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Supergirl #2
Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients
Kara Danvers, also known as Supergirl, is back in the second title of this new middle-grade series, featuring original adventures not seen on TV. This second title in a planned three-book series picks up where the first book left off and builds upon the world of the TV show, as Supergirl continues her mission to protect National City. Written by author Jo Whittemore, this is one series fans won’t want to miss!
238 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2018
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177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 30, 2018
Holy Roman Empire, Batman!
(#SorryNotSorry, that one begged to happen.)
Reading the follow-up to Age of Atlantis comes at a strange time for me as a Supergirl fan - or, more accurately, ex-fan, since I've quit watching the show now. It was a long time coming, given how Season 3 was just such a garbage mess of nonsensical doom and gloom and throwing away some of the best characters and pandering to virulent Mon-El haters in particular. Even knowing Jeff Schechter, that old Stitchers top dog, is coming into the picture next year can't convince me to continue. Like a lot of my friends, especially in the Karamel fandom, the show's pretty much ended with Season 2 for me.
But here, just like in Age of Atlantis, we get a strong resurgence of the Season 2 Peak Supergirl vibe. And just like in the first book of this trilogy, Whittemore again gives us superior depictions of the characters, far better than the writers of the actual show were able to give us. Maybe I was a little put off by the inclusion of a few of my least favorite characters, though. Like Lyra, whose relationship with Winn, I still remember for all the wrong reasons. Or especially Lena Luthor - the effects of the titular Curse of the Ancients on Lena were so humorous that frankly I think they'd be beyond Katie McGrath's ability to portray, because she's just so stoic on the show that it consistently crosses the line into wooden.
That said, though, Whittemore makes a lot of my faves pop off the page like they really did step out of an unused Season 2 script. Mon's more of a goofball - he's still not as mature as we know he can become. J'onn and Alex are terrific leaders, as expected. James, he's really coming into his own as Guardian. Winn is made of a million references a minute, just the way I like him. And Kara? She's hit hard with some self-doubt, but that's what her friends are for, to give her the properly timed pep talks she needs. She even gets one from Iris West, of all people, in a surprise cameo that runs parallel to the events of The Flash: Johnny Quick. And while I immediately cringed at seeing Iris because I'm so used to rolling my eyes at the chemistry-free corniness of WestAllen, I quickly overrode that reaction because it's only Iris in this scene, and she's nothing if not motivationally gifted.
Best of all, the very storyline feels like it would've made a wonderful alternative to the Mxyzptlk episode. Not only because of the reality warping, not only because of the bizarre sense of humor (even getting into literal Roman toilet humor at times too), but especially because of a certain scene involving a theater. All that's missing is the Holy Couch, but that's to be expected since this book's geared for kids.
So far there's not much word on the third and final volume of this trilogy. No title, no storyline, nada. But it'll come soon, I hope. And I also especially hope Whittemore doesn't emulate Season 3 too much. Or at all, even. We could do without traumatizing the kiddies with a post-Mon, post-Winn, and absolutely post-canon story.
(#SorryNotSorry, that one begged to happen.)
Reading the follow-up to Age of Atlantis comes at a strange time for me as a Supergirl fan - or, more accurately, ex-fan, since I've quit watching the show now. It was a long time coming, given how Season 3 was just such a garbage mess of nonsensical doom and gloom and throwing away some of the best characters and pandering to virulent Mon-El haters in particular. Even knowing Jeff Schechter, that old Stitchers top dog, is coming into the picture next year can't convince me to continue. Like a lot of my friends, especially in the Karamel fandom, the show's pretty much ended with Season 2 for me.
But here, just like in Age of Atlantis, we get a strong resurgence of the Season 2 Peak Supergirl vibe. And just like in the first book of this trilogy, Whittemore again gives us superior depictions of the characters, far better than the writers of the actual show were able to give us. Maybe I was a little put off by the inclusion of a few of my least favorite characters, though. Like Lyra, whose relationship with Winn, I still remember for all the wrong reasons. Or especially Lena Luthor - the effects of the titular Curse of the Ancients on Lena were so humorous that frankly I think they'd be beyond Katie McGrath's ability to portray, because she's just so stoic on the show that it consistently crosses the line into wooden.
