Harley Quinn: Reckoning
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- Create Date：2022-04-28 07:53:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rachael Allen
- ISBN：0593429869
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Summary
In this new launch of a trilogy within the DC Icons universe， experience the origin story of a Super Villain。 This is the feminist Harley Quinn backstory fans have been waiting for。
When Harleen Quinzel scores an internship in a psych lab at Gotham University， she's more than ecstatic; she's desperate to make a Big Scientific Discovery that will land her a full-ride college scholarship and get her away from her abusive father。 But when Harleen witnesses the way women are treated across STEM departments--and experiences harassment herself--she decides that revenge and justice are more important than her own dreams。
Harleen finds her place in an intoxicating vigilante girl gang called the Reckoning， who creates chaos to inspire change。 And when Harleen falls for another girl in the gang， it finally seems like she's found her true passions。 But what starts off as pranks and mischief quickly turns deadly as one of the gang members is found murdered--and a terrifying conspiracy is uncovered that puts the life Harleen has worked so hard for at stake。 Will she choose her future--or will she choose revenge？
In this refreshingly feminist spin on the story of our favorite villainess， Harley Quinn: Reckoning traces Harleen's journey from precocious， revenge-obsessed teenage girl to a hardcore justice-seeker on her way to becoming the most captivating Super Villain of all time。 Vibrating with youthful energy and rage， this is one story that you won't be able to put down。
When Harleen Quinzel scores an internship in a psych lab at Gotham University， she's more than ecstatic; she's desperate to make a Big Scientific Discovery that will land her a full-ride college scholarship and get her away from her abusive father。 But when Harleen witnesses the way women are treated across STEM departments--and experiences harassment herself--she decides that revenge and justice are more important than her own dreams。
Harleen finds her place in an intoxicating vigilante girl gang called the Reckoning， who creates chaos to inspire change。 And when Harleen falls for another girl in the gang， it finally seems like she's found her true passions。 But what starts off as pranks and mischief quickly turns deadly as one of the gang members is found murdered--and a terrifying conspiracy is uncovered that puts the life Harleen has worked so hard for at stake。 Will she choose her future--or will she choose revenge？
In this refreshingly feminist spin on the story of our favorite villainess， Harley Quinn: Reckoning traces Harleen's journey from precocious， revenge-obsessed teenage girl to a hardcore justice-seeker on her way to becoming the most captivating Super Villain of all time。 Vibrating with youthful energy and rage， this is one story that you won't be able to put down。
Reviews
Jay
，
Harley Quinn: Reckoning is an origin story that goes back father than most HQ stories。 Harleen is an 18 year old intern at Gotham University。 But it's hard being a woman in STEM。 She's got to deal with the disgusting daily misogyny that forces her to find solace in a girl gang The Reckoning。 When one of the women end up dead， the women set out to bring her to justice。I really liked this refreshing feminist take on one of Batman's most loved villains。 It was entirely believable that Harley would Harley Quinn: Reckoning is an origin story that goes back father than most HQ stories。 Harleen is an 18 year old intern at Gotham University。 But it's hard being a woman in STEM。 She's got to deal with the disgusting daily misogyny that forces her to find solace in a girl gang The Reckoning。 When one of the women end up dead， the women set out to bring her to justice。I really liked this refreshing feminist take on one of Batman's most loved villains。 It was entirely believable that Harley would end up the way she did because of how she was treated as a teen。 One thing I didn't like was that Gotham was too reminiscent of our modern world with coconut cold brews and social media influencers。 Perhaps that was to draw new fans in， but I'm an old school animated series HQ fan and I've always thought of Gotham as anomalous and not really very much like our world。Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC。 All in all this was a good take on a Batman favorite。 。。。more
Holly Dimitrie
，
so happy to find a book about Harley Quinn's origin。 loved it this author did an amazing job at getting Harley and letting you seem all of herher sexuality， her thoughts， her brain aka intelligence her ADHD lol and her fight with good vs badyou get to decide if she is a hero or a villain and its a hard decision （by the way） the group the reckoning kinda feels like a birds of prey type of group I have so much more to say but I think it might give away some spoilers and I don't want that so last t so happy to find a book about Harley Quinn's origin。 loved it this author did an amazing job at getting Harley and letting you seem all of herher sexuality， her thoughts， her brain aka intelligence her ADHD lol and her fight with good vs badyou get to decide if she is a hero or a villain and its a hard decision （by the way） the group the reckoning kinda feels like a birds of prey type of group I have so much more to say but I think it might give away some spoilers and I don't want that so last thing is you are just gonna have to read this book for yourself FYI this book is part of a series （origin stories of other DC characters） that I cant wait to read I would like to thank NetGalley for giving me the ARC so I was able to read this book and then give a voluntary honest review。 :） 。。。more
