Black Canary: Breaking Silence
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-09 09:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexandra Monir
- ISBN：0593178343
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Summary
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES！
DC Icons continues with the first-ever YA origin story of superhero Black Canary， from the internationally bestselling author Alexandra Monir。 In this thrilling novel， Dinah Lance's voice is her weapon。 And in a near-future world where women have no rights， she won't hesitate to use everything she has--including her song--to fight back。
Dinah Lance was eight years old when she overheard the impossible: the sound of a girl singing。 It was something she was never meant to hear--not in her lifetime and not in Gotham City， taken over by the vicious， patriarchal Court of Owls。 The sinister organization rules Gotham City as a dictatorship and has stripped women of everything--their right to work， to make music， to learn， to be free。
Now seventeen， Dinah can't forget that haunting sound， and she's beginning to discover that her own voice is just as powerful。 But singing is forbidden--a one-way ticket to Arkham Asylum。 Fighting to balance her father's desire to keep her safe， a blossoming romance with mysterious new student Oliver Queen， and her own need to help other women and girls rise up， Dinah wonders if her song will finally be heard。 And will her voice be powerful enough to destroy the Court of Owls once and for all？
DC Icons continues with the first-ever YA origin story of superhero Black Canary， from the internationally bestselling author Alexandra Monir。 In this thrilling novel， Dinah Lance's voice is her weapon。 And in a near-future world where women have no rights， she won't hesitate to use everything she has--including her song--to fight back。
Dinah Lance was eight years old when she overheard the impossible: the sound of a girl singing。 It was something she was never meant to hear--not in her lifetime and not in Gotham City， taken over by the vicious， patriarchal Court of Owls。 The sinister organization rules Gotham City as a dictatorship and has stripped women of everything--their right to work， to make music， to learn， to be free。
Now seventeen， Dinah can't forget that haunting sound， and she's beginning to discover that her own voice is just as powerful。 But singing is forbidden--a one-way ticket to Arkham Asylum。 Fighting to balance her father's desire to keep her safe， a blossoming romance with mysterious new student Oliver Queen， and her own need to help other women and girls rise up， Dinah wonders if her song will finally be heard。 And will her voice be powerful enough to destroy the Court of Owls once and for all？
Reviews
Christiana Rendon
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was amazing 🤩 I loved it。 We start out further down the time line after Batman and other superheroes have already fallen or passed 。 The court of owls are in rule with a dictatorship reign。 With the help of cobblepot who released a gas that affect womens voices to not have the ability to sing。 Calling it the silencing with this all women's rights were taken away as well as careers and the ability to lead。 Being forced to wear modest clothing and only take part in "women's work" the world ha This was amazing 🤩 I loved it。 We start out further down the time line after Batman and other superheroes have already fallen or passed 。 The court of owls are in rule with a dictatorship reign。 With the help of cobblepot who released a gas that affect womens voices to not have the ability to sing。 Calling it the silencing with this all women's rights were taken away as well as careers and the ability to lead。 Being forced to wear modest clothing and only take part in "women's work" the world has fallen backwards and suppressed。 With this gas cobblepot was able to successfully secure the role as mayor and his family have taken that position for generations。 We are introduced to Dinah a young women who was educated by not just her mother but her father the truth before the rule of the court。 Angry and wanting to sing she finds the truth about her mother and her own superpower。 While making allies such as Oliver Queen （green arrow） Barbara Gordon （batgirl/oracle） Sandra Wu-San （lady Shiva）。 Together they stop the reign of the court and knock out the cobblepot family from the mayor position giving the voices back to women。 For a better and brighter future。。。。 Hopefully。 I enjoyed the time line and the fact they made it truly a next generation YA book it was so amazing I read it in one day couldn't put it down。 。。。more
Carolyn Fitzpatrick
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A fun read but the book cover is a bit misleading。 The character on the cover is consistent with how Black Canary has been portrayed in comics。 But in this book， Black Canary never picks up a microphone and has to wear bland and modest clothing in public。 The setting of Gotham City has been completely transformed。 Twenty years earlier the superheros were all killed off and the Penguin succeeded in implementing an oppressive patriarchal government。 Women were restricted from most jobs， girls were A fun read but the book cover is a bit misleading。 The character on the cover is consistent with how Black Canary has been portrayed in comics。 But in this book， Black Canary never picks up a microphone and has to wear bland and modest clothing in public。 The setting of Gotham City has been completely transformed。 Twenty years earlier the superheros were all killed off and the Penguin succeeded in implementing an oppressive patriarchal government。 