Bruce Wayne is about to turn 18 and inherit his family’s fortune, as well as control of Wayne Industries. However, on the day of his birthday, he makes an impulsive choice and is sentenced to community service at Arkham Asylum, a mix of prison and psychiatric hospital where the most unstable criminals in the city are held. There he meets Madeleine, a member of the Creatures of the Night, a radical group that wants to take down Gotham’s elite. Until then, the girl had refused to confess her crimes or inform the police about the future attacks they were planning, but she decides to open up to Bruce Wayne, initiating a dangerous game 
of seduction and intelligence. Will young Wayne be able to convince her to reveal all her secrets, or is she just manipulating him to ruin Gotham? As the final blow from the Creatures of the Night approaches, Bruce realizes he is not so different from Madeleine. And, even far from becoming the Dark Knight, he will need to prove that he is ready to stop one of the greatest threats Gotham has ever faced.
The DC Legends collection from Arqueiro publisher has brought us this time the new vision imagined by writer Marie Lu of one of the greatest heroes of all time: Batman. However, for those who expect the caped crusader as characterized, they may be a bit disappointed. It must be kept in mind that this DC collection explores the lives of some mythical heroes and anti-heroes from its universe in a very different way. The teenage phase is the focus in Batman: Creatures of the Night.
Marie Lu’s writing is truly very good, and she manages to conduct the entire plot in a way that captivates you from the very beginning, which is already full of action. This angle of the character Bruce Wayne turns out to be very interesting, even for readers who are not familiar with the journey of the batman, as what is shown here is his transition to adulthood, which already brings him 
some responsibilities, questions, and character definition.
For those who already follow the adult hero, they will find in young Bruce Wayne the characteristics that accompany him throughout his nearly eighty years of fictional existence. Wayne will always be haunted by the tragic death of his parents, and it is precisely this that makes him what he is: a hero. Obviously, in this version of the story, Wayne (and not Batman) still has much to learn, makes mistakes, but his detective mind already begins to show its brilliance and ends up directing his actions in a way well known to those who appreciate the feats of his future alter ego.
The “cat and mouse” relationship between Madeleine and Bruce is very well crafted by the author, and it is quite cool and interesting to see the progress of these two characters who end up challenging each other in a plot that proves to be worthy of the character’s universe. Details, investigations, and clues lead the characters to discover themselves little by little, while the main subject, the Creatures of the Night group, also unfolds and brings some surprises as well.
Basically, Batman: Creatures of the Night is a crime novel, where the goal is to incarcerate the villains who commit heinous crimes against the wealthy and powerful of Gotham City, which is well portrayed throughout the plot, where there are enigmatic, charismatic characters and old acquaintances of those who, as mentioned earlier, have followed the Bat-Man for years. Of course, if 
you know absolutely nothing about the Batman universe, it makes no difference to follow the plot, as the DC Legends series was made exactly for that. So, if you enjoy a good read with high doses of adventure, adrenaline, a bit of violence, technology, seduction, and intelligence, you, dear readers, will have a blast.
About the author: Marie Lu is the author of the Warcross and Young Elites series and the acclaimed Legend trilogy. She graduated from the University of Southern California and worked as a designer in the video game industry. Currently a full-time writer, she spends her free hours reading and gaming.
Jeffa Koontz
Literary Critic
www.sagaliteraria.com.br