Reviews with content warning for Blood - Squire

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Squire, by Nadia Shammas, Sara Alfageeh

14 reviews

some_random_person_hi's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful informative sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Review to come when harpercollins strike is over.

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clarabooksit's review

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adventurous inspiring fast-paced

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

4.5

Absolutely fantastic. The art is beautiful and filled with life and movement, and the story is gripping and powerful. I loved Aiza and her band of would-be squires and how the story interrogates history, who writes it and what truth actually is or isn’t.

I do think more exposition would have helped at some parts and the pacing was a little too fast, but overall I loved it. It’s full of depth and nuance, and the touches of humor added a lot, too. Highly recommend this one.

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kaypringle's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This was hands down one of the most moving and incredible tales I’ve had the chance to read. “Squire” is has an astonishing impact through its nature of being dually remarkable in both its storyline, characters and visuals along with a stunning yet meaningful underlying message about the narrative in which history paints western war torn minority along with the underlying meaning of how the historical narrative of eastern countries is impacted by the “victors” and ones with most influence. As Aiza’s actions demonstrated, we should never stop fighting for change because if we don’t stand against it, what will end the cycle? Please make sure you read this book folks, I hope it touches you as it has me!

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emily_mh's review

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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!

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moonytoast's review

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adventurous fast-paced

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

3.75

A little thing you may not know about me: I love a girl with a sword.

Squire is exactly that and more—a story about a girl who feels out of place due to her identity, a coming of age tale, and a deconstruction of colonialism set against the backdrop of a pseudo-medieval fantasy world inspired by Jordan and other areas of the Middle East.

I could honestly gush about the illustration for this entire review, but I will try to keep it brief in the interest of word count. The world of Squire is infused with a gorgeous palate and I love how the illustrations of the main character, Aiza, give her such vibrant expressiveness. There was clearly a good amount of research that went into creating this comic, particularly on the aspect of architecture, which I loved.

The story, at its core, is pretty simple. I think that the comic format manages to elevate this story in a great way, but for those who might be expecting more complexity from its plot elements, this will probably not be the book you are looking to read. As many graphic novels, this story flies by quickly and you can probably read it all in one sitting.

I appreciate the more open but hopeful ending—the problem is clearly not resolved by the conclusion, but we have witnessed these characters learn and grow and they’re on the path towards a better future. Nothing is wrapped up in a simple bow, because war is never that simple.

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mnerd63's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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asexualandriod's review

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

As a white person, it's not my place to discuss the intricacies of the effect of colonialism on those being colonized, but I thought this story was extremely well written. I really felt connected to Aiza and felt her emotions with her. I was surprised when she was surprised; I was confused when she was confused.

I also thought the art was beautiful, and the style suited the story and the setting perfectly.

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aardwyrm's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense 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

5.0

Exquisite use of the medium and a story that pushes boundaries despite its sweet, pat YA beginnings. Lovely, thoughtful, had swordfights, says a lot with a little.

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rnbhargava's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I really loved this book with its Middle East (Jordan I believe specifically) setting and the protagonist from an ethnicity that’s thought of as “the enemy”. The characters are nuanced and not all are what they seem. The characterizations are all spot on. The main fault with this book is that it kind of wraps up a bit too fast. At least there’s a tease for a potential sequel.

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sdmutch's review

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adventurous emotional tense 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

4.0

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