Tag: damselindelight

Wings of Ash and Dust by Brittany Wang

13+

This was a solid read that I enjoyed!

We have different clans of fae, trials for a throne, a little no-spice romance and a heroine who refuses to acknowledge the existence of her magic and I was hooked!

We are first introduced to Quinn – the daughter of the general of her clan the Gywillion and she has just been overlooked for a place on the guard. Her anger at the injustice burns throughout the book and her bitterness leads her to making the decision to leave her clan and become a pirate. In the second book I am really interested to see if she reflects on that decision and any regret surrounding it!

 It is always so interesting to have a heroine who is unaware of the parallels between her and someone she hates but is clear to the reader! It adds that bit of depth that just having some similarities with the villain doesn’t, it makes it so you can have the heroine shine a lantern on some of her more dislikable qualities as a character and I just loved it! Quinn hates her father for overlooking her and ignoring her promise to focus on her twin brother Gaius – but she does the same in the beginning which leads to the betrayal a few chapters in! Quinn is in no way a Mary Sue – she has human emotions and her character makes the decisions the best she can in a world where she threw away the limited privilege she was given four years ago and now is competing against royals who have their clans completely behind them.

And one of my favourite points is when she mentions that she uses the same training techniques she thought were overly harsh when her father used them but says that they ‘work’. We have a main character who is running from her clan and especially her father but also who’s views and way of life are extremely close to how she has been raised. We get this gorgeous juxtaposition and then she is launched into the world of the other clans!

From warrior princess to pirate to prisoner princess and the trials for the throne Quinn takes us through this gorgeously intricate world and I just loved it!

Characters – 5/5 stars! I have talked about this a lot in the main body of my review but I did really enjoy the characters so let me reiterate – from the Queen whom we get a tiny glimpse into the life of a royal who’s only claim to the throne was because of the men she married to Delphine and Arista to the other competitors – the side characters in this were a true work of art and I love them so much!

World – 4/5 stars – I don’t think I have ever read a world that contained fae that weren’t heavily connected to folklore fae – changelings and deals and trickery – but we can still see glimmers of here and there like in the Nymph silver tongue.

Plot – 4/5 – the plot pace did slow in the middle but I felt like that did work! However the ending’s pace I wasn’t quite sure of – the characters got a lot of new information and then the plot picked up and exploded into the final fight! It is still a solid plot but for me I prefer it when the plot stays relatively the same pace throughout!

Romance – 3/5 – Soft Romance – the romance is a subplot in this book, not the focus. It is budding throughout but the real focus is on the gorgeous surroundings and the deadly trials. We get the most gorgeous scene in the boat with the quote that made me read it but then the romance seems to fade out of the plot. I still enjoyed the romance – especially as I knew from the marketing there was no risk of it turning explicit! – and I am interested to see where it goes and will definitely read the second.

Content Warnings: drug reliance/abuse – this is a fantasy drug but it does have medium presence on the page while the main character never takes it!

0

March Book Club Pick!

Our March Read is Reckless by Lauren Roberts! I rated Powerless five stars and have reread it twice but somehow Reckless has sat on my shelf for a few weeks without being read which is a tragedy. Kai and Paedyn were 100% my romantasy favourite of 2024 and they might be of this year as well! Click the link here to join us over on Storygraph as we read Reckless, chat about it and books generally and prepare for the release of the end of the saga!

We’d love for you to join us over on Storygraph and every bookworm, dragon or wyvern is welcome!

0

A Guide to Violence Ratings

Here are my violence ratings for damsel! I am going to start adding these in to all of my reviews so you can make sure you know the overall violence level of the book. Some books have SA discussed and very violent things alluded to but not on page so always check the Content Warnings. 1+2 are suitable for most readers, 3 is the bottom of YA fantasy content, 4 is probably the most common area that I rate within and 5+6 are the ones that contain graphic descriptions, blood, torture, PTSD, racism etc. Violence is hard to gauge specifically because it is all relative and descriptions while useful dont help as much as examples! It is always useful to have a gauge of what kind of books fall into each category so click here 1 to skip down at see what I gauge popular books you might have read/heard of to be.

Level 1

this is very minor violence, perhaps a punch but ultimately suitable for most YA readers.

Level 2

minor injuries/fights with small non graphic descriptions.

Short combat scenes and limited threat

Level 3

Medium threat and danger.

Medium combat scenes with injuries described non graphically.

Death and violence are present and regularly part of the storyline and plot.

