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Review: Squire

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Title: Squire

Author: Nadia Shammas

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publication date: March 8, 2022

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SquireSummary

Becoming a Knight is considered one of the highest honors in the Bayt-Sajji Empire. For Aiza, becoming a Knight is one of the only ways for her to achieve full citizenship. As a part of the Ornu people, she’s considered less than, ostracized from the rest of the kingdom.

Now that Bayt-Sajji is once again on the brink of war, they’re beginning Squire training once again. It’s Aiza’s chance to prove herself and her people. But as she starts her training, she realizes that the Empire hasn’t always been telling the truth. And the people she’s supposed to be able to trust aren’t all that trustworthy after all. Because history is always written by the victors.

Review: Squire

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! Always on the lookout for new, diverse graphic novels to read, and this one fits the bill. Bonus points for it being fantasy and filling a hole seen in the graphic novel fantasy genre!

For the most part, I thought the writing throughout this was well done. There a few times where I thought it maybe got a little too wordy for a graphic novel, but sometimes it was necessary to ensure the readers are on the same page. Especially since this is a fantasy world that needs some explanation at times.

The writing also partners well with the characters to truly bring them to life. The art makes the characters incredibly expressive, supported by what’s going on in the text. We are also able to see a diverse representation of characters throughout this world, which better reflects the real world. You can see the characters changing as they learn more, which is so important in a book like this.

I also really liked the art in this. There are some really great panels in here, especially depicting the overall world. The overall color palette also helps in bringing this fantasy world to life.

My only qualm with this book is that the ending felt a bit rushed. I think it could have been expanded, and this honestly could become a series. I would totally read more!

4/5 stars

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