Book Tour Review: The Color of Light by Helen Maryles Shankman

Title: The Color of Light
Author: Helen Maryles Shankman
Genre: historical fiction, supernatural
Series: N/A
Pages: 580 (ARC edition)
Published: October 31 2013
Source: TLC Book Tours for review
Rating: 4.5/5

NEW YORK CITY, 1992. At the American Academy of Classical Art, popular opinion has it that the school’s handsome and mysterious founder, Raphael Sinclair, is a vampire. It is a rumor Rafe does nothing to dispel.

Scholarship student Tessa Moss has long dreamed of the chance to study at Rafe’s Academy. But she is floundering amidst the ups and downs of a relationship with egotistical art star Lucian Swain.

Then, one of Tessa’s sketches catches Rafe’s attention: a drawing of a young woman in 1930s clothing who is covering the eyes of a child. The suitcase at her feet says Wizotsky. Sofia Wizotsky, the love of Rafe’s life, was lost during the Holocaust.

Or was she? Rafe suspects Tessa may be the key to discovering what really happened.

As Rafe finds excuses to interact with Tessa, they cannot deny their growing attraction to one another. It is an attraction forbidden by the Academy Board and disapproved of by anyone familiar with Rafe’s playboy reputation and Tessa’s softhearted innocence.

But Tessa senses the truth: despite his wealth, his women, and his townhouse filled with rare and beautiful treasures, Rafe is a haunted man…for reasons that have nothing to do with the rumors they whisper about him at school.

Intensely romantic and deeply moving, The Color of Light blends fact and fantasy in an unforgettable tale of art and passion, love and war, guilt and forgiveness, spanning the New York art scene, high-fashion magazine publishing, the glittering café society of pre-World War II Paris, and the evil stalking the back roads of Nazi-occupied Europe.

This book was beautiful. It was a pleasure to read. Finely crafted, well-written, featuring an original and atmospheric plot, not to mention the cast full of realistic, engaging characters. With a deft hand and an eye for detail, Shankman ably creates a fascinating story that combines art, Nazis, and vampires with aplomb. Her story is a bit different from other historical fiction and it is all the better for the author's daring.

While reading The Color of Light, I was, in a way, reminded of Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel The Historian -- both feature strong female leads in a story concerned with history and introduced to the supernatural as a result. Tessa is fairly innocent and naive about life and love in 90's New York City, but she has life to her. Through her exploits at the Academy, through her growing involvement with the dangerous and mysterious Raphael Sinclair, she grows, learns, and changes immeasurably from the less assertive girl she started out as.

As great as Tessa was to read, she is far from the only well-developed character to be found in The Color of Light. The wide group of friends that surround her pop from the page - Graham, David, Portia, Graciela..... each one has life, a personality, and are identifiable. Raphael Sinclair is a bit of a problem since I find his and Tessa's complicated history to be a bit ick-inducing, but as a vampiric romantic interest, Shankman sells it.

There is a remarkably easy flow to the story, despite its density of pages and depth of detail. Despite her relative infancy as an author, Shankman is a talented writer. Her writing is atmospheric, lively, and engaging. Her descriptions about art, and an artist's passion for creation is incredible. This is a book that made me want to be a struggling artist in 1990's NYC. As someone with little to no artistic inclination, that is a hallmark of strong writing to my mind. 

The novel shifts between the modern storyline -- Raphael and Tessa at his art school -- and the one set during the 1930s/1940s. Both storylines hold up equally well, but shift from 3rd (present story) and 1sr (when Raphael tells his story in Part Two) perspective. Though POC switching is a pet peeve of mine, it's handled well here. The 3rd person allows for a wide view and detail, but the first person makes Raphael's story more intimate and emotional.

Nowadays, with the omniprenece of vampires, it's impressive to read a novel that still manages to use the bloodsuckers well. I would never have expected so much from a novel that is about Nazis and vampires, but Helen Maryles Shankman has created a must-read here with The Color of Light.