May have minor Drug/Alcohol Abuse

Level 4

Violence occurs regularly as does death and injuries.

SA references will mostly be in the past and non graphic if present.

Drug/Alcohol abuse may be graphic

Level 5

Violence is frequent with long combat scenes that contain deaths of both good, bad and morally gray characters.

Some sexual violence/harassment may be present on page and in the past but rare and short.

Blood and injuries may be described graphically.

Drugs/Alcohol abuse may be present

Level 6

graphic descriptions of injury, violence and blood.

may have sexual violence or harassment.

SA may occur – in the past or on the page so check the content warnings

Frequent death and suffering including torture should be expected.

Drugs/Alcohol abuse may be present

Level 1 – These are going to be romances mainly. Very few fantasy books fall into this category that I review and so I cant think of any examples other than Meet Me at Midnight which releases 10th of April 2025.

Level 2 –

Keeper of the Lost Cities – we are firmly middlegrade here, we have short fight scenes with no graphic description (but later on in the series it might brush up to a 3).

Howls Moving Castle – I would say this is suitable for 10+ as long as you are okay with a little threat – most of Diana Wynne Jones’s books are pretty safe in general, a few do drift darker than others but I have read her entire works and I would say this is where most of them sit if you are looking to read her!

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone sits here there is threat but not all throughout.

Level 3 –

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the Prisoner of Azkaban as well as the Goblet of Fire sit here and the Order of the Phoenix.  

Level 4 –

Powerless by Lauren Roberts, it does center around trials and there are fight scenes – some are sparring and some serious – but overall the book is more romantic than murderous.

A Good Girls Guide to Murder and Good Girl Bad Blood both fall into this category. They are pretty dark in places but we are looking back especially in the first so the SA, rape and drugs aren’t primarily to the main characters.

Level 5 –

Hunger Games Trilogy, we have gory battle scenes, brutal murder and corruption etc.

Red Queen – the first book might just scrape down into level 4 but we have war, torture, captivity and a lot of manipulation and threat. I read it about 13 and loved it to bits (still do!) but it is pretty violent especially later on.  

Throne of Glass – just the first book here! – we have trials and on page violence and general darkness to the whole series.

Level 6 –

As Good as Dead, very violent, she is being hunted by a serial killer and threat is very high.

Nightweaver – the first two thirds have about a level 5 of violence but it ramps up in the last third to have graphic blood and murder as well as possession by demons.

1

March Booklist: Strong FMCs!

It is international womens day this month and so I have put together a booklist of my favourite FMCS that just scream female rage and power and radiate from every page. From assassins to knights to fallen queens this is a list of FMCs that don’t wait for people to save them and survive and thrive because of their tenacity and skill!

Paedyn Gray- Powerless – Lauren Roberts
How could I not include her? In a world of elites trained to kill any ordinary she not only survives trials designed to test the best of them but does it without any of their superpowers! Her incredible ability with weapons   as well as her insane ability to fake being a Psychic  – and fool a whole royal court! – makes this a must read!

Celaena Sardothian  – Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas

Celaena is just everything I love in a fantasy heroine and even though a lot of characters have borrowed from her she cannot be replicated! Tough and yet soft, she can torture a man and then go home to cuddle a dog  and read! Assassin, reader and all round badass how could anyone not love her?

Evangeline Samos  – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Honestly she stole the scene in every chapter she was in! From start to finish Evangeline had the magnetic pull of the main character and the villain while maintaining opposition to the mc! Ambitious and powerful she will remain one of my top fmcs no matter how many I read!

Keladry of Mindelan  – Protecter of the Small – Tamora Pierce
More of a classical heroine than most of my assassin mcs Keladry is one of the first to ensnare my heart and never let go! Fighting against prejudice in a world on the brink of a war as she becomes the first female knight in a hundred years her courage, stubbornness and justice make her probably the most moral of those on this list!

Mare Barrow – Red Queen – Victoria Aveyard
Teen revolutionary leaders aren’t a new thing in dystopian but Mare does it like no other! From the slums to the Silver court to chains and revolutions she radiates through the pages of her series and remains my Roman Empire (along with the rest of her world) despite reading many more similar fmcs no one can do it with the power of Mare!

Katsa – Graceling  –  Kristin Cashore
Katsa is one of the toughest characters I have ever met! I am wrestling with spoilers because her power just grows and grows! Her sheer tenacity and stubbornness is a superpower in itself and I love her from start to finish.