Egypt
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Harley Quinn Reckoning was a very enjoyable read it did take me the first few chapters to get into it but I'm glad I kept going， I enjoyed this backstoryof Harley Quinn and friends as they took matters into their own hands and formed a group called the reckoning。 If you love Harley Quinn you'lldefinitely enjoy this read and get to see Harley in a new light。 Thank you NetGalley， Random house children’s and random house books for young readers for this early arc。 Harley Quinn Reckoning was a very enjoyable read it did take me the first few chapters to get into it but I'm glad I kept going， I enjoyed this backstoryof Harley Quinn and friends as they took matters into their own hands and formed a group called the reckoning。 If you love Harley Quinn you'lldefinitely enjoy this read and get to see Harley in a new light。 Thank you NetGalley， Random house children’s and random house books for young readers for this early arc。 。。。more
Jaymie
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[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。]4 stars = Great！ Might re-read。This is really well done！ The author works in all of the classic Harley Quinn traits - her brilliance， her darkness， her obsession with the Joker， her sexuality - while also telling a fresh story。 The author also does an excellent job teasing out that darkness while keeping Harley endearing。The central thread - smash the patriarchy - is n [I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。]4 stars = Great！ Might re-read。This is really well done！ The author works in all of the classic Harley Quinn traits - her brilliance， her darkness， her obsession with the Joker， her sexuality - while also telling a fresh story。 The author also does an excellent job teasing out that darkness while keeping Harley endearing。The central thread - smash the patriarchy - is nuanced as you both want to see the misogynists get their comeuppance and also cringe as the girls move further into vigilantism。 I wasn't expecting the mystery elements so that was a fun layer to the story。 My only complaint is that the timeline jumps could have been clearer - at least in the review copy。 Hopefully by full publication those have been more clearly indicated。 Apparently this is kicking off a trilogy of stories - and there's a teaser at the end that might indicate whose story is next。 And I am here for it。 I have really enjoyed this ICONS line from DC and I'm eager to see what comes next。 （Some language， references to sexual assault/harassment， grief/loss， LGBTQ+） 。。。more
Ryan Hixson
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Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen is an original take on Harley Quinn's origin， a rocking feminist revenge plot and a mystery all rolled up into one。 Harley Quinn: Reckoning is part of the DC Icons series which tells origin stories for the young adult audience before the hero or villain has became a super hero or super villain。 So far the DD Icons series has covered， Batman， Superman， Wonder Woman， Catwoman and now Harley Quinn。 I have only read Batman: Nightcrawler before and I had some Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen is an original take on Harley Quinn's origin， a rocking feminist revenge plot and a mystery all rolled up into one。 Harley Quinn: Reckoning is part of the DC Icons series which tells origin stories for the young adult audience before the hero or villain has became a super hero or super villain。 So far the DD Icons series has covered， Batman， Superman， Wonder Woman， Catwoman and now Harley Quinn。 I have only read Batman: Nightcrawler before and I had some mixed feelings I like Harley Quinn: Reckoning a lot better。 Harley Quinn is one of my favorite characters and represented pretty well here it was a little shaky at the beginning but at the end I fell she was nailed。 The narrative starts with a flash forward then goes back 8 months and catches up to flash forward a little bit after the halfway point。 I think it was a good idea to start with the flash forward because the book sets up a lot to get you there then become unputdownable when you get there。 This book was paced pretty well。 A big part of this book was the mystery， and I was really compelled to find out who done it。 There's a couple of really clever plot twist and there is some twist that lead to the mystery that is Harley Quinn。 The book really dives in to the bisexual aspect of Harley and is very LGTBQIA+。 I do have small trigger warnings for domestic abuse and unwanted sexual advances。 