(Review copy and giveaway compliments of Marvel Press.)
Today I'm thrilled to get to share this series with you guys! You can check out a portion of the author's interview and enter to win a signed copy here. Check out my review below...
Black Widow: Red Vengeance
by Margaret Stohl
YA Super Hero, Fantasy
Hardcover & ebook, 416 Pages
October 11th 2016 by Marvel Press
Summary
Emotions are dangerous, which is why the graduates of Moscow’s famed spy school the Red Room are taught to keep their enemies close and their loved ones at a distance. Black Widow and Red Widow, also known as Natasha Romanoff and Ava Orlova, forgot that lesson once, and they won’t forget it again.
But the Widows have inherited something else from their shared Moscow past: a relentless need for vengeance—Ivan Somodorov is dead, but his network of terror remains.
While the Widows search South America in order to extinguish a smuggling operation with ties to their old nemesis, their own Red Room not only attempts to assassinate them both but also hacks their secure S.H.I.E.L.D. network. As a result, Ava and Natasha find themselves thrust into a trying mission of international intrigue that takes them throughout the world and back to New York City, where their friends Dante and Sana become unlikely targets as well.
Once again, nothing is as it seems, no one can be trusted, and no one is safe—not unless the Widows can stop a conspiracy involving stolen nuclear warheads, mind-altering chemical weapons, and ultimately, betrayal by old friends and enemies alike.
But the Widows have inherited something else from their shared Moscow past: a relentless need for vengeance—Ivan Somodorov is dead, but his network of terror remains.
While the Widows search South America in order to extinguish a smuggling operation with ties to their old nemesis, their own Red Room not only attempts to assassinate them both but also hacks their secure S.H.I.E.L.D. network. As a result, Ava and Natasha find themselves thrust into a trying mission of international intrigue that takes them throughout the world and back to New York City, where their friends Dante and Sana become unlikely targets as well.
Once again, nothing is as it seems, no one can be trusted, and no one is safe—not unless the Widows can stop a conspiracy involving stolen nuclear warheads, mind-altering chemical weapons, and ultimately, betrayal by old friends and enemies alike.
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My Review
BLACK WIDOW: RED VENGEANCE is another story full of adventure, danger, classic Natasha Romanoff, and a continually developing Red Widow persona in Ava Orlova. The story is engaging from beginning to end as the plot twists and turns and as these characters' relationship continues to develop. Another fabulous YA release in the Marvel universe and for Avengers and Black Widow fans.
Stohl does such a great job in her characterizations, especially in giving us the Black Widow we're most familiar with, with her trademark sarcastic and snarky personality as well as her kick-butt skills as a spy and assassin. The voice for Natasha is again, as it was in the first book, spot on, as are the voices for Coulson and Tony Stark. Ava's voice is quite similar to Natasha's while also having her own nuances with her own doubts and insecurities as she tries to navigate this new life of hers working alongside the Black Widow. I loved their relationship in all it's complications. The reader can feel how they play off of each other and how they're connected as well as how they conflict at times.
Then there is the overall arc of this story that is right in line with the overall Avengers arc. There is mention of what Coulson is currently working on with the inhuman registry, currently playing out on the TV with The Agents of Shield. I liked that it all fits together, but that you don't need to be up to date on all things Marvel to understand anything in this story either. Then there is the introduction of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, who will eventually be getting her own theatrical release. She isn't a character I'm familiar with so I wouldn't have minded a little more information on her, but there is still enough that the reader gets the gist. There is also the introduction of an alien substance, which I'm rather curious about.
First and foremost, this story was action packed, emotional in parts, and perfectly executed. I love the way everything unfolds and how easily I was engrossed in the story. I never lost interest from the very first page. I also loved the humor. There were so many times I couldn't help cracking up. Then there is all the awesome fight scenes and the way these characters work together. The inter turmoil of both Natasha and Ava, as well as some introspective moments with Tony Stark, all add extra depth. One thing that works for me with the current Avengers arcs is how there is so much more than just the super hero and action stuff. The characters come alive, feel authentic, and have their own backstories while their characters also continue to evolve. It's exactly what you'll find here as well.
In the end, was it what I wished for? Yes! I love this series and I can't wait for more!
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: Received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Big Honcho Media, which did not affect my review in any way.
"How can you save humanity from the rest of the universe when you have to spend so much time saving it from itself?" Ava asked.
Stohl does such a great job in her characterizations, especially in giving us the Black Widow we're most familiar with, with her trademark sarcastic and snarky personality as well as her kick-butt skills as a spy and assassin. The voice for Natasha is again, as it was in the first book, spot on, as are the voices for Coulson and Tony Stark. Ava's voice is quite similar to Natasha's while also having her own nuances with her own doubts and insecurities as she tries to navigate this new life of hers working alongside the Black Widow. I loved their relationship in all it's complications. The reader can feel how they play off of each other and how they're connected as well as how they conflict at times.
"Yeah," Dante said, looking at Ava suspiciously. "And how do we know you put the Jedi weapons away?"
Ava sighed, yanking open her jacket to show the handles of her blades shoved back inside her waistband. Then she held up her empty hands. "There. See? It's all good. No big thing."
"You've got Day-Glo power blades and you might be a ninja and I'm pretty sure you just mugged a mugger during a mugging. It's a big thing," Dante said.
Then there is the overall arc of this story that is right in line with the overall Avengers arc. There is mention of what Coulson is currently working on with the inhuman registry, currently playing out on the TV with The Agents of Shield. I liked that it all fits together, but that you don't need to be up to date on all things Marvel to understand anything in this story either. Then there is the introduction of Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, who will eventually be getting her own theatrical release. She isn't a character I'm familiar with so I wouldn't have minded a little more information on her, but there is still enough that the reader gets the gist. There is also the introduction of an alien substance, which I'm rather curious about.
The phonetic translation of the Russian was roughly Ne Teryayetsya, Ne Zabyli—
Not Lost, Not Forgotten.
First and foremost, this story was action packed, emotional in parts, and perfectly executed. I love the way everything unfolds and how easily I was engrossed in the story. I never lost interest from the very first page. I also loved the humor. There were so many times I couldn't help cracking up. Then there is all the awesome fight scenes and the way these characters work together. The inter turmoil of both Natasha and Ava, as well as some introspective moments with Tony Stark, all add extra depth. One thing that works for me with the current Avengers arcs is how there is so much more than just the super hero and action stuff. The characters come alive, feel authentic, and have their own backstories while their characters also continue to evolve. It's exactly what you'll find here as well.
In the end, was it what I wished for? Yes! I love this series and I can't wait for more!
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: Received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Big Honcho Media, which did not affect my review in any way.
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