Such a fitting tribute to both the comic versions of the Black Canary and the cartoon versions (with adjustments made for the change in age).
Dinah is a young teenager in Gotham, which is ruled by the Mayor and his court of Owls. Twenty years before the events of the book, an event called "The Silencing" occurred which took away the ability to sing from every female. As the book progresses, Dinah finds her voice and fights back against the Court of Owls, finding allies to aid in her quest along the way.
The beginning started out slow, but once the action began the pace was very engaging and kept my attention. The role reversal of Arkham was cool (good guys in prison and villains running the show), and the relationship between Oliver and Dinah was heartwarming. It was very different to see them as teenagers who are in the process of discovering themselves versus confident and self-assured adults. I found myself liking this version of their relationship better than the one portrayed in the live-action TV show Arrow.
I appreciated the cameos and mentions of DC Comics favorites (Batman, Penguin, Birds of Prey, etc...). The DC Icons series is amazing, and Alexandra Monir did a great job with this book. Fingers crossed more books come out in the series in the future (something about the Green Lanterns or Martian Manhunter would be cool.
Alexandra Monir, Iranian-American author and recording artist, has published seven popular young adult novels to date, beginning with her internationally-bestselling debut, Timeless (a Barnes & Noble Bestseller and an Amazon.com “Best Book of the Month”). She published the hit sci-fi novel The Final Six with HarperCollins in 2018, with Sony Pictures optioning the film rights in a major pre-empt deal. A sequel, The Life Below, followed in 2020 and the series has been published in numerous countries and languages.
Alexandra was recently selected to write the first-ever YA novel about DC Comics superhero Black Canary, joining global bestsellers Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas and Matt de la Peña as the fifth author writing for the New York Times-bestselling DC Icons series, published by Penguin Random House. Black Canary: Breaking Silence was released on December 29th, 2020 to rave reviews from critics and comic book fans alike. Alexandra was also selected by Disney to write a historical fantasy YA novel about Princess Jasmine, which will publish in Fall 2022 with Disney-Hyperion.
Alexandra is additionally a screenwriter, recording artist and composer, with both screenplay and musical adaptations of her own work in development. Her musical roots run deep, as she is the granddaughter of the late Monir Vakili, Iran’s foremost opera singer. She frequently travels around the country speaking to readers and writers of all ages at book festivals and literary conferences, fan conventions and schools. She is a member of the Iranian American Women Foundation, an organization near to her heart. Alexandra currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, toddler son, and one fluffy Shih Tzu, where she is at work on her next novel.
Alexandra Monir Author Photo Credit: Kerem Hanci
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