Sarah J. Maas

Catwoman: Soulstealer (DC Icons Series)

Briar's Reviews

Let me tell you a little (not so secretive) secret... I love superheroes. Marvel. DC. All of them. I love it! DC has been a personal favourite since I was a small child, so I absolutely HAD to pick up this series. I have a few littered around my house that I keep eyeing down, but I finally decided to grab Catwoman - because Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman are my original hype women. 

This is a YA book that packs a punch (pun intended). While it isn't your typical origin story of the Catwoman character, it sure makes an impact and will leave superhero fans breathless. Catwoman teams up with the Gotham City Sirens to try to steal some precious jewels, and all heck breaks loose (as expected with this trio). Batman isn't around, but Batwing is... and he's sure in for a fight.

My notes about this book:
- Selina Kyle isn't her typical self in this book. Sarah J. Maas has put her own spin on the character, which was really interesting. While I didn't like it all that much, it didn't hurt the book. I was still able to make my way through the book and appreciate the writing. Think of it like a variant on good ole Catwoman.
- Selina has some awesome motives that make me like the character, which is one of the only reasons I could stick to this book. Her sister and their back story will pull at your heartstrings. Seriously. Get those tissues ready folks.
- Harley is WAY more insane and feels way more like the Joker than a fun, sassy Harley Quinn character.
- Poison Ivy is also... not strong. She's got powers and is strong with them, but her personality feels like a wet paper towel. She was so strong and smart... Where did my favourite Pamela go? I'm still glad she's here and rocking it, but I expected SO MUCH MORE out of my favourite DC character. 
- The romance was definitely not needed in this book, but it's YA so you almost have to expect it at this point. Fantasy, romance and drama... The triangle points of YA books.
- The fight scenes are truly incredible and I am really impressed. I know that Sarah J. Maas does fight scenes really well, and those lived up to the hype.
- Really cool cover. I know we aren't really supposed to judge them, but I still love some good cover art. My background in Marketing allows me to appreciate that some books are just WILD with their covers. I love it. Also, the purple works really well. Overall, five out of five on that cover art. Give that artist a raise! 

Overall, this book was a good book even if it doesn't hit my top ten list for the year. I love stepping into the superhero worlds and like seeing the variances different authors take with these characters.

Now time to jump into the next book in this series... Wonder Woman or Superman... anyone?

Four out of five stars.

The highly anticipated coming-of-age story of kick-ass super hero: CATWOMAN by international bestselling author Sarah J. Maas. 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. In this third DC Icons book--following Leigh Bardugo's Wonder Woman: Warbringer and Marie Lu's Batman: Nightwalker--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?

Soulstealer

Catwoman

Jazelle H

Of the books that so far comprise the DC Icons Series, Sarah J. Maas' take on Catwoman is so far a well-earned favorite. Maas brings a new level of life, wit, and charm to the Selina Kyle we've seen in multiple forms over the years, while still maintaining the integrity of a beloved, badass character. While the association with and character development of Luke Fox was unexpected, it actually provided an extra layer to Selina's character; a mindset and person she could connect with, regardless of which mask she was wearing. Of course, a Catwoman piece wouldn't be complete without an appearance from Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. The relationship between the three women is nostalgic, wicked, and on the mark, all while granting Selina another area for development and growth. As should be expected after reading Aelin and Feyre's stories, Selina practically purrs of the page in Soulstealer. Sarah J. Maas certainly doesn't disappoint.

Beatrix Haase

I actually really really enjoyed this book a lot. I love Sarah J. Maas' writing but this one was something different and it really did intrigue me from the start.

I did absolutely enjoy this book, and it was pretty impressive. The characters were amazing, and it was all in all enjoyable. But I was just a little bored along the way, and sometimes just wanting to end the book, I found it a little dry and not very engaging once or twice. However, I would still definately recommend.

surtified™

Kelsey Joëlle

I LOVED this book. God, I really did. 

I'm not a big superhero reader, but now I am! I've read Renegades not that long ago, and I loved it, then I started this book and loved it even more.

The romance felt a bit rushed, but I still loved it. 

