FEMINISM MEETS GOTHAM CITY: Black Canary Review

February 1, 2021January 30, 2021 fangirlfury1 Comment

Summary (from the publisher):

Dinah Lance was seven years old when she overheard the impossible: the sound of a girl singing. It was something she was never meant to hear—not in her lifetime, and not in Gotham City, taken over by the Court of Owls. The sinister organization rules Gotham as a patriarchal dictatorship, all the while spreading their influence like a virus across the globe.

Now seventeen, Dinah can’t forget that haunting sound, and she’s beginning to discover that her own voice is just as powerful. But singing is forbidden—a one-way stop to a certain death sentence. Can she balance her father’s desire to keep her safe, a blossoming romance with mysterious new student Oliver Queen, and her own desire to help other women and girls rise up and finally be heard? And will her voice be powerful enough to destroy the Court of Owls once and for all.

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I recently jumped back into the DC Icons series this month with the latest installment, Black Canary: Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir. This companion series written by various young adult authors – Leigh Barudgo, Marie Lu, Matt de la Pena, and Sarah J. Maas all included- follows teenage versions of the most beloved heroes in the DC Comics world. While I’ve been more familiar with some DC heroes like Wonder Woman and Batman in this series, Black Canary was my first time learning about this female hero. I’ve had Birds of Prey on my to-view film list, and I might have to view it sooner rather than later because I want to learn more about Black Canary after reading this book!

Black Canary follows a teenage Dinah Lance growing up in Gotham City under the rule of the Court of Owls, an organization who took down the city’s superheroes years ago. Women have little to no rights in Gotham, including the right to sing, which frustrates Dinah immensely given her and her mother’s love for music. Dinah wants to be involved and seek justice for women and her city, while handling her father’s desire to stay under the radar and having feelings for the new guy in town, Oliver Queen.

Like the other books in the DC Icons series, Black Canary is really Dinah’s origin story. More than that, the book had very relevant themes surrounding female rights and empowerment. I do see The Handmaid’s Tale comparisons, but the book definitely takes on its own DC Comics inspired spin. Read More »

A DC Icons Review: Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu

January 19, 2018March 30, 2019 fangirlfury13 Comments

Summary: Eighteen-year old Bruce Wayne is ready to spend the summer with his best friends before heading off to college and officially inherit his family fortune, including Wayne Industries. But when an impulsive decision leads to five weeks of community service at Arkham Asylum, the home of Gotham City’s worst criminals, he finds himself investigating the Nightwalkers, the infamous group of criminals attacking the city’s wealthiest citizens. The most intriguing person involved is Arkham’s youngest inmate, Madeleine, a brilliant girl tied to the Nightwalkers, who will only speak to Bruce. Bruce must unravel the mystery that is Madeleine and decide if her words speak the truth or are leading him to hurt Gotham City himself.

My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

Let’s start off this review with a mini confessional and intro: Hi, my name is Haley of Fangirl Fury, and I am here to admit that I know next to nothing about Batman, but I decided to read a book about Batman. I’ve seen bits and pieces of The Dark Knight trilogy (my philosophy teacher was really into using film to display different philosophical structures), and I think the most Batman I’ve ever experienced is watching The Lego Movie. So why did I pick up Batman: Nightwalker?

BECAUSE IT’S WRITTEN BY MARIE LU, AUTHOR OF WARCROSS AND THE LEGEND TRILOGY AKA SOME OF ALL-TIME FAVORITE BOOKS NOT TO MENTION MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE AUTHOR.

Review: Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

November 30, 2017November 25, 2017 fangirlfury8 Comments

Summary: Princess Diana wants to prove herself to her immortal warrior sisters and mother, and when she finally has the opportunity to, she can’t tell anyone because it will likely lead to her exile. Mortals aren’t exactly welcomed on her island of Themyscira, much less ones who are shipwrecked there like Alia. Alia thought a semester at sea would be the perfect way to get away from her controlling brother and would allow her to get away from all the unfortunate things in her life. When her arrival causes trouble in Themyscira and the mortal world, Diana and Alia must work together to prevent war.

My Rating: 4.25/5 Stars

My Thoughts:

I’ve been looking forward to the DC Icons series throughout 2017 and my anticipation will extend to 2018, with Marie Lu’s Batman: Nightwalker and Sarah J. Maas’s Catwoman: Soulstealer , and of course, Leigh Bardugo’s Wonder Woman: Warbringer. Not only are these authors all-stars in the YA world, but they’re among my all-time favorite authors!

I went into Wonder Woman: Warbringer not knowing too much about the plot other than teenage Diana having to team up with a mortal girl, Alia. If you are not the world’s biggest Wonder Woman fan and maybe have only seen Wonder Woman, the 2017 film, no worries; Leigh Bardugo does a great job of introducing us to the world of Diana and her home of Themyscira, an all-female island for immortal warriors.

My favorite setting in the novel was New York City, specifically for Diana’s reaction. I loved seeing her experience the World of Man and outwit guys on the subway. However, as much as I liked seeing Diana in the mortal world, I wish that we spent some more time in Themyscira before things started hitting the fan. I enjoy world building, okay??? I liked exploring Diana’s relationship with her sisters and her mother, as Leigh Bardugo displays that Diana isn’t exactly the Wonder Woman that we all known in her home.

Being a fan of Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows duology, I wasn’t surprised at all with how much I enoyed Wonder Woman: Warbringer’s cast of characters. Jason added some mystery to the novel with his information on Alia’s origins and the family company, and Nim and Theo were absolutely hilarious. I loved this gem from the pair:

“ “We have a driver,” Diana said, new hope surging through her. “Now we just need to find a car.”

“You know this means I get to choose the radio station,” said Nim as they set out across the field.

Theo whimpered. “How about I just let you run over me?” ” (242).

While I really enjoyed the book overall, there were a few elements that weren’t my cup of tea. The ending of the novel really dragged on to me, even with all of the action scenes. We spend a lot of the novel building up to a certain moment that Alia and Diana must face, which I figured wouldn’t go exactly to plan, and it took so much time to get to a resolution. Some of the chapters in the beginning of the novel were also a bit long, and I felt that they could’ve been separated into shorter sections. A few of the chapters in the rest of the novel are also long, but they seemed to go faster with the dialogue between our cast—there are plenty of funny Nim and Theo moments!

Have you read Wonder Woman: Warbringer? Share in the comments?