Name: Christine's review of Black Widow Forever Red by Margaret Stohl
Item: Black Widow Forever Red
Rating: 3
Author: Christine

Margaret Stohl

This novel features all the thrilling adventure readers will expect from the Marvel brand, backed up by the young-adult cred of #1 New York Times bestselling author Margaret Stohl. Uncover a new side of the Marvel Universe, accessible to old fans and new readers alike, as Stohl weaves an unforgettable story through the world of the Black Widow.

Black Widow Forever Red

b.andherbooks

Christine

found at a library book sale

I liked it ngl. Took me a while to actually read it because I kept forgetting about it but. Wasn't bad at all, just somewhat slow in places.


also hah yay for heartbreak at 2am

Zaira A 

Black widow has always been a character I was interested in. This book allows you to see Natasha under a different light. I loved that the author showed some vulnerability without making her look weak just human. Ava character at the beginning seem almost like your typical runaway teenager. However, as you continue to read you understand the why she is the way she is. I enjoyed the book a lot it felt almost like an Avenger movie. I gave it a four because it lag at parts and I felt lost in the plot in some parts.

Jazelle H

Beloved characters are made flat. Dialogue isn't distinctive or imaginative; the characters don't leap off the page. While I appreciate the insight into the Red Room, and enjoyed the past to present shifts created by the debriefings, the story feels more focused on two children--yes, linked to Agent Romanoff, but still--than the book's namesake herself.

Gillian Rose

A really fun action adventure! Stohl really nailed Natasha and that was great. I loved Ava and Alex and their relationship. There was so much that happened too. It was bonkers but I never really predicted what was going on so that was good. I also loved seeing familiar names even though one was notably missing and it made me sad.

Cindy McKee

The constant back and forth from Widow to the other characters was distracting, for me. I liked the story best when it was on Nat and what was going on with her. I love that Coulson was her AIC and trying to get her to make friends, ect. The author had a slight tendency to repeat herself in thoughts, or dialogue, which made my mind wander at times. Maybe the next story will be better, at least, I hope so. The author obviously loves Black Widow, so maybe she'll work out the kinks.

Sarah

Briar Rose

*Review also posted at Briar Rose Reads

I nearly wept for joy when I saw that this book was going to exist. Natasha Romanoff is one of my favorite fictional characters. Now she's going to be in a YA novel--my favorite genre?! Life couldn't get any better!

Well... It could, a bit.

Natasha's characterization is... unsteady. She flips back and forth between arctic and maternal at a dizzying pace. I think that might have been meant to convey internal conflict, but it just comes off as inconsistent, in my opinion. Her characterization, to me, is not as bad as Tony Stark's, however. In the MCU, Tony is fascinating, as much as he's a jerk: crackling with humor and impudence thinly layered over trauma and insecurity. In this book, he sounded like he was trying to be funny but didn't quite have the wit to pull it off. And the damage that's always just under the surface? Nowhere to be seen.

And as for the original characters, teenagers Ava and Alex: Tropes. Tropes everywhere. It's not all bad, and they have their moments of being likeable, but there wasn't anything really original about them, nothing I haven't seen done dozens of times. Seemingly ordinary teenagers have a super-special suppressed past that comes roaring back in hidden memories! They're drawn together and feel like soulmates even though they don't know why! INSTA-LOVE!

(view spoiler)[A character dies in the end (there are hints of this all through the book), and hir relationship to another character means that we should care about hir a lot, but I just... Didn't. I finished the book and went, "Hmm. Okay. Well, zie ain't gettin' any deader." Which tells you something about my lack of emotional connection to hir and everyone else. (hide spoiler)]

Gisela Ayala 

"Natasha Romanoff. Avenger. Agent. Assassin."

Five stars for giving Natasha the attention she deserves, because this lady seriously kicks some serious butt. Margaret Stohl and Marvel gave us a brilliant inside view into the dark world of Black Widow, and it is dark. Black Widow is already a compelling character. She is both ruthless and radiant. Brilliant and beautiful. Cunning and clever, but most of all flawed... and that is perhaps what I love most about her character. She realizes her brokenness and uses it to her advantage, and teaches us that girls can be more than the situation are given. 

