you know how this story will unfold, the tension is not quite as high. Still, very affecting, and I adore the ending. Also #yard is a very upsetting word. _____Printz Honor 2019Called it! Called it!Original review4.5 starsOh boy, this novel is going to get so many 1-star reviews! This is what happens when a book like this is marketed as YA. Are there going to be any teens that would read and like it? I doubt it. This is a novel created for lovers of literary fantasy and ugly ancient fairy tales. It is written in a simple language, it does not have a lot of characters or drama. It is quiet and dreamlike. It might get a Printz nod (I hope) from librarians (they did give honor to The Kingdom of Little Wounds, and that book was a very out there too), but does it have a wide appeal? No way!And yet, I loved it, I think? Although it is hard to love a story that keeps you in a state of perpetual dread throughout its entirety. It is a fairy tale about a young woman rescued from a dragon by a future king whose wife she is expected to become. She has no memories of her pre-dragon past, so her story is essentially a story of her "education" to transform into a suitable queen. It is the king's world, so she must become what HE (and men in general) expect her to become, regardless of what she herself thinks of these expectations.I got flashes of The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories and The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty while reading Damsel, so I think you can get the gist of the mood of this "fairy" tale.

destiny ♡

November 04, 2021

When I first heard about this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I saw it hailed as a dark fairytale retelling, but I’ve been promised that many times by other stories that delivered on the “retelling” while leaving aside any hints of the “dark” aspect. Damsel, on the other hand, is exactly what it promises—an incredibly dark fantasy story that pulls no punches. “That is the way of being a woman, to carve away at herself, to fit herself to the task, but, also, to be able to carve herself in a different way, when a different shape is needed.” The story itself is genuinely intriguing, and I loved Ama as a character. She’s so unapologetically herself, and she simply doesn’t grasp why things are the way they are, or why she’s expected to act or look certain ways. Even when she tries to make herself look small and sweet for the sake of self-defense, the rope always snaps and she comes out swinging in the end, a fighter in every sense of the word. “The tastes of men are not all kind.” Emory, on the other hand… I wanted to punch Emory in the throat from literally the first chapter. (I actually made a note in my eARC in chapter 1 saying as much.) He’s obsessed with himself and what he considers to be his heroic nature, and all of that’s even before the really terrible things about him come into play. Never trust the prince whose life goal is murdering a dragon, that’s what I always say… Emory embodies everything that’s wrong with the “damsel in distress” trope, the “Prince Charming” nonsense that films and books have fed us over the years, and the idea that any woman owes anything to a man who “saved” her from a dragon she never even sought rescue from. Before Emory had saved her from the dragon, Ama had never been lonely. Though there are multiple awful characters you will hate every moment of the way, and though the content is heavy and uncomfortable most of the time, the writing behind it all is so gorgeous and whimsical (despite a few phrases for genitalia that made me snicker), and Arnold is clearly skilled in her art. There are so many subtle things that came together in the end to surprise me, and I couldn’t put the story down because I constantly needed to know what would happen next. “And if something is the way it has always been, who are we to wish it otherwise? Who are we to want anything at all?” As for the dark subject matter: the heavy content is why this story meant so much to me. We see feminist fantasy stories released all the time in YA lately, but they’re usually tame and merely hint at issues. Damsel, on the other hand, takes those issues and shoves them right in your face, forcing you to address their existence. This book is full of sexual assault (some of it explicit), abuse of humans and animals, misogyny, rape culture, self-harm, and suicide. Through all of that, it’s clear that Arnold is fed up with the state of the world and has refused to pull any punches in her writing, and I applaud her for that brutal honesty. “I have learned, lady, that ‘why’ is a dangerous word.” A lot of people are questioning whether Damsel should be marketed as YA fantasy. While I wouldn’t otherwise have a problem with it being YA (as I’m a big believer that what teens read should be between them and their parents—plenty of teens will be able to handle this content without issue), a part of me thinks it would be better if Damsel was marketed to an adult audience, simply because I don’t feel like this story deserves to be punished for its truthfulness. “Wild beasts are not meant to be tamed.” All in all, if you’re interested in picking up a copy of Damsel, please be aware of the trigger warnings going into it. I have read a ridiculous amount of YA fantasy in my life, and very rarely has any of it made me feel quite as bothered and anxious as this book did. That said, I genuinely believe that sometimes—if we can handle it—we need to feel disgusted, to be reminded of just how toxic our society’s treatment of women can be. If you can stomach it, Damsel is the perfect resource to take you there.All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Balzer + Bray for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook!