I read this book early thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children's。 Harley Quinn: Reckoning is published on April 26 2020。The Plot Summary: Harleen Quinzel is a high school student taking part in STEM （Science， technology， engineering， and mathematics） internship where she gets to work at Gotham University。 She discovers a lot of sexism and wants to get even。 She finds kinship in other girls and forms a vigilante group called the Reckoning。 They take revenge and have fun doing it but they stumble on to something more sinister than sexism when a member ends up in a coma， and the other members are hunted。 Harleen goes from victim to aggressor as she takes steps to becoming Harley Quinn。What I Liked: The twist in the plot and the ones that are about Harley Quinn are really clever and the final one is really great。 I liked all the references that were worked in about the hyenas， Pamela Isley （Poison Ivy）， the stuffed beaver （that one I was shocked but I loved it）， the references to the Joker， and the work in of Harley's catch phrases。 I liked the plot to the story。 I like that the author explains in the acknowledgements that these incidents of sexual harassment are from real life interactions。 I how the iteration with the Harley and her abusive father was portrayed and the end result of their relationship。What I Disliked: the added pop culture references， about Tiktok and celebrities in the real world， I rolled my eyes a couple of times。 I counted one male character that was decent and not a total pig it would have been nice if their was at least one more。 I could not stand the character of Kylie。Recommendation: If you are a fan of the character of Harley Quinn then this book is a must。 Having been a fan of Harley's I've read a lot a not always the best this is one of the better stories about her。 This and Harleen by Stjepan Šejić are my favorites which both happen to be origin stories。 I was pleasantly surprised by this book。 I rated Harley Quinn: Reckoning by Rachael Allen 5 out of 5 stars。 This book was right on the nose of 4。5 but the cleverness of it put me over the edge。 This book is proposed as a trilogy and I'm so there for the next book in the evolution of Harley Quinn。 。。。more
Mandy
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I’ve always found Harleen Quinzell—a。k。a。 Harley Quinn—a fascinating character with a lot of story possibility。 This book was a fun and engaging look at her as a teen， before she leaned into the Joker’s insanity （or her own）。 Great start to a new DC prose series。
Bookish Selkie
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The complex evolution of Harley Quinn has always been fascinating to me。 When I saw that this book dealt with her origin story， I was very excited to read it。 With many writers， she feels misunderstood and not necessarily taken seriously。 Her relationships with the Joker and Poison Ivy are often debated。 （Personally， I love Poison Ivy and Harley！） However， Rachael Allen makes it clear from the first page that she deeply understands Harley， her bisexuality， her intelligence， and how conflicted be The complex evolution of Harley Quinn has always been fascinating to me。 When I saw that this book dealt with her origin story， I was very excited to read it。 With many writers， she feels misunderstood and not necessarily taken seriously。 Her relationships with the Joker and Poison Ivy are often debated。 （Personally， I love Poison Ivy and Harley！） However， Rachael Allen makes it clear from the first page that she deeply understands Harley， her bisexuality， her intelligence， and how conflicted between good/evil she is。 In Harley Quinn: Reckoning， Harley must decide whether she is a hero or villain， or someone in between。 Allen does an incredible job of including real-world issues such as sexism， sexual abuse， and misuse of power- all with a focus on STEM。 The play of power dynamics that takes place in the books is all too real， forcing Harley and her friends to make difficult choices about who to trust。 While much of the book deals with serious topics， there is also plenty of witty banter and funny， heartfelt moments。I loved how Harley and her friends ended up forming a vigilante group and working together to discover who is hunting the girls on campus。 The writing is witty and razor-sharp， seamlessly chilling as the plot comes together and the villain is revealed。 I also appreciated the cameos from later parts of Harley’s life。 I hope Allen can write more of Harley’s story！ I really enjoyed Allen’s take on Harley’s origin story and found it very creative and nuanced。 I can’t wait to see what Allen writes next！ Harley Quinn: Reckoning is available now。 Thank you so much to Rachael Allen， Random House Children’s， and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
A Broken Zebra
