#Catwoman: Soulstealer

[queenoftheferns]

just read Catwoman: Soulstealer and tbh i’m very disappointed. Catwoman did not steal a single soul in that entire book

[hardcore-direwolf]

I got all four books for Xmas! I love DC Icons!

[strunmah-mah]

66 and 52!

66. Hera from Lore Olympus

I'll go favorite issue for this one. In volume one of the trades there's a bonus chapter that wasn't in the original webtoon where Hera basically uses her gift of prophecy to play wingman for Hades years before he ever even meets Persphone and it's really cute.

52. Selina Kyle, Catwoman

Okay this one is gonna be weird, but the DC Icons YA novel "Catwoman: Soulstealer"

Being a prose novel first that got adapted into a graphic novel, it is the definition of an elseworld. But it's one of the first Selina-centric things I ever read and I'm unreasonably fond of it.

The non spoilery synopsis is when teenage Selina gets arrested she gets recruited to the League of Assassins by Talia? (it might have been Nyssa) in exchange for them getting her sister into a nice foster family. Years later she comes back to Gotham for a series of heists and also ends up in a frenemies romance with Luke Fox/Batwing.

I'm sure this set up must sound really weird to some of y'all, but its really good, I promise.

[teenageread]

Review: Catwoman: Soulstealer

Initial Thoughts: 

I love a good girl group, and Sarah Maas, known to write complex and complicated friendships, does not disappoint with her rendition of Catwoman. This Selina Kyle has a soft spot: Maggie, her younger, chronically ill little sister, whom Selina would do anything for. Thus why she gave up her life, and gave up Maggie, for a darker future so that Maggie could have a lighter one. Maas gives all three of our baddies something to be soft on, and it develops their character, and their relationship with each other grows. This novel truly felt like a DC comic brought to a novel as it has the crime, the drama, and the romance. Yes, we know that Catwoman and Batman have been a thing, Maas decided to give us someone else to root for this time as Luke Fox, aka Batwing, takes the heart of both Catwoman and Selina Kyle. 

Characters:

That’s right, Maas brought our girl squad out, because as much as this story is about Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn play a large part in bringing this Gotham story to life. Our trio brings crime and drama to Gotham, as we see the start of their epic friendship, one that I wish Maas could continue in another series. I love how Maas has written about the girls and their relationship, but only to each other but to the world around them. Harley Quinn struggles to be on the outs with Joker but still wants to make sure that he’s okay and unable to hurt the ones she cares about. Poison Ivy is obviously in love with Harley Quinn, but unable to make a move. To Selina, who has never had a friend, but gains trust with these baddies enough to actually care for them, and feel the sting of her own betrayal - really moves this novel to another level for superhero remakes. I would have loved to see more Ivy and Harley action and make some romantic sparks there, as the Luke/Batwing with Selina/Catwomen was okay. Maas from previous novels really knows how to dive deep into relationships, but they need series for that to happen. With Luke and Selina? It was not awful, but not as grand of a love story as it could have been.  

Plot and Writing:

The plot in this novel is killer, and honestly one of my favorites from the series. Catwoman is known to be a thief of the finer things, such as art, and jewelry, and tends not to kill but to sneak away in the shadows with her loot. Maas unholds this value, as even with Harley and her explosions, this novel tries to minimize death in a way no other DC villain does. This is a Selina origin story, as Maas takes us from teenage Selina to assassin Selina who is out for revenge on her old stomping ground. The plot moves quickly and is captivating as Maas' easy writing and dynamic characters really grab hold of you, and make you want to read about what will happen next. This is easily a Catwoman story, but Maas also makes it about Luke, and his struggles being Batwing and struggling with PTSD from his time in the military. With our dynamic baddies together, this novel is also their origin story, and is as much about Selina forming friendships, for the first time ever, as it is about her getting revenge. With the League of Assassins also out for some blood, this novel truly does take the name of being a DC ionic novel, as it truly felt like an action film and comic book come to life, in book form.  

Conclusion: 

Catwoman holds the heart of many of those in Gotham, looking at you Luke, from her grace, and anglility, to her robbing the rich to give to the poor - aka herself. Maas does a fantastic job at bringing this sexy feline character to life and makes you want to call her an anti-hero instead of an out-and-out villain. Selina Kylie had a tragic past and made herself a glamorous future, and one that you should definitely read about.

[superherokisser]

ok the timeline/lore of dc icons catwoman: soulstealer kind of confuses me but it’s ok bc selina and luke❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️i was about to throw hands when taila showed up and recruited selina but it’s ok bc i saw luke the next chapter

[thesistersarcheron]

How would you rank all sjm series? From best to worst

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Throne of Glass

Catwoman: Soulstealer

the fanfiction she’s probably secretly writing for Sailor Moon

birthday cards she begrudgingly writes for nasty in-laws

her grocery lists

the chain of “k, noted. can i get an extension? Sent from my iPhone.” emails she sends in response to the increasingly panicked messages she gets from Bloomsbury reminding her of deadlines

Crescent City

[superheroes-or-whatever]

Catwoman: Soulstealer (2021) art by Samantha Dodge

[1800naveen]

Just recently, I found out that SJM wrote a book on DC. It's called Catwoman: Soulstealer.