Review: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Title: Etiquette & Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Genre: young-adult, steampunk
Series: Finishing School Series #1
Pages: 307
Published: February 5, 2013
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5 Stars

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.

Reviewed by Danielle. 
It can be a scary thing when an author switches to a new target audience. Be it a new genre or making the jump from YA to “adult” literature, (looking at you, RL Stein,) too often the switch doesn’t pay off. So with a steamy romance at the center of her last series, I was a bit trepidatious to hear Carriger was continuing her Parasol Protectorate universe in a new set of YA novels.

I think Alexia would be rather pleased with Sophronia. She’s undeniably younger and less sedate, and I can’t imagine Alexia would approve of the trifle incident, but she feels like she fits into the established world. If anything, Sophronia sometimes feels too mature for YA.

Sophronia is the youngest daughter of the Temminnick clan and a bit of a terror. After a spying attempt gone wrong, ending in the aforementioned trifle incident, her mother decides she needs some polishing. Just her luck, the headmistress of Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality just happens to be at the house looking into Sophronia, despite the school's very selective reputation. After the headmistress throws a pillow at her, she’s accepted and they away immediately.

From there we meet the best friend, the antagonist, and the mystery in rapid succession, along with the realization that finishing school may not be what it seems. Dimity is from a family of ne'er-do-wells and, along with her brother Pillover, is embarking off to follow in the family footsteps. The only problem is the kids are so darn...good! It’s certainly doing their poor mother in. She and Sophronia hit it off quite well, pretty neatly recreating Alexia and Ivy’s friendship with Sophronia as the brash, adventurous one and Dimity as the ditzy, sweet one. No word on how Dimity feels on hats.

I also really enjoyed Pillover as the mad scientist who doesn’t even like hurting ants. He’s lodged at Bunson and Lacroix’s Boys’ Polytechnique and thus absent for most of the book, but his few appearances are funny and I’m interested in how he’ll turn out. A young Lady Sidheag Maccon, the love interest Soap, (a sootie who works in the boiler room keeping the school running,) and a trouble making 9-year-old round out our heros. All got a good amount of page time, diverse motivations, and overall were likeable. A bit of complaint in a small spoiler: I applaud Ms. Carriger for starting an inter-racial relationship in 19th-century London, but the multiple comments about Soap’s skin tone, including the term “colored” combined with his menial job rubbed me the wrong way. To reveal he can’t read? It came off too stereotypical for a fantasy of werewolves and vampires. I did really appreciate that Sophronia didn’t want to “save” him, as Dimity did. That turned the relationship around for me.

As for the antagonist, Monique de Pelouse is at the center of the book’s mystery and is your typical snotty high society type. She has a few snide followers, but for the most part it’s all her against the good guys. Because of the botching of Sophronia’s arrival at the school she’s demoted back to freshman, despite being over 18. This lets her lord her superior knowledge over the younger girls, though I found her characterization somewhat spotty. Nothing overt enough to pull passages, just often a general feeling that she was at the same level as the others when she should have been far advanced. Monique knows the location of an item that the faculty would greatly like, and that location is the driving plot for this first book.

Which leads us to my least favorite thing: there’s very little resolution in Etiquette & Espionage. Over the course of the book, we’re introduced to the idea of flywaymen, highwaymen of the skies, who are also looking for Monique’s item. There’s something called a Pickleman, which is very bad, and he ALSO wants this item and is working with the flywaymen. Additionally, it seems that one of the professors may not be on the up and up! Yet, at the end, very little of this is resolved or explained. If anything, the final confrontation with Monique raises more questions, as it adds another player to the mess. I know the first book in a series has to leave some questions unanswered, but I was left wholly unsatisfied by the last chapters.

Etiquette & Espionage is a very good book and a worthy continuation of the Parasol Protectorate. Several characters cross over and help flesh out the world, but it’s still a self-contained story. You don’t need to know the Kingair history or remember who Niall is to enjoy E & E, though it is certainly fun to see a wee little lass grow into the the Sidheag we meet in Changeless. I’m very fond of Sophronia and look forward to seeing her grow, along with Dimity and the boys. If only the ending had been less soft, this would have been a home run for me.

