Batman: Nightwalker (DC Icons #2) by Marie Lu
Genre(s): YA Fiction, Fantasy
Pages/Edition: 272 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Random House (1.2.18)
Read: March 12, 2018
Synopsis
Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy.
The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list.
One by one, the city’s elites are being executed as their mansions’ security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family’s fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he’s forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city’s most brutal criminals.
Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce’s only hope.
In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.
Review
Have you ever wondered how it all started for Bruce Wayne? How, in fact, did he become the vigilante we have all come to know and love? If these are questions that have ever crossed your mind, then I feel this book will be perfect for you (as it was for me!)
I admit I was a bit hesitant starting this book before reading Wonder Woman (DC Icons #1), but I was continually told that it’s not required to read the books in order, and I’m glad I listened to those who told me that! It’s definitely not a requirement to read Wonder Woman first, so don’t worry that you’ll miss out on anything! You won’t, I promise!
Marie Lu starts off by giving us a little insight into the criminal(s) we’ll be chasing after in this story, and I found it to be quite an exciting introduction. This set up had me asking myself many questions. Who is this character they’re talking about? Someone we know or have learned about in previous Batman stories? It makes you wonder. It builds anticipation (and holds it throughout most of the book!). And that, I loved!
Personally, I’ve never thought Bruce Wayne to have a strikingly strong or appealing personality. In my opinion, he’s always been very much a “blah” type of character, if that makes sense. Dull. Predictable. Boring. Until he puts on the batsuit. Then he becomes this amazing, incredible hero. My thoughts on this haven’t changed after reading Batman: Nightwalker. Bruce Wayne is still the same, unexciting person he’s always been (even at a young eighteen). This doesn’t affect my views on the writing, in general, simply because I feel like that’s how he was meant to be portrayed. He’s just a serious, predictable type of guy… that’s who he is. My point being… this wasn’t a lack of character development on Lu’s end.
As far as other characters in the book go… well, there’s not much to write home about. Other than the crazy Madeleine. She was by far my favorite character in the book and I found myself appealing to her personality more and more. (To be honest, I wouldn’t mind a book solely based on Madeleine herself! Let’s hear more of her story!) She was a feisty, outgoing, truly badass criminal. (Why is it always the criminals I seem to root for these days?)
Something else I highly appreciated about this novel was that Lu took it easy on the romance aspect. One of the main things that have been bothering me lately with YA is the romance. (*runs and hides*) For the simple fact that it all seems the same. Each love story is (or seems) the same. And although this is considered to be a young adult novel (you’d assume the romance comes with the genre), there really wasn’t much of it. Thank goodness for that. Yes, there may have been some crushes… some romantic thoughts. But because it wasn’t the focus of the book entirely, this made it all the more great for me.
Yes, this is a “young adult” novel, but I could absolutely see older audiences enjoying this book, too. I loved basically everything about this book, other than the slightly defective character development in some of the secondary characters. But Lu did a fantastic job overall telling Batman’s story. She created an exciting, yet easy, read that will keep you entertained all the way through. As I said before, if you’re curious as to how Bruce Wayne became Batman, this is definitely the book for you. You’ll get inside info that you’ve never known before, and I feel like all Batman fans, no matter the age, will get enjoyment from this novel. Go check it out! You won’t regret it!
Until next time…
Haven’t read this yet, but I’m definitely hoping to get to it soon! I’ll probably read Wonder Woman first (since I actually own that one, haha), but I know I really want to read this! I absolutely love DCU ❤
Great review! Got me real pumped 😀
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Thank you, Andie! I also love DCU, and now have Wonder Woman on my shelf, so I’m super excited to start it soon! I hope you enjoy Batman as much as I did whenever you get to it!
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Ohh, looking forward to seeing a review for that 👀 I hope I’ll be able to read it until then though haha :’)
I hope I like it as much, too! The idea of the series really intrigued me 💛
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I have yet to start this series, too. Wonder Woman is on my TBR, though, and hopefully I’ll get to it soon! I’m glad you enjoyed this one!
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I finally have a paperback copy of WW, so hopefully I can get to it soon (and enjoy it as much as I did Batman). I’m also seriously looking forward to Catwoman! Happy Reading!
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I used to read Batman and Robin comics as a kid and never considered picking up an actual book. But you’ve intrigued me. I like badass criminals and light on the romance as well. Thanks for the review!
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I’ve always been a Batman fan (my favorite hero ever)! So I was psyched when I found out about this book! If you like Batman and you’re up for a quick, but exciting read, I would highly recommend this one. And I’d be interested in seeing what your thoughts are on it!
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Great review! I need to read some of Marie Lu’s books!!!! ❤
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Thank you! And honestly, this was my first book by Marie Lu (although I’ve been eyeing her work for a while). Thanks to this book, I’ll definitely be getting into some of her other books soon… probably Warcross first and then Legend!
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I’ll have to get into her books! I’ve heard so many great things 😀
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Same here!
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I like superhero movies, but for some reason superhero books never work out for me. I like this idea of this series in general, but I don’t think I’m personally going to read the book. I did try the Wonder Woman one and kind of gave up a few pages in, though my co-blogger read and enjoyed it.
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I have Wonder Woman on my shelf, but I’m not sure when I’ll end up getting to it. Although I’m a DC Universe fan, in general, Batman has always been my number one, so I’m not sure if I would actually enjoy WW as much as I did Batman. If it were written by the same author, then maybe… but since they’re each written by different YA authors, who knows what the outcome will be! I’m still kinda curious how each author’s take on the stories will be. I’m really looking more forward to Catwoman!
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There’s going to be a Catwoman one??? Now I am kind of tempted to read it!
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Yes! The only thing that makes me hesitant about it, is that the Catwoman book is written by Sarah J. Maas and I’m not a fan of hers, honestly. But… since I like Catwoman, I’m pretty excited to see how it turns out!
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Oh…. I found the ACOTAR series entertaining, but I honestly think her prose is a bit ridiculous. And maybe not suited to Catwoman.
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Honestly, I completely agree. She wouldn’t have been my first choice of author for Catwoman. I was kinda shocked (and disappointed) when I heard.
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Glad you enjoyed this! I really loved it as well and Wonder Woman was enjoyable too! I can’t wait to read the other books in this series 🙂
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Thanks, and yes! I’m super excited for Catwoman😅
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This is on my TBR lol. I’m trying to get to it soon-ish haha
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Hope you enjoy it!!
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Great review, I read Wonder Woman at the beginning of the year and really need to continue with the series 😀😀
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Thanks! Hopefully I’ll get to WW soon 🙂
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You’re welcome and I hope you enjoy it 💜💜
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Glad this was an exciting introduction!! Sounds like it was really well done. Great review!
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It was! I really enjoyed it! Thank you 🙂
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Great Review!❤📚😁
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Thanks!
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You’re welcome!😁📚
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