Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo does not disappoint! This Wonder Woman retelling is easy to follow and will keep the reader on the edge of their seat as Diana and her squad journey to save the world from war. Diana is such a fresh main character, and I enjoyed reading about the strong female friendships. This five star book is absolutely perfect, and I would say it’s a must-read this year.
Series: DC Icons #1
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Also by this author: Shadow and Bone (Grisha Verse #1)
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genres: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Publication Date: August 29, 2017
Rating:
Series Rating:
Daughter of immortals.
Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.
Daughter of death.
Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together.
Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
This book is definitely among my favourites of 2017! It tells the story of Princess Diana, an Amazon who saves a Warbringer who is shipwrecked on her island. The Warbringer is just a girl, but she is hunted because of the destruction that follows in her path. Diana is determined to protect her while journeying to save both her world and the human world from war. I have never read a Wonder Woman retelling before, but I definitely want more of them since I enjoyed this one so much. The entire book is action-packed and contains many epic fight scenes. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Wonder Woman story, I would still 100% recommend this story. I was also unfamiliar with it, but I was never confused while reading.
❀ Sassy Main Character
Diana has got to be one of my favourite main characters ever. She is such a sassy character who does not put up with any sexism. Since Diana is not from the human world, she doesn’t understand certain concepts when she ventures to New York. Watching her absorb all the new information is absolutely hilarious and made me love her even more. As I mentioned above, I don’t know much about Wonder Woman, so I can’t say if Diana stayed true to the original character, but I definitely loved Leigh Bardugo’s fierce interpretation of her.
❀ Strong Female Friendships
One of my favourite aspects of this book is the strong friendship between girls. Nim and Alia, the New Yorkers, are best friends and always have each other’s backs. The girls, along with a couple of boys, make up the classic Bardugo squad that I was expecting. However, they quickly accept Diana as a friend and are so welcoming towards her. The support and compassion between the girls is so heartwarming to read about, and it is so much better than a romance filled story would have been. Female friendships are always something that I love to see, and I’m so glad this book focused on this.
❀ An Incredible Retelling
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo is an incredible retelling of Wonder Woman that is still comprehensible without prior knowledge of the original story. I loved the sassy feminist main character and the focus on friendship rather than romance. I can’t wait to see what’s in store with the rest of this fantasy series in the future!
Book Quotes: Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo
Book Beginning
You do not enter a race to lose.
Friday 56
The beginnings of another storm, or maybe the same storm that had caught the Thetis was moving in. She peered along the coastline but could see no lighthouse or harbor, no signs of civilization at all. This place really was isolated.
About Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo is the #1 New York Times bestselling and USA Today bestselling author of the Six of Crows Duology and the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, as well as the upcoming Wonder Woman: Warbringer (Aug 2017) and The Language of Thorns (Sept 2017).
She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives and writes in Hollywood where she can occasionally be heard singing with her band.
About The Candid Cover
Olivia ❀ Canadian YA book blogger, Starbucks lover, & professional bibliophile.