Go read it, Sarah is really a goddess

Julia Lotz

Ich bin ein Marvel-Girl. Ich kann mit DC in der Regel nichts anfangen und habe in letzter Zeit immer häufiger gemerkt, dass ich das auch überhaupt nicht möchte. Dennoch, bei einer Nicht-Comic-Reihe wurde ich schwach: Mit DC Icons veröffentlichen vier bekannte Autorinnen und Autoren Bücher basierend auf bekannten DC-Helden. Den Anfang machte Liegh Bardugo mit Wonder Woman. Sie gehörte bereits nach Grischa zu meinen Lieblingsautorinnen und so konnte ich an dieser Stelle nicht widerstehen. Tatsächlich hat mir Wonder Woman auch sehr gut gefallen. Die Geschichte war spannend und feministisch, der Schreibstil toll und mit ganz viel Humor versehen und die Charaktere einzigartig. Weiter ging es nun also mit Catwoman von Sarah J. Maas, einer Autorin, von der ich nicht so viel gutes berichten kann, wie im Fall von Leigh Bardugo.

Das Buch beginnt zunächst einmal sehr verwirrend mit einem kleinen Ausflug in die Vergangenheit der Protagonistin, bevor es dann später in der eigentlichen Erzählzeit ansetzt. Viele mehr oder weniger zufällige und somit auch eher weit hergeholte Ereignisse reihten sich aneinander, bevor wir mehr oder weniger unsanft in die Gegenwart geschubst werden und uns dort erneut zurechtfinden müssen. Immerhin: Erste Ansatzpunkte hatten wir an dieser Stelle immerhin und von da an fiel es mir auch leichter.

Handlungstechnisch ging es an dieser Stelle also berauf, leider ging es aber mit den Charakteren bergab. Während ich für Luke Fox noch einiges an Sympathei aufbringen konnte, wurde ich mit Selina leider erst auf den letzten Seiten so wirklich warm. Dabei verfolgen wir alles weitestgehend aus ihrer Sicht und hätte das Buch nicht richtig an Fahrt aufgenommen, weiß ich nicht, ob ich es nicht abgebrochen hätte. Das mag auch daran liegen, dass ich mit Sarah J. Maas Schreibstil einfach nicht warm werden. Dass ich eigentlich nur sehr wenig mit DC anfangen kann, kam erschwerend hinzu.

Dennoch: Ein bisschen konnte ich mich mit Catwoman dann ja doch anfreunden und besonders das Ende hat mir sogar richtig gut gefallen, sodass ich mir defintiv auch die anderen beiden Bände der DC Icons-Reihe zulegen werde.

Kommen wir nun aber zu einem Punkt, den ich eigentlich nicht wirklich in die Bewertung mit einfließen lassen möchte: Die Übersetzung. Bei vielen deutschen Serien und Buchreihen fällt mir auf, wie enorm lange sich die Charaktere siezen. Bei manchen mehr, bei manchen weniger, weil die historische Einordnung an dieser Stelle passt, die Charaktere älter oder konservativer sind oder in einem Verhältnis zueinander stehen, bei dem man sich nicht wundert, wenn man sich Jahrelang siezt. Aber was zum Teufel war das mit Selina und Luke? Die beiden sind in etwa 20. Ein Alter, in dem man sich vermutlich nicht mal siezt, wenn man sich neu kennenlernt. Sie wohnen nebeneinaner, verstehen sich recht schnell recht gut, sehen sich bei Galas und Empfängen und haben sogar so etwas wie ein Date. Fakt ist jedoch: Sie siezen sich noch enorm lange. Ich glaube, bei keinem anderen Buch hat mich das so sehr gestört, wie hier und ich würde mir für die kommenden DC Icons-Bücher und auch Bücher im Allgemeinen eine realere Übersetzung wünschen!

Ashley Wendt

I was close to saying 3...but 3.5 based on the ending. I really had a hard time getting into this one. Sarah J Maas is one of my favorite authors but this was really hard for me. I didn’t have any investment in the story. There were parts of the story where I wasn’t sure who the story was actually about, Selina Kyle or Luke Fox. And through many parts of the story, I wanted to to know more about Ivy. I want an Ivy story!!! The last 15% of the book through....Yes...it was everything I love about Sarah J Maas. Her little bread crumbs. Her thick plots. The aha moments! The connections. Yep. I loved the ending.

Charmaine

Sarah J. Maas did not disappoint. This book was epic! It was packed with everything a good story needs, along with three badass villainesses. All of Selina’s scheming and plotting had me throughly enjoying this book. 🖤

Maria

Со вселенной DC у меня не складывается: герои оставляют равнодушными, сеттинги не впечатляют, сюжетные коллизии не трогают. Так что вопрос «зачем тогда я начала читать про Женщину-кошку?» вполне закономерен, и ответ – «Сара Дж. Маас». А с творчеством Сары у меня love-hate relationship: я постоянно ною и закатываю глаза на её писательскую манеру, но в итоге читаю абсолютно всё (даже вот эту вот никчемную новеллу между двумя трилогиями A Court of Thorns and Roses). Так что написанное ниже стоит на плечах комплекса отношений с фэндомом и автором, и это стоит принимать в расчет.