That said, though, Whittemore makes a lot of my faves pop off the page like they really did step out of an unused Season 2 script. Mon's more of a goofball - he's still not as mature as we know he can become. J'onn and Alex are terrific leaders, as expected. James, he's really coming into his own as Guardian. Winn is made of a million references a minute, just the way I like him. And Kara? She's hit hard with some self-doubt, but that's what her friends are for, to give her the properly timed pep talks she needs. She even gets one from Iris West, of all people, in a surprise cameo that runs parallel to the events of The Flash: Johnny Quick. And while I immediately cringed at seeing Iris because I'm so used to rolling my eyes at the chemistry-free corniness of WestAllen, I quickly overrode that reaction because it's only Iris in this scene, and she's nothing if not motivationally gifted.
Best of all, the very storyline feels like it would've made a wonderful alternative to the Mxyzptlk episode. Not only because of the reality warping, not only because of the bizarre sense of humor (even getting into literal Roman toilet humor at times too), but especially because of a certain scene involving a theater. All that's missing is the Holy Couch, but that's to be expected since this book's geared for kids.
So far there's not much word on the third and final volume of this trilogy. No title, no storyline, nada. But it'll come soon, I hope. And I also especially hope Whittemore doesn't emulate Season 3 too much. Or at all, even. We could do without traumatizing the kiddies with a post-Mon, post-Winn, and absolutely post-canon story.
May 22, 2018
When a supposed friend turns foe and traps most of National City in a magical curse that sends Supergirl and friends back to ancient Rome, Kara has five days to find a way to reverse the spell before it becomes permanent!
This one takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it's full throttle to the end. The set pieces keep coming, and the plot weaves nicely into Supergirl's continuity, using plot devices from previous episodes of the show to move things forward. There's a lot of time for all of Supergirl's supporting cast, from Winn and Alex to J'onn, Mon-El, and even James and Lena Luthor. You could argue that the balance here is actually a bit better than the show itself, but I'd credit that to having a bit more space for the story to breathe rather than having to fit into a forty minute slot.
Speaking of which, both this series and the Barry Lyga Flash books seem to be leaning into the magical characters of the DC Universe (which I am fully here for) because they don't have to deal with TV budget restrictions, so some of my favourite characters appear here which is great for me personally. There are also echoes of (some obscure) comic continuity here that I'm sure longtime Supergirl fans will enjoy.
There's less of a coherent flow between this volume and the last compared to the Flash series (look, I know, they're separate things, but they come out at basically the same times so I'm going to compare them); the plot here does spin out of the first book, but it doesn't really reference the previous one as much as the first two Flash books do; this isn't a failing exactly, but it does mean that this appears to be more of a series of three stories rather than one long interconnecting one.
If you liked the first one, this is more of the same. If you haven't read the first one, you can probably just jump right in and get caught up fairly quickly. Either way, come read some Supergirl.
This one takes a little while to get going, but once it does, it's full throttle to the end. The set pieces keep coming, and the plot weaves nicely into Supergirl's continuity, using plot devices from previous episodes of the show to move things forward. There's a lot of time for all of Supergirl's supporting cast, from Winn and Alex to J'onn, Mon-El, and even James and Lena Luthor. You could argue that the balance here is actually a bit better than the show itself, but I'd credit that to having a bit more space for the story to breathe rather than having to fit into a forty minute slot.
Speaking of which, both this series and the Barry Lyga Flash books seem to be leaning into the magical characters of the DC Universe (which I am fully here for) because they don't have to deal with TV budget restrictions, so some of my favourite characters appear here which is great for me personally. There are also echoes of (some obscure) comic continuity here that I'm sure longtime Supergirl fans will enjoy.
