Book Review: Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl (+ A Blog Tour Contest!)

Today’s review is part of the official blog tour. Be sure to keep reading for more about the book & a fantastic contest!

Finally the story fans have been clamoring for, Black Widow: Forever Red by Margaret Stohl proves without a doubt that Natasha Romanov can certainly carry the weight of an entire plot — and is worthy of the standalone movie fans are begging Marvel to give them.

This book might just be the final push the studio needs to concede — because Forever Red is one heck of a ride worthy of a major blockbuster.

Enter the world of the Avengers’ iconic master spy

Natasha Romanoff is one of the world’s most lethal assassins. Trained from a young age in the arts of death and deception, Natasha was given the title of Black Widow by Ivan Somodorov, her brutal teacher at the Red Room, Moscow’s infamous academy for operatives.

Ava Orlova is just trying to fit in as an average Brooklyn teenager, but her life has been anything but average.The daughter of a missing Russian quantum physicist, Ava was once subjected to a series of ruthless military experiments-until she was rescued by Black Widow and placed under S.H.I.E.L.D. protection. Ava has always longed to reconnect with her mysterious savior, but Black Widow isn’t really the big sister type.

Until now.

When children all over Eastern Europe begin to go missing, and rumors of smuggled Red Room tech light up the dark net, Natasha suspects her old teacher has returned-and that Ava Orlova might be the only one who can stop him. To defeat the madman who threatens their future, Natasha and Ava must unravel their pasts. Only then will they discover the truth about the dark-eyed boy with an hourglass tattoo who haunts Ava’s dreams. . . .

Black Widow:Forever Red features all the heart-pounding adventure readers expect from Marvel, written by #1 New York Times best-selling author Margaret Stohl. Uncover a new side of the Marvel Universe that will thrill loyal fans and newcomers alike, as Stohl reveals the untold story of Black Widow for the very first time.

Stohl captures everything fans have come to love about Black Widow: her dark tortured past, her dry wit and sarcasm, her quick thinking and mad spy skills. Everything about the character feels true to herself in Stohl’s portrayal; in fact, you could say Black Widow comes to life more than ever within the pages of Forever Red. Stohl masterfully builds upon the framework of Black Widow’s past, while still putting her own stamp on the character’s story.

But just as much as fans love Black Widow, Forever Red also introduces some new characters who are equally as intriguing — with Ava acting as the perfect foil to Natasha. Though they have so much in common, they are still quite different people — and their similarities help to make those differences all the more noticeable.

And for any true Avengers fan, fear not. Some of your favorite characters earn a mention here and there — with a few familiar faces even popping up along the way. (I won’t say who … encountering them is half the fun of reading Forever Red.)

Black Widow: Forever Red is a seductive and thrilling new chapter in the Avengers universe that is not to be missed. Look for it in stores October 13th.

Buy the book: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

About the Author:

Margaret Stohl is the #1 New York Times Bestselling co-author of the BEAUTIFUL CREATURES Novels and DANGEROUS CREATURES novels, as well as the author of BLACK WIDOW: FOREVER RED forthcoming from Marvel Press (Marvel YA), and the ICONS Novels.

She is the USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Times, Indie-Bound, Wall Street Journal and Internationally Bestselling author of nine YA novels, and has been published in 37 languages and 48 countries. BEAUTIFUL CREATURES was adapted into a film (2013) by Warner Brothers and Alcon Entertainment, and was an ALA William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalist in 2010, as well as a SCIBA award finalist, a NYPL Book for the Teen Age, and a YALSA Teen Top Ten Pick. Beautiful Creatures was named the #1 Teen Pick from Amazon in 2009, and the #5 Editors Pick, Overall.

Prior to becoming an author, Margaret worked in the video game industry as a writer and lead designer for sixteen years, eventually co-founding 7 Studios game developer with her husband, Lewis Peterson. She is also the co-founder of YALLFEST (Charleston, SC) and YALLWEST (Santa Monica, CA), two of the biggest kid/teen book festivals in the country. An alumnus of Amherst College, Stanford University, and Yale University, Margaret lives in Santa Monica with her family, two rescue cats, and two bad beagles.

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