У «Женщины-кошки» Маас есть всего одна крупная проблема, но она разрушает просто всё впечатление – и это структура. Сара зачем-то выбрала такую чисто киношную тему, когда мы узнаем о мотивации героини за 15 минут до конца. А до этого несколько часов наблюдаем за экшеном: ограблением, драками, погонями, выяснением отношений. В кино с этим проще из-за визуальной составляющей, но в книге такая структура – просто швах. Вот Женщина-кошка в компании Ядовитого Плюща и Харли Квинн в очередной раз что-то грабит, а ты сидишь и недоумеваешь: что, черт возьми, происходит? Зачем это всё? Куда идет история?

И да, за 15 минут до конца тебе всё расскажут, и всё будет стройно и логично. Но уже поздно. Тебе уже плевать на персонажей, их надежды и чаяния, их отношения и их будущее. Я реально не поняла, зачем так надо было делать. 

Допускаю, впрочем, что всё дело в моем незнании сюжетов и артефактов DC, и настоящий поклонник сразу бы обо всем догадался, и для него это был бы момент не про «так вот оно в чем дело», а про «я знал, я знал!». Но на неудобренную почву в лице меня «Женщина-кошка» упала камнем и так и не проросла.

Chiara Vitale Zelaia

As a fan of the DC universe (especially of Harley Quinn), I obviously needed to get my hands on a copy of Catwoman: Soulstealer, especially when I heard that Sarah J Maas would be writing it since she is my favorite author! 

In the end, this book was and was not what I expected.

I enjoyed Selina Kyle as a protagonist, but I also had my issues with her. I loved getting a front row seat at her heists, made all the more enjoyable by the supporting characters: Harley, Ivy and Batwing. However, she did not make it to my “favorite protagonist” list, and the reason for that was that sometimes her cunning was a bit too much. While I enjoyed the glimpses of her tragic backstory that made understanding her a little easier, her cold detachment and unwillingness to form any real attachments with the other characters (at least in the first half of the book) made her hard to relate to. I always had the feeling that Selina was not being honest, not even with the reader, and that stopped me from creating a real attachment to her. (Fear not, that’s what happens with the comic/videogames/whatevers too. I have a problem with Catwoman apparently!)

I was expecting to have some great girl power moments in this book, and I got them. The Gotham Sirens were amazing to read about and the scenes where they were all together were perhaps my favorites of all the book. The biggest revelation for me was definitely Poison Ivy. Her character was explored with such great Maasian care and I felt all her struggles and desires so keenly! Ivy needs a hug, definitely. 
I was a little more disappointed with Harley, to be honest. I was hoping we would get to see a post-Joker Harley Quinn in this book, but what we got was really an in between. Harley is still very much subjugated to the Joker, so her relationship with Ivy—while explored—is not the F/F romance I was hoping for. However, that aspect aside, I love my Harley. Her whimsicality definitely added a touch of humor to the story and we see a lot of her inner struggles so that was definitely something I enjoyed reading about!

The aspect I liked least about this book was probably the romance. Quite frankly, I could have done without it. I found the transition from indifference to affection a bit sudden. If there had been an intermediate moment of attraction, then perhaps I would have enjoyed it a bit more. Luckily there isn’t much page time dedicated to the romance, it’s more of a background storyline, so it didn’t impact the overall pace of the book, which was quite fast and action packed!

Brownie points go also to the exceptional writing, but then again it’s Sarah J. Maas. If you love her writing, then you will definitely love and recognize its tells: structured, layered characters, swoon-worthy heroes, strong friendships and surprising twists one after the other!

Neele Jan

ahaana bhargava

i'm re-reading this after almost 3 years, and my ratings gone down, because i feel like i was more ✨basic✨ then, but i mean i still enjoyed this book a ton! it was a really fun read, but i've just read better things now :)

Julianne Storms

I'm not a huge Catwoman fan, I only read the book because sarah j maas wrote it - but I'm so glad I dod because I really enjoyed it!

Katie Egan

This was such a great book. I’ve read all the DC Icon books and so far this is my favorite out of the three out currently.

** spoiler alert **
           I didn’t have high expectations for this story just because I haven’t really read/watched/had much background on Batman or really DC in general, so for me this book really exceed my hopes. it had action and romance and portrayed characters who you can’t help but root for. The story was reminiscent of the Renegades series from Marissa Meyer as in there are two “heros” who both do what they believe is right and yet they find themselves butting heads.