Book Tour Review: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

Title: NOS4A2
Author: Joe Hill
Genre: horror
Series: N/A
Pages: 720 (paperback edition)
Published: first published April 2012
Source: TLC Book Tours for review
Rating: 4/5

NOS4A2 is a spine-tingling novel of supernatural suspense from master of horror Joe Hill, the New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box and Horns.

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it’s across Massachusetts or across the country.

Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.”

Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble—and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx’s unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He’s on the road again and he’s picked up a new passenger: Vic’s own son.

Joe Hill, by all meas, seems to be a mild-mannered, polite, nice guy. Still, he haunts my nightmares. His mind is a terrifying place and taking a willing vacation  into his madness -- aka to open and read one of his books -- is to be by turns scared and amused. A book about a ruthless, clever vampire with a NOS4A2 Vanity Plate on his rare, vintage car that kidnaps children to a place called Christmasland all the while tangling with a scrappy and talented youngster sounds both odd and sinister, but somehow Hill uses this mad idea to create the most memorable horror novel I've ever read.

I was a skeptic for a large portion of this large novel. Even when I was convinced on the characters, I couldn't buy into the way they operated. However, I couldn't put the novel down. I was happy to be with three friends, hanging out in broad daylight, in the first days of November, too. Despite initial misgivings, NOS4A2 got to me. The novel doesn't waste any time. There are A LOT of pages in this, but none of them are wasted. The plot and pace move along at a brisk pace and it's easy to forget how long you've been reading once you've begun. The main characters are well rounded and rendered well, but none shone so much as young Vic McQueen. I am usually a sucker for a good villain, and though I could see the care taken to craft Manx, I was always anticipating his final defeat at the hands of a McQueen.

I don't read a lot of horror because I can't easily leave the story behind. It all tends to stick, and as the best (worst?) experience I've had in that genre, I have thought about NOS4A2 every day since finishing it. As a book, it is both legit crazy and completely terrifying and I kind of hate the author for making that work so well. And I also respect his writing ability because his skills are both obvious and subtle. I haven't read many of Stephen King novels, but from what I can see in this novel, that family's talent for creating memorable stories and scares is definitely in evidence.

With the Christmas season fast approaching, I highly recommend NOS4A2 to anyone who gets easily stressed out by the holidays. It's macabre and dark but engrossing and endlessly entertaining. It gets a rare rec from me for such a horror novel, and I plan to push it on my family, friends, coworkers.... I wouldn't say I would reread it again myself, but I really do want to see others get a chance to visit the creative heights/depths of Joe Hill's talent.

Review: All the Truth That's in Me by Juilie Berry

Title: All the Truth That's in Me
Author: Julie Berry
Series: N/A
Pages: 274 (ARC edition)
Published: September 2012
Source: gifted from the gracious Rachel at hello, chelly.
Rating: 4/5

Four years ago, Judith and her best friend disappeared from their small town of Roswell Station. Two years later, only Judith returned, permanently mutilated, reviled and ignored by her friends and family.

Unable to speak, Judith lives like a ghost in her own home, silently pouring out her thoughts to her childhood friend, Lucas. He is the boy who has owned her heart for as long as she can remember - even if he doesn′t know it.

But when Roswell Station is attacked, long-buried secrets come to light, and Judith is forced to choose - to continue living in silence, or recover her voice, even if it means changing her world, and the lives around her, forever.

Told in a voice that is achingly raw and intimate, this remarkably original novel will haunt and stay with you. It will fill you with Judith′s passion and longing, and its mysteries will keep you feverishly turning the pages until the very last one.

