Catwoman: Soulstealer

Reviewed by: Sarah Cropley - Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 9, 2018

Review

Sarah J. Maas is the latest author to take on one of the DC characters in their series DC Icons. Catwoman: Soulstealer is the origin story of Selina Kyle, who begins as a seventeen year old girl illegally fighting in an underground ring for the money to take care of her sick little sister. When social workers begin to ask questions, Selina panics and tries to fight the police officers, which leads to her arrest. Rather than go to jail and have her little sister sent to a dirty foster home, Selina agrees to let a mysterious benefactor put Maggie in a good foster home and take Selina to Italy where she will train.

Three years later, she comes back as Holly Vanderhees, an heiress that's the cover for the Catwoman persona she puts on to steal from wealthy citizens in Gotham. Eventually, she teams up with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, both aligned with her mission to steal from the rich. Meanwhile, Luke Fox, watching over the city as Batwing while Batman is away, tries to stop the three women.

As with the other titles in this series, Catwoman: Soulstealer will be very popular with DC fans and fans of Maas' other books. However, without any major movie production to push less dedicated fans her way, Catwoman may not enjoy the same rise in popularity. Maas handles the action well and Selina's grey antihero morality. However, there are times when the writing seems to become repetitive or needlessly dramatic. Still, many readers will enjoy this book. Recommended as an additional purchase unless the rest of the series is popular.

Overall Book Score: good