fucking finally finished this lmao

Pre-Reading Updates

2/1/2018:

"Selina Kyle blew out a long breath as she lifted her chin and stepped into the sound and the light and the wrath. Let the bloodying begin.”

I'M SO FUCKING READY FOR THIS

27/11/2017: that cover tho

I'm not the biggest Maas fan. I stopped reading the TOG series a long time ago, but I decided to give this a shot.

I listened to the audiobook. So, I cant speak about how many dashes, ellipses, or fragments she used. But, the narrator was great at switching between male and female characters. I liked the dynamic between Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Catwoman.

I think out of all the books Maas has written this is probably the best because she restrained by what DC/ the publishers will allow. That being said the plot felt very Maas-esqe, but without the cringey sex or romance.

As far as representation, it still reads like someone who's never/isn't comfortable with writing about anyone who isn't straight and white. It's better than what we've seen from Maas previously(killing poc characters off, all straight couples, etc), but it isn't the best I've ever read. I think its partly due to the fact that she has to stick to DC canon. Overall, it's a fun read.

Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*

A new take on the most iconic character in the DC universe was given to readers by my favorite Sarah J. Maas! Catwoman is a character I'll never stop pinning for and I sincerely believe that she and Batman are the best couple! Yes, even better than Superman and Lois.

In this book, Selina Kyle is trained by the League of Shadows and returns to Gotham for a mission of her own. What kind of mission, that is a great surprise. Enter Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox (aka Morgan Freeman), who is Batwing, part of the Bat-family who acts on Batman's stead as he has left Gotham for a mission. When a series of thefts reach him, he will try to stop the thief, with everything he has.

There's no actual romance here. Some said that there is sexual tension, and there is, but the focus on the story is the squad Selina gathers as Catwoman. It was a great surprise to see Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn! The only idea I have of Poison Ivy was that failed Batman movie and Harley's madness was described in a stellar way; a fine example of an abusive relationship.

Because the Joker is not a real love interest; he is described as a monster and he even has a cameo appearance which gave me the chills.

The dialogue and the banter between Catwoman and Batwing were funny, I felt like I had stepped into a comic reading and seeing the fights, how Selina moved and that bullwhip? Wow!

I am putting this book over the other two I've read because you get to see the anti-hero/villain's side and not just the hero's.

It was a nice break as I am waiting for "Kingdom of Ash" to tear my heart out and I recommend it if you're a dedicated DC fan. ;)

Fun lil surprise by Sarah J Maas

If you’re new to the world of Batman, bump this up to a 3 star. But if you already know and love the Batman world and characters and canon, this may not be for you.

Maas, who I generally love as an author, took a lot of liberties and either did very little research on the universe or just disregarded so much of the canon. I’m not saying everything has to be exactly as the creators and OG writers intended- but she invented characters that were almost mirrors of characters that ALREADY EXIST in the existing canon, and changed very key personality traits in some of our favorite characters to suit her story. In short, it read like a very fun fanfiction. I love fanfiction (sometimes), but I had hoped for more from the author who clearly has the capacity to write and understand very deep and complex worlds. She just didn’t take the time to get to know this one.