There's less of a coherent flow between this volume and the last compared to the Flash series (look, I know, they're separate things, but they come out at basically the same times so I'm going to compare them); the plot here does spin out of the first book, but it doesn't really reference the previous one as much as the first two Flash books do; this isn't a failing exactly, but it does mean that this appears to be more of a series of three stories rather than one long interconnecting one.
If you liked the first one, this is more of the same. If you haven't read the first one, you can probably just jump right in and get caught up fairly quickly. Either way, come read some Supergirl.
August 21, 2018
SSSSSSSSSUPER GLORIOUSSSSSSS (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*✲ﾟ*｡・ﾟ✧
May 3, 2018
I knew I would love this book, but I didn't know how much. I couldn't stop reading. It really felt like this book was written just for me. It has so many qualities that I love about the TV Show, plus perfect references to other stuff I enjoy. I recommend the book for Supergirl and Winn Schott fans. I absolutely loved all the Winn moments, especially the ones with Kara. I can't wait to read the next book in the trilogy. I wish the series would continue. I wish the next one wasn't the last.
May 3, 2018
I enjoyed the first book of this series, Age of Atlantis, it was really well written, and this is a mostly decent sequel. I did enjoy parts of this book, especially the humor and the characters, but the fact that the plot deals heavily with demons and magic was a little off putting for me personally. I mean I knew that a curse would obviously be involved because its right there in the title, but I kind of expected it to be the lighter kind of curse where it's not really a true curse, if that makes sense, which it probably doesn't. Here the plot involves the summoning and use of demons and even one of DC's big demon characters shows up, and if I had known I probably would have skipped this book like I tend to skip episodes of the shows when they deal with stuff like this. I just really did not expect it to be so heavily involved in this book. I try avoid things that deal with a lot of magic and especially demons because they make me uncomfortable do to my personal religious beliefs, and I usually probably would have DNF'd this once it hit me that the plot would revolve around demons because of all that, but I still decided finish it because I was already about half way through. All the parts that didn't specifically deal with what was going on with the demon situation I enjoyed, like all the stuff in between, but as much as I liked those, I probably wouldn't read this again in the future like I would Age of Atlantis and other tie-ins for the DCTV shows. Overall if you're a fan and don't mind the demon thing, this should be a decent read, but if because of religious beliefs you don't want your kids to read books with demons in them then you're probably going to want to skip this, just a heads up for parents of younger readers there.
September 21, 2020
Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients is book 2 in the Jo Whittemore’s Supergirl Series inspired by the characters of the hit CW series, “Supergirl.” In the first book, Supergirl: Age of Atlantis, a rare Atlantean metal was released into the. Environment causing regular citizens to exhibit superpowers.
In Curse of the Ancients, Kara/Supergirl and her friends go to the rooftop of the DEO (Department of Extra-Normal Operations) to watch Caeser’s Comet pass over Earth in the night sky, but this comet has been cursed by a demon and unexpectedly unleashes a spell that transforms Central City into Ancient Rome. Supergirl must find the antidote to the curse before its effects become permanent. While doing so, she is confronted by a citizenry who literally worships her as a Goddess, making Kara very uncomfortable.
Author Jo Whitemore does an excellent job on character development maintaining a clear focus on a descriptive setting. The plot is fast paced, easy to read, with unexpected twists and turns as Supergirl fights a demon with magical powers that she is vulnerable to.
I highly recommend Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients to any fan of the TV series.
In Curse of the Ancients, Kara/Supergirl and her friends go to the rooftop of the DEO (Department of Extra-Normal Operations) to watch Caeser’s Comet pass over Earth in the night sky, but this comet has been cursed by a demon and unexpectedly unleashes a spell that transforms Central City into Ancient Rome. Supergirl must find the antidote to the curse before its effects become permanent. While doing so, she is confronted by a citizenry who literally worships her as a Goddess, making Kara very uncomfortable.
