"The League was bigger, more lethal, than any criminal organization in this city. A near myth. They answered to nobody and nothing, a veritable force of nature. Their goals were so much larger than financial profit. No, the League dealt in power—the sort that could alter countries, alter the world. The smart criminals were the ones who got out of their way. The smartest were those who bowed."
NGL, I had Sarah J. Maas'
Catwoman: Soulstealer {DC Icons Series} on my Amazon wishlist for like four years before
finally purchasing it, and within a few chapters, all I could ask myself was
"What took me so long?" Y'all, this book is
good, and brings a whole new origin story to
Catwoman. Admittedly, I am
more of a Marvel fan myself, but the representations of characters such as
Poison Ivy, Luke Fox, and even Harley Quinn do a lot to capture your interest while reading, making you empathize with their vulnerabilities, and see them for more than the
villains and/or heroes we know them as. I legit thought this would be a
one and done type of deal for reading, but after finishing this one, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the
DC Icons Series.
Seventeen-year-old
Selina Kyle would do
anything to protect her younger sister,
Maggie, whose lungs are failing due to
cystic fibrosis. In fact, it's her sisters medical bills that
inspired her to join
Gotham City's legendary girl gang, the
Leopards. Each night she takes to Gotham's slums to steal, street fight, and
earn her spots {badges of honor, if you will}. It's not the
ideal situation; but as long as Selina is able to keep a roof over her and Maggie's heads, and stop Social Services from discovering that their
drug-addled mother has been missing for months, she considers her sitch a win.
Until everything comes crashing down, and she's offered the opportunity of a lifetime: Maggie will be adopted by a
well-to-do family and given the necessary medical treatment, as long as Selina
ghosts Gotham, and joins the
League of Assassins abroad. For Selina, it's a no-brainer.
Fast forward a few years, and Gotham is introduced to
Selina Kyle's new persona: the blonde, European-bred, wealthy
Holly Vanderhees. Now armed with
years of training with the
League of Assassins, not to mention a
super suit that essentially transforms her into
Catwoman; Holly is ready to take Gotham by storm - and with
Batman away on business, the city is hers. What she wasn't expecting, however, is that Batman's
protege-meets-partner,
Batwing, is on the scene - and closer than she expected. While some would take such a presence as a sign to vacate the premises, Holly sees it as a challenge, teaming up with
Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn to take down Gotham's elite.
Though Holly returned to Gotham with a
mission in mind, for the first time in her life, she finds herself forming connections with people who push her to let her walls down. Like the handsome
Luke Fox, who happens to live in the penthouse next-door; to the sweet
Poison Ivy who was used and left to deal with
unwanted abilities after an experiment gone wrong; even to the broken
Harley Quinn, who has allowed a
lifetime of familial abuse to make her chase after the
cold-hearted and incredibly violent {not to mention psychopathic} Joker. With so many managing to
enter her heart, Holly starts to see that she is a
good person {who does bad things sometimes}, and begins to question her past decisions.
This is not your typical Catwoman origin story. It is very different from anything that I have seen before, and that's, perhaps, what makes it so incredible.
This is Catwoman with heart. Within these pages you see
Selina/Holly/Catwoman grow exponentially from street rat to, for lack of better comparison,
Robin Hood. She has a conscience; she does not really want to hurt anyone; and she's someone that
you can't help but to root for. That said, her light is
almost stolen by
Poison Ivy who is just a
fire character. While I've always loved Catwoman, Poison Ivy has never been on my radar, but she was
incredible within this book, and I seriously need an origin story about her like
yesterday. Bottom Line: Whether you're a superhero/Marvel/DC fan or not, this one will
put you in your feels.
Star Rating: *****
xx
