Review: "Damsel" by Evelyn Skye ★★★★
Review: Damsel by Evelyn Skye
Everyone knows the tale of the princess saved from the dragon by the brave and handsome prince who slays the beast. But what if the prince is actually the one who put her in such a predicament in the first place and she must slay the dragon herself, or die trying? This twist on the classic fantasy story endeavours to enlighten you.“I will get you, princess,” the dragon rasped. “Like all the ones before.”[Contains some spoilers]
“I am not just one of the many! My name is Elodie!” she shouted. “And the other princesses had names, too. Beatrice! Amira! Charlene! Fatima! Audrey! Rashmi! Yoojin!” She yelled all the names carved in the Safe Cave wall. “You will remember them! You will respect them!”
PLOT SUMMARY
20-year-old Lady Elodie Bayford of Inophe, daughter of a Duke, is betrothed to marry Crown Prince Henry of the kingdom of Aurea, an arrangement recently acquired to save her people from starvation though as a bonus she has always yearned to travel outwith her land. Eight months after exchanging letters, she is presented to him, King Rodrick, and Queen Isabelle. She spends time with Henry and likes him very much.
After the wedding ceremony, wherein her blood is mingled with Henry’s to make her of royal blood, Elodie is taken to Mount Khaevis to perform a sacred ritual all newly wedded princesses do. All is strange but going well until her beloved Henry hurls her into the caverns and tunnels below, inhabited by a fierce dragon.
Left to be slaughtered, afraid, alone and claustrophobic, Elodie soon discovers she is not the only princess to have been slung down here. Eight centuries ago, Aurea pledged to the dragon that they would sacrifice three princesses every year so the dragon would leave them in peace or else it would destroy them all. How will Elodie ever get back to her family? And who is the mysterious “V” who has left messages on the walls?
This is written from a past-tense third-person POV, the majority of it from Elodie’s perspective, but there are a few chapters from the POVs of Elodie’s sister Floria, their stepmother Lucinda, Queen Isabelle, Victoria one of the first princesses, Alexandra, Henry and even Khaevis (the dragon).
OVERALL OPINIONS
A few nights ago, I watched Netflix’s recent film “Damsel”, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter, and of course the incredible Shohreh Aghdashloo who voices the dragon. The moment I heard the dragon’s voice I got goosebumps (listening to her through headphones? Bad idea, I got so scared)! Anyway, I wondered if there was a book it was based on and looked it up, turned out it was the other way around: this book is based on the screenplay for the film and came out last year.
With the film and my thoughts of it fresh in my mind, I decided to read this. I love retellings and I love dragons so I knew I would enjoy it. As a young adult book, therefore aimed at teenagers, it was a great little read, rather quick, expanding on existing scenes and building depth through new scenes. I feel that, much like the film, if I had been younger I would have loved it even more. It was reasonably similar so I could tell exactly what point we were at in relation to the film, and of course had quotes straight from the film that was nice to see.
It also answered a lot of the questions I had from watching the film:
• Q: How many centuries ago was the deal with the dragon meant to have been? A: 8 centuries.
• Q:How long were Elodie and her family out at sea? A: Weeks, because the Aurean ships are quicker (had it been their own fleet, it would have taken months).
• Q:What is the significance of Victoria, was she just one of the cleverer princesses? A: While it is not known in the film, Victoria in the book is one of the first princesses sacrificed to the dragon, and she is determined to leave clues to help future princesses if she fails.
• Q:How is Elodie not freezing to death in the mountain? A: Most of the mountain is still part of an active volcano and the floor in particular in the Safe Cave is roasting because of the thermal vents, meaning that she cannot stay in the Safe Cave for too long as she will dehydrate.
Unfortunately, the book also created questions such as: why can Elodie, upon touching bloodstains of previous princesses, receive visions – especially before she is even married? Why is it only women who have this gift? How was Queen Isabelle spared by the King? Why does the mixing of her blood and dragon’s mean that she is now “kin” and can transform?
I understood the changes that were made (see the section below for a full list of differences between the book and the film), but I preferred the film ending to the book’s. I mean, suddenly Elodie is queen and can transform into a dragon? I don’t know, that idea felt very random.
