Full review at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books 
 Forever Red is a young adult novel about the Marvel character, Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff). While I think my teenaged self would have adored this book, my adult self thought it was...OK. It had some great moments, mostly courtesy of Tony Stark, and some good action, but it wasn't incredibly engrossing. 
 The story picks up a lot of steam about halfway through. Partly this is because enough plot elements come together that the characters are able to start fulfilling their potential. Partly it's because Tony Stark shows up and injects some much needed humor into the story. 
 A few things you should know: for the book to make sense, you need to know a little bit about Natasha and S.H.I.E.L.D. going in (the Marvel Avenger movies will do fine; you don't have to be a comic book expert). There's a romance, but not a happy one. There are children in peril and a cliffhanger ending that is depressing in the same way that most stories about Black Widow are depressing. There's a ton of violence but it's not graphic, and no sex. Although it's based on a comic book character, this is a novel, not a comic or a graphic novel. 
 Overall, I found this book to be moderately entertaining but difficult to invest in emotionally. However, as a teen, this would have been a great wish-fulfillment book. 
 - Carrie S.