Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the chance to review this title ahead of its release date.
DAMSEL was my first book by Elane Arnold and I knew after reading it that she was going to be one of my auto-buy authors. I went in with the expectations that carried over from DAMSEL and I was not disappointed.
Let me start this review by saying 1. that this book is in second person present tense POV, so if you do not like that sort of POV, steer clear. I, myself, don’t mind it and find it rather exciting to read, but I digress. 2. there are graphic scenes of periods and sexual encounters
Bisou lives with her grandmother in Seattle. She has a loving boyfriend and a seemingly quiet life. Until one night, she’s attacked by a wolf after running away from an embarrassing situation with her boyfriend. After she manages to kill the beasts, she realizes that it wasn’t a wolf, but a human boy thus triggering a story with a history of loss, sexual empowerment, strong female bonds, and toxic masculinity.
As I stated in my DAMSEL review, there were some graphic scenes that are very important to YA. As much as the story is about men and how their toxic traits can turn them into literal wolves, it was also refreshing to see Bisou’s boyfriend be so caring and understanding, something a lot of men can learn from. Although I doubt men will be reading this book, women can also know what it is like to be in a healthy relationship and to never take any shit.
This book is one big act of symbolism; of women rising and fighting back.
This was an amazing feminist work of art that I will buy for my shelf when it releases.
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