Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Squire

Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Squire, by Nadia Shammas, Sara Alfageeh

2 reviews

emily_mh's review

adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I really liked the art style of this graphic novel, in particular the use of lighting and the extraordinary amount of detail in the illustrations. I loved the discussion it held on colonisation, both on its effects and on the narratives that fulfil it and what creates and sustains those narratives. I particularly liked the exploration of military and history as tools of colonialism; the illustration of how the military is romanticised so it can exploit vulnerable people as recruits was also excellent. However, I thought Aiza's character development from pro- to anti-colonisation was a little rapid, and the fact that

Spoiler

half the recruits changed their mind on colonisation after one discussion was downright unbelievable

. I think telling this story as series or even a duology would have provided the space for these developments occur without being rushed. Another criticism I had is that while the sense of the world I got from the art was strong, the worldbuilding was lacking in the actual narrative. Regardless of these two critiques, I did enjoy reading this story and following Aiza in her journey!

Content Warnings

amortristis's review

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adventurous hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I was really excited to read Squire – so much so that I preordered the book and now hold a first edition copy in my hand. While I did enjoy it, I feel like it’s lacking something that I can’t quite put my finger on.

I know other readers adored the artwork but I personally found it to be a bit hit-and-miss, especially early on. For every beautifully intricate illustration of an ornately decorated dagger, there is a panel with wildly out of proportion figures and a background so empty it looks unfinished and forgotten. I understand the need to draw quickly and efficiently, but I can see the art was rushed and there were mistakes, like

Spoiler

Aiza putting on a bandage to cover her tattoo (major plot point!) only for that bandage to be missing a couple of pages later.

The characters are well-developed but the worldbuilding isn’t as rich and robust as I’d like it to be. Though the Middle Eastern influences are clear in the aesthetic choices, the history and the culture of Bayt-Sajji and its colonies lack depth. Likewise, the anti-imperialist message needed more weight.

Spoiler

At first I was annoyed that General Hende was the chief antagonist. It felt like an easy out – our heroes defeat the Big Bad and so we get a nice and tidy conclusion to the story while not properly addressing the colonial power that’s supposed to be the focus. But, upon reflection, I think what they did with Hende works quite well. She represents Bayt-Sajji. Her demise can be read as parallel to the eventual fall of the empire, in that she wasn’t defeated by a gang of plucky young heroes, she was defeated by her own hubris and her self-destructive refusal to stand down. I suppose you could argue that Aiza represents Ornu, in that she’s the catalyst to that downfall. There’s a satisfying contrast between Hende refusing to give up and Aiza proudly announcing “guess I’m a quitter” at the very end of the story.

On the topic of symbolism, I really like the way that olives were used to represent healing. It’s a recurring motif that’s deceptively simple. The little botanical drawings quietly interrupt the pacing, making the action and the dialogue pause for just a moment as healing takes place. Details like this make me tempted to give the book a four star rating, but I’m sticking to three and a half.

Squire isn’t bad but it could have been better. Both the art and the writing needed further development. I can’t bring myself to give it a higher rating because it feels so incomplete. I’ve seen other reviewers wondering if there’ll be a sequel and while the idea that every piece of media needs to be transformed into a series frustrates me to no end, I do understand where this yearning/speculation is coming from. It does feel like there should be more. Squire is similar to Locatelli’s Persephone in a lot of ways – good and bad. Persephone’s execution was just a tad better.

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