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NETGALLEY ARCPlot - 4。5Characters - 4。5 Writing Style - 4。 Cover - 5 （ Love the cover。 🖤）Enjoyment - 4/4。5Fun and powerful book。 It's nifty to get insight on a well-established character before the time that we once knew them （that is， teenaged Quinzel）， and with Dr Allen's version， it's a more modern take since it places Harleen in more current times。 Sometimes， and it was less than more， but sometimes the feminism/burn-the-patriarchy was heavy-handed。 I， being cis female， could easily get behi NETGALLEY ARCPlot - 4。5Characters - 4。5 Writing Style - 4。 Cover - 5 （ Love the cover。 🖤）Enjoyment - 4/4。5Fun and powerful book。 It's nifty to get insight on a well-established character before the time that we once knew them （that is， teenaged Quinzel）， and with Dr Allen's version， it's a more modern take since it places Harleen in more current times。 Sometimes， and it was less than more， but sometimes the feminism/burn-the-patriarchy was heavy-handed。 I， being cis female， could easily get behind 98/99% of the messages and desires included in this book， it's just that on a select few occasions， it read （to me！） as disingenuous。 There are， however， very real and very gross/disturbing situations， and Dr Allen includes real examples in her Author's Note that were included yet modified in the novel。 I did have a minor， triggery moment in a scene between Harleen and her dad， so warnings abound for those sensitive to abuse in every form。But I friggin' adored lines like this one - "I think the concept of 'basic' is just another way the patriarchy tells us that things women and girls like or are interested in are less than。"- because Y U U U P。 Insert something equivalent to an 'amen/preach'。Since this book sets up Harleen becoming Dr Quinzel， I wouldn't mind another installment， especially since the author drops a quick cameo or two。 It'd be interesting to see HQ's relationships with them further explored in this setting， however， we have a lot of material with said two cameos already， so it's not overly detrimental。 The book probably could have been a little shorter， but overall it's worth a read。 Most especially for DC， Harley Quinn， strong female protag/vigilante girl group fans。 。。。more
Laura
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Do I have a new favorite DC Icons book？ Because I think that I do。。。。 Also don't mind me SCREAMING at the character who was introduced towards the end。 Do I have a new favorite DC Icons book？ Because I think that I do。。。。 Also don't mind me SCREAMING at the character who was introduced towards the end。 。。。more
Caity
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This is a cool origin story。 I liked how in addition to the key elements that needed to stay the same to be true to the character there were also some more minor details that also referenced different iterations of Harley。 The new elements of the story were well done and fit well with what we expect from the character。 The STEM focus was well done and it was cool getting to see Harley really use her genius。 I thought the college setting was also particularly well utilized and liked that her stor This is a cool origin story。 I liked how in addition to the key elements that needed to stay the same to be true to the character there were also some more minor details that also referenced different iterations of Harley。 The new elements of the story were well done and fit well with what we expect from the character。 The STEM focus was well done and it was cool getting to see Harley really use her genius。 I thought the college setting was also particularly well utilized and liked that her story begins well before The Joker is part of her life but we do also see the start of how she ends up with him。 All around this was a cool version of Harley's story and I'd love to see more of it。 。。。more
Lillyanna Lamm
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"Harley Quinn: Reckoning" by Rachael Allen is a back story for one of our DC villains Harley Quinn。 I would give "Harley Quinn: Reckoning" by Rachael Allen a 3-star review because， 1; I love the idea of having a backstory of the villain Harley Quinn 2; I enjoyed these different aspects of this villain's story but 3; there is something about this novel that I didn't enjoy。 "Harley Quinn: Reckoning" by Rachael Allen is a back story for one of our DC villains Harley Quinn。 I would give "Harley Quinn: Reckoning" by Rachael Allen a 3-star review because， 1; I love the idea of having a backstory of the villain Harley Quinn 2; I enjoyed these different aspects of this villain's story but 3; there is something about this novel that I didn't enjoy。 。。。more
Amanda Cresse
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A mystery set in Gotham with a young Harleen Quinzel right smack in the middle of everything？ Yes， please！ Even though the story takes place before her transition to Super Villain， the voice of HQ is spot-on！ This new spin on her backstory is engaging and full of feminist power。 I love the strong STEM-girl vibes shattering that male-dominated world。 The trauma/assault looks a little different for each character and is well done; also addressed is a victim who doesn't recognize abuse of power--wh A mystery set in Gotham with a young Harleen Quinzel right smack in the middle of everything？ Yes， please！ Even though the story takes place before her transition to Super Villain， the voice of HQ is spot-on！ This new spin on her backstory is engaging and full of feminist power。 I love the strong STEM-girl vibes shattering that male-dominated world。 The trauma/assault looks a little different for each character and is well done; also addressed is a victim who doesn't recognize abuse of power--which is a writing choice I was happy to see so it， too， can be discussed。 I am interested to see which YA audience enjoys this more。。。 DC Comic fans or new readers to the DC universe。 。。。more
