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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
As a hardcore MCU fan, I was both ecstatic and terrified for this book. After all, Natasha Romanoff is one of the best female characters ever, in my opinion, and I was so scared that any author would get her character wrong. Thankfully, Margaret Stohl pulled through on that front. I imagined Scarlett Johansson in every scene and could almost hear her voice as she spoke. It was a nice look into the storm behind the pretty face that the movies only offer a glimpse of and I felt it did the amazing actress and character justice.
Ava was a wild card for me, as I didn't expect that the novel would focus so much on her, but eventually I understood why she was such a key part. At first I was annoyed because I'd expected a Black Widow story but by the end I saw that maybe Ava's and Black Widow's story were one in the same. While I mostly liked Ava, something about her greatly annoyed me at times and I can't pinpoint why. Maybe too much of an attitude? Overall though, I thought she was cool and entertaining and proved to be a great counterpart to Natasha and her story.
As for Alex, I adored him. Completely. His character was well-written and believable: not the perfect hunk but not the complete clumsy nerd that somehow charms the girl. A good mix. Flawed but wonderful. I loved him. However, while the relationship between Ava and him was awesome, it moved waaaaaay too fast. Blah. For claiming to need no one in the world, Ava was pretty comfortable with Alex holding her hand and poking her in the ribs all the time pretty fast. I know they had a 'connection' but come on. It's a good thing I was rooting for them so much or else it would've ruined it for me.
As for the plot, it was very fast-paced (maybe a little too much at times) but truly reflected the Marvel Universe. I loved the cameos from other favorite characters and how integrated everything was, making it feel liked it really belonged in MCU. However, I was confused about the chronology. Obviously the Avengers have become a thing so it's after that movie, but it's common knowledge that Coulson's alive so....not really sure about that. The rest of it, though, was great. Some of it felt predictable but so many plot twists happened that I didn't see coming--a sign of a good superhero story. It was entertaining and fun but Not cool, Margaret Stohl. Not cool.
Rated 4/5 for fun characters, great writing, surprising plot twists, and excessive fangirling
Ava was a wild card for me, as I didn't expect that the novel would focus so much on her, but eventually I understood why she was such a key part. At first I was annoyed because I'd expected a Black Widow story but by the end I saw that maybe Ava's and Black Widow's story were one in the same. While I mostly liked Ava, something about her greatly annoyed me at times and I can't pinpoint why. Maybe too much of an attitude? Overall though, I thought she was cool and entertaining and proved to be a great counterpart to Natasha and her story.
As for Alex, I adored him. Completely. His character was well-written and believable: not the perfect hunk but not the complete clumsy nerd that somehow charms the girl. A good mix. Flawed but wonderful. I loved him. However, while the relationship between Ava and him was awesome, it moved waaaaaay too fast. Blah. For claiming to need no one in the world, Ava was pretty comfortable with Alex holding her hand and poking her in the ribs all the time pretty fast. I know they had a 'connection' but come on. It's a good thing I was rooting for them so much or else it would've ruined it for me.
As for the plot, it was very fast-paced (maybe a little too much at times) but truly reflected the Marvel Universe. I loved the cameos from other favorite characters and how integrated everything was, making it feel liked it really belonged in MCU. However, I was confused about the chronology. Obviously the Avengers have become a thing so it's after that movie, but it's common knowledge that Coulson's alive so....not really sure about that. The rest of it, though, was great. Some of it felt predictable but so many plot twists happened that I didn't see coming--a sign of a good superhero story. It was entertaining and fun but
Spoiler
I will never ever ever ever get over Alex dying. Ever. Yay for plot twists but that was too far.Rated 4/5 for fun characters, great writing, surprising plot twists, and excessive fangirling
this is enjoyable, but i felt it desperately needed to be a comic series rather than a stand-alone novel. there was a lot of wonderful, visual moments, that i felt would have done so much better in another format. the prose let down this book, but the characters of Natasha and Ava shone through. i'd have liked a little more space and depth for them to grow, but i suspect that's not what the author was trying to do. the big let down for me was the unnecessary romance aspect of the plot, but the ending Ava was given saved the book for me. i hope we see a lot more of Ava in future. the book certainly set things up for more Natasha and Ava adventures.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dnfed it bc why tf is nat a secondary character in a book named after her???? anyways don’t waste your time if you actually want to read about her just read some comics it’ll be better.
Black Widow is one of my all time favorite superheros and I was so absolutely thrilled that she was getting her own story, and in one of my all time favorite media outlets, a YA novel! I bought this as soon as it came out and read it even sooner.
And I could blame it on my high expectations and anticipation, but honestly the book itself was just very disappointing. The plot itself almost tried too hard at times, the writing was meh, and the characters fell really flat. And Nat herself was like a side character, even though the book is literally named after her, I barely got to see her! I am really let down with this, not only because I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the book and my favorite character in depth, but also because her moment of redemption was ruined. (Even though this was totally a cop out from marvel to begin with so they could shush the outcry for more Nat.)
Overall, Margaret didnt do Nat justice and that's what I'm most upset about.
I still gave it 3 stars because Black Widow and it's not her fault.
And I could blame it on my high expectations and anticipation, but honestly the book itself was just very disappointing. The plot itself almost tried too hard at times, the writing was meh, and the characters fell really flat. And Nat herself was like a side character, even though the book is literally named after her, I barely got to see her! I am really let down with this, not only because I wanted to thoroughly enjoy the book and my favorite character in depth, but also because her moment of redemption was ruined. (Even though this was totally a cop out from marvel to begin with so they could shush the outcry for more Nat.)
Overall, Margaret didnt do Nat justice and that's what I'm most upset about.
I still gave it 3 stars because Black Widow and it's not her fault.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A cute, little teen read about the Marvel Universe. It was a fun read!
really good about how black widow came to be and her brothers death
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes