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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
Listen,,, Black Widow is one of my faves and I feel so bad for this fictional superhero character because she is never handled well in any type of media she’s in whether it’s ScarJo, the writers, the directors, etc, and I don’t get it. Black Widow is an ex-Russian spy with an extremely dark and traumatic past and I feel like the fact that this character has been treated like a throwaway sexualized fantasy should be a crime. I still remain hopeful that solo Black Widow movie will give her the justice she deserves but who knows.... in terms of this book, I thought there were a few solid moments and very intriguing concepts but not enough to make up for extremely cliche and flat writing. I was very confused as to whom this book was intended for. It’s overall too stupid and immature for anyone over the age of 12 but the character of Black Widow (and her past) is much too dark and traumatic for younger audiences, so I don’t get it. Maybe 2 stars??
Review originally posted on journeyintotheshelves.tumblr.com
**I received an eARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Marvel Press/Disney. This has had no bearing on this review.
Black Widow: Forever Red follows the story of Ava Orlova who, like Natasha Romanoff, is a product of Ivan Somodorov’s Red Room. However, before Ivan could dig his nails into Ava, Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. were able to rescue her from the Red Room…or so they thought. Jump forward years later to where weird things are starting to happen to Ava. Like dreaming about a boy she never met, and having Russian hired guns shoot at her. Told in three POVs - Ava, Alex, and Natasha’s - Black Widow: Forever Red delves into the mind of Black Widow and opens a door to her oh-so-secret past, with Ava and Alex caught and tangled in her web; changing all of their lives forever.
The plot of this book was a lot less Black Widow centered than I anticipated and really wanted. I’m not saying that the storyline that was created wasn’t exciting, or anything like that, it just wasn’t what I was expecting when hearing that there was going to be a Black Widow book. However, it still is a great, exciting book. It has an interesting plot, a unique, interesting concept, and great twists and turns that really kept me invested until the very last page.
The relationships in this book are very intense. My biggest problem with the relationship between Ava and Alex was that it was, plain and simple, insta-love. It was cute most of the time, but sometimes it was just too much and started detracting from the plot. However, I do see how their relationship reflects the nature of the plot, so I do understand the necessity of the intensity of their relationship. The most intriguing relationship in this novel, in my opinion, was Natasha and Ava’s relationship. The parallels, the compatibility and mystery between the two was so gripping, and, as the plot grew thicker, their relationship just became more and more fun to read.
The writing style of this book is very plain. There’s no extra frills, no real “swoon” worthy quotes or anything of that nature, but I think it really worked for this type of book. A book that is so focused on action and character, there is no real purpose for descriptive and frilly language. Stohl tells this story through three different POVs, but each point of view had it’s own distinct voice, characterization, and tone. Without even reading the chapter headings I knew who was speaking and what to expect from the chapter. I may not be able to tell you what the warehouse looked like to the smallest detail, but I can tell you how it makes Ava feel, and I think that worked extremely well for this story.
Originally, I was upset that this wasn’t a Black Widow origin story. I wanted to know more about Black Widow and how she became who she is and how she got all that red in her ledger. However, I think the plot and storyline that Stohl created makes for a much better story. You do get a bit of Black Widow origin, but it also sets up for future Marvel and future Black Widow stories. It gives some answers, but it also keeps the mystery that Black Widow is known for alive and well, which I’m really happy about.
Overall, Black Widow: Forever Red is a fantastic, action packed story that reads like a movie and is perfect for any superhero/Marvel fan who is just looking for more.
**I received an eARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Marvel Press/Disney. This has had no bearing on this review.
Black Widow: Forever Red follows the story of Ava Orlova who, like Natasha Romanoff, is a product of Ivan Somodorov’s Red Room. However, before Ivan could dig his nails into Ava, Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. were able to rescue her from the Red Room…or so they thought. Jump forward years later to where weird things are starting to happen to Ava. Like dreaming about a boy she never met, and having Russian hired guns shoot at her. Told in three POVs - Ava, Alex, and Natasha’s - Black Widow: Forever Red delves into the mind of Black Widow and opens a door to her oh-so-secret past, with Ava and Alex caught and tangled in her web; changing all of their lives forever.
The plot of this book was a lot less Black Widow centered than I anticipated and really wanted. I’m not saying that the storyline that was created wasn’t exciting, or anything like that, it just wasn’t what I was expecting when hearing that there was going to be a Black Widow book. However, it still is a great, exciting book. It has an interesting plot, a unique, interesting concept, and great twists and turns that really kept me invested until the very last page.
The relationships in this book are very intense. My biggest problem with the relationship between Ava and Alex was that it was, plain and simple, insta-love. It was cute most of the time, but sometimes it was just too much and started detracting from the plot. However, I do see how their relationship reflects the nature of the plot, so I do understand the necessity of the intensity of their relationship. The most intriguing relationship in this novel, in my opinion, was Natasha and Ava’s relationship. The parallels, the compatibility and mystery between the two was so gripping, and, as the plot grew thicker, their relationship just became more and more fun to read.
The writing style of this book is very plain. There’s no extra frills, no real “swoon” worthy quotes or anything of that nature, but I think it really worked for this type of book. A book that is so focused on action and character, there is no real purpose for descriptive and frilly language. Stohl tells this story through three different POVs, but each point of view had it’s own distinct voice, characterization, and tone. Without even reading the chapter headings I knew who was speaking and what to expect from the chapter. I may not be able to tell you what the warehouse looked like to the smallest detail, but I can tell you how it makes Ava feel, and I think that worked extremely well for this story.
Originally, I was upset that this wasn’t a Black Widow origin story. I wanted to know more about Black Widow and how she became who she is and how she got all that red in her ledger. However, I think the plot and storyline that Stohl created makes for a much better story. You do get a bit of Black Widow origin, but it also sets up for future Marvel and future Black Widow stories. It gives some answers, but it also keeps the mystery that Black Widow is known for alive and well, which I’m really happy about.
Overall, Black Widow: Forever Red is a fantastic, action packed story that reads like a movie and is perfect for any superhero/Marvel fan who is just looking for more.
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Stalking
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
All I remember from this book was hating it with a passion aND I STILL SOMEHOW GAVE IT 3 STARS??? WHY WAS I SO NICE???
I hated this book when I originally read it and two years later, I still hate this book.
I hated this book when I originally read it and two years later, I still hate this book.
. I LOVE THE STORY I LOVED THE CHARACTERS. I LOVED LOVED LOVED NATASHA ROMANOFF. Black widows story needed to be heard and I'm glad we had the opportunity to do so in a YA format. The horrible writing in this book caused me to cringe a lot. Some other author could have done such a better job with this book
::shrug:: This was entertaining, but it "felt" very YA, including insta-teen love story, which I guess makes sense, since that was the target audience. I was actually wondering how Black Widow's story would be spun in a YA way. The story was solid enough, in the sense that I was already expecting something a bit far out, since this is based on comics, but I weirdly didn't feel emotional connection to the characters, despite fertile background stories, and I would've enjoyed more tongue-in-cheek Avengers references.
Nearly 2 years and about 6 times in starting and stopping reading this was how long it took. Shame.
Okay, that was painful and actiony and wonderful but WHERE THE HELL WAS CLINT????