There is really nothing better than a great quest story; and Leigh Bardugo did just that in Warbringer. What’s funny is that this is one of the first books that I have read written by Bardugo. She is well known for her Six of Crows duo and her Grishaverse but really what brought me to this book was my love for Wonder Woman!

As a fan I was worried about how she was going to be portrayed, but like a comic book this story was not limited to anything. Meaning this was not a retelling of the most recent movie adaptation of Wonder Woman (which was amazing just fyi!) and it wasn’t connected to any graphic novels or comics (although in Bardugo acknowledgements she does mention some that inspired her). Being unrestricted as she was, allowed her to make something completely new! Something that keeps you on your toes, introduces the character of Wonder Woman to those who are just getting to know her and gives something new to those who have known her for so long.

Wonder Woman Warbringer is the first of Random House's DC Icon Series, it is here that we are introduced to Wonder Woman before she’s a super confident butt kicking hero, we are instead presented to Diana the young Amazon princess trying to find her place on Paradise Island (Themyscira). I personally thought this approach was brilliant, because it makes it so that if you know about Wonder Woman you can read something new and if you don’t know anything about Wonder Woman than you don’t feel left out or lost as you are given the opportunity to learn about Wonder Woman's origin story (which typically tends to stay the same in many graphic novels) and about the island. Bardugo does such a great job in creating Themyscira, as she captivates that essence of what it means to be an Amazon as well as what it means to be Diana. She is loyal and innocent as well as strong and determined! As we follow Diana on her first mission ever and her first time ever off the island we get to grow with her as she discovers her strengths and weaknesses. Not only did I enjoy Diana's portrayal but there were a lot of new characters to love too!
Warbringer introduces an amazing group who are fun and sassy, but most importantly they were soooo relatable. Imagine meeting someone like Diana, who is a 6 foot woman, who is strong as she is gorgeous with some crazy rope and bullet proof cuffs! I felt so connected to Alia because of how she reacted to her situation. Alia is very smart and strong too, in her own way and I loved how she stood her ground. My most memorable scene of her and Diana is when Alia refuses to let Diana help her despite how sick feels. Too me it showed me her strength and also allowed me to relate her even more because I know that I would’ve been just as stubborn. I also want to give some major props to Theo and Nim who were the best comic relief and the best friends to Alia. I can’t forget Jason who is Alias brother who- Spoiler (sort of) - brings some romance to the story 😉 . I feel what really sparks everything is his knowledge about Greek mythology, which myths in the story of course otherwise Wonder Woman wouldn’t exist! Which brings me to my next point…
The amount of greek mythology is awesome! The main problem of the story is that the group has to save Alia from bringing war and chaos to the world (hence the title Warbringer) so they have to go to Greece and have her bathe where Helen of Troy was laid to rest. As they make their way to Greece they come across gods and goddesses, as well as some monsters too (which just brought back some great memories from when I read Percy Jackson!) Throughout it all we get to see Diana find her strength and kick some greek butt!

As a whole I rate this book at 4.5 stars almost 5 actually I just had one problem really. I felt that the ending although hopeful it was a little rushed. But I cannot wait to see what is to come with the rest of the DC Icon series!