Review: Black Widow: Forever Red

Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl

* Read via NetGalley

3 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

I wanted to love this book but some parts just fell pretty flat or felt unnecessary to the story. The beginning which sets up everything was awesome/really well done. It draws you right into the story. The whole quantum event that happened is really interesting and leads to some memorable events.

There is definitely some insta-love in this story which might put you off but the story overall is well worth reading. I think I liked the sisterly relationships a lot more than the romantic relationship.

Black Widow’s parts of the book are great and I love the dry humor. Seeing her relationships form and more of her personality is a nice addition to the story.

The Alex character to me anyway seemed like he really wasn’t needed. I get why he was added but I don’t think there was enough time to feel all the emotions that you’re supposed to feel about this character and his past. The story might have been even stronger if it was just about Ava and Natasha. I don’t know about you but I don’t think every single story needs a love interest.

I went back and forth a lot on whether I even liked Ava’s character at all. By the end though I think I’ll definitely be able to root for her when she shows up in the comics.

The one thing I really disliked in the story was a framing device used throughout before some of the chapters of a committee hearing/investigation. So through the entire story you know that somebody died but not who. Though you don’t exactly have to be a rocket scientist to guess who ends up dying. Using this framework just takes a bunch of the surprise and some of the heart out of the story because you’re expecting this to happen the entire time you’re reading.

Overall this was a great Black Widow story and introduces a new hero that could have quite an impact on the comics world.

Gothic Girl

The Wrong Girl by C.J. Archer

* ARC received from NetGalley for review.

3 gnomes and a gnome hat out of 5 gnomes

Gothic  intrigue and mysterious circumstances are found in abundance throughout this book.  There is a big case of mistaken identity but also a lot more to it than that.

As you can see from the title of the book and description Hannah is the wrong girl.  She spent most of her life sheltered as a companion to an earl’s daughter.  All that changes when she is mistakenly abducted.  She thinks that she has to pretend to be the right girl.  

Hannah hasn’t seen much beyond her attic and the people she meets are very different than what she’s used to.  She is a narcoleptic and isn’t sure why just that it causes trouble and is definitely not the talent that her kidnappers were looking for.

There are plenty of conspiracies and half truths.  I was extremely surprised by the major twist in the story but it really brought everything together.  It’s always nice not to foresee the surprises ahead of time.

By the end you’ll be really questioning Hannah’s history and what the truth is about how she was raised.  I have some theories and can’t wait to find out more answers.  I think this series might slowly turn into a kind of Victorian X-Men, which is pretty darn exciting.