It's part of this series called the DC icons. I've read the wonder woman book by Leigh Bardugo but I was only a few chapters in before dnf.

[arabian-batboy]

Wanna know your thoughts on something.

Have you read any of the DC icons book series?

It's different origin stories for different characters redone. (In case you don't know about/of it)

The books (so far) are:

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

Batman: Nightwalker

Catwoman: Soulstealer

Superman: Dawnbreaker

Black Canary: Breaking Silence

And they're are 2 books for Harley Quinn, though they're going to release a third and have it as a trilogy, so far there are:

Harley Quinn: Reckoning and Harley Quinn: Ravenous

Anyway, have you heard of these books? Have you read any of them?? If so, what so you think!? I LOVE them, personally!

Hope I didn't ramble too much or anything.

I did hear about them, but I haven't read any of them except the free first chapter of Catwoman's book because I heard Talia appeared in it and..........I really didn't like what they did to her character (Talia being portrayed horribly in a Catwoman's story? Shocking), but I haven't heard any of my fellow Talia's fans complaining about this book after it was released, so I'm assuming they didn't butcher her too much?

I have had a similar issue to Harley Quinn: Ravenous, I haven't actually read the book, but the summary mentioning Talia being an inmate in Arkham for trying to kill Gotham's Mayor then becoming a "mentor" to young Harley just left a really bad taste in my mouth, because none of those things sound like something she would actually want to do.

And I know that you're a huge Harley's fan, so I feel bad saying this, but personally I can never enjoy modern-interpretation of Harley and I don't really want Talia (or any of my favorite characters really) to be in the same story as her post-2016, because I know that between them and Harley, DC will always choose to make the other character look bad instead of Harley.

[zahri-melitor]

Would you ever read the DC novels? (Like Batman Nightwalker, Superman Dawnbreaker, Black Canary Breaking Silence, etc.)

I’ve mostly been leaning into the DC Graphic Novels for YA line instead as my library has more of them (there’s 34 of them published so far?) and most of these titles both got a novel and a graphic novel.

I’m taking a peek at the ones I have access to (looks like Nightwalker, Warbringer, Soulstealer and Dawnbreaker), and I’ve already read Warbringer as a GN. The Black Canary one looks solid as a full on Elseworlds but I can’t see it at any of my libraries.

I am considering trying one; probably Nightwalker as the first.

For the record, the GNs from the collection I’ve read so far:

Mera: Tidebreaker

Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

Shadow of the Batgirl

The Oracle Code

Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star

And I’m really excited for Barda.

[sapphicmsmarvel]

2023 reading catalog

January

a million to one by adiba jaigirdar 💜

Iron widow by xiran jay zhao 💜

An encore of roses by st gibson 💜

Im a therapist and my patient is going to be the next school shooter by Dr. Harper 💜

I’m a therapist and my patient is in love with a pedophile by Dr. Harper 💜

I’m a therapist and my patient is a vegan terrorist by Dr. Harper 💜

The disturbing incident at lonesome woods boarding school by dr. harper 💜

One dark window by rachel gillig 

February 

The twisted dead by darcy coates 

The house across the lake by riley sager 

Renegades by marissa meyer 🤍

Archenemies by marissa meyer 🤍

Supernova by marissa meyer 🤍

Daisy darker by alice feeney 

March 

The lost apothecary by susan penner 

MHA 37 by kohei horikoshi 

The pronoun lowdown by nevo zisin 

The queen's english by chloe o davis

MHA team up 1 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

To make monsters out of girls by amanda lovelace 

MHA team up 2 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

JJK 0 by gege akutami 

MHA team up 3 by kohei horikoshi and yoko akiyama 

Hell bent by leigh bardugo 

Spice road by maiya ibrahim 

The stardust thief by chelsea abdullah 

The london seance society by susan penner 💜

All the dangerous things by stacy willingham 

April 

The fae princes by nikki st crowe 

Carnage by sarah bailey 

Final offer by lauren asher. 

