Breaking Silence was a great addition to the DC Icons series! It’s set in a not so distant dystopia where women are unable to sing. I love the way Monir told Dinah’s story and how she introduced the world in a way comic book fans and readers new to Gotham could appreciate.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved this Black Canary reimagining. It was very dystopian which is an insta-love genre for me. I will definitely be looking for more in this world.

I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3.75

I will start by saying that there is a fair amount of presumed knowledge on the part of the reader. As someone who is more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan, there were things that I had to look up in order to fully understand and appreciate the plot. I definitely think that I missed some things as a result of my personal lack of knowledge of the DC universe.

This was a startlingly quick read for me. I loved being in Gotham and found that the pacing was quick enough that I rarely wanted to actually put the book down. The main character was strong, relatable, and someone that I found my self easily rooting for.

There was definitely some instalove present, however, and I didn’t find myself at all invested in the romantic aspect of the book. I actually feel as though I would have preferred the book without the romance as it felt added in for canonic reasons. Additionally, none of the side characters felt particularly well developed to me.

I’m not really up to date on superheroes but I really enjoyed this book! Black Canary is definitely now in my top favorites!

I’ve loved the DC Icons series (hello, origin stories) from book one and am always there for another installation. Especially when they’re female-centered. Set in dystopian Gotham City, Black Canary: Breaking Silence follows high-school student Dinah Lance (of Green Arrow association). Dinah hasn’t quite discovered her own place in the world or her voice, but she’s about to step it up and take on the evil Court of Owls. The patriarchal Court of Owls has taken over Gotham City. There are no more superheroes, and women have been suppressed. They can talk but not sing. They may be seen but not heard. It’s all very Handmaid’s Tale, not very pleasant (obviously), and the exploration of social issues is expertly done and incorporated into the plot by Monir. Dinah is strong and independent, but not without her teen follies. In short, she’s a relatable and believable character. And for those who love a superhero story, this book is a must.

Dinah Lance lives in a city where she is expected to be a model female- wear the right clothes, say the right things, and keep her opinions to herself (but really her opinion should match what the government tells her to think). This is a challenge though- especially since Dinah is fascinated with the history where women's voices could be used to sing instead of being silenced. A history where women were leaders instead of subservient. Since the last superheroes were defeated though, this is the reality in Gotham City.

I very much enjoyed this Black Canary origin story. I think Monir did an excellent job of wrapping familiar characters into a new story that fit well with the vision I already have of each of them. This is no small feat when dealing with a fandom with such a long history. I finished the book hoping there would be more in the future.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection on preorder and will recommend it to students.

3.5

I was so excited to read this book! First, I’ve wanted to continue reading this series but somehow I keep forgetting to. And second because the Black Canary is not necessarily one of the most commonly featured superheroes and I couldn’t wait to see how this story would be twisted.

If you’re looking for a young adult that features some very relevant modern day issues and twists them into the story of this dystopian world, I think you’ll enjoy this one. Very Handmaid’s Tale!

And while the concept of this book and the “world building” was what kept me reading, I wanted the characters to be fleshed out just a bit more. They felt one dimensional and we didn’t get to explore them as much as I was hoping.

It started out really great and I got invested so I definitely would’ve liked to see more character development. Still, this was an entertaining and fast read and I’ll certainly be on the lookout for more books from this author.

I am loving these DC Icons books. I love that they give you a backstory to the character and that so many popular YA authors are writing them.
This one focuses on Black Canary. Dinah Lance has spent her whole life in Gotham City. Just not the Gotham City that most are familiar with. After the Court of Owls takes over the government, women have been altered so they are unable to sing. This new patriarchal society teaches a revisionist history that paints The Court of Owls as the saviors of Gotham. Dinah once heard a girl singing, and it's something she has never forgot.
I loved this take on Black Canary's origin story. I also loved the inclusion of Oliver Queen in the book. This is a great addition to the series and I look forward to reading more of these books.

This is probably one of the best books in the Icons line, because it doesn't try to cram an origin story into an existing world. Unfortunately, the world that Monir creates doesn't make much sense--taking away singing is the big issue? And four months after the big bad villains are defeated, there's a free election with a woman in charge?