Manon Blackbeak – Throne of Glass – Sarah J Maas

I haven’t finished this series yet (I read the first few a while ago on borrowbox but the series is insanely expensive so I am keeping an eye out for second hand copies in bookstores!) but Manon was an instant fmc forever. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks, is dangerous and incredibly intelligent. She feels like Celeana and yet not, she is harder, less colourful and I just love her!

These FMCs are my favourites from the hundreds of books I have read and I 100% recommend them joining your TBR this March!

Safe Reading

Lottie x

3

Top Ten Tuesday: Character Quotes!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

Todays prompt: Things Characters Have Said

As I was doing this I realised that I was going to end up with a stream of quotes all from the same books and authors (I have so many quotes I could keep going forever) so I tried to mix them up a bit but how could I not include my favourites?

1 – “This is the arena and here we live to die.” – Galdoni, Cheree Alsop

2 –  “Remind me to make you smile like that again, when you aren’t dying, and I have all the time in the world to memorize it.” – Powerless, Lauren Roberts.

3 – “When people say a knight’s job is all glory, I laugh and laugh and laugh. Often I can stop laughing before they edge away and talk about soothing drinks.” ― Tamora Pierce, Squire

This whole list could be full of Tamora’s quotes but I will settle for just one more!

4 –  “Threats are the last resort of a man with no vocabulary.”― Tamora Pierce, Lady Knight

5 – “No one is born a monster. But I wish some people were. It would make it easier to hate them, to kill them, to forget their dead faces.”― Victoria Aveyard, Glass Sword  

6- “The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain” – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

7 – “Flame and shadow. One cannot exist without the other.” – Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

8 – “A lie will raise me up, and one day another lie will bring me down.”― Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard.

9 – “When a monster stopped behaving like a monster, did it stop being a monster? Did it become something else?”― Kristin Cashore, Graceling

10 – ““How absurd it was that in all seven kingdoms, the weakest and most vulnerable of people – girls, women – went unarmed and were taught nothing of fighting, while the strong were trained to the highest reaches of their skill.”― Kristin Cashore, Graceling.

Extra – I am currently reading Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard and finding myself highlighting every other quote so heres one of my favourites so far!

“And what kind of empire could rise from such a clash. With myself at its head, alone without equal. Without need for any other.” – Erika, Victoria Aveyard, Realm Breaker

I am adoring her character so far – I love when characters openly think about the injustices and prejudices that limit their actions and Erika’s understanding that everyone around her would move to support her male cousin or another heir if given the chance makes her a 5 star character for me!

0

Galdoni by Cheree Alsop

13+B

I just love this world – honestly this trilogy is one I never tire of. I reread it and reread it (sometimes back to back) and it always holds up. We have a dystopian America, perhaps a few hundred years ahead where scientists have genetically adapted test tube babies into winged humans.

Originally designed as military scouts, the Galdoni have too much of the animal need to survive to be successful to the governments plan. The Galdoni are taken by the Arena a gambling corporation focused on entertainment. Told they are fighting for their place in the afterlife and raised in a harsh training environment manned by guards with whips the Galdoni have no idea that their lives are bringing the American government and corporations millions.

However activists have pushed hard enough that the Galdoni have been released into society – including our main character KL426. Beaten up in an alley during the first chapter and left to die by angry gamblers who lost money on fights KL426 (later called Kale) is rescued by the children of a doctor.

In a family environment for the first time KL426 begins to reveal the true nature of the gambling facility and what they do to the Galdoni inside there. Society has been told they are no more than animals but as Kale interacts with the family and especially the eldest girl Brie it becomes clear that he and the rest of his race are just as human despite their horrific upbringing as the rest of the world.

And then the Arena starts hunting them down to begin the fights again.

Plot – 10000/5 – we have everything I want in dystopian in a deceptively simple plot and as the rest of the trilogy continues we get more and more depth on this world that ignores basic humanity in favour of profits (it’s a little close to the bone when I put it like that) but I would 100% recommend it.

World – 10000/5 – I love it! Winged Gladiators in a dystopian world that is still recognisable is something I didn’t know I needed but I absolutely do.

Characters – 5/5 – From Kale our mmc who we follow as he learns about the world outside the Arena to Brie and her little sister to the found family in the doctors children I love it so much.

Romance – Soft Romance – Brie and Kale are so sweet and they may be my favourite dystopian couple just for the humanity in their relationship. Brie has her own past but neither hers nor Kales interfere with their budding relationship.