Women were restricted from most jobs， girls were banned from most classes at school， and a police presence is everywhere。 There was also a kind of curse that made all females incapable of singing - but not talking which is a little weird。 Dinah is inwardly rebellious but outwardly confirming， until she spontaneously starts being able to sing in powerful ways and learns the truth about her family's past。 I kept going back and forth as to whether this complete revision of Gotham enhanced the story or was just annoying。 Overall I think I liked it。 There is an interesting element of a male friend who is sympathetic toward the girls but at the same time feels that they were exaggerating how burdensome the social limitations are。 Meanwhile the new kid at school - Oliver Queen - takes in interest in Diana at school。 Oracle and Lady Shiva make appearances as well。 。。。more
Tony Drummond
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Probably the best novel in this series。 A good blend of an origins story; DC folk lore and a Handmaiden's Tale vibe。 Would like to see this in its own series which is always a good sign。 Probably the best novel in this series。 A good blend of an origins story; DC folk lore and a Handmaiden's Tale vibe。 Would like to see this in its own series which is always a good sign。 。。。more
Laura
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DNF @ 15%。 Mehhhhhhh。 I love black canary。 She’s one of my favorite DC heroines。 But adolescent Dinah in a futuristic Gotham that oppresses women？ No thanks。 🤷🏼♀️
Lauren
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Well written and good throughout， but the ending felt rushed and slightly anticlimactic
Kyra
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Overall， I liked this book。 Black Canary is one of my favorite DC characters， and I think she was well represented。 The plot had a lot ground work that was laid， but the story still kept my interest。 I enjoyed the strong female characters in the face of intense oppression。 It was generally empowering。
Emily Beckstead ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ
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It was pretty good， but it kind of bothered how overly feminist it was。 Don't get me wrong， I'm a feminist。 But it got annoying。。。。。 It was pretty good， but it kind of bothered how overly feminist it was。 Don't get me wrong， I'm a feminist。 But it got annoying。。。。。 。。。more
Roman Colombo
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Well， Handmaid's Tale meets the DC Universe is the only way to put it， but it was also， in some ways， better executed even if not as stylistically impressive。 At the very least， Monir doesn't hijack the black female slave experience the way Atwood does （I know， she's discussed this， but it's still not great）。 Well， Handmaid's Tale meets the DC Universe is the only way to put it， but it was also， in some ways， better executed even if not as stylistically impressive。 At the very least， Monir doesn't hijack the black female slave experience the way Atwood does （I know， she's discussed this， but it's still not great）。 。。。more
Dana Zett
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Of all the DC Icons books this far， this book is my favorite！ I love the spin the author gave to Black Canary’s story， and the fact that she is a former singer really helps with the story。I was going to give this 4 stars but this cover deserves a star all on its own！ Love the colors！！！！
Andhisnosestuckinabook
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I was super excited for this after receiving it in a beacon box as I’ve loved black canary and wanted more origin for her。 The only reason I gave this book less than 5 as it took pretty much 2/3 of the book before she assumed this role and felt very slow leading to it and then not enough of her before the end。
Wylaina
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Great book。 When I started I thought I would have to go back and re-read Court of Owls， but the first 3 chapters gives a great backstory。
Maddie
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This book is really good！ I would recommend it to anyone who like superheroes， fantasy， and women empowerment！ This book shows women empowerment throughout the book！ I loved it so much！ Would recommend！
Jaye Berry
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Wait。。。 this was actually kind of fire？？？Black Canary: Breaking Silence takes place in Gotham years after the evil Court of Owls have taken over。 They run it as a patriarchal dictatorship- they banned girls from singing and have taken total control of their lives。 When Dinah was young， she heard a girl singing but it couldn't possibly be。 They made it physically impossible for them to sing but Dinah knows what she heard。 At seventeen， Dinah knows she should stay in her place but she can't help h Wait。。。 this was actually kind of fire？？？Black Canary: Breaking Silence takes place in Gotham years after the evil Court of Owls have taken over。 They run it as a patriarchal dictatorship- they banned girls from singing and have taken total control of their lives。 When Dinah was young， she heard a girl singing but it couldn't possibly be。 They made it physically impossible for them to sing but Dinah knows what she heard。 At seventeen， Dinah knows she should stay in her place but she can't help her desire to help other women find their voice in a society that doesn't let them have one。Sis。。。 what the fuck。 I picked this up because it was available at my library and the Jen Bartel cover slaps but I didn'/t actually expect the book to be fire。 I flew through it and when I checked I was already at 45% after what felt like 10 minutes because it was zooming。 