Nadia Shammas

Sara Alfageeh

From two incredible rising talents comes the fantasy graphic novel Molly Knox Ostertag calls “instantly compelling.”

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. 

It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

In this breathtaking and timely story, Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Squire

Overall, this is a pretty decent intro to the concepts of apartheid, discrimination, and immigration, especially for young readers. I think the relationship between Aiza and Husni especially showed off the affects these concepts can have on young people. The art is beautiful and the story & characters have potential. I think the story needed more time though. The pacing was pretty fast and the characters & relationships could have used more fleshing out.

Ari Rose

The art and coloring was beautiful; the story was told in an engaging way; and it was really fast paced (maybe a little too much for me), which meant that every detail 

The art and coloring was beautiful; the story was told in an engaging way; and it was really fast paced (maybe a little too much for me), which meant that every detail really meant something. 

Squire is beautifully and thoughtfully done. The artwork is vibrant and speaks for itself. The characters have complex motivations and meaningful banter. The story is filled and intertwined with societal and family pressures. 

If you don't read graphic novels, read this one regardless. You will not regret it.

Alyssum

Squire is beautifully and thoughtfully done. The artwork is vibrant and speaks for itself. The characters have complex motivations and meaningful banter. The story is filled and intertwined with societal and family pressures. 

If you don't read graphic novels, read this one regardless. You will not regret it.

Shay

Actual rating 4.75, rounded up to 5. 

Squire was an amazing graphic novel about a young girl named Aiza who left home to go train as a squire and learns the meaning of friendship and belonging along the way. 

Aiza is one of the Ornu, a group of people ostracized in the Bayt-Sajji Empire, but she wants nothing more than to be a Knight. So she hides the tattoos on her wrist that identify her as Ornu, forges her enlistment paperwork to hide her identity, and signs up to train as a squire.

Throughout Aiza's time in training, her secret weighs down on her. She meets new people and makes friends, fails training exercises, excels at others, and even meets a former Knight who takes her on as a student. 

Squire was a story about love and friendship, overcoming expectations placed on you by others, misunderstanding people who are different, standing up for what is right, and learning to persevere even when it seems that all odds are against you. 

I fell in love with Aiza. She was so full of life and optimism and she always seemed to look for the best in people. She was earnest and honest and just wanted to do right by her family and her Empire. 

The only reason this wasn't a 5 star for me was because toward the end of the book it felt like events were moving a little too fast. I know that's a tactic to make it seem more suspenseful and make the action feel like it's happening quickly (in real time) rather than being a slower moment, but I would have loved to have more time with Aiza and more pages as the main action is unfolding. It felt like it was a lot faster paced than the rest of the novel. 

But aside from that I really loved this graphic novel. It was very heartwarming and full of hope. I would love to see some additional volumes come out maybe expanding on Aiza's story or what happened after the end of Squire. (view spoiler)[We leave off with Aiza having to leave with her friends after taking down General Hende and I'm very curious about where Aiza's adventures take her. (hide spoiler)]

Zoe Smolen

This was a super enjoyable graphic novel! I really enjoyed the fantasy aspect and that the story focused on a female character wanting to be a hero. I loved the characters and the discoveries they come to along the way of our story. My biggest complaint is that I wanted it to be longer. The middle of the story felt a little rushed and I could have used an additional 50 pages or so to develop the characters more. 

Thanks to the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Squire

Author: Sara Alfageeh & Nadia Shammas

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Middle Eastern inspired characters, amputee character

Recommended For...: young adult readers, graphic novel, fantasy, historical fiction, Asian Literature

Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Genre: YA Fantasy Graphic Novel

Age Relevance: 15+ (child soldiers, war, Classism, Colonization, Racism, Famine, Language, Abelism, Violence, Gore)

Explanation of Above: The theme of the book involves war, racism, classism, colonization, and child soldiers, all of which are shown in the book and described. The book mentions famine and has a handful of curse words. There is also abelism shown but it is quickly dealt with. There is violence with swords shown and gore with some blood shown as well.

Publisher: Quill Tree Books

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.

It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Review: I really liked this read! It reminds me a lot of Blood Scion and it was an informational and fun graphic novel. I absolutely love the illustarations and it did well to convey the story. The book had a very well detailed story and I really enjoyed it. The character development was super well done. The world building was amazing. The book is well written and is a new favorite read of mine.

The only issue I had with the book is the way it ended. It kinda leaves off on a cliffhanger and I hope that the book has a sequel in the future.

Verdict: I highly enjoyed this book! Highly recommend!



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Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It’s the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program. 

It’s not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the “greater good” that Bayt-Sajji’s military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.

In this breathtaking and timely story, Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.

Squire

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