Review - Catwoman: Soulstealer

Catwoman: Soulstealer

Title: Catwoman: Soulstealer
Series: DC Icons (Goodreads)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Genre: Fantasy, Superhero, Family, Romance

Age Group: YA

Source: Penguin Random House Pulp Shelf (this did not affect my opinion)

Review 

Catwoman is about more than just superheroes/heroines versus villains it explores far more in depth issues like family values, racism, class and even environmentalist concerns. However, as a superhero book when we do see the hero’s fight against the villains it suggests that what makes a villain or a hero/heroine is far more complex than someone doing bad or good because the individual will have justifications for their actions. Unrelated to the content but more focused on the style of writing itself I felt that it lacked the usual depth of character and beautiful language usually found in other works written by Sarah J. Maas. Although this did not feel like other works I’ve read by Maas what I did recognise is her continued ability to write considerately about difficult issues such as racism and family abuse, some of the issues in particular concern to Catwoman, and though these issues are raised and considered with care as suggested already they are not always dealt with in-depth to the same degree as her other works. I’ve already indicated that the characters are not developed in-depth what I mean is that we are given moments where the characters justify the reasons for their actions but on a basic level to give some indication of their thought process but not an overly complicated description of their reasons for their behaviour and actions.

I have already raised some of the main issues in this book but would like to go into more depth on two in particular which are the concerns of racism and family values. Racism and family values are the two most prominent issues that I found stood out in this book. Firstly, for Selina aka Catwoman family is the reason for her return to Gotham as well as the justification behind her actions and the creation of her alter ego. Very early on we are told that Selina is the main career of her sister Maggie, who is slowly dying of Cystic Fibrosis, and that they have been abandoned by their parents. The opening of the book sees Selina at an illegal fighting pit as this is the only way she can raise the money she needs to provide for herself and sister. On returning home with her winnings we see the two sisters watch a movie, Carousel, a ritual upheld by the sisters. The movie Carousel is used to mirror the reasons behind Selina’s actions to provide for her sister, ‘the man belting out every note, every dream to shelter and clothe and keep food on the table for his child. To attain money in any way he could […] His only alternative: die trying.’ In this moment we realise the love shared between the sisters and the strength of Selina’s devotion to her sister as well as the lengths she will go to care for her whether it means staying on the side of the law or bending the it.

Secondly, is the issue of racism and how Luke as a black man raises our awareness of the discrimination faced by black people in Catwoman. In particular relation to Luke we are told that he is a black man but one who has a lot of wealth. Therefore, this affords him some protection from racism that those from a poorer background wouldn’t have. That is not to say that he is completely excluded from experiencing racism though but he is saved from extremist racial prejudice because of his wealth and the status this has given him and his family. During a scene in the book Luke observes the injustice faced by a young black boy who isn’t protected by money. We learn that ‘Luke himself still chafed when he had to work with the GCPD’ and this is because he sees the unjust treatment of the young black boy taken into police custody ‘He’d nearly made it through the halls unnoticed when he’d spied the black kid, no older than fifteen, handcuffed to a bench […] Soaked through, his clothes hanging to his thin frame’. This moment signifies how easily Luke himself could have been treated in such a manner if he hadn’t been raised with the protection of money and the status it gave him and his family. More importantly, it highlights the ongoing injustices faced by non-white citizens both in this book and in the world that we currently live in. 

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

When the Bat's away, the Cat will play. It's time to see how many lives this cat really has. . . .

Two years after escaping Gotham City's slums, Selina Kyle returns as the mysterious and wealthy Holly Vanderhees. She quickly discovers that with Batman off on a vital mission, Batwing is left to hold back the tide of notorious criminals. Gotham City is ripe for the taking.

Meanwhile, Luke Fox wants to prove he has what it takes to help people in his role as Batwing. He targets a new thief on the prowl who seems cleverer than most. She has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and together they are wreaking havoc. This Catwoman may be Batwing's undoing.

Selina is playing a desperate game of cat and mouse, forming unexpected friendships and entangling herself with Batwing by night and her devilishly handsome neighbor Luke Fox by day. But with a dangerous threat from the past on her tail, will she be able to pull off the heist that's closest to her heart? 

Key quotes 

‘The media is just another weapon to wield’ 

‘They’ve already done enough damage to the earth that there might not even be a chance to turn back. Entire ecosystems – gone. Who fights for them? Who makes sure that they get justice?’ 

‘He might have grown up with the world at his feet, but his parents hadn’t. And they’d made sure he never took any of it for granted.’ 

‘Let’s blow up the stage where they’re hosting that kiddie beauty pageant’
‘Jesus Christ, Harley!’
‘What? Not while the kids are on it, obviously. But those contests are gross.’

Similar reads  

DC Comics, Wonder Woman: Warbringer, Batman: Nightwalker, Superman: Dawnbreaker

Afterthoughts 

How far would you go for the ones you love?
Prejudice should not be tolerated whether it is because of someone's race, gender, class, sexuality or religion (this list is only an indication of some of the prejudices faced by people, there can be others that aren't listed here) 
What can we do to make a better tolerant society? How can we as indviduals challenge our own prejudices?