Charlotte

August 17, 2020

“It is a Kings world in which we find ourselves, Ama. A woman, you see, is a vessel. And it is a vessels duty to be filled.” 4 stars ⭐️ What an absolutely ferocious retelling of the Princess in the Tower!Prince Emory of Harding knows his place. In order to become King he must slay a dragon and rescue a damsel. Once his task is complete he brings the damsel home to become his wife and future Queen. Ama is said damsel. She remembers nothing from before her rescue. Nothing of her past, her family, not even her real name. Emory gives Ama her name - she is his in all things. Be warned - there are dark themes including rape, animal abuse and emotional abuse. These all add to create an atmosphere of dread, something isn’t right in the town of Harding. “Before Emory had saved her from the dragon, Ama had never been lonely.” I loved the new elements thrown in - such as the wall of eyes created by the Glassblower rumoured to grant the wish of anyone brave enough to steal one. But get caught and it’s an eye for an eye. The only thing for me that stopped it from being a 5 star is I just wanted a bit more. (view spoiler)[ I wanted the history. How did people find out that dragons would turn into damsels if you stab them? (And put your dick in them. Honestly wtf). Why does the Queen mother die when a new Queen is crowned? Is it something to do with there only being 1 dragon per generation? Also I wish Ama would have stabbed Emory or her way out. Or set him on fire that would have been epic. (hide spoiler)] the world was so fascinating I just could have done with a bit more. “Surely we are more than just the men we serve...what were we before we were taken by dragons? Before we were rescued by men?” “That is a dangerous question dear heart.” But honestly this is a cracking feminist retelling that I’d highly recommend.

Hannah

June 08, 2019

Topical and beautifully written. Predictable and painfully on the nose. Wildly bizarre in the last three pages.

Vicky Again

October 12, 2020

Content Warnings: (view spoiler)[ rape, self-harm, abuse, animal abuse, graphic violence, bestiality (hide spoiler)]This is not a book for everyone, but it was the book for me.I can feel all the people cringing away from this book, and this is very valid and no one will fault you for not reading it. It's a very graphic book marketed towards the YA audience, and DNFing is a completely valid thing to do.As you can see by the long list of trigger warnings, this can be very dark and VERY surprising if you're unprepared. Right off the bat, I say this book is for 16+, mayyybe 15+. I wouldn't really hand this to a freshman.I'm 17, and although I never struggled with reading the content and it's graphic scenes, nor did I ever feel tangible, physical discomfort, it was still very emotionally impactful. (I've also never had personal experience with any of the TWs, which is largely why.)Because this is a powerful, powerful book, hidden under layers and layers of anger and hurt and pain. It's ugly, it's twisted, and it's not something everyone can love.But it was something I loved.Right off from the start, there were so many subtle hints dropped about Prince Emory and how he's a terrible person and basically the epitome of the patriarchy. In retrospect, the way it was done is completely genius in the way it was done and Arnold is AMAZING.Even in chapter one, you can start seeing the true nature of Emory's character and how he begins to "brainwash" Ama into following his rules and acting how he wants her to act.This is shown in the very act of naming her Ama, in the way he kills the lynx, in the way he intentionally leaves information out, in the description of his first kill, in how he pees all over the mountain top and stakes his claim.The signs are everywhere. And it builds and builds and builds into this really strong and devastating (yet quietly triumphant) story.There's genuinely nothing happy about this story (except those couple lines at the end) and it is dark and twisted and ugly and gruesome and overall, really depressing. But it's the truth, and I found a strong sense of triumph about how the ugliness of man was exposed in a way that emphasizes the flaws of fictional tales from our past (see: Sleeping Beauty).Arnold wrote it really well, and it felt like a fable was being read to you with the luscious descriptions and purposeful narration. The atmosphere was just so on point and extremely heavy I wanted to cry reading the first few pages even though nothing was really happening and off the atmosphere (and some of the hints about Emory) alone.It's how Damsel manages to really grab at your heart that I found to be this book's best quality. For many other writers, telling this tale would end up just being sad and depressing and overall a bring-everyone-down (see: I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter). But the way Arnold writes it with truth and care amidst the shock is that's really what I felt redeemed this book.Damsel exposes all the things that we've somehow become conditioned to accept as nearly normal, and it shows us that this is not right and that society and the people in society need to change.She shows us just how ugly we humans are, and in a way, how the princes in our fairytales are so similar to Emory. Sure, they can be charming, but they've also probably never worked for equality in any of the fairy tales, either.Damsel lets us explore the gruesome yet true side of humanity and oppression in a way that is the most horrifying in the way that it rings true.It's a social commentary of our real world. It's terrifying and disgusting and gruesome but it's the truth for so many people out there.If you're looking for a rallying tale of women taking down an oppressive system, find something else to read. But if you're looking for a stark and true commentary on the realities of what women have gone through and what they continue to go through, keep reading.I want to end my review with this quote from the author:"Damsel is about waking up female in a man’s world. It’s about power, and abuses of power by powerful men. It’s about secrets. It's about pride, and anger, and action. I put my anger into this book, and I surprised myself with what my anger and I created."

