Book Review: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

Catwoman explores the origins of Selina Kyle: assassin, master jewel thief, sister. We see her rise from the poverty stricken streets of Gotham as she fights for her sister’s wellbeing, before being reborn as a Wraith - the ultimate weapon to bring down the city that dismissed her in her time of need.

I liked the story, and I enjoyed the fresh approach to Selina’s story. She’s portrayed as an ultimately vulnerable young woman who’s just trying to find her place in the world and I could often see these undercurrents of sadness as she fights her way across Gotham. I like that she’s multifaceted, which is how Catwoman should be. She’s not a hero, and doesn’t pretend to be one, but she’s also not a villain. Everything she does is for a greater purpose, even if her means of getting there may be portrayed as slightly dubious.

However, it’s her relationship with Ivy and Harley that was a real highlight for me. The three of them are presented as flawed, damaged beyond compare, yet they still manage to form this incredibly strong bond that’s also highly complicated - due in no small part to Harley’s inexplicable bond to the Joker. The three are sometimes a mirror image of each other too, and I think that’s why their relationship is so powerful. Each has a deeply troubled past, lacking in love and respect, and they find this in each other. I would have loved to see more interaction between them and have this relationship explored on a deeper level.

Selina’s relationship with Batwing I found more lacklustre. There’s no real development in their relationship in my opinion, and it just comes across as a little forced. Batwing himself is a decent character with enough backstory to carry a story of his own, but here he really just feels like a stand in to the stars of the show and it comes across as very one dimensional. I do think it’s harder to make the heroes more interesting. There’s less scope to give them complicated moral dilemmas to overcome, and unfortunately Batwing does suffer because of this.

I also found the plot a little lacking. The reveals are a little obvious, told without that art of subtlety I’ve come to expect in Maas. It feels very clunky at times, and the pacing is a bit all over the place - going from fight scene to pages of monologue with no in between.

I think I’m not a big enough fan of the genre to continue the rest of this series, but I’m glad I took the time to read this one. Catwoman is by far one of the most entertaining characters in the DC universe.

 - 3 stars