Shadow of the Batgirl by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux ~ a Review

by MK French

Cassandra Cain is a teenage assassin, so she is certain she can never be a hero. She does have mentors in noodle shop owner Jackie Fujikawa Yoneyama and a librarian named Barbara Gordon, and both are just as certain that she can be more than she thinks. When Cassie's father is determined to destroy the world she's come to love, it's time to figure out if she can take on the mantle of Batgirl.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

February 2020;  DC Comics; 978-1401289782
ebook, print (208 pages); superhero

When we first meet Cassie, she is so immersed in killing and action, she barely even has language and flashes back to her violent past as she wanders around the city. She understands that she will be punished for not completing an assassination, and that it's her father who was in charge of her prior training. None of that training involved spoken or written language, so it's a happy coincidence that she meets Jackie and Barbara, and learns from them language, what is important, and how to determine what her passions might be, other than being the opposite of her father.

Cassie isn't a normal teenager, but she has to go through a lot of the same issues that "ordinary" teens go through. She tries to figure out her own identity, her relationship with people around her, her first romantic interest, feelings and becoming an individual separate from her father. Of course in a comic book about heroes, it's hero vs villain and not the same level of football player vs writer as it is for another teen we meet. Even without the over the top nature of comic heroes, it's easy to feel for Cassie in her journey to discover herself and keep her newly found family safe. She has definitely made her intentions for her future clear, and it's going to be a great one for her.

Buy Shadow of the Batgirl at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and three young children.

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