Redheaded Reviews: Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J. Maas

In this latest of the DC Icons series that has focused in the past on Wonderwoman, Batman, and Superman, this one hones in on Catwoman. Selena Kyle has a sister with cystic fibrosis and a mother who is rarely around but when she is she brings around abusive boyfriends and is abusive herself. So Selena and her sister Maggie are living on their own. Selena, a stellar student, and a star gymnast has basically dropped out of school in order to join the Leopard gang so she can earn money stealing and in the ring fighting for mob boss Falcone when people can't pay their debts and try to fight them off. If they lose, they die. Selena leaves them unconscious, but she knows that Falcone takes them and dumps them into the river already dead.

She has twenty-seven leopard tattoos for confirmed wins as an undefeated fighter. The money goes toward medical bills for her sister. But her sister isn't getting better no matter how experimental the procedure. Then the cops and a social worker show up their door and she attacks them which is the third strike against her record and means jail time especially since she's three weeks from turning eighteen. That's when she's approached by a woman who wants to educate her in Italy. She agrees if they place her sister with a really good family that can take care of her.

Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox the inventor of Wayne Enterprises, is an ex-Marine who suffers from PTSD and deals with it by being Batwing. Like his father, he tinkers with devices so he works at Wayne Enterprises at that capacity as his dad is running the company now while Bruce is off on some mission that he won't tell anyone about.

Selena picked up the name cat while training with the League of Assassins due to her tattoos so when she made her helmet and her gloves she made them in the shape of a cat with claws. Now, she's back in Gotham under the name Holly Vanderhees, socialite and has moved in right next door to Luke. She shows up to all the galas and steals the riches right off of the people there without them knowing it.

Then Luke decides to trap her with putting an expensive painting on display at a gala. When Selena goes to steal it, Poison Ivey shows up to steal it too, so they agree to split the profits. Selena has a run-in with Batwing while escaping and she makes a fool of him while getting away landing him on his ass and records the whole thing and sends the photos to the press the next morning. Luke is not only not happy, but he also gets a call from Batman asking if he needs help.

Selena tells Ivey that if she wants to join her she needs to bring Harley Quinn aboard. Ivy says that the only way Quinn will come aboard will be if she gets the Joker out of Arkham and she says she will do that. Ivey is appalled as she doesn't like the Joker and she is in love with Harley and believes that the Joker is bad for her. Harley agrees to join and the three go on a wild crime spree even breaking out of prison three of the Joker's men to help fight against Falcone's people.

Meanwhile, Holly and Luke are getting a little bit closer than either perhaps want, but both seem to enjoy. Neither seems to have guessed who the other is, but Nyssa and Talia al Ghul have sent people to Gotham after Selena to kill her and stop her mission. This is a fantastic book with great characters. You don't want Selena, Ivey, or Harly to get caught, but then you don't want Luke to be made a fool of either. And you don't don't want to see the League win either. Maas has done an excellent job of bringing Selena to life. I'd love to read another book about her or one on Ivy or Harley. I give this book five out of five stars.

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