There is a lot about All the Truth That's in Me that really shouldn't work. But they do. Despite the narrow perspective of an unreliable narrator, despite the use of the second person POV, despite the spare, sparse narration style of Judith, despite how remote the love interest is to the reader--  it all works. All The Truth That's in Me is a quiet, smart, intense novel. It's a short experience, but Judith's voice and her story are strong and inviting from the first chapter. It's easy to be casually curious about a novel with such an original narrator and premise, but the author ensures the story behind All the Truth That's in Me is worth the time and attention attracted.

I was admittedly worried about the narration once I heard this was written entirely in second person. That particular view is so limiting and hard and so many authors fumble the execution. Not Julie Berry. Here, her use of second person present fosters a sense of observing a personal conversation between Judith and her audience. It's fresh and real rather than narrow and limited. Judith is smart and determined, despite her struggles -- her past may be closer than is comforting, but she endures. She's not flashy or snarky, but her quiet will is both her defining characteristic and the most interesting aspect of her character.

There are some questions about the nature of Judith's disappearance and imprisonment, but this is not primarily what I would call just a mystery novel. It's a mix of both historical and mystery; both elements complement each other remarkably well under Berry's pen. With extended flashbacks to the event years before and current timeline with a Judith returned home intermingled, it's still easy to keep the story in mind as it build. It all unwinds rather quickly due to the fast paced narration and the short amount of pages.

This is an odd, curious book. It's different. It's wonderful. All the Truth That's in Me is raw and honest and deals with some harsh circumstances. It's surprising and fresh. The writing is good, the characters are solid and the plot is unique and compelling. If not entirely sold on this, I declare that it's at least worth a borrow from a library. For an author primarily known for another sort of book entirely, Julie Berry's attempt at a historical mystery more than paid off.

Many many thanks to Rachel at hello, chelly for being so kind and sending me her ARC to read and review.

Review Take Two: What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

Title: What's Left of Me
Author: Kat Zhang
Genre: science fiction, dystopia, young-adult
Series: The Hybrid Chronicles #1
Pages: 343
Published: September 18, 2012
Source: Library
Rating: 4/5

Eva and Addie started out the same way as everyone else—two souls woven together in one body, taking turns controlling their movements as they learned how to walk, how to sing, how to dance. But as they grew, so did the worried whispers. Why aren’t they settling? Why isn’t one of them fading? The doctors ran tests, the neighbors shied away, and their parents begged for more time. Finally Addie was pronounced healthy and Eva was declared gone. Except, she wasn’t…

For the past three years, Eva has clung to the remnants of her life. Only Addie knows she’s still there, trapped inside their body. Then one day, they discover there may be a way for Eva to move again. The risks are unimaginable–hybrids are considered a threat to society, so if they are caught, Addie and Eva will be locked away with the others. And yet…for a chance to smile, to twirl, to speak, Eva will do anything.

Reviewed by Danielle. 
Holy shit.

I was expecting a bog standard dystopian with souls in place of the usual special powers. And while I suppose that is something of the plot, I found it be be anything but standard. You could write off What's Left of Me because of the currently booming, (and bloated,) YA dystopian genre, but it would be your loss.

Primarily, what makes this novel different is the point of view. In a world where everyone is born with two distinct souls, Eva and Addie are different. Usually, one soul fades away, leaving the dominant personality alone. But Eva never fully faded away. She can't move or speak or interact with the world at large. But she's still there. And she is our narrator.

Hybrids are illegal. The Americas blames them for their wars overseas, for terrorist attacks, for everything wrong in the country. So, in order to be seen as normal and not be sent away to an institution, or worse, Addie must pretend that she's the only one in their head. But a girl at school, Hally sees through the act. Hally and Lissa are hybrid too. So are their brothers, Ryan and Devon. But unlike Addie and Eva, their recessive souls can still take control and they offer Eva a chance she never dared hope for again. To be the one in front.

Eva's voice is heartbreaking. She's trying so hard not to be resentful of her sister, to accept her role in their life, to be grateful that she still exists at all. But of course she wants to be able to speak her opinions to someone other than Addie's mind. Of course she wants to walk and play with their brother and hold Ryan's hand.