ㅤwriting
Is the story cliché and predictable? Yes, of course. Did that take anything away from it? No, not at all! I would say the story lacks emotion at times, the feelings are touched upon but not delved into. One such example of this was Queen Isabelle and her relationship with her husband King Rodrik. We are told that she was one of the previous princesses chosen for sacrifice but instead, King Rodrik spared her. The author notes in more detail elsewhere that this is because he fell in love with her and decided to marry her. It is told in a matter-of-fact way, which could be argued is because it is based on the screenplay. Having never read Evelyn’s work before, I am not sure if this is her writing style.
Writing from various points of view can be difficult but it was done effectively here. Some perspectives were there to add more mystery, others were to reveal things. I especially liked the plot-twist that Victoria is responsible for a lot of the things happening in the book, but she is not a proper villain either. Her family was exiled from their home Talis due to earthquakes and infestations so they searched for new land. Aurea was perfect, uninhabited - save by the dragon. Her father was the one who sent out knights to kill it. All the knights die, and Victoria begs the dragon for forgiveness, saying they will do anything to live in peace. The dragon takes advantage of this and says she will have all three sisters, and three women every year thereafter. If they do not, come three days, the dragon will destroy them all. Victoria made a mistake but only wanted what was best for her people.
It was interesting to see the perspectives of Queen Isabelle, who is very reluctant to go through with the ceremonies but again like Victoria is doing so for the good of the people, and a new character Alexandra Ravella, a royal envoy responsible for selecting the future princesses, or rather, victims who is burdened by guilt and redeems herself by aiding in the attempt to rescue Elodie from the mountain.
The best parts had to be the bond that Elodie and Floria share as sisters and the eventual love between them and their stepmother. Elodie and Floria have sweet conversations that remind me of the things my sister and I talk about or do together. Elodie after escaping the mountain goes back to save Floria from the dragon, and it is very sweet and heroic the lengths she will go to protect her sister. It is nice at the end that Elodie refers to her stepmother Lucinda as “mama”.
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| St George and the Dragon painting by English School |
ORIGINS OF THE “DAMSEL IN DISTRESS” TROPE
🠚 The earliest examples of tales with damsels in distress are from Greek mythology, with Perseus encountering Princess Andromeda of Aethiopia helplessly chained to the rocks, awaiting death by the sea monster Cetus (often depicted as a serpent or dragon). Perseus immediately is besotted with her beauty and slays the monster, and they then wed – not of course without some family drama and people being turned to stone over it, as per the norm of Greek myths. Another example from Greek mythology is Hercules rescuing Princess Hesione of Troy from another sea monster.
🠚 In Japanese mythology, Susano-o rescues the princess Kushinada-hime in the legend of Yamata no Orochi the eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon. This dragon demanded each year one of an elderly couple’s eight daughters. They are now down to their last child, Kushinada-hime and the dragon will come for her soon. The storm God, Susano-o, was cast out of heaven and sent down to Mount Torikama where the elderly couple, Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, are. He marries Kushinada-hime in exchange for slaying the dragon, thus redeeming himself and allowed back into heaven.
🠚 In European mythology, there is the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. The dragon resides in a lake terrorising the village and to appease it, the people begin offering their livestock as sacrifice. Soon, the sheep are gone so the dragon demands people, mainly women and children, who were chosen by lottery. One day, the local princess is chosen. George of Lydda is passing by on his travels when he discovers all this, and decides to slay the dragon so the princess is safe.