Patricia

March 31, 2019

Damisela es una novela autoconclusiva que me ha fascinado por completo. Este libro recoge parte de la tradición clásica literaria y le da una vuelta de tuerca para crear esta historia tan necesaria e increíble. Todos hemos leído, visto o escuchado alguna vez una historia donde un joven y apuesto príncipe, cabalga a lomos de su corcel para rescatar a una dama de un temible dragón. Y así es como comienza esta historia, con el príncipe Emory yendo a rescatar a esta damisela en apuros, y es que debe cumplir esta misión si quiere convertirse en Rey. Así lo dicta la tradición. Los primeros capítulos, que son el momento del rescate, están narrados desde el punto de vista del príncipe Emory, y todo parece muy heroico, donde vemos a ese príncipe como al que siempre nos han presentado en los cuentos clásicos. Una vez la damisela es rescatada, los capítulos están todos narrados desde su punto de vista. Ella no recuerda NADA de su estancia en el castillo del dragón. No sabe ni siquiera quién es o quién es su familia. Incluso Emory le da su nuevo nombre, Ama. A partir de ese momento, ambos se dirigen a Harding, el reino de Emory, donde se preparará la boda para ambos en poco tiempo. Ama se siente abrumada porque no está muy segura de lo que está sucediendo, ni que sea lo que ella quiere o incluso que sea lo mejor para ella. A partir de su llegada a la corte, iremos viendo como se adapta al lugar y como nada es lo que parece ser. Ama es un personaje muy potente y al que es imposible no coger cariño. Sentía cada cosa que ella narraba en mi interior. Su situación es muy complicada y los cuentos de hadas no son como nos los habían contado. Ella se enfrenta a situaciones por las que ninguna querríamos pasar y lo hace con la mayor entereza posible. Algo que me ha fascinado es como al principio del libro conocemos al típico príncipe que siempre nos presentan y como poco a poco la autora va mostrando su verdadera cara mientras pasa la novela. Es también duro ver como nos han presentado ciertas historias durante nuestra vida y que nunca nos hayamos planteado cómo se podría sentir la chica en dichas historias. Os aviso que este libro tiene escenas muy desagradables. El abuso está muy presente en esta historia y no es fácil leerlo. Sentiréis frustración e impotencia, pero es que esas escenas son muy necesarias para la evolución de los personajes y de la historia. Son duras, sí, pero hacen que reflexiones mucho sobre ciertos temas. Y por supuesto, tantas intrigas y misterios hacen que esta novela tenga un final apoteósico que te deja con la boca abierta. Si estáis preparados para leer una novela de fantasía con un mensaje de empoderamiento femenino al máximo, que os haga reflexionar sobre muchos temas y que os tenga muy enganchados, esta es vuestra historia.Siento que con esta reseña no hago justicia a la novela y a lo que ha significado para mí, pero es que yo no tengo el don de la palabra, cosa que esta autora sí que tiene.