**3.5 Stars**
Being a huge superfan of Batman and all things Gotham, I found Black Canary to be an interesting homage to the original Batman story (with a few great head nods to the original players I especially enjoyed- Penguin, I'm looking at you!). This was set years in the future after all the masked crusaders of Gotham either died of old age or were murdered by the new dark rulers- The Court of Owls. Under their regime, people can't leave Gotham, and times basically resorted to women being second class citizens with no opportunities or a voice- and I mean that literally since a drug was created to rid women of the ability to sing. Teenager Dinah refuses to conform to this idea of what her life is, even when it means that she is now targeted by the Court and under close scrutiny to be the perfect meek woman- something that is in her blood to disobey.

I appreciated Dinah and her battle to fight against suppression, she was formidable in her own way even before she decided to fight back physically. I liked how the concept of voices and songs were enough to change the tide and cause the downfall of oppression- with a message that speaking up can fight wrongs. I also really loved seeing teen Oliver McQueen show up by her side (cough cough Arrow anyone??) to help in the battle. There were a lot of important messages and Batman references to make this a solid installment in the Teen DC world.

All that being said, I struggled a little bit getting into the story and connecting to the characters. I liked the plot, but felt like all the people were just a little too flat for me to really root for and empathize with and there were some loose threads throughout the entire book that never came to anything that really bother me with a standalone story (I love my books wrapped up with a pretty bow). Overall I was not 100% invested in the book (which could be on me and the reading funk I have been in) so if you love all things DC/Gotham and a female taking back her voice then pick this read up!

This DC series is excellent and I was so excited to read this installment by Monir. I loved The Final Six and so did my students. I will be using this in the future for a literature circle about superhero novels.

A worthy addition to the DC Icons series. I'll be honest: I didn't particularly care for Black Canary as a character before reading Breaking Silence. A story about a young woman learning how to stand up for what is right in a world that oppresses her and tells her that her voice doesn't matter. My teenage students will love this book!

Life in a darker Gotham where women have few rights and the city is ruled by the exclusive elite.

Dinah Lance is a rebel who has always vocalized her disagreement with the Court of Owls rule in Gotham. However, her bold habits and curiosity lead her and her father to be carefully scrutinized by the Owls. Dinah knows her actions put her and her friends at risk but soon women will have no rights at all. Dinah decides to do what she can to end this autocratic government with the help of some surprising allies.

A new twist on Gotham that worked well for this hero's powers. Dinah is a classic rebel who dedicates her efforts to fight for women rights and find answers to what's really happening with the Court of Owls. The dynamic between Dinah and the other characters is a nod to classic DC interactions with a dystopic twist. There are some surprises in store for readers unfamiliar with DC characters. The plot was focused and well developed, moving at a moderate pace. Readers will get engaged with the world of Gotham like it's never been imagined before and identify with many of the challenges.

A good read for hero lovers, DC fans, and budding activist.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read this book early in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this powerful read about Dinah Drake's daughter Dinah Lance. Black Canary has always been one of my favorite superheroes and I think they did a great job on this one - especially for readers who may not be as familiar with the DC lore. I read comics but hadn't heard about the Court of Owls and I felt like their terrifying reign was definitely explored and introduced without a reader needing to have that prior knowledge. It is a really good example of a feminist dystopia and the world building is great. I really like the DC Icons series and this is a fabulous addition to it. Also - gotta love a Jen Bartel cover. <3

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This ended up being pretty enjoyable. I am not super up on my DC knowledge so I don't really know if everything was made up by the author or if some of this was canon. It doesn't really matter in the long run. It took me awhile to get into this one. Really around the 60-70% mark was when I finally hit my stride. Dinah lives in an ungodly suppressed society, where woman are basically objects and have no rights. I appreciate a strong female lead, however her need to save everyone got almost overdone in a very short amount of pages. I realize that Dinah is the Black Canary, and is a superhero, but I still felt like it suffered from Mary Sue syndrome. What I have always liked about Black Canary (at least the version I've seen) is that she doesn't really rely on her superpower. Dinah really, really did. I'm a little torn on this one. On one hand parts were fun, and on the other hand I rolled my eyes and trudged through a lot. To me this just felt on the younger end of the YA spectrum with the writing, which is totally fine just not what I was expecting and not really my cup of tea.