INSPIRATION
<< Myths >>
From the myths above, it can be seen that this book is similar to:
🠚 The legend of Yamata no Orochi
ㅤ• the dragon demands the sacrifice of the couple’s daughters until the dragon’s defeat breaks the cycle (this is how the pact with the dragon is made via Victoria’s family, sacrificing their daughters and future generations of women)
🠚 Saint George and the Dragon
ㅤ• the people offer sacrifices to the dragon in an attempt to appease it, and the dragon demands further sacrifice of women and children (Victoria’s parents sacrifice their daughters to the dragon)
ㅤ• the Princess is chosen as a sacrifice and is reluctant about it (Elodie is chosen and once she realises wants nothing to do with it)
<< Tolkien >>
• Elodie talking to the dragon reminds me of Bilbo talking to Smaug (this book and the descriptions remind me of Tolkien) take this example:
“Nythoserrai vinirre. Visirrai se.”• having a whole creation and structure of the dragon language was excellent. It reminds me of what Tolkien did with his languages. It is lovely that it is Evelyn Skye’s 13-year-old daughter Reese who made it so I appreciate it even more (conveniently, this is the same age as Floria in the book, and coincidentally the same age as Tolkien when he made up his first language)
Elodie snorted. “I am very well aware that I can fall.”
The dragon hissed in surprise. “How do you understand Khaevis Ventvis? My tongue?”
“I am a clever one, remember? Syrrif drae, you said. I listened to you, and I learned.”
• “a single loaf of bread made from aurum flour contains all the nutrients a person would need for an entire day.” – reminds me of Tolkien’s elven bread
• the songs sung in this reminded me of something Tolkien would write
• “If you cannot do it, Elodie, no one can.” | “You are a ring-bearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. The task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will.”
• the dragon descending upon the town is akin to Smaug soaring to attack Lake-town
<< Harry Potter >>
• “Neither of us shall live without the other. -the dragon in Damsel | “Neither can live while the other survives” -the prophecy in Harry Potter.
THEMES
All the themes are a twist on the stereotypical idea
• Damsel in distress – a damsel, yes, but certainly not in distress
• Evil stepmother – Elodie and Floria’s stepmother Lucinda Bayford is the opposite of this, being a very kind and concerned stepmother.
• Prince Charming – Prince, yes, but his charm is only at face-value, he is actually very cruel and bitter
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| "Damsel" film (2024) |
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE BOOK AND THE FILM
• Elodie climbs trees and rigging which accounts for some of her abilities in the mountain, whereas in the film all she does is chops wood
• Elodie has claustrophobia in the book, meaning the whole ordeal is even more terrifying for her
• King Rodrik in the book is ill, distant, and has bad episodes reliving “the memories of princesses he had married when he was younger, and the ceremonies tossing them to their doom.”
• the dragon has its own language unlike in the film where it speaks English
• the dragon has violet eyes and does not have a gender in the book, it’s a female in the film
• every time book Elodie touches the bloodstains of one of the previous princesses, she gets visions
• Henry's demeanour is different, a "heart was made of cold iron", a lot harsher and unkinder than film Henry who is far more reluctant about the whole thing (and even tries to intervene when Floria is taken to Mount Khaevis). I see why it was done because it is to show that “prince charming” is not as charming as all that.
• the Queen, Isabelle, in the book is the more reluctant one. Again, I prefer the film version.
• there is a swallow that helps her in the book
• Victoria at first is someone whom Elodie trusts and follows her trails, but then there is the big plot twist that she is the very same person who put everyone in this predicament (whereas Victoria is simply one of the smarter princesses in the film where not much is known about her but she leaves a trail too). I liked this plot twist, but I also liked the film’s idea of the King being the evil one instead, killing the dragon’s three babies so it wants the three daughters. I think if these plots had become combined in some way that would have been even better.
• Lord Bayford, Elodie's father, in the book is burned alive. In the film, he is mortally wounded by her talons stabbing him (in the book this "death" is given to Elodie, though stabbed in the back rather than the front) and they can properly say goodbye.
• instead of Elodie cutting off her hair to set on fire and using a sandbag to topple the amour in the film (a very complicated scenario for a distraction), she props a shield on one end of a makeshift scale and the waterskin on the other, piercing a hole in it with her father’s sword
• the dragon’s babies were stillborn in the book, not slaughtered by the King in the film
• the dragon had a mother in the book, poisoned by Victoria
• the dragon believes her blood will bring back dragons in the book
• Elodie eats the glowworms as insurance
• Elodie kills the dragon which then “kills” Elodie, something which does not happen in the film. In the film, the dragon begs Elodie to kill her and she decides to heal her instead
• book Elodie, having merged her blood with the dragon’s, is now able to transform into a dragon herself
• Henry survives at the end as he flees the castle before it is set ablaze, unlike in the film
FAVOURITE QUOTES
• She had, unfortunately, a gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. When faced with social interaction, especially the expectation that she say something, Elodie seized up
• Never let it be said that women's fashion is merely shallow decoration.