B

July 11, 2019

When Ama awakes with no memory to her prince telling her he saved her from an evil dragon, she’s forced to believe it. But not everything is as it seems.This book was- disturbing and gripping at the same time. The feminist and dark themes tackled were hard at times but incredibly vital. Overall, it was pretty good! Not amazing, but I definitely loved the ending

Jeff

March 27, 2018

Elana Arnold is a master of writing the struggles of young women and the violence they endure. DAMSEL is a story that feels both modern and ancient, a harrowing and compelling gothic fairytale of a young woman passing through fire to reclaim herself. It reads like a pre-Grimm-Brothers fairytale, before they were sanitized bedtime stories, when they went to the darkest reaches of the human heart to bear witness of who we really are. You will not be able to put this book down. You will not be able to look away.

Anny

May 02, 2019

Damisela es una novela que devoré. Literalmente. En 24 horas. Porque una vez que la empiezas, que estás en un cuento de hadas que quizás... tan de hadas no es, es imposible soltarlo. Me ha encantado (muchísimo) cómo la autora trata una historia tan típica que hemos visto siempre: príncipe apuesto salva a una damisela y la convierte en su reina. Solo que en esta historia es diferente. ¿Realmente la damisela quiere ser salvada? ¿Realmente desea convertirse en reina y hacer todo lo que le dicte la sociedad? ¿No hablar, ser sumisa, no dar problemas, engendrar hijos? En esta novela vemos el punto de vista de la protagonista, de cómo es rescatada y llevaba al castillo, donde debe casarse con el principe. Poco a poco, a medida que avanza, y no recuerda absolutamente nada de su pasado, impotente y con mucha frustración se da cuenta de que no es realmente lo que quiere. Quiere ser libre y conocer su pasado. Es una historia que contiene pasajes muy duros, con temas como la violencia, las violaciones, entre ellos.No encariñarse con Ama, es imposible. Porque desde el principio sientes una conexión con ella, con su historia y sinceramente me ha encantado.Para para que el final... fuera una pasada. Porque me enamoró. Me encantó.

Sunny

December 31, 2018

This is the most weirdly horrific book I've ever read in my entire life. "One should not make a pet out of a wild beast." Told through the classic "prince saves the damsel in distress from the big bad dragon" tale, Elana K. Arnold explores the most severe forms of sexism through the unique creation of her fantasy world. Prince Emory must find a dragon, save the damsel, and then marry her in order to become a true King. This is how it has always been, and this is how it will always be. So when Ama, our protagonist, awakes in the arms of her savior prince with no other memories from her time before this moment, she finds herself prepping to be queen in a kingdom she knows nothing of. Note: this is NOT a YA novel, nor will you find any cheesy romance that most YA fantasy books offer.Women have no role in this society but to bear children and to please their men. Ama slowly learns that she must become this woman for Emory. Being completely innocent and oblivious, she accepts this rule. We slowly begin to realize the Prince Emory is not as heroic as he seems. He's just another man with a dangerously high ego that only feels manly when the women around him are weak. This man is literally obsessed with himself. Anyone can sense this from the very first chapter. I must stress that there are very many trigger warnings that come with this book. Sexual assault is a constant theme, sometimes being very descriptive. Emotional and physical abuse are blatantly apparent. As well as suicide and animal cruelty. Many people will dislike this book for its cruel and descriptive usage of nasty words. But I applaud the author for being unapologetically and brutally honest. While this book explores the severe mistreatment of women during medieval-like times, Arnold makes obvious connections to sexism in today's society. I was angry throughout the entire novel. But my constant vexed feelings were worth the satisfying ending.P.S. The ending is honestly really weird. (Like extremely weird).P.S.S. I will never look at the word "yard" the same way ever again for the rest of my life.P.S.S. This book has the lowest Goodreads rating of any book I have ever read in my entire life. Yet, I confidently believe it is worthy of a 5 star. This is why I do not trust Goodreads ratings.