By all reasons I should have hated this book。 Girls are treated as second class citizens and eventually can't even go to school。 They aren't allowed any agency and it's so frustrating to read because it's not even made up， this shit is real and women are always ground down because of men's fear。 This book is written for a younger audience though so it doesn't go as dark as it could have but I'm 1000% cool with that。I know it's a popular trend in feminist books to have this sort of Handmaid's Tale type beat but it's just too depressing to read about women being treated like shit and to be strong they have to fight back against the shitty patriarchy。 But it just weirdly worked for me here， maybe because it also had the superhero flavor。 But also if you told me "oh yeah black canary ya book but it's a patriarchal dystopian lol" I would have said pls do less crack。 Especially because the other DC icon books didn't go this hard？？I loved how it fit together even though I don't know why it worked so well？？ It just makes sense to me that a character that has a screech call power is going to be the one giving voices back to girls and I want to give whoever had this idea a highfive。I've been lowkey in love with the Birds of Prey and Black Canary ever since the Harley Quinn Birds of Prey movie and this book was just hitting。 It had so many of the iconic Gotham characters named， either alive or dead。 We had her powers。 We had Green Arrow。 The fucking PENGUIN？ Bet。 We even had the oracle like go tf off。 Inject this side of DC comics into my veins I am TRASH。Speaking of trash， I am the garbage queen of Black Canary x Green Arrow romance now and they were so cute here what the fuck。 Oliver's characterization in this was so pure and we love a feminist king。I want to go outside and screech at men after reading this ngl。 Dinah was so powerful。 。。。more
Nithya Myneni
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The excitement I felt when I saw this book on the shelf was unrivaled。 If that absolutely gorgeous cover wasn't enough， Black Canary: Breaking Silence promised a fresh and compelling story starring one of the most fascinating superheroes in DC's catalogue！ I've always been a big fan of Dinah Lance。 She's consistently been an appreciated presence among the intense metahumans and demigods of the DC universe。 She balances agency and allure effortlessly， commanding the panel with perfectly timed rou The excitement I felt when I saw this book on the shelf was unrivaled。 If that absolutely gorgeous cover wasn't enough， Black Canary: Breaking Silence promised a fresh and compelling story starring one of the most fascinating superheroes in DC's catalogue！ I've always been a big fan of Dinah Lance。 She's consistently been an appreciated presence among the intense metahumans and demigods of the DC universe。 She balances agency and allure effortlessly， commanding the panel with perfectly timed roundhouse kicks and witty comebacks。 She was also an incredible canvas for feminist rhetoric， as her powerful stints with both the Justice League and the Birds of Prey have been able to previously prove。 With her rich comic history and limitless potential， it hurts to rate this addition to her story poorly， but I feel that I have no other choice。 This book just lacked the thrill that Black Canary is usually so tied to。 The characters fell flat， the setting became stale， and the payoff was empty to say the least。 While the Court of Owls was set up as an interesting antagonist and dystopian Gotham City had the capacity for fantastic social commentary， Breaking Silence failed to capitalize on the tools available at its disposal。 The relationship between Dinah and Oliver Queen （Green Arrow） was the most annoying aspect of the novel for me。 Their connection felt incredibly rushed in the already lightning fast narrative。 Queen was reduced to your typical YA love interest， devoid of the offbeat and sickening charm of the original comic character。 This， paired with Lance's grating immaturity at times， mangled the chemistry the two usually have in stories together。 I'm honestly used to this when it comes to YA fantasy， but it felt all the more disappointing knowing Canary and Arrow's history。 They may have been younger versions of themselves （which， by the way， was an odd choice among the older heroes in the rest of the story）， but it shouldn't be an excuse to fumble a romance that should easily be a stand-out。 And now the other thing that bothered me。 This story was marketed as a fresh， distinctly DC take on the Handmaid's Tale。 It felt like anything but。 The feminist themes were simply not intense enough。 It just doesn't feel right that the most misogynistic act of dystopian Gotham was taking away the ability to sing！ It only trivialized the issues that the book sought to speak on。 Dinah herself didn't live up to the rebellious， powerful reputation that precedes her。 She instead read as a brash and insecure teenager。 I wanted to appreciate that DC was trying to comment on contemporary feminist issues， but it certainly feel genuine。 This was all too surface level。 To truly succeed， the source material should just be respected。 So much lost potential in so little time。 I suppose it'll just have to stay on my bookshelf indefinitely。 At least I can still admire the cover art。。。 。。。more
sarah y
