#reading review

Thoughts: I will repeat myself when I say, think color is important to a genre like comic books, the art not just in illustration but in colorization is just as important as the story being good.

But for now I’ve read the black and white version.

For most of my time reading Batman, I’ve had people recommend me the court of owls saga, and to be honest I never understood why, a secret society ruling over a city, that’s a played out trope. I like my Gotham cursed, metaphorically or literally doesn’t matter but it’s how I like it. I always assumed that something like the court of owls would ruin that experience for me. But it didn’t, I see why people recommended it. It almost elevates the idea for me. Gotham is rot from the inside out not just by some curse and not just metaphorically but by the actual people, not just the villains and not the people living day by day, but the people who say they care. It's not hard to say this is very reflective of real life. As people point fingers to this mysterious "other" that we are made to blame, just as the Gothamites blame the curse of the city, when really it's those same people pointing us in a direction who are to blame. using whoever they can to their advantage, people who need help, people who are sick, like the owls did to Lincoln March. Finding people to play their game assuming everyone will, and when they don't, like the Wayne's they want them gone. cause they are the real threat but not to you, but to them. People who won't play their game, like Thomas and Martha Wayne, like Bruce now. The city is cursed but not in some vague magical way, by it's people, who plan to keep it that way.

I think the court of owls is a good villain or organization, whatever you classify it as. i think the plot beat while small of Dick having been picked out to be a talon was nice, in my opinion it gives more depth to why the circus might have mob ties and protection, cause they were holding kids that could be of use to the court of owls. It also gives Dick the chance to tell Bruce of course you are what you make of yourself not what others see. I will always side with nurture over nature in that debate so I always love to see this kind of thing in media, the idea is cheesy, the idea of someone saying "you are you" but i always appreciate it.

Closing Critiques: i like most of the story beats of this saga, one of the only things i disliked was the idea Lincoln March may actually be Bruce's brother. of course the way it ended there is evidence for both sides depending on how you look at it. But i think it would be much better if they confirmed he was a John Doe manipulated to think he was Bruce's brother. i think opening the idea and not closing it in the same saga could have the potential to ruin Bruce's early development, he was alone when his parents died, no one but his butler which is still not super impactful since he's paid to be there. But now there is a chance he didn't have to be and to me it almost ruins the tragedy as being forced to be alone, to me is more impactful than choosing to be alone/not knowing you didn't have to be. I also think confirming the idea that he's not Bruce's brother would make it more impactful, as it would show how far the court of owls is willing to go to get what they want, to make a figure head from a nobody who was just sick and needed help. Not a man trying to take back his place in the world. Although i do love how in earth two the Bruce stand in is Thomas Wayne jr, who is owl man. Although I'm not a fan of Bruce maybe having a brother i do like that if he does it's a constant no matter who is born first Thomas Wayne jr is fated to be owl man.

Of course every piece of art can be seen in many ways, and people can take different messages from them. so tell me in the comments or in the reblogs what you thought of the court of owls saga, what are your thoughts and opinions, do you agree with me, or what don't you agree with. as long as you keep it respectful id be happy to talk about it.

the Book Nook is closing, until next time. Don't forget to grab you a snack on the way out, and remember, never stop reading.

Since I have aphantasia, the description was a lifesaver, being able to look at fan art that holds so much accuracy since the descriptions of the set, characters, and clothing are so vivid and clear. Also, the fan art was truly some of the most beautiful I have seen within the reading community, The Caraval wiki holds some jaw-dropping artworks, but someone I have to mention is ‘ElvenwoodDesign’ as their works are some of the most beautiful. The Caraval Fandom has to be one of the best I have had a look around, the artists seem to be very supportive of each other which is not seen as much as I would personally like.

Something else I want to touch on is the twist?! What an insane ending! I have to admit I am an absolute sucker for a solid plot twist, and this one was not one I was expecting. Both heartbreaking and warming at the same time, it is so hard to locate the right words to describe how I felt while reading the last few chapters. The only way to describe it is to spoil it, and for those of you who are looking for reccomendations rather than reviews, I do not want to spoil it. So please, do yourself a favour and read it, even if you only read the first book as I cannot speak on the rest of the series yet as even I haven’t read it. As soon as I have the series though I will be here, frantically typing and most likely raving once again at the beauty of Stephanie Garber's work.