ARC, 364 pages
Release Date: August 29, 2017Published by: Random House Books for Young Readers
Read from: August 11-17, 2017DC Icons, #1Source: TxLA 2017For fans of: Superheroes, Romance, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Bombshell Ending, Sparkly Covers, Girl Power, Multiple POV’s, POC MC, Series, Series Starters, YA
She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .
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 mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. 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, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
*MY THOUGHTS*
So many of you have been asking me how I managed to wait to read this, and the answer is… I really don’t know. I know that publishers like for reviews to come out within two weeks of the book, so I’m gonna say that’s the only thing that was holding me back. As you can see, as soon as I was in the right window of time, my restraint broke. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait anymore, and I’m happy all of you don’t have much time to wait either!
“You do not enter a race to lose.“pg. 1
Diana is different from her sisters so she does all that she can to prove that she belongs. So one day when a girl arrives on her home island, she tries her best to help her, even though the Amazons are not supposed to interact with humans. As it happens, this is no ordinary girl who Diana saves… She is Alia, a Warbringer, who brings chaos wherever she is.
“You dance differently when you know you won’t live forever.“pg. 6
So obviously, I LOVED the characters. Besides the obvious with Diana being my favorite, I really liked Alia too. She was such a strong and smart girl. It sounds amazing since she’s standing next to Diana, but I’m so serious, she was an amazing character.
“Battles are often lost because people don’t know which war they’re fighting.“pg. 14
The only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the pacing. In true Bardugo fashion, the beginning was a bit slow. Maybe it was just me and I wanted to see what this Diana Prince was capable of, but it seemed like it took a while to get to her showing her strength. But once it got going, it was REALLY going. Then the ending literally left my jaw hanging open. I was not expecting that. And any author that can still surprise me is amazing in my book lol
“Alia is no ordinary gir. She is polluted by death.” “As all mortals are.“pg. 42
Another thing that was true to Bardugo’s personality, was the writing style. Y’all I have so many freaking tabs in the beginning of this book it’s ridiculous. Towards the end they get a bit lighter, but only because I couldn’t find them. But I’m sure I will be able to add them when I read it again. (Because of course I am.)
“We cannot spend out lives in hiding, wondering what we might accomplish if given the chance. We have to take that chance ourselves.“pg. 53
As for the Wonder Woman legend, I loved the way it was done. And I also really enjoyed seeing her as a teen. This book wasn’t something I knew I needed until I heard about it. And I couldn’t be happier with the way it turned out. Leigh Bardugo definitely proved to be an Amazon with this amazing story!
“I imagine all wars look the same to those who die in them.“pg. 216
This is one of the rare times I wouldn’t change a thing in a book. I really enjoyed reading this and I can’t wait for the world to read it! I have already cleared a space for my hardcover to sit face-out on my shelf. Thank you, Bardugo for giving this fan the best of her favorite worlds: Wonder Woman and YA.
Overall, I give this
Also, PLEASE tell me the DC Icons will be connected somehow. Like I would LOVEEEEEE it if someone from here showed up in the second book in this series, Marie Lu’s Batman! But even if this is not a thing, I still can’t wait for it lol
OOh nice! Glad to hear you liked it Nikki! I was hoping you would! And dang girl!! Still surprised you waited until now to read it! I would've read it stat and just had my post scheduled to go up at the right time! Lol! You've got restraint girl! I bow to you! Great review!
So you devoured this one I see!I have the audio copy, so I hope I like the narrator!