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Elodie never dreamed of a lavish palace or a handsome prince. As she grew up in the famine-stricken realm of Inophe, her deepest wish was to help her people survive each winter. So when a representative from a rich, reclusive kingdom offers her family enough wealth to save Inophe in exchange for Elodie’s hand in marriage, she accepts without hesitation. Swept away to the glistening kingdom of Aurea, Elodie is quickly taken in by the beauty of the realm—and of her betrothed, Prince Henry.
But as Elodie undertakes the rituals to become an Aurean princess, doubts prick at her mind as cracks in the kingdom’s perfect veneer begin to show: A young woman who appears and vanishes from the castle tower. A parade of torches weaving through the mountains. Markings left behind in a mysterious V. Too late, she discovers that Aurea’s prosperity has been purchased at a heavy cost—each harvest season, the kingdom sacrifices its princesses to a hungry dragon. And Elodie is the next sacrifice.
This ancient arrangement has persisted for centuries, leading hundreds of women to their deaths. But the women who came before Elodie did not go quietly. Their blood pulses with power and memory, and their experiences hold the key to Elodie’s survival. Forced to fight for her life, this damsel must use her wits to defeat a dragon, uncover Aurea’s past, and save not only herself but the future of her new kingdom as well.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
April 18, 2023 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593599419
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593599419
- File size: 7259 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Library Journal
January 1, 2023
Written in collaboration between Skye (Cloak of Night) and the team behind the upcoming Netflix film Damsel, this is a tale of intrigue and adventure. Elodie is the daughter of a duke in a famine-stricken desert land that struggles to survive. She would do anything to save her people, so she agrees to marry a prince from the lavish and wealthy kingdom of Aurea. She is swept away by the wealth and beauty of the land and by her betrothed. But as she prepares for the marriage, Elodie starts to notice disconcerting things happening, like a woman in the tower who disappears and a procession of torches up the mountain in the middle of the night. It seems that Aurea has gained its wealth at a hefty cost--the sacrifice of princesses to a dragon--and Elodie has become the next sacrifice. VERDICT Skye creates an atmospheric world that allows readers to immerse themselves in Elodie's struggle to survive. Great for fans of Kiera Cass's "The Selection" series and Victoria Aveyard's "The Red Queen" series.--Leigh Verburg
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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Booklist
March 1, 2023
Skye's fast-paced fantasy about a strong-willed princess outwitting a vengeful dragon is an original novelization of Netflix's upcoming film, Damsel. To provide for her people in famine-stricken Inophe, Lady Elodie agrees to marry Prince Henry of Aurea, a faraway kingdom with abundant resources. Elodie is so charmed by Henry's regal bearing and the finery with which she is showered that she overlooks unsettling details: the king's nervous disposition, a peasant girl with a cryptic warning, a strange ritual held after the wedding. Soon, it's too late to stop her new husband from flinging her into the dragon's lair, another princess sacrificed to keep Aurea's prosperity unbroken. Trapped in the labyrinthine caves, Elodie is aided by notes, maps, and even blood-magic visions left by centuries of princesses, which lead her to surprising revelations about Aurea's pact with the dragon. Despite weak world building, this self-aware twist on fairy-tale tropes is an often-gritty survival story with a capable heroine whose unique skills in questioning assumptions and empathizing with others give her an edge in saving herself--and changing Aurea for the better.COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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