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oraclereadings 's review for:
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
by Leigh Bardugo
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t want to say that I’m disappointed, because I’m not. I really loved this book and enjoyed reading it. Surprised is more of the word that I’m looking for.
For the title to be “Wonder Woman” I was expecting that Diana (Wonder Woman) would be more of the focus of the story. And I did want the story to completely focused on her.
I wanted to see more of Diana’s life on Themyscira, of how she grew up and her history. I wanted more Amazons, more of Diana’s friends and the women that she grew up with, more of her mother Hippolyta and her actions as a queen.
We only get to see these for a brief, small moment before Diana runs from a trial to rescue Alia from a shipwreck. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy Alia’s character, though.
Alia is half-black/half-greek, with ancient Greek history flowing through her veins. With the help of Diana, Alia agrees to travel to Greece so that they can stop the Warbringer lineage. But not before making a quick trip to present time New York. There, we get to see Diana experience the mortal world for the first time. Alia explains all of the hardships of being human, and the inevitable racism that still exists today.
We meet Alia's brother Jason, who is hardheaded and determined, and Alia’s friends Theo and Nim. Theo and Nim’s banter back and forth kept me laughing and turning the page for more of their insults towards each other. This cast of characters was great and diverse, without feeling like it was trying too hard.
This book had everything you could have ever wanted in a Wonder Woman YA retelling: Greek Gods/Goddesses, amazing action and detailed fighting sequences, girl power and the bonds they share, and the reality of war and man.
<i>4.5 stars</i>
With that said, I am now going to be turning over to the downsides I had with this book, which are <b>SPOILERS</b> so read at your own risk!
I didn’t particularly enjoy the plot twist of Jason being the bad guy, but I understood his motive. I was kind of disappointed that he didn’t get the horrible ending he deserved. On that note, we don’t even know what happened to Jason. It was just kind of left ambiguous. I know that it goes against Diana’s character to end someone’s life, but I had been hoping that maybe Alia would have stepped in and taken that role and let her rage out on him. That wouldn’t have been within her character either, though.
While I loved Nim and Theo’s characters, I was almost expecting for one (or both, I guess) of them to actually die, like stay dead kind of die. It’s the kind of thing that we get used to in stories. You find a beloved character that you relate and hang onto for dear life, and then reality comes and snatches them away. The hero grieves and uses their sacrifice as a reason to keep moving and defeat the enemy.
The “everyone dies and gets a second chance” felt lazy to me. I get it, you want the drama and anger, but it felt like something that would have happened in a fanfiction. Oh I killed off these characters for dramatic effect, see you in the next chapter! Oh, haha just kidding they’re alive again, don’t worry about it. I get that this story was a good example of that excuse, it’s just not something that I particularly enjoy.
I plan to read the rest of the series and can only hope that Wonder Woman and these lovely characters that I've grown fond of make an appearance once again.
For the title to be “Wonder Woman” I was expecting that Diana (Wonder Woman) would be more of the focus of the story. And I did want the story to completely focused on her.
I wanted to see more of Diana’s life on Themyscira, of how she grew up and her history. I wanted more Amazons, more of Diana’s friends and the women that she grew up with, more of her mother Hippolyta and her actions as a queen.
We only get to see these for a brief, small moment before Diana runs from a trial to rescue Alia from a shipwreck. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy Alia’s character, though.
Alia is half-black/half-greek, with ancient Greek history flowing through her veins. With the help of Diana, Alia agrees to travel to Greece so that they can stop the Warbringer lineage. But not before making a quick trip to present time New York. There, we get to see Diana experience the mortal world for the first time. Alia explains all of the hardships of being human, and the inevitable racism that still exists today.
We meet Alia's brother Jason, who is hardheaded and determined, and Alia’s friends Theo and Nim. Theo and Nim’s banter back and forth kept me laughing and turning the page for more of their insults towards each other. This cast of characters was great and diverse, without feeling like it was trying too hard.
This book had everything you could have ever wanted in a Wonder Woman YA retelling: Greek Gods/Goddesses, amazing action and detailed fighting sequences, girl power and the bonds they share, and the reality of war and man.
<i>4.5 stars</i>
With that said, I am now going to be turning over to the downsides I had with this book, which are <b>SPOILERS</b> so read at your own risk!
While I loved Nim and Theo’s characters, I was almost expecting for one (or both, I guess) of them to actually die, like stay dead kind of die. It’s the kind of thing that we get used to in stories. You find a beloved character that you relate and hang onto for dear life, and then reality comes and snatches them away. The hero grieves and uses their sacrifice as a reason to keep moving and defeat the enemy.
The “everyone dies and gets a second chance” felt lazy to me. I get it, you want the drama and anger, but it felt like something that would have happened in a fanfiction. Oh I killed off these characters for dramatic effect, see you in the next chapter! Oh, haha just kidding they’re alive again, don’t worry about it. I get that this story was a good example of that excuse, it’s just not something that I particularly enjoy.
I plan to read the rest of the series and can only hope that Wonder Woman and these lovely characters that I've grown fond of make an appearance once again.