Glitch by briana michaels 

Never lie by frieda mcfadden 

The locked door by frieda mcfadden 

The inheritance by cassie cole 

Emily wildes encyclopedia of faeries by heather fawcett 

 The stolen heir by holly black 

May 

Chaos by sarah bailey 

Corrode by sarah bailey 

Cataclysm by sarah bailey 

Howl's moving castle by diana wynne jones 

Fourth wing by rebecca yarros 

Cursed crowns by catherine doyle + katherine webber 

Girls of fate and fury by natasha ngan 💜

We free the stars by hafsah faizal 

A war of two queens by jennifer l armentrout 

The crown of gilded bones by jennifer l armentrout 🤍

Malice by heather walter 💜

Misrule by heather walter 💜

June 

MHA vol 38 by kohei horikoshi 

Sofi and the bone song by adrienne tooley 

jjk vol 21 by gege akutami 

jjk vol 22 by gege akutami 

lore olympus vol 4 by rachel smythe 

the fiancee farce by alexandria bellefleur 💜

the only survivors by megan miranda 

what lies in the woods by kate alice marshall 

the last word by taylor adams 

you’re invited by amanda jayatissa 

ward d by freida mcfadden 

once returned by darcy coates 

double pucked by lauren blakely 

mated to the monster by sarah spade 

July

the thicket by noelle w ihli 

the good lie by ar torre

a naughty lesson by mika lane 

love creekwood by becky albertalli 💜

the heartstopper yearbook by alice oseman 💜

demon in the wood by leigh bardugo and dani pendergast 

the young elites by marie lu 

nick and charlie by alice oseman 💜

a haunted road atlas by christine schiefer and em schulz 

the rose society by marie lu 

the midnight star by marie lu 

a wicked education by mika lane 

a sinful classroom by mika lane 

the girl from the sea by molly knox ostertag 💜

August

how to sell a haunted house by grady hendrix 

the foxglove king by hannah whitten 

seven faceless saints by mk lobb 💜

divine rivals by rebecca ross 

sing me to sleep by gabi burton 

silver in the bone by alexandra bracken 

foxglove by adalyn grace 

assistant to the villain by hannah nicole maehrer 

September

a broken blade by melissa blair 

bonesmith by nicki pau preto 

the angelmaker by alex north 

the family across the street by nicole trope 

October 

the sun and the star by rick riordan and mark oshiro 💜

lore olympus vol 5 by rachel smythe 

the chalice of the gods by rick riordan 

fangs by sarah anderson 

throne of the fallen by kerri maniscalco 

kingdom of the wicked by kerri maniscalco 🤍

kingdom of the cursed by kerri mansicalco 🤍

kingdom of the feared by kerri maniscalco 🤍

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon 💜

catwoman soulstealer by louise simonson, samantha dodge and sarah j maas

starling house by alix e harrow 

November 

savage hate by amanda richardson 

a curse for true love by stephanie garber 

forged by blood by ehigbor okosun 

if i have to be haunted by miranda sun 

heart trick by kristen granata 

the legacy by elle kennedy 

odd man rush by kristen granata 💜

that one night by emily rath 

pucking around by emily rath 💜

pucking ever after vol 1 by emily rath 💜

iron flame by rebecca yarros 

my hero academia team up missions vol 4 by yoko akiyama and koehi horikoshi 

December 

spin the bottle by stephanie alves 

as good as dead by holly jackson 

the lightning thief by rick riordan 🤍

the sea of monsters by rick riordan 🤍

i am not your final girl by claire c holland 

the titans curse by rick riordan 🤍

the battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan 🤍

[xx-knife-xx]

Thank you, @nightwings-puphood , for tagging me!!! :D

10 people I'd like to get to know better!!!

Last song: I Felt Younger When We Met - Waterparks

Favorite color: Any reds and pinks

Last book: The last book I finished was Catwoman: Soulstealer, but I'm currently reading Superman: Dawnbreaker. I decided to read the entire DC Icons series. It's a bit hard to get through bc I'm not the target audience, but I'm also not gonna give up.

Last game: Minecraft

Last show: I genuinely watch so little TV that I don't remember.

Sweet/Spicy/Savory: Probably sweet!

Relationship: single.

Last thing I googled: Lovebirds to pull up a few pictures

Um. I genuinely don't know who to tag so... just do it if you want <3 <3

[littlereadsandteas]

January 2017

Maggie Sullivan's gritty and determined spirit will captivate readers who delight in strong, independent female protagonists and historical mysteries, making No Game For a Dame a perfect fit for fans of classic detective fiction and those who appreciate a dash of 1930s flair.

Bellamy and The Brute by Alicia Michaels is a captivating read for fans of young adult mystery and romance, particularly those who enjoy stories that blend elements of the supernatural, disability representation, and a strong, determined heroine navigating a complex web of secrets and hidden truths.

Furyborn by Claire Legrand is a captivating read for fans of epic fantasy adventures, particularly those who appreciate stories about strong, fiercely independent women, complex mother-daughter relationships, and the slow-burning power of magic, as it weaves together two centuries-spanning narratives of self-discovery and empowerment.

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas is a purrfect fit for readers who crave action-packed adventures, strong and complex female characters, and the excitement of the superhero world, particularly those who enjoy comics and are drawn to stories of clever heroines and dashing heroes.

[megaerakles]

Read Catwoman: Soulstealer for funsies and now I’m going to pretend to be confused anytime BatCat is brought up and it isn’t Luke Fox/Selina Kyle

[superheroes-or-whatever]

Catwoman: Soulstealer (2021)