That is also shown through Ava Orlov's character as well. She isn't my favorite to be honest and probably because she is an angsty teen and rightly so with what she has been through. I shudder at the thought that I was probably like that. But I do like how her character developed. 

Alex Manor, I'm not ready to talk about him and I probably never will. Also, I don't want to spoil it for anyone that has not read the book yet. You are in for a surprise, or at least I was. 

Did this book make me cry? Yes. But than again most books do. What I believe now more than ever though is that Black Widow deserves her own movie. Please make this happen Marvel.

absolutely loved it! if it wasn’t for the ending this would of been 5 starts.. i’m butthurt and will continue to holdback tears while at work and once i’m in my car i will let it all out.

Enter the world of the Avengers' iconic master spy Natasha Romanoff is one of the world's most lethal assassins. Trained from a young age in the arts of death and deception, Natasha was given the title of Black Widow by Ivan Somodorov, her brutal teacher at the Red Room, Moscow's infamous academy for operatives. Ava Orlova is just trying to fit in as an average Brooklyn teenager, but her life has been anything but average.The daughter of a missing Russian quantum physicist, Ava was once subjected to a series of ruthless military experiments-until she was rescued by Black Widow and placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Ava has always longed to reconnect with her mysterious savior, but Black Widow isn't really the big sister type. Until now. When children all over Eastern Europe begin to go missing, and rumors of smuggled Red Room tech light up the dark net, Natasha suspects her old teacher has returned-and that Ava Orlova might be the only one who can stop him. To defeat the madman who threatens their future, Natasha and Ava must unravel their pasts. Only then will they discover the truth about the dark-eyed boy with an hourglass tattoo who haunts Ava's dreams. . . . Black Widow:Forever Red features all the heart-pounding adventure readers expect from Marvel, written by #1 New York Times best-selling author Margaret Stohl. Uncover a new side of the Marvel Universe that will thrill loyal fans and newcomers alike, as Stohl reveals the untold story of Black Widow for the very first time.

Alex Landau

I didn't have high hopes going into this book. To be honest, I'm not a fan of Black Widow, but since it was Marvel, I gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. It was very much everything I would expect from a Black Widow book and more. There were moments of humor that balanced the seriousness and violence of the story overall. I won't give anything away, but the last chapter or two of the story punched me in the chest and left me crying. 

I highly recommend this to anyone that likes Black Widow or wants to have more of her backstory than what the movies were willing to give you. 

Lynn Braden

Black Widow, Forever Red not only introduces a new character into the Marvel Universe, Red Widow, but it brings more of the back story of Natasha Romanoff to light. In the story, Ava Orlova starts having strange dreams about a boy she doesn't know. When he turns up at a fencing tournament, she realizes that there is more going on than just dreams. Enter Natasha Romanoff who we find has connections to both Ava and the boy, Alex Manor. This is a very good story about two teenagers unwittingly involved in mind control and the world of S.H.I.E.L.D and the Avengers. We also get more of Black Widow's past. This could easily be made into a movie, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I was so excited to read this. First off, I must say my son is a HUGE superhero nut. At only four, he already knows over 50 Marvel and DC superheros. He has his favorites, (Wonder Woman at the moment) but Black Widow is pretty high up on the list. Because of having my whole life surround around superheros, I decided it was officially time to read my first superhero book. :) And having it be about a kick-ass girl superhero - SOLD!
 

  

 
Overall, I liked this story. It was pretty intense at times, and the story kept moving. I just felt at times it was a little slow, and I found myself getting distracted from the story. I even thought about setting it aside a time or two, but I stuck with it. I did end up enjoying it overall, it just didn't wow me as I had hoped.

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I guess for me, it was just "okay". I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. Still, I would recommend this to fans of this type of read. Margaret Stohl's writing was very good, if nothing else. It just didn't end up being completely for me.
 

  



 

Audiobook Impressions:
 
When I saw this audiobook available for review, I thought that would be perfect. Especially since Julia Whelan was the narrator. She's extremely experienced and one of my personal faves when it comes to any sort of action story. She did an excellent job, as always, bringing this story and these characters to life.

(Thanks to Blackstone Audiobooks for the review copy!)

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