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emeszee's review against another edition
3.0
"What's the point of being a billionaire if I can't have any fun?"
I wish that this DC Icons series was better; it's just like fanfiction. It was better than [b:Wonder Woman: Warbringer|29749085|Wonder Woman Warbringer (DC Icons, #1)|Leigh Bardugo|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478886078s/29749085.jpg|50105334] from what I recall. If you want to give DC Icons a try, I guess you can go ahead. The series is just a bit bland and missing something.
loveykei's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
ashction's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe it's because I generally don't like Batman that I really, really enjoyed this book. It also helps that this book comes crafted by Marie Lu!
I've never been big on Batman; he's too dark and morose, and he's not my favorite kind of hero. I'm less for powerless vigilantes than I am the flashy powers, so I've never enjoyed nor saw the realism of Batman in comics, films, TV, etc. However, I really enjoyed Marie's adaptation/imagined origin story because I got to see Bruce Wayne before he was Batman, and that made a big difference for me. It was so much easier to be interested in a character who wasn't yet at the emotional state of adult Batman, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring teen Wayne's head and world. I knew enough about the canon to enjoy the work it does and was even more pleasantly surprised by the new, fresh take on a Wayne who is still young and - as Madeline and Draccon put it - naive. Sure, that's not "your Batman," but that's because this is a Bruce Wayne who hasn't yet fully grappled with the darkness and injustice bubbling beneath Gotham City. In many ways, I'm reminded of the tv series Gotham, and why their Bruce Wayne was one of the primary reasons I kept coming back: Lu's "Nightwalker" is a reminder of what exists before tragedy and trauma truly, fully change us.
I've never been big on Batman; he's too dark and morose, and he's not my favorite kind of hero. I'm less for powerless vigilantes than I am the flashy powers, so I've never enjoyed nor saw the realism of Batman in comics, films, TV, etc. However, I really enjoyed Marie's adaptation/imagined origin story because I got to see Bruce Wayne before he was Batman, and that made a big difference for me. It was so much easier to be interested in a character who wasn't yet at the emotional state of adult Batman, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring teen Wayne's head and world. I knew enough about the canon to enjoy the work it does and was even more pleasantly surprised by the new, fresh take on a Wayne who is still young and - as Madeline and Draccon put it - naive. Sure, that's not "your Batman," but that's because this is a Bruce Wayne who hasn't yet fully grappled with the darkness and injustice bubbling beneath Gotham City. In many ways, I'm reminded of the tv series Gotham, and why their Bruce Wayne was one of the primary reasons I kept coming back: Lu's "Nightwalker" is a reminder of what exists before tragedy and trauma truly, fully change us.
ckeithjohnson's review against another edition
3.0
I have enjoyed all of these young super hero novels so far. The Miles Morales one is head and shoulders above this, but this is still good.
reader4evr's review against another edition
3.0
Batman has always been my favorite DC character & I like Marie Lu so when I heard about this I knew I had to read it. I did enjoyed to see how he was when he was a teenager but it was predictable towards the end.
8bitreader's review against another edition
5.0
Marie Lu is probably one of my favorite authors simply due to the consistency in her quality.
I'd like to preface this review by saying I don't know anything about Batman, nor do I care to. For the most part, he's a character I couldn't be more ambivalent towards. But Marie Lu has absolutely made me fall in love with this universe. Every single character was amazing. And again I'd like to iterate that I don't know which ones are part of the Batman canon, but I don't think that matters since Lu did an amazing job either way. Madeleine in particular was just a blast to read about. Her cunning intellect and calculated actions, paired with Bruce's conflicted internal monologue that there has to be more to her than simply a murderer, were enthralling.
Furthermore, the added mentions of race and philanthropy and the workings of an unjust system were welcome twists that I really enjoyed reading about. The commentary of race and class were my favorites, mainly because they added so much room for parallelism between Bruce and other characters. Again, it's extremely possible that these themes have been done to death before in Batman comics/movies/TV shows, but even then I think Lu's style of writing added special flare to these themes.
The plot was engaging. It was able to edge just enough on common tropes without falling into predictability. Bruce's initial reckless act of heroism is sufficiently punished, and his fascination toward Arkham Asylum set him up perfectly into the superhero we all know and love. I love, love, love that Bruce was given concrete reasons to keep things from the police without it seeming to contrived. The third act in particular had me in awe, because of how well it was able to balance action and plot twists. The Chekhov's guns were pretty straightforward, but since there was little time wasted on the characters trying to think of solutions to problems that were clearly the Chekhov's guns established earlier, I'm more than willing to give it a pass.
Once again, Marie Lu absolutely knocks it out of the park. Am I going to read the other books in this series? Probably not. But I can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next.
I'd like to preface this review by saying I don't know anything about Batman, nor do I care to. For the most part, he's a character I couldn't be more ambivalent towards. But Marie Lu has absolutely made me fall in love with this universe. Every single character was amazing. And again I'd like to iterate that I don't know which ones are part of the Batman canon, but I don't think that matters since Lu did an amazing job either way. Madeleine in particular was just a blast to read about. Her cunning intellect and calculated actions, paired with Bruce's conflicted internal monologue that there has to be more to her than simply a murderer, were enthralling.
Furthermore, the added mentions of race and philanthropy and the workings of an unjust system were welcome twists that I really enjoyed reading about. The commentary of race and class were my favorites, mainly because they added so much room for parallelism between Bruce and other characters. Again, it's extremely possible that these themes have been done to death before in Batman comics/movies/TV shows, but even then I think Lu's style of writing added special flare to these themes.