Ellie

September 29, 2018

↠ 3.5 starsI received a copy in exchange for a honest review. This is going to be such a divisive book; looking down the ratings my friends have given it on Goodreads, there is such a variation between 4 stars and 2 stars. It is a dark, provocative and slightly terrible novel, but it doesn’t promise to be anything different. It is a book about the treatment of women in a world dominated by men, and it is depressing.Before I go on, I want to state something: I don't believe this book can be easily classified as a YA book despite the fact that I feel like the marketing, cover, and a host of other factors seem to point towards the fact that it is. I would genuinely feel uncomfortable giving this to a 14 year old (which is the youngest end of the targeted demographic according to the proof copy). This book has explicit non-consensual sexual acts (described in detail) amongst other content that that could be potentially triggering for readers who are not expecting it. I feel, additionally, that people have problems with it because it “went too far” for a YA book, and that it’s darkness would be better viewed if it was framed as an adult read.Now that this is stated, I can admit Damsel is a very carefully-crafted tongue-in-cheek book about gender and the treatment of women in a male-dominated world. It is based upon the idea of what happens after the “happily ever after” and is inspired by the original dark fairytales, the ones where the princesses didn’t come off all that well at the end (The Little Mermaid commits suicide; Sleeping Beauty is raped whilst asleep, and so forth.)I would not go so far as to say Damsel is feminist; the heroine doesn’t really attempt to break from her patriarchal chains until the very end of the novel. She is pushed and manipulated into filling a womanly role, and often she does submit, as there is no other choice for her to make.Sentence choice is painstakingly selected in this novel. The speech given to Emory (the prince, and later, king) is not, at first, shocking, but it becomes insidious and you slowly become aware that he is, in fact, an awful man and the villain of the story. The thing is, he is charming at times, too, which makes it even more complex, because readers find it harder to see him just as a plain old villain. His lines (such as “I rescued you from the dragon”, and “a women’s name should begin with an open sound”) slowly unnerve you with their masculine entitlement. The latter, about the open sound, is also subtly sexual in nature, like so many offhand comments that the male characters make.Then there are lines such as “Please. She knew it would become her most popular word” (*I’ve paraphrased this, as I can’t find the actual line) which reinforces the submissive position of the heroine. Plus, there was the psychological manipulation performed by Emory which basically tricks Ama, the heroine, into being grateful to him and subjugating her further into a submissive role and into a position where she believes she should be thankful to men and their masculine brilliance and their natural role as saviour and protector and I just ??? Like damn, that really aggravated me the wrong way, which was obviously deliberate on the author’s part.Another really clever thing was the use of wild animals as mirrors for the heroine’s predicament. There was Sorrow, Ama’s lynx, and then Isolde, the falconer’s hawk. Both are creatures whose natural wildness was culled by men to ensure their tameness, and in turn only if they are tame can they be “useful”. Sorrow, in the end, is let loose by the heroine as she knows the lynx could never be happy in a submissive role – the act is one that mirrors the heroine’s internal feelings, and setting up for her final decision.There is a twist at the end of the novel, though if you’re paying attention, I think most readers will begin to guess (likely accurately) part of it before the end. The ending itself was left very open and most will view it as a positive end, I think. The book was well-paced at just over 300 pages, and I absolutely sped through it. I was also very fond of the author’s writing style; it had a subtle prettiness to it. Also this book had a lot of cats in it, and I liked that. Plus, glassblowing is an art I love but you never really see in books, so I enjoyed that too.The one thing that made me die a little inside every time (and not in a good way), were the word choices for male genitalia. “Tusk” and “yard” were the most often used, and I swear I will never look at those words the same again. “Tusk” obviously is an intentional choice for the subliminal message of violent impalement that it brings, but damn.Honestly, I admit I got a lot of pleasure out of this book just for the amount of layered material it provided to me as a reader. I could think over the intention behind the word choices and metaphors, and I openly admit that I enjoy books that provide layers of meaning and make me think about their creation. It brings me back to the days where I’d analyse sentences intensely in English, ha.Some people say that The Little Mermaid-based The Surface Breaks by Louise O’ Neill has the same idea of a subjugative, patriachal society behind it, but it’s done much better. I can’t comment, as I haven’t read it, but when I read it I will be certain to compare the two. It also sounds like The Surface Breaks didn’t push as far as Damsel did (honestly I’ll keep everyone updated when I read) and was more faithful to the YA limitations, which may be one reason why more people liked it? Not many people like reading overly dark books, and the truth hurts. But the fact is, the patriarchal world in Damsel used to exist in our world (and still does, in some places), and you can’t hide the fact that women were treated abysmally, as nothing more than objects and vessels for childbirth.TL;DR: This is a very dark book, and please only go into it if you feel mentally prepared. It is a provoking examination on a patriarchal society wherein women are lesser, with a fantasy, “fairytale” twist, and if you aware of what you’re going into and enjoy these kind of books, I would happily recommend it. EDIT: the author herself has commented on the fact people believe this book isn’t “YA” in a post on her blog and her response is well-articulated and thoughtful. As a reviewer, it is also my job to make sure that readers (especially young readers) are aware of what they’re going into, and certainly when there are so many triggering subjects. But if they’re aware and happy to read it, then those YA readers are more than welcome to read. this review is also available on my blog, faerieontheshelf.wordpress.com

