Supergirl, Book 2 - Curse of the Ancients

Supergirl soars back into action in this second young adult novel based on CW's television show. And quite frankly, this book was much, MUCH more enjoyable than the first book, and it definitely had a stronger feeling of the show. While it is written by the same author, J.D. Whittemore, the overall characterization and storytelling was far more on point, and I was smiling pretty much the entire time I read the book.  It was like watching an episode of the show, but in word format!

Curse of the Ancients is not a continuation of the previous story, but rather, an entirely new disaster that introduces readers to the female Doctor Light (which I was glad to see happen from the moment they introduced Dr. Hoshi in the first chapter!) and brings in a surprising villain from the comics. Plus, Winn really gets to shine in this one, with some awesome Dr. Who references that brought a smile to my face.  Mon-El, Alex, J'onn, and even Lena have a part to play, and they literally lept off the page and visually into my mind - I could see the actors actually playing out the parts exactly as written.

So, what happens when a comet comes close enough to Earth that it is not only visible to the naked eye, but it shoots down a blinding flash of light that literally changes everything?  Well, for one thing, you get a city that is suddenly thrust back into ancient Rome, filled with people who are slowly reverting to that time. You also get some aliens who must try and make sense of what is happening around them, as well as a techie and a guardian who find themselves stuck on the outside, looking in. Plus, you get a brand new hero and a surprise villain (who, honestly, I didn't even realize was the character from the comics until I looked it up later - I had completely forgotten that this villain was known by a completely different name during the Peter David run of Supergirl in the comics...).

The story is fun, but with a serious side - Supergirl only has four days within which to find a way to end the curse over National City, or it will forever remain in the ancient Roman state, and its people will completely revert to citizens of that period.  Supergirl and J'onn are completely unaffected, as they are alien to this world, which turns out to be a saving grace, since the DEO just happens to have quite the stash of alien technology.  And knowing that Winn and Jimmy are outside of the dome separating the city from the rest of the world gives them hope that they will find a way inside.  And, well, Winn being who he is, does manage to come up with some great ideas - but it is ultimately Supergirl who finds a way to get Winn and Jimmy inside.

Oh, and did I mention that a certain Jason Blood is in this story?  If you are a fan of DC Comics, then you'll know who that is, and you know that is pretty much a guarantee that a certain other character is bound to appear at some point in the story!d  Between Madame Xanadu's appearances in the Flash books and now Blood's appearance here, it makes me wonder if there isn't some kind of supernatural crossover planned for the books?  (Although, from what I have been told, these two series are only trilogies, which would kind of kill that idea - a shame, though, as I would love to see these as ongoing series...)

Guess it's another game of wait and see!

RATING:  9 domes of doom out of 10 for keeping Supergirl super-fun to read, super-faithful to the character and show, and super-easy to recommend to every fan of the TV show and comic!