Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

SYNOPSIS

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, Gotham City looks ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove that as Batwing he has what it takes to help people. He targets a new thief on the prowl who has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. 

Together, they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman is clever--she may be Batwing's undoing.

In this third DC Icons book, Selina is playing a desperate game of cat and mouse, forming unexpected friendships and entangling herself with Batwing by night and her devilishly handsome neighbor Luke Fox by day. But with a dangerous threat from the past on her tail, will she be able to pull off the heist that's closest to her heart?

Synopsis from Amazon

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PERSONAL REVIEW

Catwoman has never been one of my favourite characters, but Maas has completely changed my mind. She’s created a Selina Kyle who is both sensual but vulnerable, strong physically and mentally (this is a very smart girl), and incredibly passionate although she hides it very well. I was captivated by this story and was equally in love with the way Maas included other characters from Gotham. This was a novel based on a comic book villain and I loved where Maas takes this story.

Wonderful Retelling
In this retelling, Selina was chosen by the League of Assassins to become one of their new Ghul’s. Her childhood and her training mould her to become an incredibly skilled fighter and killer and an equal challenge to Batwing. But she is not simply a mindless killer; throughout all her brutal training, the League could never break her compassion and humanity. Catwoman’s mission slowly reveals itself as the story continues, until even Batwing is on her side. We cheer for her to succeed and she proves to us just how brilliant and loving she really is.

Teaming Up the Ladies of Gotham
One of my favourite things about Batman (as a hero individually and the Batworld as a while) is that he so often goes head-to-head with strong, female villains, something that many other comics are lacking. Sarah J Maas brings Catwoman to the next level by telling Selina’s story brilliantly, but also by including Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. These women are serious threats! Individually, they are all strong villains; together, they were basically unstoppable (sorry Batwing, but you know it’s true). These characters were entertaining, witty, and put up a serious challenge for Batwing. They stood up against male crime lords— and won!

Excellent POVs
I didn’t actually know who Luke Fox (or Batwing) was before this book but I’m so happy Maas chose to include him as Catwoman’s counterpart instead of Batman. Batwing seems both more age appropriate and more open-minded when it comes to this version of Catwoman. I loved getting both their POVs and felt that it really added to this novel. Without Luke’s POV, Selina could easily have come across as too mercenary or we would have understood her end goal too quickly. I ended up liking Luke as much as I like Selina and thought that their relationship was well crafted. This is a story that I would love to read more about; there’s more much to love about these two!

So, I’m sorry to Anne Hathaway, Michelle Phiefer, Halle Berry and the many women who have voiced Catwoman in cartoons, but Maas’s version of Selina Kyle is the first one to truly capture my heart and make me root for her success! Finally we have a Catwoman with a strong (and logical) backstory and someone who doesn’t use her sexuality to win and is more then a simple cat burglar. This was a very strong story and my biggest regret is that Maas will not be continuing this story to tell us what happens next for Selina, Luke, Ivy, Maggie and the rest of Gotham City.

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FINAL RATING: 5/5