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Interesting concept but execution lacked。 Set in a future dystopian society in Gotham controlled by a misogynistic group。 I had problems coming to terms with the heavy focus of losing ones ability to sing versus the more terrible trials women were facing。 Such an intriguing storyline though。 I thoroughly enjoyed Oliver but SO wish he was given more screen time！ I felt the action that is associated with a badass like Black Canary didn’t ramp up until the very end and left me wanting so much more Interesting concept but execution lacked。 Set in a future dystopian society in Gotham controlled by a misogynistic group。 I had problems coming to terms with the heavy focus of losing ones ability to sing versus the more terrible trials women were facing。 Such an intriguing storyline though。 I thoroughly enjoyed Oliver but SO wish he was given more screen time！ I felt the action that is associated with a badass like Black Canary didn’t ramp up until the very end and left me wanting so much more — almost rushed， like is that really the boss fight？ Getting past those gripes I would definitely recommend this read。 。。。more
Adyson
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I loved this book so much！！！！ Deeply inspiring for anyone’s inner feminist。 I personally couldn’t put it down but I could see it not being for everyone。
Liz Friend
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The story: In a dark Gotham City years after the death of Batman， the Court of Owls is choking the life out of the town's inhabitants--especially the girls and women。 Not allowed to hold a job， not allowed to wear pants or even sing: Dinah Lance misses her dead mother and chafes at the restrictions placed by the smug， white， male leaders of the city。 As her anger reaches the boiling point， she reconnects with her mother's old friend Barbara Gordon: once Batgirl， and now known as Oracle。 Barbara The story: In a dark Gotham City years after the death of Batman， the Court of Owls is choking the life out of the town's inhabitants--especially the girls and women。 Not allowed to hold a job， not allowed to wear pants or even sing: Dinah Lance misses her dead mother and chafes at the restrictions placed by the smug， white， male leaders of the city。 As her anger reaches the boiling point， she reconnects with her mother's old friend Barbara Gordon: once Batgirl， and now known as Oracle。 Barbara helps Dinah discovery her mom's legacy and her own powers as The Black Canary。。。powers that may lead to the overthrow of the evil cabal that leads the city; powers that might even bring her the chance to sing her own song。June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13; Violence R; Sexual content PG-13; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG-13 （zombieism）; LGBT content G; adult themes （scenes of violence and murder; death of a parent， death of a close friend） PG-13; overall rating PG-13。 Best for 8th-grade and up。Liz's comments: This story will be good for girls who are looking for a kick-butt romance novel。 Monir stays true to the Black Canary story line， and readers who aren't familiar with this character will find Plenty to like if they're looking for a new female superhero。 However， the kind of action featured here works best on a screen， and more tentative readers will probably not give this story enough time to get going。 。。。more
Kimi （｡･ω･｡）ﾉ♡
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this was the perfect short adventure， made me rage tho bec this do be a modern handmaid's tale but like dinah and oliver tho 🥺 this was the perfect short adventure， made me rage tho bec this do be a modern handmaid's tale but like dinah and oliver tho 🥺 。。。more
C Rude
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I liked it but I didn't think it was amazing。 I liked it but I didn't think it was amazing。 。。。more
Erin
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I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest reviewMy Rating: 3。75I 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 Gotha I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest reviewMy Rating: 3。75I 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。 。。。more
Shannon
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Loved the characters， the story， and the writing style！
Ben Truong
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Black Canary: Breaking Silence is the fifth and （possibly） final book in the DC Icons series written by Alexandra Monir and centered on Dianh Lance before she took on the Black Canary mantle as she struggles to find her voice and power in an autocratic regime of the Court of Owls。Gotham City was once a progressive， egalitarian metropolis safeguarded by powerful superheroes and then came the Silencing – a violent coup targeting any possible resistance。 Now， all Gotham cowers beneath the shadow of Black Canary: Breaking Silence is the fifth and （possibly） final book in the DC Icons series written by Alexandra Monir and centered on Dianh Lance before she took on the Black Canary mantle as she struggles to find her voice and power in an autocratic regime of the Court of Owls。Gotham City was once a progressive， egalitarian metropolis safeguarded by powerful superheroes and then came the Silencing – a violent coup targeting any possible resistance。 Now， all Gotham cowers beneath the shadow of the autocratic Court of Owls – all except Dinah Lance， whose fury at the oppressive regime is matched only by her desire to sing， although music is forbidden to women。In a narrative-wise predictable， albeit vindictively welcome twist， Dinah Lance， following in the footsteps of her deceased mother – the original Black Canary， discovers that she’s immune to the effects of the Silencing: Her music and voice can become deadly weapons and to make matters yet more disconcerting， Oliver Queen， the new Court darling seems just a bit too interested in Dinah and her burgeoning powers。