It felt slow in the beginning but the world building was decent. there wasn’t too much of it because i suppose those who’ve read the comics or have been exposed to batman already have a sense of the setting. the story felt satisfactory in the end and worked really well as a whole. i didn’t enjoy learning about her entire plan in the last 30 pages of the story, it felt like it was out of the blue. i feel like more explanation or hinting should have been in the story. 

overall, Ivy was one of my favorite characters, from her superpowers to her character arc, i loved getting to know and fall in love with her. 

the feminist ideals in this story are strong and worth the read. ivy and cat woman work pretty well together and i loved their differences as well their similarities and i love how their friendship evolved. it didn’t feel forced or unrealistic and the ending was perfect!

i did feel there was some things left unanswered but it overall didn’t retract from the book. in fact, i want to reread just to get all the hints and stuff. an great book and great read after the last two books i read which weren’t anywhere near as spectacular :))

laura

I overall really enjoyed this book. I really loved how this book was a Duel POV story and really did not expect that. I also enjoyed how this story really focused on some many DC characters and how they were the lead characters in this story and not just background characters. I loved how complex the female dymancis were and also how complex the story was. I thought the pacing was choppy in the middle of the book and felt the end was a tad rushed. But I overall enjoyed the book.

Lisa W.

I absolutely loved this book. I knew I would being that Sarah J Maas was the writer. However she had to earn my respect as Gotham city is a special place in my heart. I think she did incredible and painted a very vivid picture for her readers. Many would not tell the story of Selina Kyle but there seems to be plenty who would read it. I being one of those readers. 

I feel as though it was made specifically for me. The joker, catwoman, poison ivy, nyssah, talia and Harley?!!! It couldn’t be any better.

Didn’t know much about Luke but I came to very much love him. I mean come on...a gorgeous, smart, caring, chilvarous, rich, black hero. Sign me up! 

It was very nice to see Bruce check in but not try to save the day. It’s always a concern of mine. I love him but this was not his story.

Sophie Elaina 

This was kind of amazing. There were tonnes of badass moments, I am totally living for the female friendships and how they were a massive part of this book (I NEED MORE) and Maas didn't overly use the word purr. Don't get me wrong, there was purring, there definitely was some purring, but there was a decently enjoyable amount of it.

And this book was way more heartbreaking and emotional than I thought it was going to be. The story arc was so incredibly well put together, there was action, there was slow burn, sad moments, happy moments even funny moments. I'll definitely be reading the other DC Icons books at some point. But there are very few things that could live up to this. All in all it was wonderful, and I flipping loved it! Highly recommend!

Karolina

To be honest first I didn‘t think that this book will be as good as other Sarah J Maas books. I bought it because of my love for other books of an author. After 50 pages book completely took me. The characters, background stories, unexpected friendships, and love were so perfectly written and described that I felt a part of the book. The ending made me cry so much that I started to love this story even more. I really enjoyed that the story wasn‘t full of love dramas as in most of the books these days but instead of it, the story was based on a sister love. The way Selina (the main character) planned and sacrifice all her life just to help her sister and give her a better life was priceless.

Barbara Rosas

Maybe I'm biased because I love Sarah J Maas, but I love this book!
Also, can we get a Poison Ivy stand alone book, please? She was amazing!

At first I was a bit scared that the book would go like "meh" but it really turned out very well. I was also a bit scared that Poison Ivy and Harley would steal part of the protagonism, but Sarah J Maas really did it well to attract enought attention and depth to them and still maintain the focus on Selina. Unlike some of her other books, I feel like the development of the final part of the book had a good pace. I feel like in other books Maas' narrative was a bit rushed (still loved her books), but here the pace maintained during the final part of the book. 

(One side note from my nerd side that loves batman) I love that she integrated Batwing! Honestly, he is so underrated and I loved Luke in this book. 

Can we get more of Catwoman? Please? Another book?

Alejandra Bran

This book was so Sarah J Maas. The reasons why I say this:

1. Male main character has some type of trauma that makes him vulnerable.

2. Whenever something hot/sexy is about to happen male character will state that the encounter will happen only if it’s the heroines choice.

3. Extra details when it comes to clothing. Especially if it’s super sexy.

4. Main character will bond with any other female character that has also suffered some type of tragedy.

5. Male main character is loaded (has a lot of money).

6. No matter how horrible the female character has been, at the end she will always be redeemed and cleared of all sins

The story was alright, nothing out of the ordinary. Like I said before, most of Mrs. Maas works have this similarities. I feel that’s the structure that works for her the best.

