Mattie's Reviews > Damsel

Umm ... *twiddles thumbs* so yeah okay wHAT?!

I honestly do not have the words to describe this book. I can't even tell if I liked it? I mean, I didn't like it—it's a nasty little book that made me feel incredibly uncomfortable—but it's also quite powerful and I definitely reacted to it.

I thought that it was really quite obvious what had happened to Ama, which kinda ruined the tension of the book for me. I mean, the whole book is basically uncovering the secrets of her past without much else going on, so given that I'd already figured out the secret, I wasn't that enthralled by the plot. BUT something about this book kept me reading—I don't know whether it was Ama herself, who I did like as a main character, or just wanting to see how the book ends—but something kept me hooked.

One thing that I think the publisher needs to make abundantly clear is that THIS IS NOT A YA BOOK. I do not know why it has been marketed as such because that's wholly inappropriate and the publisher hasn't done enough to make sure people are aware of the nature of the book and that it is not picked up by younger teens. This book is d a r k: there's graphic sexual assault, explicit description of self harm and suicide, as well as abuse and animal cruelty. I would NOT give this book to young teens and I would NOT recommend it to anyone who may find those topics stressful, so please bear that in mind before reading this book or recommending/gifting it to someone.