Series: DC Icons #2
Release Date: January 2nd 2018
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pages: 272
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.5/5

Synopsis

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.

Review

This is the second book in the DC Icons series. Anyone who has seen my review of Wonder Woman Warbringer or my favourite reads of 2017 will know that I absolutely adored it and couldn’t wait to get my hands on book two. Growing up I absolutely adored Batman, and I was so excited to see what Marie Lu would do with the story – she definitely didn’t disappoint.

The story is full of Gotham’s trademark darkness and corruption, but Bruce Wayne is just a young boy who lost his parents during a mugging gone wrong. One rash decision leads Bruce to community service and everything begins to hype up from there.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s completely different to Wonder Woman, which was quite funny and full of adventure. Nightwalker on the other hand is darker and more tense, and I was definitely hooked in from the start. The characters that Marie Lu has created are fantastic – I loved Madeline the Nightwalker that Bruce befriend. I also loved seeing Bruce’s relationships develop with characters we are already familiar with like Alfred and Harvey Dent.

The book is well paced and there’s plenty of action and mystery to keep you wanting more. The book isn’t a terribly long one, and I ended up reading it in a few sittings. I did prefer the previous book Wonder Woman as I felt this lacked the surprise twists and turns of Warbringer. That being said the book is still a terrific read and if you’re a fan of Batman or superhero fiction, it’s definitely one to pick up.