I'm a big fan of both Marvel and DC movies so I'm loving this trend of books coming out that highlight characters from those worlds. This book takes place in Gotham City and focuses on 17-year-old Dinah who wants to sing but it's been forbidden by the patriarchal led society (the evil Court of Owls). When her friend is kidnapped, she realizes she must rise to be a new hero (no, Batman doesn't show up in this book!).

Black Canary: Breaking Silence is a great addition to the DC Icons series. Monir brings in a new take on Black Canary's origin that is enjoyable and compelling. Monir's take on Dinah Lance was something I loved to read. While the Dinah that many love from the comic books is still very present, you can see where Monir's influence comes in. All of it blends together perfectly to paint a new story for the heroine with the canary cry. I enjoyed the world that Monir created for Gotham; a different Gotham than I've read in past books or comics. It was devoid of superheroes - even Gotham's most famous caped crusader, Batman. The book provided a fresh new take on Gotham, and the fact that the city was run by the Court of Owls added an extra layer of darkness to it all.

Watching Dinah navigate the patriarchy that is Gotham City and the world-building surrounding it was one of the standout parts of the book for me. Coupled with some great supporting characters including Oliver Queen and Barbara Gordon, I found that Black Canary: Breaking Silence was truly a page-turner. From the very beginning, I felt invested in all the characters that were introduced and was glad that Breaking Silence continued the same on the same path of great world-building and characters like the other novels in the DC Icons series. The book truly shines in its character development for Dinah and I enjoyed the growth that the soon-to-be-heroine goes through throughout the novel. Monir does an amazing job of coupling what we love about the comic book adaptation of Dinah with this new one we get to see in Black Canary: Breaking Silence.

With a new intriguing backstory, Black Canary: Breaking Silence is a must-read for any fans of Dinah Lance and the lore surrounding one of DC's most iconic characters. It is also a great read for those who are fans of superheroes in general and a great book to dive into if you're looking to learn about Black Canary by exploring alternative origin stories.

I've been a Black Canary fan for a while now (thanks, Arrow!), and getting an email inviting me to read the new Black Canary YA novel sent me over the moon. The fact that it takes place in a dystopia where Gotham City has been taken over by the Court of Owls - some of the best storylines in the Batman universe -  made me salivate. The Court of Owls, in the comics, is a secret society that quietly oversees the machinations of Gotham City, always looking out for the wealthy founding families' interests. In Breaking Silence, the Owls have taken on a fundamentalist-type role, sending women back into the home and relegating them to second-class citizens in the name of "decency" and "morality". Penguin, the iconic Bat-villain who sided with the Owls during their takeover 20 years prior to the events in Breaking Silence, engineered a toxic gas that stole the singing voices away from women in Gotham; finding a way to silence them while still allowing them to function. The overthrow of Gotham and Silencing, the culminating event that stole women's singing voices, was sparked by the death of Bruce Wayne - Batman - who died of old age; the revolt also saw the deaths of Commissioner James Gordon and superheroes at the hands of the Owls and their enforcers, the Talons. Dinah Laurel Lance has grown up under the boot of the Owls. Her father, Detective Larry Lance, works for the Gotham City Police Department and treads lightly between the Owls and his duties for the GCPD, while raising his daughter as a widowed father. Now a high school senior, Dinah listens to forbidden music in private and is already on the Owls' watch list. Between a cautious romance with new student Oliver Queen and discovering the hidden truth about her mother, Dinah's heading into strange new territory. The Owls had better be ready, a revolution is coming.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED Breaking Silence. Smashing the patriarchy and literally finding one's own voice? Sign me up! Dinah Laurel Lance comes right off the pages; her frustration and fear are palpable and serve as a motivator and a hindrance; it isn't all black and white here. Alexandra Monir gives us a smart teen heroine who navigates family secrets, a secret society, and the frustration of being a woman in a male-dominated society with skill. Her father, her male friend Ty, and the super-handsome, mysterious rich boy Oliver Queen all lament the current circumstances with her, but they don't - can't - get it: they're men. They have freedom and privilege that they just can't comprehend not having. There's a DC cameo or two that made my heart sing, too... Read this book, add it to your booktalks, and get it into the hands of other readers. Then, go read Black Canary: Ignite and get some Birds of Prey trade paperbacks! (Psst... Gail Simone's run is unparalleled).