Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (review)

Damsel in distress Ama is saved by Prince Emory, but there's no happy ever after ending for her. Ama remembers nothing before being rescued from the dragon's lair, and her hero, the prince, isn't giving any clues. Instead, he suggests (and soon demands) that she take up her role as queen-to-be, obedient to his needs and the kingdom's, and she acquiesces, partly out of ignorance of any other way of living and partly out of fear. As Emory becomes increasingly controlling and violent, she finds that only the monster within herself can save her. Arnold mines the darkest parts of the damsel in distress trope, bringing the underlying threats of physical and sexual assault into a violent portrayal of a fairy tale gone disastrously wrong. Every male here is a potential threat, and ironically, Ama must play the victim to avoid further abuse: "This is how he likes me best … when I am in need of rescue." The metaphors for penetration and imprisonment become somewhat strained, but the prose moves between a lulling storytelling cadence and a vivid immediacy, a contrast that propels the pace forward to a triumphant and bloody ending. Readers who like the grimmest of the Grimms' stories will find their appetite for dark tales satiated here. KQG