I will definitely be purchashing this for the teen collection in my library, but I didn't love it. I'm sure the teens will enjoy it (Catwoman and Lauren Myracle in one book? They'll be sold!) however.

Selina Kyle is a 14 year old living with her Mom and abusive boyfriend . One day he hurts her stray kitten and that is last straw for Selina and she strikes out on her own. She lives on the street until,she meets a gang of three she moves in with. This a great origin story for CatWoman that digs deeper into her character and the what and why that made her CatWoman

I was expecting better from Lauren Myracle. I did not enjoy the plot and I did not like Catwoman. The story included homelessness, domestic abuse, child abuse, cutting, and suicide. None of these issues were handled well. This book also included a lot of swearing. I would not recommend to middle schoolers.

I understand the concerns about the abuse, both physical and verbal that Selina receives at the hands of her mother's boyfriend and the abuse she endures in her mother's neglect and justification of her mistreatment. I also understand the concerns regarding the animal violence and how unsettling it is. It's ALL unsettling, that's what makes the story compelling, that's what drives Selina's character growth. Selina isn't some bored, teenage hooligan, she's someone who's been made to feel unloved and out of control by those who are supposed to care for her the most. This is the story of a young woman attempting to take control of her life when there is precious little left in it that's good. Yes, it's hard to see, especially in a graphic novel format where the horrors of violence and animal cruelty aren't simply described, but shown, but it isn't gratuitous, and it all propels the story.

For some reason I was shocked at the language. While I understand it's trying to be relatable and relevant to today's youth, I still didn't appreciate all of the explicit language.

Beautiful art, and though the plot erred on the side of predictable, it was well written. I tend to gravitate towards the Selina Kyle-types; this very much could have been about Faith Lehane or Jessica Jones too, and I'm a sucker for all those characters. That being said, the characterization of Selina is a little thin in this first volume, which mainly feels problematic due to the tricky nature of her abusive upbringing. While abuse as inciting incident doesn't have to feel cliche and lazy, this particular instance of it did to me. I still gobbled it up, but I would like to see less voiceover-narration-heavy story next time and more than a shallow grazing of the main character's traits. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for honest feedback!

UNDER THE MOON explores real issues pertaining to trauma that impact many youth, including abuse, self-harm, suicide, homelessness, etc. I thought Catgirl's development as she began to heal from trauma felt appropriate. She isn't completely healed at the end, but she has started to grow. The only reservation that I have about placing this book in my classroom as a middle school teacher is the maturity of the content matter. While I would never advocate for censorship, this book is definitely better suited for mature high school students. Some of the content is not for the faint of heart, and the book frequently deals with sensitive content matter. Also, I was personally about to fight someone over the fate of Cinders. #savethecat All of this said, UNDER THE MOON was a thoughtful addition to the DCU, and fans of comic books and YA are sure to enjoy this character study of Selena Kyle.