I'm a huge marvel fan and I absolutely love Black Cat. I hope that in the future we see more and possibly a marvel series. A solid five out of five stars read.

Overall: Black Cat is a wonderful addition to the Marvel Heroines lineup.

Pros:
Black Cat. Similarly to the other Marvel Heroines stories, I have enjoyed being able to be in the character’s heads and that we get a good idea for their motivations.
Morality. Black Cat has a fine line on her morals and it was very interesting to see how this toes it.

Cons:
Action. This is not the biggest of cons, but I feel like I was left wanting a bit more when it came to the action on this one.

I love the Marvel Heroines series, and Black Cat is just another great entry. I love Felicia from the comics, and reading a book centered around her was fun!

Wrongly considered by many just to be Marvel’s answer of DC’s Catwoman, Black Cat is so much more than that. I’ve always loved Felicia Hardy and feel like she’s never truly gotten the respect she deserves. But in Black Cat: Discord Felcia gets a chance to shine. Felicia (Black Cat) is a strong woman who isn’t afraid to be who she is. She makes no apologies for who and what she is, which just happens to be one of the world’s best thieves. And while she doesn’t always show it, she has a very big heart as well.

While the rest of the world is going crazy trying to get their hands on magical wish granting golden apples that keep appearing, Felicia finds herself getting roped into to helping a younger girl find her missing father.
The story is fast-paced with plenty of action as well as heart. While comic fans will love that there are a ton of very cool cameos from the Marvel’s universe, author Cath Lauria never forgets who the star of the story is. She does an absolutely fantastic job of showing why Black Cat is such a great character, and I can only hope filmmakers treat Felicia with half as much respect if they ever bring her into the MCU movies.

I’d like to thank Aconyte Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Black Cat: Discord.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1VXPJBXCJ3UWZ/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

4/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Black Cat’s ‘voice’ and personality comes across very clearly
~ Reads like watching an action movie
~ Many of Marvel’s favourite heroes make an appearance
~ Light story about friendships and loyalties

Black Cat, the much underestimated (not seen enough on screen) villainy hero-ish thief, is minding her business, scoping out some marks at the MET, that is, until the golden apple of absolute selfish madness pops up and heroes and villains alike lose their minds. Everyone wants the apple that grants you anything you desire, never mind the misfortunes that soon follow (cue the monkey’s paw); everyone BUT Felicia. Nope, she has had enough to do with magic and magical beings, thank you and would absolutely, in no shape or form, go after the apple. That is… until a little girl, with guts and gumption turns up and demands she helps her find her father. The path will take them back to the apple, the superheroes and the quirky villains that live in this version of NYC.

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ I like my stories grittier
~ Somewhat TOO light
~ Once you know comics, HIGHLY predictable, but ehh💁
~ Black Cat is slightly annoying (her goal, so, kudos Cath 👏)

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

This is a really cool book. I was not very familiar with Black Cat before reading this book so it was a great introduction to her character. That said this isn't an origin story so you are staring in the thick of things and some knowledge of the Marvel world will help smooth things along. It was really fun seeing so many marvel characters throughout the story and seeing more of the underworld of New York. The plot was great, thrilling and mysterious, making for a grand adventure. I thought the characters were well written and while I can't compare this version of Black Cat to any others it did leave me wanting more of her story. I also thought the book did a great job of keeping the spirit of a graphic novel in this novelization. All around a cool book.

A Marvel Heroines novel

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Aconyte Books via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This story features Felicia Hardy, a technologically augmented burglar known as the Black Cat. I was familiar with Black Cat from a few comics and one of the old Spider-Man animated series. Black Cat faces a couple of different challenges here: first, one of a series of magical golden apples appears in New York that will grant its possessor one wish – it promptly sets in motion a mad scramble to possess it, which Black Cat is drawn in to multiple times.


The other challenge involves a teenage girl who enlists Black Cat’s help in finding her father, who came to New York to testify against the organized crime group the Maggia, and was kidnapped before the trial could occur. Black Cat takes the young girl under her wing, and trains her in various skills that are useful to world-class thieves.

I gave Black Cat: Discord five stars. I enjoyed Black Cat’s character voice, the interactions among her team members, and multiple interactions with other heroes such as Iron Fist, Spider-Man, the Daredevil, and IronMan/Tony Stark. It’s a fun look at a character who walks the fine line between being a hero and being an anti-hero.

Oh my god. I had so much fun reading this book. This novel was fantastic. The action never stops, Black Cat can barely catch a break and I was there for it. It's not a five star read because I was expecting the ending. But overall it was a great book.

Are you a fan of heist novels? Yes? Then you should read Black Cat:Discord.

Felicia Hardy is my second favourite heroine, after Rogue, and I was so delighted to see that she got a book of her own as well. Now we just need Storm to complete my holy trinity of favourite characters.

So what has our favourite morally gray cat been up to in this book? She goes from scouting potential jewelery pieces, to chasing a magical golden apple that can grant any wish around the city all while helping a kid get her father back. And you know what? It was fun.

It was great to see Felicia's growth as a character, and her softening towards Casey. I have something in common with both of these girls, I also lost a parent to cancer and I love how that was their initial connection.

We also got to see her working with A LOT of characters, the identities of which I'll keep a secret so you can be as surprised and excited to see them as I was.

AND, THERE WAS LGBT REP! By that I mean, Felicia's bisexuality was out in the open, even though there was no romantic subplot. And I appreciate it so much.

So what are you waiting for? GO READ THIS BOOK NOW! I can promise that the action never stops, Black Cat can barely catch a break, but don't worry, she can handle it, she always does.

P.S. I cried at the end. I wasn't expecting to, but I did. IT WAS EMOTIONAL OKAY? Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be sitting by the door, waiting for the post man to deliver my copy.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

Marvel Heroines – Black Cat: Discord, by Cath Lauria

📚Synopsis
Legendary super-thief Black Cat takes on some of Marvel’s most renowned heroes and mob secrets in this electrifying heist novel from Marvel Heroines.

Felicia Hardy always puts her own interests first, but the appearance of a mythical golden apple in New York has everybody with a hint of power scrambling for it. And who’s everyone’s number one choice to nab it for them? The Black Cat, of course. Yet that isn’t the only job on Felicia’s radar. When a smart aleck kid turns up demanding her help, Felicia finds herself caught between the mob, her morals and some very insistent supervillains. It’ll take all nine lives to wriggle out of this one intact, but Felicia has more than one trick up her sleeve.

📚Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars
As a marvel fan I was so excited when I seen this book tour! From the start the book had me laughing out loud and wanting to read more. There were so many characters that are from the wider marvel universe included that are great little Easter eggs. I'd definitely recommend this book to any Marvel fans and anyone that loves a powerful feminine lead like the main lady The Black Cat

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

Tour organised through @thebooknetwork.co.uk book also provided via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Anything Marvel is just fine with me, so as soon as I saw this was being released I knew I had to try it out. I hadn’t read a novel involving characters created by Marvel before, so I went in with an open mind. I found was a superbly written story about a character I didn’t even realised I had encountered before in The Amazing Spiderman 2, played by Felicity Jones.

Felicia certainly had her own way of doing things, even breaking laws to do what she thought was right, and I was right there with her. Her story arc was so different from many of the Marvel ‘heroes’, and her methods so different. I liked her instantly (while still picturing Felicity Jones in the role). Her character was nicely fleshed out and three dimensional, making her more personable and credible. Her relationships with those around her felt genuine and deepened her development.

Overall I enjoyed the read, and will definitely be reading more Marvel novels in the future. I gave Black Cat: Discord, by Cath Lauria, four stars.

rated this book 4 stars so fun to five in to felicia hardys character and the author really did her justice , love how it intertwined other marvel characters into the story arc it shows the author really knows her source material and was so happy to see that felica is queer identity id represented in the novel. fast paced and action packed.

This one was a great story, had great action and so many amazing Marvel character cameos. I previously wasn't super familiar with the character of Black Cat but I can say I am definitely a fan now. I struggled through some of it due to it feeling a bit slow but overall it was an enjoyable read and would be fun for anyone who enjoys Marvel comics

A great, fast paced an engaging take on Black Cat/ Felicia Hardy who for too long has languished in the supporting role in Spiderman’s sub-universe, a victim of lazy character development and not enough plot suitable for her. Black Cat is Marvel’s answer to DC’s Cat Woman, a femme fetale who could lead the hero a merry dance but wasn’t entirely a bad guy. Lauria has done a great job of making the would be villainess a reluctant hero here, with her own arc and a very satisfying story. I especially enjoy female nti heroes and Black Cat was a great one.

Black Cat Discord is the newest addition to the Marvel Heroines line by Aconyte Books. A line I have enjoyed to date and have to say this one is certainly tied with Outlaw Relentless and Rogue Untouched. Felicia Hardy has always been a favourite of mine in the marvel universe, sassy, snarky, confident and part of the growing open LGBTQ+ roster of heroes it’s hard not to love her. Cath Lauria manages to capture Black Cat and Felicia Hardy perfectly in a tale that has action, suspense, humour and even some heartfelt moments!

The novel follows Felicia Hardy who always puts her own interests first, but the appearance of a mythical golden apple in New York has everybody with a hint of power scrambling for it. And of course that means everyone expects the Black Cat to nab it for them. But this isn’t the only job on Felicia’s radar. When a smart-aleck kid turns up demanding her help, Felicia finds herself caught between the mob, her morals and some very insistent supervillains. It’ll take all nine lives to wriggle out of this one intact, but Felicia has more than one trick up her sleeve.

As always I don’t want to ruin the plot but I will say this novel was fantastic. The numerous well and lesser known marvel characters showing up throughout and remaining perfectly in character was a treat. Also one tiny spoiler but bonus points for Amora making a small appearance! It is clear Lauria knows her source material well from Felicia and her henchmen’s interactions to the history with Felicia and some of the other characters who appear. The book is full of backstory and anecdotes but it never feels heavy or too much and you certainly don’t need to know the character in depth to gain access to this fantastic story. Bonus points to the natural way Felicia’s bisexuality was referenced within the narrative. It was natural, normal and no big deal or show was made. It might be a silly thing but it meant so much to me and I am sure it will to many others as well.

The other thing Lauria does extremely well is introduce lesser known characters for those who may not know everything there is to know about a character. It was fun to see some villains who can get overlooked and to see some team ups as often happens in the comics. It made the story more believable and gave an element that sometimes even the comics and definitely some of the movies in the past have missed out on. It was lovely to see Black Cat team up with old allies and to see her at work.

In terms of pacing and action this book is brilliantly balanced. You have all the comic book action you could want but paced well and written marvelously. You don’t go from epic fight to fight or heist to heist but see the bits in between including some rather tender moments between the smart-aleck kid who I actually adore and Felicia. I actually started this and finished it in one night, staying up a little too late on a work night but it was so worth it.


In short this novel ticked nearly all my boxes, a strong arguably morally grey female lead who is sassy and can look after herself, brilliant bickering and banter between Felicia and her henchmen (although really they are more like family!), a young protégée who has her own tricks up her sleeve, fund and reunited family, epic team ups and fights and representation done in a natural way.

A full five star read and will definitely be re-read again and again!

As always thank you to Aconyte Books and Netgalley for the ARC of this and to Cath Lauria for brining Felicia to life and confirming my love for Black Cat and writing this fantastic book!

Black Cat: Discord will be available on ebook from March 1st 2022 with the paperback version being released on the 15th March for the US and 9th June for the UK!

CATH LAURIA is a Colorado girl who loves snow and sunshine. She is a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, suspense and romance fiction, and has a vast collection of beautiful edged weapons.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2022 MARVEL

This book was given to me for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat, is staking out some potential jewels to steal at a gala event when the event is interrupted by the appearance of a golden apple. Golden apples have been appearing all over the world granting a wish to the first person to use them. Felicia isn't interested at all, but everyone else at the gala goes mad over the apple. After finally escaping, a teenage girl tries to get Felicia's attention. Failing, the teenager tells everyone that Felicia has the apple causing her to be chased all over New York in Danny Rand's car. The teenager, Casey, eventually catches up to Felicia and convinces her to help her find her father, a former villain. Felicia and her henchmen Boris and Bruno teach Casey some tricks while investigating Casey's father's disappearance from FBI custody. Meanwhile, everyone that has information about him wants Felicia to get them the golden apple in exchange. Who will end up with the apple, and will Felicia find Casey's father before it's too late?

I enjoyed the story line of this book, but I just felt like too many superheroes were thrown into the story (especially at the gala).

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

#Marvel #MarvelEnt #Aconytebooks #review

One of the best things about the Marvel novels coming out of Aconyte Books is that characters that have often been in supporting roles are being given the spotlight. Characters that pop up from time to time in other people's books, or as part of a team, but never really get given the chance to headline their own title are being thrust into the spotlight; and the results have been fantastic.

The latest character to get this star treatment is Felicia Hardy, the anti-hero thief known as Black Cat. Often paired up with everyone's favourite wall-crawling hero Spider-Man, this time we follow Felicia as she discovers a strange series of events, bumps up against heroes out to save the day, and decides to help a girl find her missing father.

The book begins with Felicia attending the Met Gala, an event filled with the rich and famous of New York City; and an event that gives Felicia the chance to scope out some stuff that might be worth stealing. Whilst scoping the place out she comes across a Golden Apple, one of a series of strange, magical artefacts that have begun appearing all round the world. These apples are able to grant the person possessing it anything they wish; and whilst you might first think this would be the perfect thing for someone like Felicia, she sees it and has to get out of there.

Unfortunately, thanks to having been near the Apple and having ran out of the Gala as fast as she did, people assume that she must have it, making her the target of the press and those who want the Apple for themselves. If that wasn't bad enough, that same night someone breaks into Felicia's home; a teenage girl named Casey who needs Black Cat's help to find her missing father. It turns out her father was in witness protection, but returned to New York to give evidence against the son of mob boss Silvermaine, until he went missing. Casey is sure that Felicia was the last person to see her father before he was kidnapped, and begs the thief to help her get him back.

Before this book my main experience with Black Cat came from the 90's Spider-Man animated series, where she appeared in more than twenty five episodes of the show. Other than that, I'd seen her in a few comics where she would appear for a few pages to help or annoy Spider-man. As such, this was my first real chance to spend some time with the character and really get to know her; and knowing what author Cath Lauria did with Elsa Bloodstone, I was super excited to see how she would tackle such an iconic character.

One of the things that I immediately liked about the book was that Lauria didn't have Black Cat going solo, instead giving her a small team in the form of her tech specialist Bruno, and explosive expert Boris. Having been used to seeing Black Cat working on her own in the past I thought that it was a great choice to give her this small team to work with. Yes, she might go out on jobs on her own, breaking her way into places and stealing things without someone there with her, but it absolutely makes sense that she would need someone helping her scope places out, making equipment, and being ready to drive the getaway van if things go wrong.

The addition of these two characters immediately made things feel a lot more realistic, and grounded some of the more fantastical elements in what people are used to seeing in heist movies and novels; a team of people coming together to pull of the perfect crimes. It also helped that both Boris and Bruno were an absolute delight in every scene they were in, often acting like bickering children that Felicia had to manage. It brought some fun energy into proceedings.

The best new character, however, has to be Casey, the fifteen-year-old kid with a massive chip on her shoulder and enough skills to make her dangerous. Casey is the kind of character that seems like she's designed to push Felicia's buttons. She's loud, arrogant, full of herself, and clever enough to not just get rid of right away. It's clear that Felicia sees a lot of herself in this kid, and understands her motivations and her drive; and that's a big part of why she agrees to help the girl.

Some of the best scenes in the book are the smaller moments where Felicia and Casey are interacting with each other, whether that be Felicia trying to teach Casey how to be a thief, or Casey acting like a teen around a woman with no time for kids. The two of them butt heads a lot, but the moments where you see them winning the other over are an absolute delight, and come the end of the book you really do believe that the two of them will genuinely miss each other, and that a real bond has formed between them.

These relationships give the reader a lot of insight into Felicia and how she ticks, and they played a big part in how I came away thinking of the character. But I felt like I also learnt a lot about her from the other costumes heroes that appear in the book too. There are a few times where Felicia's path crosses with some big name heroes, and it was interesting to see how they interacted with her, and how different characters would react to this woman who so often walked the line between reluctant hero and criminal. But it wasn't just how they reacted to her that told us a lot, but the way she saw them too.

Whilst her thinking of Toy Stark as something of a stuck-up dick isn't exactly new, the fact that she reveals to the reader that you can get on his good side by giving him a puzzle to solve showed that she had an insight into him that most don't. She also sees Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, as a loveable goof who's too kind to ever get mad. She thinks that Daredevil is a bit of an arrogant prick at times. And she can't help but love everything about Spider-Man, from his kindness to his heroic nature. She sheds new light on heroes that you think you've already got a good handle on thanks to her unique interactions with them; and this shows us just how different her experiences in this kind of world are to other costumed heroes.

The book isn't just filled with brilliant character interactions, however, as it also manages to pack in a good deal of action. There are moments when Black Cat has to go up against famous villains, engages in high speed car chases, and has to escape exploding buildings; which are kind of all in a days work for a character like this. despite managing to pack a lot of action into the book Lauria never lets it feel dull, and it's always varied and interesting whenever it happens. The best of the exciting bits might be the heists. There are a few moments in the book where Felicia, Cases, and the crew have to infiltrate a place, steal some info, and pull off a con; and these are a genuine delight.

With super hero stories so often focusing on big fights, world ending stakes, or interpersonal drama it was was lovely to see something different for once. Here we get our characters doing something that requires a whole different skill set, and means that it's not all about throwing punches or dodging bullets, but reading people right, bluffing the right thing, and formulating daring plans. I loved it each and every time the characters got the chance to do these things, even if it was just Casey proving she has what it takes by trying to break into Felicia's bedroom multiple times. I'd happily read an entire series of books that are just one heist after another with this group.

I came into Black Cat: Discord knowing very little about the character, and didn't know what to expect from her headlining a solo adventure. But not only was a hugely delighted by what I got, I think that it might be one of the best books that Aconyte and Marvel have done together. The book was filled with great character moments, exciting actions, and wonderfully delightful scenes that could only ever work for Black Cat. An absolute pleasure to read from start to finish.

My biggest problem with Black Cat: Discord is that I didn't find very much to like about Felicia. The premise of the story was actually very intriguing, but the execution hinges around the reader wanting to keep reading about Felicia, and I just couldn't get into it.

Black Cat: Discord is action packed and a whole lot of fun. Felicia Hardy is Black Cat the greatest thief in NYC, maybe the universe. This story follows her as she tries to reunite a daughter with her kidnapped father and deal with a mysterious wish granting gold apple that has all the superheros and villians in a frenzy.
Normally the Black Cat wouldn't be so nice to help a kid she doesn't know without a reward to make it worth her time, but the determined teen reminds her of herself at that age.
The Golden Apple is actually something Felicia doesn't want to steal, too much drama, but so many others want her skills to help them get it and she gets dragged into heist after heist. Action packed and filled with Superhero cameos from the Iron Fist, Spiderman, Ironman, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four and Super villains like KingPin. Felicia is charming and funny creating a very entertaining story and making you root for her even though she is an anti-hero. There's also some great action packed heist scenes and superhero tech that added a lot of interest to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure!

DNF.

I’m admittedly more of a DC Comics person, but I used to read and really enjoy Black Cat’s comics, and since I’ve gotten more and more into Catwoman I was interested in seeing more of Marvel’s version of her. This definitely succeeded in catching the feel of Black Cat—it absolutely felt like Felicia Hardy in book format, and the writing style is fun and light.

But something about this just didn’t hit. It took me two days to get through just the first chapter, and some things that happen even super early on made me cringe. There’s literally an “and everyone clapped” moment 5% in. Felicia refers to herself as strictly middle class, then a few pages later mentions she lives in an NYC penthouse. The plot was repetitive, and there were no stakes—everyone helped Felicia out even though she didn’t hold up her end of the bargain. I’m used to comic logic, but this was just too much.

It’s not a bad book, and it’s short enough that it should be a quick read. When it just kept dragging for me, though, I realize it just wasn’t going to be the book for me.