Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
DC Icons #1
Random House | August 28, 2017
About the Book: Daughter of immortals.
Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.
Daughter of death.
Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together.
Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
I’d actually had no plans to read Warbringer. I’ve never seen any Wonder Woman movies, or television. I think the only time I’d seen her was watching the occasional Justice League cartoon. Don’t shoot me, I know she’s female empowerment, but I wasn’t ever interested. The lasso of truth and shield bracelets didn’t get me excited. You know who I loved? Batman!
Learning that the second book in the DC Icons series was going to be Batman made me need to read Warbringer. I knew the two stories weren’t connected, but it’s a series so I will read them in order. This is one of those moments where being so anal about serial reading turned out well, because Warbringer was great! I’m telling you, Leigh Bardugo is such a great writer.
I love when the answer to a story stares you right in the face, and yet you can’t see it. That’s exactly what reading Warbringer was. When I completed it I realized how blind I’d been, and I just laughed. It was really well done.
And actually, the most brilliant part of the story was Wonder Woman herself. Diana was so much fun to read! I loved her wisdom and strength, but I especially loved how that was paired with her naivety about the World of Man. I loved her brutal honesty, and her kindness and protectiveness. She was such a strong heroine that she’s actually given me a new appreciation for Wonder Woman overall.
I’m actually hoping for a sequel, even though I know it ain’t happenin’.
Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
DC Icons #2
Random House | January 2, 2018
About the Book: Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.
The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.
One by one, the city’s elites are being executed as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he’s forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most brutal criminals.
Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.
In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.
Okay, so the general consensus is that Nightwalker wasn’t as good as Warbringer, and I do agree. Warbringer managed to surprise me, and Diana was so spectacularly written that it would be hard to top. Still, I enjoyed Nightwalker. Now, it could be due to my love of Batman -since he is my favorite Superhero- but I thought Marie Lu kept the story true to the original atmosphere. The story felt dark and gritty. Bruce was noble and brooding, exactly as he should be, and the story itself felt like a Batman movie. I was entertained.
I also loved reading about Bruce’s early relationship with Harvey. I never read the comics, so I’m not sure if they were friends early on or if that was new, but I loved it. It reminded me of Smallville, and Lex and Clark’s early friendship. I also loved the doomed feelings between Bruce and Madeleine. It wasn’t a perfectly written relationship, but I was invested in their interactions.
I do wish Harvey and Dianne had been fleshed out more, and I did figure out everything early on, but I never wanted to put the book down, so I’m glad I read it and I’m glad I own it.
Now we all wait for Catwoman.
Birdie Bookworm 
So glad you enjoyed these, Wendy. I’m with you in that I have no interest in reading Wonder Woman, but I have no interest in reading any of them. I’m just not a superhero kind of gal.
Great reviews!
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Thanks! I can see not being interested if you’re not interested in Superheroes. I’ve always loved Superheroes, I’ve just never been a big fan of Wonder Woman. The book was really good though.
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Excellent review! I like the duo review you have on these books. I’m not well tuned to these DC Icons either so I’m glad to see your review. Can each book read as a standalone? I’m glad you enjoyed Wonder Woman more because that’s the book I have on my shelf.
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They can definitely be read as standalones. Each book is about that specific person, and at least so far, has had no crossovers at all. Not even side characters. (Though there was mention of Metropolis in Batman, which was funny.)
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Oh that’s great! Thanks 😊
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I’m really looking forward to these two! Despite being a life-long comic fan, not sure I’m looking forward to Catwoman as much. She’s a great character, but in my opinion, not a lead character. Why not a Flash novel? Green Lantern? With the recent movies being the way they are, I’m surprised the next one isn’t a Harley Quinn book.
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I’d LOVE a Harley Quinn book! She’s my favorite female villain! A Flash novel would be good too, I anticipate some hilarity in that story. (I bet we’ll get a Flash book.)
I’m sure the Catwoman book is mostly because she’s become such a cult icon after Michelle Pfeiffer’s portrayal. In pop culture, she’s beloved.
Honestly, if it hadn’t been for the Batman book I probably wouldn’t have read either. Wonder Woman was never close to my favorite Superhero and -I may get in trouble for saying this but- I’m not a fan of Sarah J Maas’s books.
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I also might be hurt by an angry mob for saying, but—I’ve never even read a Maas book!
And Catwoman doesn’t have THAT big of a following. I go to Toronto’s Fan Expo (Canada’s biggest comic con) every year. There are a few dressed like Catwoman, but not many. Nothing compared to the amount Harley Quinn are walking around. I’d say there are just as many Poison Ivys. I know they probably don’t want to do all male heroes, which makes sense, but she just wouldn’t be in my top 5 if I had to pick a female hero or villain.
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Fair, I’ve never been to an Expo or Comic-con. I was just basing it off the number of Catwoman’s I see on Halloween, haha. And you’re right, that’s changed to Harley Quinn now, after Suicide Squad.
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I’m really intrigued by this series!
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I think it’s a fun series to lose yourself in.
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