After a series of increasingly rebellious acts， Dinah quickly becomes Public Enemy No。 1。 When her best friend is captured in her stead， Dinah must assume the Canary mantle。Black Canary: Breaking Silence is written rather well。 The story proceeds at a cinematic clip while still allowing for quieter moments of character development or vivid scenic description。 The intermingling of old and new DC heroes is crafty。 Monir never shies away from her tale's unfortunately pertinent sociopolitical implications， putting a refreshing spin on the feminist dystopia。Overall， the DC Icons series was written rather well。 It was rather interesting reading about iconic superheroes before they were the secret identities that they are famous for。 The addition of Catwoman is rather odd as an icon， but her story is one of the better ones。 As for the rest， the retelling or re-imagining of their origin stories is rather interesting， where the Wonder Woman story the better of the other three。All in all， Black Canary: Breaking Silence is written somewhat well and is sure to resonate in today’s volatile climate and a good conclusion to a wonderful series。 。。。more
Sarah Bauer
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Book Theme Song: Alive by Superchick I don't have a whole lot to say about this one because the plot is very straightforward， but it's well-executed and has a lot of nice cameos and guest appearances from DC characters。 It's always interesting seeing how familiar characters and locations get re-contextualized。 Book Theme Song: Alive by Superchick I don't have a whole lot to say about this one because the plot is very straightforward， but it's well-executed and has a lot of nice cameos and guest appearances from DC characters。 It's always interesting seeing how familiar characters and locations get re-contextualized。 。。。more
Notorious Lego
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Loved it so much。 It was the first DC Icons book I read it was such an amazing story。 I’d honestly love a follow up to it with all the seeds planted for a potential sequel。 Like is Mandy related to Roy Harper？？ I need to know！ I also loved the introduction of Ollie in the classic paring of Dinah and Ollie。 I honestly would love to see a DC icons Justice League with Leigh Bardugos Wonder Woman， Marie Lus Batman， Matt De La Penas Superman and Sarah J Maas Catwoman。 This was also the first book I r Loved it so much。 It was the first DC Icons book I read it was such an amazing story。 I’d honestly love a follow up to it with all the seeds planted for a potential sequel。 Like is Mandy related to Roy Harper？？ I need to know！ I also loved the introduction of Ollie in the classic paring of Dinah and Ollie。 I honestly would love to see a DC icons Justice League with Leigh Bardugos Wonder Woman， Marie Lus Batman， Matt De La Penas Superman and Sarah J Maas Catwoman。 This was also the first book I read at the beginning of 2021 it started me on a rediscovery of a love for reading。 I read 12 books in total this year so 1 book a month。 Which might not be a lot for some avid readers but it’s a lot for me。The author is such an inspiration so I urge everyone to pick up this book if they haven’t already read it。 Or if they like DC content and want some more amazing things to read 。。。more
Sarah
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A futuristic and extremely repressive version of Gotham City。 A hero that I was excited to learn more about。 Appearances from other familiar heroes。 Joining a rebellion against an autocratic regime and fighting for freedom， justice， and equality。 Plus that gorgeous cover？ What more could I want？
Dobie9 Library
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*Available in the #D9Library - Fall 2021
Aurum
，
（Minor spoilers！）Not a bad book， but not necessarily worth the read。 Black Canary is one of the cooler characters in DC Comics， and Gotham is a great setting。 I understand why some of the setting or plot points were put in place， but I feel like it wasn't explored enough， for example， the gas that removed only woman's voices， or how the Owls took over the city。 I have a lot of questions about the sciences of it， and Dinah's power。 Still， it was a good enough book， the plot was interesting， and I （Minor spoilers！）Not a bad book， but not necessarily worth the read。 Black Canary is one of the cooler characters in DC Comics， and Gotham is a great setting。 I understand why some of the setting or plot points were put in place， but I feel like it wasn't explored enough， for example， the gas that removed only woman's voices， or how the Owls took over the city。 I have a lot of questions about the sciences of it， and Dinah's power。 Still， it was a good enough book， the plot was interesting， and I felt like I had to finish it。 So， if you are a DC enthusiast， or like cool superhero books， then I guess you might like this， but I've read so many better superhero books。 。。。more
Mackenzie
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Probably closer to 3。5， but the ending was very abrupt and wrapped everything up a little too neatly with one fallen building。
Ian Morales
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I agree with many people who have already put in their two cents here。 Black Canary: Breaking Silence， is pure dystopian girl power vibes。 It was an enjoyable read， but not a deep or difficult one。 It truly felt like a comic book got the novel treatment。 I applaud the explanation of the backstory and settings for non-comic readers。 Well done。 Would recommend to anyone， especially teens and comic nerds。
Hagrid Palpatine
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