I was interested in the plot because I wanted to know the real reason why Selina was doing all this? What happened to her sister? What did she steal from the league? When will they find out their real identities? Those were the questions that keep me reading.

I feel that the Wonder Women book on the DC icons ruined all the other books when it comes to “Action scenes”. This one was the weakest of all three of them in regards to that, but I liked Catwoman’s story better that Batman’s.

Would I recommend it? I think it all boils down to; if you are a super fan of the writer or if you have read the other books on the DC Icons saga, if you have then might as well read this one too. It’s not my favorite, I’m usually very critic when it comes to this writers work. Mostly because I was so invested on all of her books once and they disappointed me greatly. 😭 and it felt like a waste of time, hence why I haven’t finished the TOG series...

Tae Thompson

This is a great introduction to some of the characters that exist in the comics. It has nothing to do with the actual continuity but, it's a great story it's kind it gives you an example of who these characters are.

Inouch

MOI ÊTRE ENCORE PLUS UNE GRANDE FAN DE SUPER HÉROS. 

Et c'est vrai. Depuis toute petite, je suis fascinée par ce concept. Même que j'ai été pendant très longtemps la seule fille de mon entourage qui aimait les super héros. Ma maman m'a initiée dès que qu'élémentaires a pu et mon petit frère n'a fait qu'entretenir la lampe. Je me souviens même que j'étais Tornade le personnage des X-mens. Un peu un genre de Zoya ;) Des méchants et des héros. Ok c'est basique mais le développement, oooh le développement, est tellement importante et INTÉRESSANTE. Vous n'imaginez pas le travail derrière ne serait ce qu'un seul comics ou un un seul film. Les personnages sont énormément approfondis et travaillés. Les effets spéciaux, les univers, les histoires, le passé des personnages (méchants comme gentils), le côté "mondial" et les explications avec un vrai côté scientifique (j'appellerais ça de la sciences hypothétique et non fondée) comme le voyage dans le temps, les multivers ou les univers parallèles. Le visuel des films est d'une qualité +++ d'un niveau parfois supérieur à certains blockbuster. Bref, je fais clairement la promo de DC et Marvel (embauchez-moi). Mais ici, Catwoman n'est pas un personnage que j'affectionnais ou connaissais particulièrement. Outre la plume de l'auteure qui m'intriguait beaucoup, j'avais vraiment envie de découvrir le chaton de Gotham. J'aime les chats et j'aime Gotham un peu trop pour une ville si mal famée. Mais je vais pas vous le cacher, il a suffit que l'on mentionne Batwing, ami du Bat pour que j'ouvre le livre et saute les deux pieds dedans. De tous, Bruce Wayne sera à jamais mon préféré. Pour pleins de raisons. Alors bien sûr il me tardait de découvrir Luke, son histoire, ses peurs et ses rêves. Alors parlons un peu des personnages que j'ai enfin pu découvrir. Selina fut un coup de coeur du début à la fin, je suis une grande fan des personnages intelligents, astucieux et courageux. La lâcheté ne fait pas partie de son vocabulaire. Quant à Luke, j'ai aimé son côté bat, tout en étant différent, la personnalité qui claque, intelligence hors norme, valeureux et malin. Le fait qu'il soit noir mais tout au dessus, dans le monde des richesses et de la mondanité est intéressant par le fait que ça ne l'empêche pas de faire attention à comment s'adresser au flics ou à chaque mouvement ou parole qu'il fait ou dit. Comme quoi, rien de nous protégera jamais des préjugés et de la peur des gens. Je ne connaissais pas Ivy et j'ai été contente de la rencontrer et de tenter de la comprendre. Et Harley, ah Harley, la fameuse Miss Quinn n'a pas rigolé encore une fois. Sarah J Maas l'a bien cernée. J'ai adoré la sensibilité qu'elle lui a donnée. Qu'elle mit un nom sur les problèmes qu'elle a. On retrouve le Joker, mon meilleur ami. D'ailleurs je vous conseille le film Joker, il est très psychologique mais il est aussi woawww. L'univers est parfait, je l'aime trop que pour trouver ne serait-ce qu'une seule reproche. L'histoire a bon point de départ, des plots twists de qualités supérieurs et une fin inattendue jusqu'au bout. Je conseille ce livre aux curieux, ce livre est fait pour vous.

Taylor McNeely

I LOVE SARAH J. MAAS'S WRITING SO MUCH! This book was the perfect mix between action, humor and romance. I'm so happy my favorite author wrote a book about one of my favorite DC characters!