Author Jo Whitemore does an excellent job on character development maintaining a clear focus on a descriptive setting. The plot is fast paced, easy to read, with unexpected twists and turns as Supergirl fights a demon with magical powers that she is vulnerable to.
I highly recommend Supergirl: Curse of the Ancients to any fan of the TV series.
April 10, 2024
Even here there's SuperCorp subtext
Kara is given 2 tickets to the orchestra with explicit encouragement to bring "someone special". Who does she bring? Lena.
Not saying it's deliberate; it probably isn't. An entire book (rife with superhero shenanigans) passes between her receiving the tickets and actually using them; more than enough time and events to argue Kara *could* have forgotten the original romantic connotations placed on the second ticket. Or maybe she just half-forgot it. Maybe her subconscious is trying to tell her something.
Yet another "maybe" to add to the conspicuously long list of such maybes between them. Whether you meant to do it or not, excellent work Jo!
Kara is given 2 tickets to the orchestra with explicit encouragement to bring "someone special". Who does she bring? Lena.
Not saying it's deliberate; it probably isn't. An entire book (rife with superhero shenanigans) passes between her receiving the tickets and actually using them; more than enough time and events to argue Kara *could* have forgotten the original romantic connotations placed on the second ticket. Or maybe she just half-forgot it. Maybe her subconscious is trying to tell her something.
Yet another "maybe" to add to the conspicuously long list of such maybes between them. Whether you meant to do it or not, excellent work Jo!
September 10, 2018
This book is so dumb. The guy from the coffee shop (last book) uses a comet to turn National City into Ancient Rome so he can possess Lena Luthor's musician friend, who is apparently a lookalike for his dead wife. Or something. Nonsense! Everything I found charming in the first book just feels radically annoying this time around, from the worst-plot-ever to the constant attempts at clever dialogue. Don't even get me started on Winn. Super groan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2022
This was just a for-fun read. Like most TV-show based books, it is far from good literature and a lot of the jokes and even twists feel forced. Still, for a TV-show based book, it was engaging and fast paced. The notion of bringing a magical curse that brings Ancient Rome into the present and involves demons instead of aliens was definitely an interesting development for Supergirl. Overall, pleasant experience.
May 17, 2018
I loved the idea that Supergirl and the DEO lost all of their normal tech, so they had to rely on other ways to save the day. Winn was a lot of fun in this book. And we even got a nice scene between Kara and someone else in the DCTV universe. I’m very excited for book 3!
June 28, 2018
I love the show this is based on and the characters. The one thing that really irritated me about this book was the overly frequent use of the word "smirk". I got so perturbed I screamed by the end of the book at every "smirk". The last few chapters had at least 4 "smirks"!!
August 20, 2018
Such a fun story!
December 28, 2018
Even more out there than its predecessor, honestly all you need to know is that Winn calls J'onn "Space Dad" and my little fangirl heart burst from joy.
March 25, 2020
Was okay but super weird story line. Hope the last one is better. Didn’t keep my attention and took me a while but was ok.
September 13, 2020
It was really funny to see how National city became the new Rome. Also, I was glad that this time they include Lena and she helped them to solve this problem also Kara got a little help from Iris.
December 24, 2020
A perfect combination of Supergirl, magic, and Ancient Rome. What a wild ride!
September 13, 2023
i wish this would’ve been an episode of cw supergirl. 🥹
i loved this book and the characters felt exactly like the show which i loveee.
the plot was also really good and exciting.
i loved this book and the characters felt exactly like the show which i loveee.
the plot was also really good and exciting.
April 8, 2025
Not really my favorite, I was okay with the first book and wanted to like this one the same. It's good for like early teens.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2022
Loved it! The character interactions seemed spot on with what I would expect from the cast of the tv show. The curse that resulted was quite interesting and it was great to see all the creative thinking and working together that went into saving the day/area/people.
January 11, 2019
What a fun read! The characters are all- well, in-character so it really feels like watching an ep of the show and I’ve missed the atmosphere of season 2! Looking forward to the next adventure 👊
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews