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Star-crossed lovers Princess Seraphina and Darius Ravenscar are only able to snatch a few moments of respite before the latter’s curse threatens to consume him and put his lover’s life in lethal danger. Issue 4 of “Parliament of Rooks” isn’t as swift or tense as the last one, however, it does unravel some interesting secrets from Darius’ past. And Abigail Jill Harding’s gothic illustrations continue to be vividly engaging.
Titled “Winter,” issue 4, much like the first installment of “Parliament of Rooks,” begins with Darius standing by an ailing and elderly Seraphina, before viewers are plunged into fresh flashbacks of events from the past. The truth about what happened to the mysterious Calisandra, Darius’ lover before he met Seraphina, is finally unveiled. Darius also recalls meeting an old associate of his mother, who tells him the strange story of how he came to be. However, the element of shock is somewhat diminished because the author strongly foreshadows Calisandra’s fate. Consequently, in terms of twists and turns, this issue lacks excitement, but a new antagonist introduced towards the end does stir things up, leading to some fantastic and violent battle scenes between Darius in his Wraith form and the new entrant.
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Some of the events in the second half of the comic were very annoying as they didn’t make sense from the characters’ perspective. Darius escorts Seraphina back to her castle, however, it’s hard to understand why he decides to accompany her inside the castle, as if she doesn’t know the way or is incapable, especially considering how much the King despises him. Let’s not forget, he unleashed brutal carnage on the kingdom, so ideally, he should have simply seen her off at the palace gates and left (he is used to sneaking around anyway). His decision obviously leads to conflict, but it could’ve been introduced in some other way.
The final pages of this issue are brimming with a tense, bloody battle, and the illustrations are simply riveting. However, despite the conflict, the pace slows down in the climax, and I find myself less enthused about what might happen in the next issue. Hopefully, as it’s slated to be the concluding volume of “Parliament of Rooks,” creator Abigail Jill Harding might have some thrilling surprises up her sleeve.
Rating: 3.5 on 5. “Parliament of Rooks” is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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