• Even the most predictable life can gift you with the unexpected.
• “Life in Aurea is like a pond at sunrise, serene and reflecting golden light. You’ll break it if you throw rocks in the water.” “But what if I like throwing rocks?”
• “I thought dragons were just supposed to be stories,” Elodie whispered.
“Erra terin u farris. I am the *end* of stories.”
• For in this cave, Elodie was not alone. There was a sisterhood here, and a belief that even though their lives spanned centuries, they were still stronger together. • Perhaps the dragons were terrible. Perhaps humans were. Or perhaps they were all the same, only doing the best they could in an imperfect world.
• Elodie climbs trees and rigging which accounts for some of her abilities in the mountain, whereas in the film all she does is chops wood
• Elodie has claustrophobia in the book, meaning the whole ordeal is even more terrifying for her
• King Rodrik in the book is ill, distant, and has bad episodes reliving “the memories of princesses he had married when he was younger, and the ceremonies tossing them to their doom.”
• the dragon has its own language unlike in the film where it speaks English
• the dragon has violet eyes and does not have a gender in the book, it’s a female in the film
• every time book Elodie touches the bloodstains of one of the previous princesses, she gets visions
• Henry's demeanour is different, a "heart was made of cold iron", a lot harsher and unkinder than film Henry who is far more reluctant about the whole thing (and even tries to intervene when Floria is taken to Mount Khaevis). I see why it was done because it is to show that “prince charming” is not as charming as all that.
• the Queen, Isabelle, in the book is the more reluctant one. Again, I prefer the film version.
• there is a swallow that helps her in the book
• Victoria at first is someone whom Elodie trusts and follows her trails, but then there is the big plot twist that she is the very same person who put everyone in this predicament (whereas Victoria is simply one of the smarter princesses in the film where not much is known about her but she leaves a trail too). I liked this plot twist, but I also liked the film’s idea of the King being the evil one instead, killing the dragon’s three babies so it wants the three daughters. I think if these plots had become combined in some way that would have been even better.
• Lord Bayford, Elodie's father, in the book is burned alive. In the film, he is mortally wounded by her talons stabbing him (in the book this "death" is given to Elodie, though stabbed in the back rather than the front) and they can properly say goodbye.
• instead of Elodie cutting off her hair to set on fire and using a sandbag to topple the amour in the film (a very complicated scenario for a distraction), she props a shield on one end of a makeshift scale and the waterskin on the other, piercing a hole in it with her father’s sword
• the dragon’s babies were stillborn in the book, not slaughtered by the King in the film
• the dragon had a mother in the book, poisoned by Victoria
• the dragon believes her blood will bring back dragons in the book
• Elodie eats the glowworms as insurance
• Elodie kills the dragon which then “kills” Elodie, something which does not happen in the film. In the film, the dragon begs Elodie to kill her and she decides to heal her instead
• book Elodie, having merged her blood with the dragon’s, is now able to transform into a dragon herself
• Henry survives at the end as he flees the castle before it is set ablaze, unlike in the film
FAVOURITE QUOTES
• She had, unfortunately, a gift for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. When faced with social interaction, especially the expectation that she say something, Elodie seized up
• Never let it be said that women's fashion is merely shallow decoration.
• Even the most predictable life can gift you with the unexpected.
• “Life in Aurea is like a pond at sunrise, serene and reflecting golden light. You’ll break it if you throw rocks in the water.” “But what if I like throwing rocks?”
• “I thought dragons were just supposed to be stories,” Elodie whispered.
“Erra terin u farris. I am the *end* of stories.”
• For in this cave, Elodie was not alone. There was a sisterhood here, and a belief that even though their lives spanned centuries, they were still stronger together. • Perhaps the dragons were terrible. Perhaps humans were. Or perhaps they were all the same, only doing the best they could in an imperfect world.
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