The plot was engaging. It was able to edge just enough on common tropes without falling into predictability. Bruce's initial reckless act of heroism is sufficiently punished, and his fascination toward Arkham Asylum set him up perfectly into the superhero we all know and love. I love, love, love that Bruce was given concrete reasons to keep things from the police without it seeming to contrived. The third act in particular had me in awe, because of how well it was able to balance action and plot twists. The Chekhov's guns were pretty straightforward, but since there was little time wasted on the characters trying to think of solutions to problems that were clearly the Chekhov's guns established earlier, I'm more than willing to give it a pass.
Once again, Marie Lu absolutely knocks it out of the park. Am I going to read the other books in this series? Probably not. But I can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next.
aceinit's review against another edition
2.0
As several other reviewers have noted, this is a disappointingly forgettable novel that brings absolutely nothing new to the table.
The author also has a very weird tendency to make sure to point out the skin color of every single character as soon as you meet them without giving you much in the way of other characteristics, which is just odd. There are also certain descriptions or phrases throughout the novel that are repeated back-to-back; one of my writing pet peeves.
I was really hoping for something unique and fun from this crossover between DC Comics & YA darlings, but I struggled to finish this one.
The author also has a very weird tendency to make sure to point out the skin color of every single character as soon as you meet them without giving you much in the way of other characteristics, which is just odd. There are also certain descriptions or phrases throughout the novel that are repeated back-to-back; one of my writing pet peeves.
I was really hoping for something unique and fun from this crossover between DC Comics & YA darlings, but I struggled to finish this one.
adelle_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
3,5*
Příběh jako takový dobrý, styl Marie Lu je v tom cítit. Překlad je ovšem děsně kostrbatý a to dost kazí celkový dojem ze čtení. Hádám, že jde o ještě nezkušeného překladatele, takže pevně věřím, že se to vypiluje. Musím nechat, že jsem tu měla s čárkami problém snad dvakrát, gramatika a pravopis super, takže nad tou kostrbatostí přece jen přimhouřím oko.
Asi jsem od příběhu čekala něco víc, podle všeho je třeba o Batmanovi něco vědět, protože se kdovíjakého vysvětlování nedočkáme. Plyne to, je to fajn příběh, ale nic moc extra od toho nečekejte.
Příběh jako takový dobrý, styl Marie Lu je v tom cítit. Překlad je ovšem děsně kostrbatý a to dost kazí celkový dojem ze čtení. Hádám, že jde o ještě nezkušeného překladatele, takže pevně věřím, že se to vypiluje. Musím nechat, že jsem tu měla s čárkami problém snad dvakrát, gramatika a pravopis super, takže nad tou kostrbatostí přece jen přimhouřím oko.
Asi jsem od příběhu čekala něco víc, podle všeho je třeba o Batmanovi něco vědět, protože se kdovíjakého vysvětlování nedočkáme. Plyne to, je to fajn příběh, ale nic moc extra od toho nečekejte.
whydoihaveto's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
divineauthor's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
“You have a heavy heart, for someone with everything.” —Madeleine Wallace, page 98
as a story, this was . . . fine. lu is definitely comfortable in her prose and her ability to weave a narrative. she’s part of the reason i’m not giving this a one-star rating tbh. the thing is, this is barely a batman story because bruce wayne has been watered down enough to feel like he’s just some grown-up, rich, ipad kid with a predilection for morally questionable women. gotham doesn’t even feel like gotham! it’s just like every other major city. like i get that this is pre-batman which means no rogues gallery, but there is a pulse to gotham that i think lu never managed to capture right (e.g. nolanverse gotham just being a punched up version of chicago vs. reeves’ gotham which feels as dirty, slimy, and yet still oddly beautiful as it’s depicted in the comics). and to me, if you can’t get gotham right, you’ll never get bruce right. this can’t even be construed as fic because i have definitely read better AUs than this. literally today, even. there are nods to future batman iconography, but it rings hollow when the bruce wayne portrayed isn’t the bruce wayne, yk. anyway, tldr: if you know nothing about batman, this will be a fun, quick read for you; if you’re agonized and tormented by brainrot over batman in the way i am . . . my sincerest condolences fr
as a story, this was . . . fine. lu is definitely comfortable in her prose and her ability to weave a narrative. she’s part of the reason i’m not giving this a one-star rating tbh. the thing is, this is barely a batman story because bruce wayne has been watered down enough to feel like he’s just some grown-up, rich, ipad kid with a predilection for morally questionable women. gotham doesn’t even feel like gotham! it’s just like every other major city. like i get that this is pre-batman which means no rogues gallery, but there is a pulse to gotham that i think lu never managed to capture right (e.g. nolanverse gotham just being a punched up version of chicago vs. reeves’ gotham which feels as dirty, slimy, and yet still oddly beautiful as it’s depicted in the comics). and to me, if you can’t get gotham right, you’ll never get bruce right. this can’t even be construed as fic because i have definitely read better AUs than this. literally today, even. there are nods to future batman iconography, but it rings hollow when the bruce wayne portrayed isn’t the bruce wayne, yk. anyway, tldr: if you know nothing about batman, this will be a fun, quick read for you; if you’re agonized and tormented by brainrot over batman in the way i am . . . my sincerest condolences fr