Content Warnings: Death, Violence, Gaslighting, Domestic Violence, Gladiatorial Battles, attempted Rape and assault, Suicide

1

Top Ten Tuesday: Books set in Another Time

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl where bloggers are given a prompt that is usually a list of ten bookish things.

Todays prompt: Books Set in Another Time (These can be historical, futuristic, alternate universes, or even in a world where you’re not sure when it takes place you just know it’s not right now.)

1 – Fierce Heart by Tara Grayce (historical fantasy)

2 – Temanarie by Naomi Novik (historical)

3 – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (dystopian)

4 – Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory (dystopian)

5 – Changeling by Molly Harper (victorian/dystopian)

6 – Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okrafor-Mbachu (sci-fi alternate world)

7 – Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (alternate world)

8 – Galdoni by Cheree Alsop (dystopian)

9 – Roaring by Lindsey Duga (roaring twenties with magic)

10 – The Time Hunters by Carl Ashmore (set in literally everytime from ancient Greece to modern day to dinosaurs)

Special! The Wycherley’s by Annaliese Avery (regency/futuristic) which is coming on the 22nd of May!

All links will take you to the full review with an age rating, expansive content warnings and the Damsel rating system so you can be delighted with your read and not stumble into any unwanted violence or spice!

If the book is not linked then the reviews will be coming soon but all of these recommendations are YA and no spice however some of them are more violent than others so do check when the reviews are put up!

0

Fierce Heart, Tara Grayce

13+

Usually when I go back for a reread (especially when I reread it within a year) then the plot doesn’t captivate me as much, but this one completely did. It feels so soft the plot and everything happens and then nothing but so many details and little emotions are worked into the whole world that you are never bored for a moment.

Elsie and Farrendel are in an arranged heavily political marriage between two countries that have been at war and in a country that is on the precipice of a much larger one. They don’t have the insta-love/attraction that I always struggle with in political marriage books, they understand each other and move slow. The exploration of cultural differences as well as the aftermath of war on people is really well explored but it is rarely heavy because we always have the hope of the new alliance and romance.

These series isn’t a rapid paced whirlwind so you get to know the characters which is especially important as later on in the series the POV changes. In this first book we get a real sense of the hope on both sides – no one wants war and so these two very different people from different cultures and life experiences are going to do everything they can to make this work.

World – 5/5 – classic fantasy, elves and humans and trolls yet fresh. It almost feels like a historical Victorian novel in places and then we revert into the very fantasy world of the elves. The juxtaposition between the traditionalist long lived elves and the Victorian feel humans shows just how the two kingdoms are so different but yet need to come closer to survive.

Plot – 4/5 – it is very much the wider plot, we have a lot of time we are playing with here over the series and a lot of war that happens before. But I was never lost and I was 100% there throughout all of the plot moments.

Romance – 5/5 – it is somehow the focus and not of the book, it is very sweet and slowburn while still giving us those deliciously sweet moments in places.

Characters – 5/5 – they are so realistic that sometimes I cant figure out how I feel about them. All of the characters are distinct and yet this hope binds them all. And they are reassuringly mature – well the mc’s are, the court is another thing entirely. It feels like it steps away from a YA fantasy romance into something that floats between and could be enjoyed by any young adult or adult adult looking for a fantasy read that steps out of tropes and delivers on all counts.

Content Warnings: violence, PTSD (pretty low in the first one but does increase as the series continues), ableism (as a country, Tarenheil is obsessed with surface perfectionism).

1

The Twelfth Keeper by Belle Malory

13+B

The Twelfth Keeper is another example of dystopian fantasy, but the opposite of Red Queen. A world that is perhaps only 500 to 1,000 years in the future. This means we still have recognisable government structures but Earth is at a tipping point in its history. Because of interactions with other planets, Earth has been told that they have ‘keepers’ twelve destined children who are all born within four years of each other who will protect earth. Seen as essentially military celebrities housed up in a military space station the people of Earth have no idea of the powers that both the keepers have and that are threatening earth.

 We get introduced to Kennedy who is trying on her sisters clothes and makeup, something which marks her personal progress as later on in the novel and then the series, we see her become her own person. She is personable from the start as we go with her for the mandatory vaccinations, and her fear of needles. She doesn’t believe that she is the Twelfth Keeper, a protector of the earth, and is stubborn to the point of near death in holding her own opinions. She does not want to be a hero but everyone around her expects her to be the most powerful of them all, the other keepers have been waiting for years for her to arrive. She holds her family close (and they have a really sweet relationship which is always rare in fiction) and only goes to train because her family are paid for it.   

