Captain Marvel: Liberation Run – The Feminist Anthem I’d Forgotten I Needed

Thank you so much to Titan Books for kindly providing me with a review copy of Captain Marvel: Liberation Run.

This is a spoiler-free review and all opinions are my own.

Title: Captain Marvel: Liberation Run
Author: Tess Sharpe
Publisher: Titan Books
Publication Date: 26 February 2019
Length: 288 pages

An all-new original 
novel in which the most powerful hero in the Marvel Universe must free 
Inhuman slaves imprisoned on a distant world.

This book came out today! Be sure to order it from the links above and add it to your TBR – thank me later ❤

THIS IS NOT A GRAPHIC NOVEL OR COMIC BOOK, THIS IS AN ACTUAL NOVEL. Hope that clears it up! 🙂

This is a standalone novel but I highly recommend you check out some of Captain Marvel’s comics, specifically the ones by Kelly Sue DeConnick (who is a genius writer, by the way). She never fails to make me laugh and feel a real protectiveness over her baby Carol Danvers.

That said, you don’t have to read the comics to enjoy this book or the upcoming movie!

What are words? This book filled me with all kinds of warmth, happiness, gratitude, and the knowledge that I am never alone.

It’s the book I would probably gift my daughter, if I had one, or a little sister, or any girl I could, because this is the type of story I would want them to grow up reading: a story about women, and girls, who know their worth and keep strong despite everything and everyone telling them otherwise. Girls who support each other and stand by one another against those who seek to oppress them.

I would want them to experience the inspiration, the pride, the wonderment I felt while reading it and to keep those feelings forever.

I loved the camaraderie between the girls, the respectfulness of the guys, the fierce friendships and the sense of duty that comes along with being called heroes. All of it made my heart swell inside my chest and weep tears of joy.

Sappiness aside, Captain Marvel: Liberation Run isn’t just a feminist anthem – it’s an action-packed adventure filled with kickass characters, clever plotlines, snappy dialogue and breathless pace.

Reading it, I felt like I was watching a superhero movie or reading one of DeConnick’s epic issues. Tess Sharpe made the characters so alive, the world so vibrant, her writing vivid and palpable. I never felt bored or wishing for something to happen, because if there’s one thing this novel doesn’t lack is surprises – and not just for shock value, either. They were masterfully interwoven with the plot and revealed at just the right moment, with the exact perfect punch.

I had loads of fun with this book. I laughed and chuckled and felt my heart leap with joy at every turn. I kept wanting to turn the pages at a frenetic pace, yet savour each one with a fervent passion (does that even make sense? I hope it does.) Things got bleak at times, I’m not going to lie, but Carol Danvers has this energy about her that will not only make you blindly believe in her and her abilities, but in yourself as well.

I think the word I’m looking for is “hope”. Or “loyalty”. Or both.
I loved the little references here and there, and I know for a fact that I still ended up missing quite a few. The author was careful to put the reader up to speed with backstories and mention important details that would otherwise impact the reading experience – she also did it in a simple, straight-forward manner that was neither complicated nor boring, and that really complemented the narrative. It felt natural while still serving its educational purpose.
Captain Marvel: Liberation Run is a combination of The Handmaid’s Tale and Mad Max: Fury Road and if that doesn’t sound glorious to you, then I don’t know what to tell you. It contains truth and fiction in equal amounts, and dares the reader to pause and think for a moment. Is the world we live in right now all that different from this dystopic nightmare?
It’s bold and tame and light and heavy and all rolled into one giant ball of awesomeness. It’s also damn near perfection.

I have to say some of the dialogue was a bit cheesy, especially towards the end. But at the same time, can I really fault the author for wanting to pay homage to Captain Marvel’s origins – the Marvel comics themselves – where cheesiness is basically mandatory? Did my lips not curve knowingly at the cliché deliveries and the predictable, if incredibly satisfying, punchlines? They did, oh yes they did.

One more serious complaint, though, is the fact that despite being called Captain Marvel, the book revolved a lot more around Rhi and her story than Carol herself. It wasn’t a bad choice on the author’s part because I guess it worked and it didn’t fail to capture my attention (quite the opposite) but I still would have liked to follow Captain Marvel’s own adventure rather than see her in a more supporting role. She’s a force to be reckoned with and she deserves the spotlight.

It was slightly disappointing, if I’m being honest, but again, it didn’t take too much away from the story or my enjoyment.

This book should be read by everyone: women, men – everyone. It doesn’t offer an overly original point of view, or a groundbreaking storyline; in fact, it does the exact opposite – it brings back an old, tirying, inconvenient truth that has been attempting to make itself stick for decades and yet continues to find resistance in every possible angle in order to be accepted. And this is the book that just might make a dent in it.
It is inspiring, unapologetic, powerful, engaging, monumental, daring, important. I feel like anyone will be able to enjoy it, even if they are not familiar with Captain Marvel or any of the other characters. Because her tale is so relatable, her words cut so deep, her struggle is so real, her world is so contemporary. Yet it doesn’t feel like a lecture; it is thoroughly entertaining.

As soon as I started this book I wanted to go find out where this incredible woman came from, her story, and who her friends were. I ended up binge-reading a bunch of comics I had never had any interest in. And man, were they cool.

But do you know what’s cooler? Carol Danvers. And secondly, this book.

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📖 Do you enjoy comics as well?

📖 Are you familiar with Captain Marvel and her Universe?

📖 Are you pumped for the movie coming out in March?

Let me know in the comments below! 🙂