Harley Quinn: Ravenous by Rachael Allen is the sequel to Harley Quinn: Reckoning and part of the DC Icons series. The DC Icons series has seven books so far and tells stories before the DC hero or villain became iconic. Harley Quinn is the first book in the DC Icons to get a sequel and eventual trilogy. Harley Quinn: Ravenous takes place 3 months after Harley Quinn: Reckoning. Harleeen Quinzel is now officially in college and still dealing with the repercussions that happened last year. This book like the last book starts with a flash-forward which we catch up to a little past the point midway in the book. This book is a little slower-paced than the first book at the beginning because Harleen is trying to be good but spoiler it won’t last for long. There’s a line from The Godfather, “Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in” Harley is the antithesis of this since she pulls herself back in with her curiosity. The best part of the book is how well Rachael Allen captures the character of Harley. The jokes, the inner monologue, the bisexuality, the ADHD, and many more nuances of the one and only Harley Quinn. Harley interns at Arkham Asylum and we get to meet some villains, King Shark, Mr. Freeze, The Scarecrow, The Joker, The Riddler, and Talia al Ghul. We also meet 2 not yet villains in Poison Ivy and the Queen of Fables. The book is mainly a mystery much like the first book. The ending is exciting and leads the way to the final book called Harley Quinn: Redemption which will be available in Spring 2024. I was blown away when I read Harley Quinn: Reckoning and it made my top 10 books of last year, the follow-up Harley Quinn: Ravenous keeps the same solid writing and Harley Quinn personality that I loved, and I can not wait for the final book in the trilogy Harley Quinn: Redemption. Harley Quinn: Ravenous was published by Random House Books for Young Readers on April 25, 2023. I do want to thank Netgalley and Random House for giving me the first book to review Harley Quinn: Reckoning and introducing me to this series. I was not selected to read Harley Quinn: Ravenous for review, but fingers crossed for Harley Quinn Redemption.

Plot Summary: Harley Quinn has given up her rebellious ways and just wants to be a good student at Gotham University. She’s an intern at Arkham Asylum as she works on her psychology degree. She is still haunted by past actions like the murder of her best friend and her former girlfriend going to prison and knows an accomplice to the crimes is at Arkham Asylum. Harley gets assigned to Talia al Guhl and analyzes her brain waves to determine her age. Talia is in Arkham because of her recent assassination attempt on the mayor of Gotham. Talia sees a kindred spirit in Harley and tells of the Scarecrow who stalks Arkham at night and performs fear experiments on inmates. Talia comes up with a plan to stop the Scarecrow, but can she trust her? Harley is not alone and has a new friend in Pamela Isley who has her reasons to take down the Scarecrow.

What I Liked: How Harley Quinn the character is captured so beautifully. The flash-forward scene at the beginning is a great set-up to the mystery. The Harley and Ivy relationship is a thrill ride of longing and turmoil. I like that Harley clarifies that she is bisexual and does date both genders. I love King Shark’s character and how he is both vicious and sweet. I like how many easter eggs are thrown in for the comic readers. How many throwbacks to Harley Quinn: Reckoning there was in this. The story is headed in the right direction and I want to read Harley Quinn: Redemption now. I enjoyed the Taylor Swift reference at the sorority games and thought it fit very well in the story. The humor is great throughout the book. Harley’s insights on life are too much for me sometimes.

What I Disliked: There was a little too much redundancy. We get a flash-forward at the beginning and spend the next half of the book getting to that point, which some omissions. Past the flash-forward, she has lost the memory we have just read. it was very redundant and the scene repeats itself. I felt the flash-forward should have been her memory and still trying to remember the bits that she can’t. I feel it was a story misstep. Harley and the Joker needed more scenes together, the novel is trying to tell a different background for Harley making the transition from Harleen to Harley more impactful, but still, I needed more between them.

Recommendations and Rating: Harley Quinn is one of my favorite characters from the DCU, And Rachael Allen’s take on her is fantastic. I recommend you check out Harley Quinn: Ravenous and Harley Quinn: Reckoning. I recommend reading Reckoning first since there’s some much reference to it in Ravenous. I read Reckoning a year ago and was lost until I remembered what happened in Reckoning. Harley Quinn: Ravenous will take the Harley origin story that you know and turn it on its head. I rated Harley Quinn: Ravenous by Rachael Allen 4 out of 5 stars.