Characters – 5/5 stars – Kennedy is so personable, I think I already used this word, but she just brings such a realism to an otherwise other world. Phoenix I took a bit longer to grasp but I do love him.

World – 5/5 stars  – I just love it we have a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and dystopian that combines into a world I will always remember. With new technology and yet still similar world structures as to now it really highlights just how much dystopian is the way of commenting on corruption.

Romance – 4/5 stars – Sweet Romance – Phoenix and Kennedy have a rocky beginning, but it is explained and makes you understand more about how growing up in a government department in space has formed his character. The romance is slightly more prominent in this than some other reviews i have given but nothing out there, just a few kisses and cuddling. My one peeve with the romance is the age gap, Kennedy is sixteen and Phoenix is twenty and this is just pushing it a bit far for me but I can overlook it because everything else is so good.

Plot  – 5/5 stars – because we are launched into this world alongside Kennedy who doesn’t know what is going on but knows what she believes we get a really lovely viewpoint on the plot. Clues are constantly going on around her, but they are often for books far later along and also Kennedy isn’t sure what is important. This is a new world to her and people expect her to do things that she doesn’t think is possible. The plot is fast paced with lulls letting us absorb more of this gorgeous world.

Things to be aware of: There is violence, and threat throughout 3.5/5. there is a lot surrounding drowning and how Kennedy is triggered heavily by that and how she suffers after. Genocide. A little bit of subtle racism in places.

1

Waiting on Wednesday: The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schusters for this e-ARC and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own as always!
Pub Date: 22nd of May, 2025
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK Childrens  
Genre: YA Fantasy, Witchy.
Age Category:  YA

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that originated at Breaking the Spine but has now linked up with Waiting for Wednesday at Wishful Endings. It is always a fun chance to display books that are going to be joining our bookshelves very soon in 2025!

The Wycherleys by Annaliese Avery

13+

This was such an unexpectedly sweet book with a really distinct narrative style and plot. Centered around multiple Sabbaths in the first debutante season of Aurelia Wycherley this had the feeling of a dystopian read and of a subtle regency influence.

Reading a book where the heroine knows what is expected to happen to her, and even knows that she will be shunned from society even further than she already is when her seasons are over could have made the book more of a darker read. However while I felt it did dip into exploration of what happens if you are the exception that slips through the cracks of an otherwise heavily organised society the romance kept things light and warm (I don’t know if warm makes any sense but Nightly and Aurelia just radiated it).

The romance was just right for me and I loved how Aurelia was willing to let Nightly go, she wanted what was best for him despite her feelings. Often this leads to the miscommunication trope but their relationship didn’t stumble down this path. We had a relationship as well, the relationship of their ancestors hundreds of years earlier and how Heston Nightly had cursed Mathilde.

A lot of witchy academia/regency/Victorian reads end up becoming either quite dark or very fluffy but this balanced it nicely. It feels in the same genre to Changeling by Molly Harper, just a more romance focused and less political.

There were a few loose ends I wanted to see wrapped up that didn’t quite – I don’t know if a sequel is being planned?? But despite that it was a really enjoyable read that I would 100% recommend if you want a slightly lighter romantic but still fantasy read!

World – 5/5 – I really like this mix of current/almost alternate reality dystopian and regency witch academia. The three seasons to find your ‘tether’ was a really interesting link to marriage in the regency times and how if you didn’t find one or  high society didn’t deem you suitable for marriage then you were increasingly ignored.

Plot – 4/5 – it felt like it wandered a bit in places mostly because Aurelia isn’t just dealing with a new romance and mystery here she is dealing with the loss of her magic and future. However I wholeheartedly enjoyed it and we got a masquerade ball (I do love those!) and other society events which framed the romance and desperate situation.

Characters  – 5/5 – I love Jules Nightly, his focus on saving his sister, on protecting her from society and how devoted he is to her wellbeing is just the sweetest fictional sibling relationship ever. I also loved Evelyn (his sister) and her interactions with Aurelia were always really enjoyable!

Romance – 4/5 – Sweet Romance – so gorgeous. When a book is marketed as enemies to lovers I am always a little worried that I wont like the dynamics of the romance (often they can stray into a little toxic) but this one felt more like rivals to lovers despite the familial history between the two.

Content Warnings: a little fantasy violence, murder (nothing on the page).

1

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