Book Review: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas
Catwoman: Soulstealer
by Sarah J. Maas
Blurb: When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .
Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.
Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.
Cover Review: Am I the only one who thinks the girl on the cover looks like Anne Hathaway? Which I'm okay with, since she's my favorite Catwoman. Like the others in the series, it features a shadowy hero (or anti-villain in this case) and their symbol. It's got a lovely purple color scheme and looks nice.
Plot: It's a high-paced ride through the whole story, with constant twists and turns that keep you turning pages. But at the same time, it gave the characters time to breathe and react to things. I feel like the both the plot and the writing were really well done. The action scenes were exciting and easy to follow as well, which is something I always look for.
This is the first book in the DC Icons series to feature a slightly older protagonist, but that's mostly because it's a Sarah J. Maas book. I normally don't like her work because there's too much content, but despite this one being about Catwoman, it's fairly clean. Only one make-out scene.
Characters: Selena is the main character and Maas did a good job of introducing her, showing us what she was before she was Catwoman and getting our sympathies early on. She was a complex character who really wasn't that villainous, instead having her own reasons for everything she did. Plus, she was totally fabulous.
The other POV character was Luke, or Batwing (who I get confused with Nightwing). I thought I would like him more at first, but in the end, he fell a little flat to me. I did like how he struggled with PTSD and yet he was a superhero and people were helping him through it.
Then we've got the other villains, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. Ivy had more personality, but Harley was very her. They were also both more than just villains. Combined in a group with Catwoman, the three of them made the most amazing girl power team-up. I almost wanted to join them in wrecking havoc across the city.
Other: Two things disappointed me about this book. One, not enough (aka any) Batman or Joker action. Batman only made one phone call in the book and Joker showed up for a few pages and didn't get to do anything nasty. It can't be helped, but I stilled wanted it.
Two, I felt like there was too much of a push to include gay stuff. Ivy was lesbian, Harley didn't care who she kissed (comic correct, but still), and Maggie (Selena's sister) had two men for foster parents. If I didn't feel like that agenda was pushed so hard, then I would have rated it a whole star higher.
Rating: 4 stars
Have you read this book? What's something that will make you rate a star lower? Do you like reading books about villains? Tell me in the comments.
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