Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Damsel by Evelyn Skye - HIGH

Damsel by Evelyn Skye, 368 pages. Random House Worlds (Random House), 2023. $28.

Language: R (37 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Her impending marriage comes as a surprise to Elodie (20yo), but she will do anything to serve her people. The marriage agreement promises much needed resources, and her future husband is a very handsome prince. Elodie can’t help wondering what the prince and his family are getting from their arrangement, but even a 9-year-old’s attempt to talk about it is seen as a threat.

Justification is powerful, and it has this entire island under its spell. It takes an outsider and a child for some of them to see their actions as wrong. The royal family created an ethical dilemma upon which the lives of their people have been precariously placed for the past 800 years—and then told them to ignore it. Elodie changes everything with sheer determination motivated by the love she has for her little sister.

Elodie is depicted as white on the cover, and King Rodrick is described as having “olive” skin. The mature content rating is for innuendo. The violence rating is for blood and gore, suicidal ideation, and fantasy violence.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

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