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, Black Canary, 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 2022.

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.