As is always the case in these books, the government gets involved and the second half is a race against time and evil forces. That part is a little derivative. It does take place in a setting that felt fresh and the villains had more motivation than say, Crewel, so I still found it successful.

Other formulaic parts: there is the requisite love story, but no love triangle or instalove. I thought it was sweet and didn't consume the characters' lives, so again, a success. There's a revelation about the government not being what it seems. This worked less for me, because we really didn't have enough information for it to be shocking. It was kind of an afterthought to all the other revelations. And there is the missing/absent family trope that bothered me towards the end. Eva and Addie are sad that they can't see their brother, but they're pretty laissez-faire about leaving their parents.

A completely engrossing, infinitely readable novel full of heart and beautiful writing. Allow me to leave off on the absolutely perfect closing line, as Ms. Zhang has more writing talent in her little finger than I do at all.

“Addie was warm and radiant next to me, making up half of us. But I - I was Eva, Eva, Eva, all the way through."

Added This Week & Blog News

November is my favorite month! Not only is it my birthday, but also snow and Thanksgiving and fireplaces and hot tea... yeah. I love winter. At least until January --- but still! Yay November. And speaking of my birthday, I won't be around from the 1-6th. 

Why? 

Because my lovely and wonderful boyfriend is taking me to Disneyland on a trip that also includes his best friend and one of mine! I haven't been to Disneyland in about ten years, so I am pretty excited to both go on a little trip with some of my favorite people and to ride some fun rides.

Also, My family got me a kayak. They are made of fantastic.

So. Anyway. If anyone needs me (unlikely though it is) tweet me, email me, smoke signal me, etc. etc. Otherwise, this domain is Danielle's until I come back to reclaim it.

That said, I have a pretty huge haul. I haven't done one for a few weeks AND I have lovely, amazing friends who sent me birthday books.

First up -- birthday books!

Small Damages by Beth Kephart -- gifted from Bekka of Pretty Deadly Reviews

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas -- gifted from Christina of Christina Reads YA

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell -- also from Christina

The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas -- gifted from Kara of Great Imaginations

Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke -- also from Kara

Sent books -- tours, friends, generosity

Marco Impossible by Hannah Moskowitz -- kindly sent from Christina of Reader of Fictions

All the Truth That's In Me by Julie Berry -- donated by awesome blogger Rachel from Hello, Chelly.

Boneshaker/Dreadnought by Cherie Priest -- another example of Christina's generosity

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys -- another from Christina at Reader of Fictions

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill -- from TLC Book Tours

The Brokenhearted by Amelia Kahaney -- won from author via Twitter

Sekret by Lindsay Smith -- thanks to MacMillan

The Boleyn Bride by Brandy Purdy -- thanks to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

The Sowing by K. Makansi -- from TLC Book Tours

A Spark Unseen by Sharon Cameron -- sent from the lovely Ashleigh of the YA Kitten

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira -- thanks MacMillan

Copperhead by Tina Connolly -- thanks to the folks at Tor!

Plus One by Elizabeth Fama -- thanks MacMillan

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani -- from TLC Book Tours

Just One Year by Gayle Forman -- bought

UnWholly by Neal Shusterman -- bought

The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch -- bought

and finally, because they came all the way from the UK and I love their covers:

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman -- bought

The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth -- bought

So, yeah -- all in all, I think I have been pretty blessed these last few weeks. Friends, publishers, my wallet -- I thank you all!

Review: Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family by Gail Simone

Title: Batgirl Vol. 3: Death of the Family
Author: Gail Simone, Ed Benes (Illustrations)
Genre: Graphic Novels
Series: Batgirl IV #3
Pages: 224
Expected Publication: October 29th, 2013
Source: Publisher via edelweiss
Rating: 4/5

Gail Simone continues her Batgirl run in a tale that ties into the best-selling Bat-Family event "Death of the Family." When the Joker returns, Barbara Gordon must confront her past as she deals with the crazed criminal responsible for crippling her. Plus, once the dust settles, Barbara must deal with her family demons as her psychotic brother James Jr. comes after her.