Eli

May 22, 2019

Even almost two months later I don't really know how to describe this book... But I really admire Elana K. Arnold and I really think that books like hers are very important and can even change your perspectives somehow. I really wish I had read her books back when I was a teenager.

Darcey

August 08, 2020

buddy read with the beautiful Karen and Laysa (so glad you joined us!).this was quite a book. i completely understand the mixed reviews, because it was an incredibly intense book, and definitely not light-hearted in the slightest. it was honestly quite terrifying and depressing, with abuse in all shapes and forms, and incredibly realistic abuse at that. it made me squirm with digust at spots and cry with anger at others, but the ending astounded me, and quite honestly blew me away. i have soooo much hate for the characters in this book, but i have complete respect for the author, as she managed to write a twisted, horrific, parody of a fairytale with characters that could crawl off the pages and a feeling of loneliness that almost everyone can relate to at some stage or another in their life. disturbing but brilliant! that ending (and story overall) will stay with me for many years to come, i'm sure.

Frequently asked questions

Listening to audiobooks not only easy, it is also very convenient. You can listen to audiobooks on almost every device. From your laptop to your smart phone or even a smart speaker like Apple HomePod or even Alexa. Here’s how you can get started listening to audiobooks.

  • 1. Download your favorite audiobook app such as Speechify.
  • 2. Sign up for an account.
  • 3. Browse the library for the best audiobooks and select the first one for free
  • 4. Download the audiobook file to your device
  • 5. Open the Speechify audiobook app and select the audiobook you want to listen to.
  • 6. Adjust the playback speed and other settings to your preference.
  • 7. Press play and enjoy!

While you can listen to the bestsellers on almost any device, and preferences may vary, generally smart phones are offer the most convenience factor. You could be working out, grocery shopping, or even watching your dog in the dog park on a Saturday morning.
However, most audiobook apps work across multiple devices so you can pick up that riveting new Stephen King book you started at the dog park, back on your laptop when you get back home.

Speechify is one of the best apps for audiobooks. The pricing structure is the most competitive in the market and the app is easy to use. It features the best sellers and award winning authors. Listen to your favorite books or discover new ones and listen to real voice actors read to you. Getting started is easy, the first book is free.

Research showcasing the brain health benefits of reading on a regular basis is wide-ranging and undeniable. However, research comparing the benefits of reading vs listening is much more sparse. According to professor of psychology and author Dr. Kristen Willeumier, though, there is good reason to believe that the reading experience provided by audiobooks offers many of the same brain benefits as reading a physical book.

Audiobooks are recordings of books that are read aloud by a professional voice actor. The recordings are typically available for purchase and download in digital formats such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. They can also be streamed from online services like Speechify, Audible, AppleBooks, or Spotify.
You simply download the app onto your smart phone, create your account, and in Speechify, you can choose your first book, from our vast library of best-sellers and classics, to read for free.

Audiobooks, like real books can add up over time. Here’s where you can listen to audiobooks for free. Speechify let’s you read your first best seller for free. Apart from that, we have a vast selection of free audiobooks that you can enjoy. Get the same rich experience no matter if the book was free or not.

It depends. Yes, there are free audiobooks and paid audiobooks. Speechify offers a blend of both!

It varies. The easiest way depends on a few things. The app and service you use, which device, and platform. Speechify is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks. Downloading the app is quick. It is not a large app and does not eat up space on your iPhone or Android device.
Listening to audiobooks on your smart phone, with Speechify, is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks.

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