VLK249 reviewed The Damsel by Emma Jun
Damsel to the rescue
5 stars
I saw the near 600 page count and thought, "There is no way this isn't just unedited bloat. I've seen enough bad booktok bait books to know this." Then again, those books aren't The Damsel.
The Damsel is a combination slice-of-life action-adventure heroine story, Spider Gwen meets The Truman Show. Our leading lady is Sara, a blonde and powerless person in a version of our world that caters to what is basically Kryptonians if they were all transplanted from Krypton before their star went supernova (speed, flight, laser eyes). As an underpowered person with unique blonde locks, she is destined to be fought over and viciously coveted, because anyone who protects a Damsel is considered the height of moralism, virtue, and power. But also, a spectacle that must be filmed; a position thrust that Sara utterly resents. She has always aspired to be a hero, powers or not, as she …
I saw the near 600 page count and thought, "There is no way this isn't just unedited bloat. I've seen enough bad booktok bait books to know this." Then again, those books aren't The Damsel.
The Damsel is a combination slice-of-life action-adventure heroine story, Spider Gwen meets The Truman Show. Our leading lady is Sara, a blonde and powerless person in a version of our world that caters to what is basically Kryptonians if they were all transplanted from Krypton before their star went supernova (speed, flight, laser eyes). As an underpowered person with unique blonde locks, she is destined to be fought over and viciously coveted, because anyone who protects a Damsel is considered the height of moralism, virtue, and power. But also, a spectacle that must be filmed; a position thrust that Sara utterly resents. She has always aspired to be a hero, powers or not, as she believes people should do more with the abilities they are given.
The Damsel is ultimately a story about proving ones worth and defying expectation regardless of circumstance and disability. As noted, Sara's considered to have a rare disability that leaves her underpowered, of which others find whimperingly fascinating. What isn't explicitly outlined but clearly hinted at, Sara also is level 1 on the autism spectrum as well as a lesbian. Author Jun covers inclusivity organically and without preaching. The novel has Sara of the future telling a story to her show's director, mostly starting when she's forced into the public eye by going to high school in her late teens. Being singled out as different leads to relentless and relatable levels of bullying, and I can't help but contemplate how much of the author's experiences influenced some of the encounters. To say the least, it was gripping, organic, and made me want to cling on to this story for the finale to see if the Damsel will achieve her goals of being more than just a precious object stored in a tower and become the hero she always wanted to be.
There's very little to remark about when it comes to flaws in this story. Author Jun excels at unreliable narrator, and while the reader might be able to read through the lines, it is intended to be narrated this way to give it a personal feel. As a YA novel, this isn't exactly YA for the current teenager demographic. Many of the references are targeted towards Millennials (but since the majority of people reading YA fiction are for some odd reason 30+ year old white ladies (I'm guilty, and yes, this is a stat. Look it up), then this might not be a problem.) The climax feels fast, almost rushed, and this is only because the general length and building of a proper training montage and so on is being used to develop Sara as a wannabe hero.
This is an amazing read. I've always loved Emma Jun's work, and is a stellar example of her work. I emphatically recommend it.