Erin Mendoza
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I love a good origin story and I love Harley Quinn so this book hit all the marks。In The Reckoning， Harleen is attending a science program at Gotham U when she and some friends decide to TAKE DOWN THE PATRIARCHY。 I loved all the characters and especially loved the science Harleen was doing。 Recommend to any DC fans 😁Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for review。
Christine Piepmeier
，
A new spin on the Harley Quinn backstory！ This YA book follows a young Harleen Quinzel， who is taking a gap year and working in the Gotham University Bridge program。 She soon bands together with other young females to form a vigilante group called The Reckoning， bent on taking down professors in STEM who harass or overlook women。 However， one of the group soon ends up dead。 Harley has to figure out who is behind this before she is next。I loved this book！ I love Harley Quinn in general， but it wa A new spin on the Harley Quinn backstory！ This YA book follows a young Harleen Quinzel， who is taking a gap year and working in the Gotham University Bridge program。 She soon bands together with other young females to form a vigilante group called The Reckoning， bent on taking down professors in STEM who harass or overlook women。 However， one of the group soon ends up dead。 Harley has to figure out who is behind this before she is next。I loved this book！ I love Harley Quinn in general， but it was really cool to see a different backstory to her。 This book has nods to the Joker， but that isn't the focus。 Would definitely recommend！ 。。。more
Kat
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#HarleyQuinnReckoning #NetGalley Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book。 The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion。
Meghan Bohn
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Harley working in a neurobiology lab， written by a neuroscientist？ Um， yes please！ This was a fantastic origin story in and of itself， but the focus on STEM absolutely sold it for me。 Highly recommended！ 4。5 stars！Thank you to Random House Childrens and NetGalley for the ARC！
Morgan
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OMG！ Harley Quinn: Reckoning puts any other attempts at an HQ to shame。 Neuroscientist & author Rachael Allen brings us an unrivaled look into the early life of Harleen Quinzel。Harleen is a promising young scientist， working as an intern in Gotham U's prestigious Bridge Scholars program for recent high school grads。 Between working to research SV1 genetic mutations that indicate greater likelihood of being a supervillain， gymnastics， and avoiding her dad， Harleen's life is packed with successes OMG！ Harley Quinn: Reckoning puts any other attempts at an HQ to shame。 Neuroscientist & author Rachael Allen brings us an unrivaled look into the early life of Harleen Quinzel。Harleen is a promising young scientist， working as an intern in Gotham U's prestigious Bridge Scholars program for recent high school grads。 Between working to research SV1 genetic mutations that indicate greater likelihood of being a supervillain， gymnastics， and avoiding her dad， Harleen's life is packed with successes and daily traumas。Her budding friendship （maybe more？） with another scholar named Bernice takes her down an unexpected path: teaming up with other students to smash the patriarchy through pranks。 Their mischief， motivated by justice， starts to change the campus and leads them to investigate a pattern of assaults against women in STEM。Allen gives Harleen the backstory， nuance and compassion she deserves。 Harleen is a intelligent， passionate， and vibrant young adult - who's always looking forward to her next great destination whether it's a education， cupcake， or trip to the hyena exhibit。 While she's constantly tied to the past， Harleen is a force of hope who stands up against whatever comes her way。 She's brave， talented showswoman who is just a teeny bit impulsive。 CW: Like many HQ stories， this book deals with trauma， assault， and abuse。 These topics are handled with care。 But， as always， make sure you have a support system if needed。 。。。more
Maggie
，
I got an ARC copy of this book and I can't wait until it's released and I can start recommending it to people。 This was the Harley Quinn story I've wanted for ages。 It's such a great book that works perfectly as a prequel to the Birds of Prey movie。 I got an ARC copy of this book and I can't wait until it's released and I can start recommending it to people。 This was the Harley Quinn story I've wanted for ages。 It's such a great book that works perfectly as a prequel to the Birds of Prey movie。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Harley Quinn: Reckoning
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Harley Quinn: Reckoning&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft