Lecture [Roman] Wonder Woman – Warbringer

Hello everyone, how are you?

Today, I'm continuing my book reviews with a character known to a lot of people. This novel will surely please fans of this heroine, but I'll let you discover that for yourself. First, the summary!

One day, she will be the greatest superhero of all time: Wonder Woman. But she is still only 17-year-old Diana, princess of the Amazons. When a ship explodes off the coast of her island, Diana rescues young Alia, defying the Amazons' ban on welcoming humans into their midst. And Diana could pay even more dearly for this because Alia is a Warbringer: a descendant of Helen of Troy, she stirs up a wind of discord everywhere. Together, from New York to Greece, the two young girls will try to counter the curse weighing on Alia.

We meet Diana Prince, the one who will become Wonder Woman, when she is 17 years old and has difficulty integrating among the Amazons. She does not yet possess all her powers and makes every effort to prove to the others that she has just as much a place as they do on the island of Themyscira where she was born . Princess of this people having little consideration for her, Diana will do everything to prove that she is a great warrior as well as find her place.

The beginning of the novel is relatively calm, easygoing one could easily say, and lays the foundations allowing us to discover this unique island, its inhabitants and of course our future superhero who remains a young woman despite everything. She is not above everything and I became very attached to her as the pages went by. Pages that turned quickly from the first chapters past , these allowing us to understand what is happening while introducing us to Diana. But she will not be the only one who will face before our eyes, far from it.

Already, the Amazons will be present, whether it is Queen Hippolyte – Diana's mother – or those taking a little more space with the young woman. They all have a different temperament and behave, also, in different ways with Diana. Friend, relative, comrade, rival during the race, there is everything on this island that looks like Paradise… Although, in a certain way it is a Paradise since originally it is the women fallen in combat that we find there, except for one person: Diana. Reason why she is not considered in the same way as the others by some.

A little later, other characters will appear, such as Alia. The young lady comes from our world, the one Diana doesn't know, and we'll quickly discover what this young Alia is. Those who have read the summary also know this, although the title gives us a nice hint. The young lady is a Warbringer, a descendant of Helen of Troy who blows a wind of discord wherever she goes despite herself. As it turns out, it's not always a joy to be descended from an ancient personality. But she won't be alone because, alongside Alia and Diana, we will see Jason, Alia's brother who wants to protect her more than anything, Nim, who is the young lady's best friend and a person full of doubt despite her extravagance, and Theo, Jason's friend who is also a tech genius with an obvious lack of self-confidence.

These characters already gravitated around Alia and will, later, gravitate around Diana as well. We will therefore learn more about them while becoming attached to them because Leigh Bardugo manages to make this group of characters a coherent whole with a certain depth while having real interactions. The latter are not bland, can make you smile and respect the different characters well. Then Diana's naivety in relation to our world is totally adorable I find and so true that it is difficult not to understand her... In fact, it is even terribly logical that she is lost in the face of all this at the beginning. The only character with whom I had a little more difficulty is Jason for whom I had a hell of a time understanding his far too changeable character...

Of course, we won't just stay on the island and its mythology because we'll also travel between New York and Greece. It won't be a fun trip because many people want Alia dead to prevent a war, but you can imagine that Diana will do the opposite and want to save her. And to save someone, what better way than to talk to an Oracle, an Oracle who will let us know what to do while making us think about what she says. And if I were in Diana's place, what would I have done? Would I have gone to completely unknown destinations to save someone I don't know from Adam or Eve? Would I have let her die or would I have wanted to help her?

Of course, we are not the ones experiencing this, but it may seem silly, but it is this kind of quest that can make us reflect on ourselves. At least, for me, these are questions that come to mind when this happens in these fictional worlds. As for our future superhero, these will also be discoveries in a lot of areas. The outside world, about herself, but also about others and it was really cool to see her discover all of this.

Hm? Did I mention mythology? And yes, it is present whether at the level of beings that we actually meet such as the people of the Amazons or even divinities or following evocations like the now famous Helen of Troy. It is not skimmed over, all of this really has its place and it is a treat to discover all of this because it is not only the great Greek gods who are present. No, no, the more minor ones can take on a little more importance for my greatest pleasure and I find it a shame that we do not see them more in other works also using mythology.

I can't say that I didn't have a good time, even a very, very good time, as I didn't see the time go by while I was reading. Okay, I'm a fast reader, but as soon as you get into the plot, the pages can be read in a day without difficulty, even by a tortoise, I'm sure of it! The journeys are well-executed, whether geographically or mythologically, and put stars in your eyes. Honestly, the island of Themyscira appeared without a hitch in my brain while I was reading, and I would dream of visiting it because it made me dream. Same for the other places; I, who have practically never left, had no trouble getting to these places during the reading time.

In addition, Bayard Publishing did a great job translating the text, and I didn't feel like I saw any typos, and the same goes for the cover. When you run your hand over it, you quickly notice that there are raised parts, and yet they don't stand out at all when you look at the book for the first time. They're even pleasant to the touch.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer was therefore a very nice discovery that makes me want to know more about the woman who would become Wonder Woman. The story allows us to learn more about her genesis, how her character was formed, and who she was as a 17-year-old young woman. A determined person ready to do anything to save humanity.

Have you read this novel? Are you familiar with Wonder Woman? What mythology interests you most?