Reviewed by Danielle. 
Gail Simone’s has been changing what superhero comics mean. With characters who aren’t always strong or brave or composed, who deal with mental illness, insecurities, and all manner of issues we don’t generally get to see. LGB and T secondary characters. Comic books that pass the Bechdel test. I have stars in my eyes.

In the latest collection of her popular Batgirl series, (this is Batgirl IV, [fourth time the character has starred in a series of this title,] Volume 3, [third collected edition of Volume IV comics,]) Simone’s eponymous heroine crosses over with the rest of the Bat-family for the “Death of the Family” arc, as well as the continuation and conclusion of the plot that’s been slow burning over the last year, James Jr.

We start with Batgirl Annual #1, which seems out of place in continuity after Vol. 2, which left off after Night of Owls and with a cliffhanger for a new threat. Annual #1 is back in the middle of the Talon, dealing with the intersection of the female assassin from issue 9, Babs, and Catwoman. It makes the transition from Annual to issue 14 very abrupt. I will say the art for this issue is the most stunning; Admira Wijaya’s details are phenomenal.

From there, however, issues 14-16, as well as Batman 17, are extremely well integrated, flowing flawlessly. I could imagine this arc was written as a standalone graphic novel, rather than monthly serials. Batman 17 is one of the most horrifying comics I’ve read, and absolutely essential to understanding the previous three Batgirls. The full page with Joker, the cub, and the heart? Genuine nightmare fuel. It’s terrifying and psychological and really encapsulates the relationship between Bats and Jokes, while ramping up the insanity. A lot.

(But, even ending on a scary, cliffhanger-y note, we still get an adorable Bruce/Alfred scene. “Go to hell.” I love it.)

The next comic is a short from the Valentine’s special Young Romance, “Dreamer”. It’s included as a break between storylines, but they needn’t have bothered. Eight pages of Babs taking a break to mack on a normal dude, (a minor character from the Darkest Reflections storyline.) By the time we start to feel something for Ricky, (if we can, because again, eight pages and one of them is a pointless fight scene,) the comic is over. The writing doesn’t fit with the rest of the collection, the timeline is again messed about, and the art is only so-so. Young Romance was widely panned, so its inclusion in a serious trade is just confusing all around.

The second half of the book is a three-issue arc “ending” the family drama that’s been swirling since the reappearance of Barbara’s brother, James Jr. (Seriously, Barbara Sr. and James Sr. are the most uncreative parents.) If you read Vol. 2, you’re familiar with why James’ showing back up is a Very Bad Thing. If you haven’t read that particular collection, you’ll probably be able to piece it all together fairly quick.

Again, this part flows well on its own, but it shines in the context of the collected volume, as James plays a part in Death of the Family as well. There are a few points that feel rushed, (Firebug, a minor villain who hasn’t been seen in 10 years, gets a brief two issue appearance where his motives aren’t well explained. He’s just a stalling tactic. Likewise, Alysia’s reveal seems extremely out of place in the context of the conversation she and Barbara are having. I feel like they were meant to do something else, but it got cut for length,) but overall the conclusion worked for me.

Exploring ideas of posttraumatic stress, revenge, and what makes a hero, it’s a heavy collection. I loved seeing Killing Joke canonized, (recanonized? Continued canonization?) and used to restore some of Bab’s agency after she was fridged to give Jim his motivation in the classic graphic novel. The parallels drawn between her and Batman, (and her dad from Killing Joke,) and again between her and James, aren’t heavy handed, but left me thinking. If it weren’t for the romance interlude, it would be a five star collection. As it is, I heartily recommend it to anyone following the Bat-family in the New 52. I would not, however, recommend it as a starting point for new readers. You’ll need to pick up Vols. 1 or 2 for that.