Batman: Nightwalker
Author: Marie Lu
Published: January 2, 2018
272 Pages
Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars
Book Description:
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.
Kim’s Review:
I was so disappointed in this book and it made me sad. We are 1 for 2 on the DC Icon series so far. I loved Wonder Woman: Warbringer, not so much Batman: Nightwalker. My biggest issue was that this was not a Batman story, so it shouldn’t be called one. Batman has a very set timeline, Wonder Woman and Superman can be played with a little more since they have inborn super powers. You can’t do that with Batman. So this was not a Batman story. My other big problem is that, although this story was interesting, it could have been about anyone.
Marie Lu is an excellent story teller, we all know how much Jessica and I loved Warcross. But throwing Bruce Wayne into any old story doesn’t work for me. Batman is a detective, some of his greatest stories are based on his ability to solve mysteries and crimes in concise, genius, Sherlock Holmes type ways. It felt like everything just happened to Bruce. He never seems to know anything until someone told him. The story itself was good, I liked the plot and the twist, so thankfully it wasn’t a total loss. But this is not a DC story, it’s not a Batman story, therefore, I have to give it such a low rating. And believe me, it hurts! I’m not gonna go so far as to say that I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, I think teen boys would enjoy this book. I just can’t say that I liked it.
Kim’s review of Wonder Woman: Warbringer is here.
Kim’s review of Warcross is here.
Jessica’s review of Warcross is here.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US: Batman: Nightwalker is currently $1.99 for Kindle.
Amazon UK
Jessica’s Thoughts on Warcross
Author: Marie Lu
Published: September 12, 2017
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: February 11-27, 2018
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.
Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.
In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.
Jessica’s Review:
Kim recently reviewed Warcross and her review is here. Her review piqued my interest in the novel. I would have never picked it up on my own. I’m not a gamer and the only game I have recently played is a mobile game called Ingress which is a location based, augmented reality game. I played it with my husband. It is a great way to get out and learn the area where you live or wherever you may go. I’m ‘retired’ from Ingress now, as I have a new pastime: this site!
I listened to the audio version of Warcross. I liked Emika (Emi) who is totally relatable: She is a regular girl with real struggles we all face. She does what she has to do to survive. She’s a bounty hunter too!
Warcross is a beyond popular game worldwide and people live for this game. It is all some people live and breathe. There is a ‘Hunger Games-ish’ feel to it with the popularity of Warcross. To summarize the description Emi finds herself in Tokyo with the creator of Warcross. She is offered a job that could earn her a lot of money, more than enough to take care of herself. Emi finds herself in the game’s final tournament and she makes discoveries: Things are not what they seem.
There is a romantic subplot that occurs that I cannot go into details about,as it involves, but I felt it was inappropriate, though you knew it was coming. But, for the YA audience that this novel is geared towards, it was hot!
As I am not a gamer, I did find myself losing interest in the novel when Emi was playing Warcross. Everything else had me pulled in! I wanted to know what was going to happen next! I did figure out the twist as to who Zero was: To me it was obvious. But then Lu had that final twist that I did NOT see coming! OMG, I need the next book now!!!!
Warcross could be read as a standalone and it may make you wonder if our world is heading toward this as reality: Will the virtual world become more important than the real world? It seems like we are heading that way as we are all attached semi permanently to our phones.
Warcross is very highly recommended and I am very much anticipating the sequel!
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
