Squire
- Downloads：4074
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-04-07 07:19:57
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Sara Alfageeh
- ISBN：0062945858
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Laura
，
I loved this。 The art is beautiful。 The story is engaging and easy to jump into。 I want more！
Madigan Mirza
，
Loved it！ I wish there’d been a little more magic， but this was a wonderful fantasy story nonetheless。 It came to a satisfying conclusion… I’d love to see a sequel。
Sharon L
，
3。5 rounded upBeautifully illustrated graphic novel （the cover art is why I requested this ） about a young girl fulfilling her dreams of becoming a sword-wielding Squire of the Empire。 I typical coming-of-age story where the young， slight （female） underdog finds a tough， gruff， beefy （male） mentor to train her into top form （I'm looking at you， Ayra Stark）。 I was hoping for some new take on this theme。 Important representation of characters on the page。Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange 3。5 rounded upBeautifully illustrated graphic novel （the cover art is why I requested this ） about a young girl fulfilling her dreams of becoming a sword-wielding Squire of the Empire。 I typical coming-of-age story where the young， slight （female） underdog finds a tough， gruff， beefy （male） mentor to train her into top form （I'm looking at you， Ayra Stark）。 I was hoping for some new take on this theme。 Important representation of characters on the page。Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Maddie
，
Aiza has always dreamed of becoming a Knight。 It's the highest military honor in the Bayt-Sajji Empire and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people becoming a knight is her only chance to full citizenship。 With the Empire ravaged by famine and mounting tensions it's once again on the brink of war Aiza can finally enlist in Squire training- her first step towards being a Knight。 It's not how she imagined it- new friendships， rivalries， and rigorous training under Gender Hende all the well hiding Aiza has always dreamed of becoming a Knight。 It's the highest military honor in the Bayt-Sajji Empire and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people becoming a knight is her only chance to full citizenship。 With the Empire ravaged by famine and mounting tensions it's once again on the brink of war Aiza can finally enlist in Squire training- her first step towards being a Knight。 It's not how she imagined it- new friendships， rivalries， and rigorous training under Gender Hende all the well hiding her Ornu heritage。 As pressure intensifies Aiza starts to question everything she thinks she knows about the military。 This is such a well done graphic novel。 The art and story mesh really well together to create an engaging story of war and identity。 A good recommendation for someone who likes fantasy that feels like it could be historical fiction。 There's adventure， war and a full cast of engaging characters。 。。。more
aarya
，
Beautifully illustrated graphic novel set in a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy world without magic。 It's long （compared to most graphic novels）， but I hardly noticed because I was so engrossed。 The central idea of complicity in an empire's subjugation of oppressed populations， especially when you've been fed lies about so-called "greatness"。。。 oof。 Difficult （but necessary） to introspect， and the themes will resonate with folks。 One selfish request: I hope there's a sequel because Aiza's adventu Beautifully illustrated graphic novel set in a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy world without magic。 It's long （compared to most graphic novels）， but I hardly noticed because I was so engrossed。 The central idea of complicity in an empire's subjugation of oppressed populations， especially when you've been fed lies about so-called "greatness"。。。 oof。 Difficult （but necessary） to introspect， and the themes will resonate with folks。 One selfish request: I hope there's a sequel because Aiza's adventures seem unfinished。 。。。more
HM
，
The art？ The story？ Beautiful。 It was so interesting and different to have a fantasy story written around my culture and I love it。 I think my favorite part was when two of the characters were speaking their 'native language' to each other but it was just Arabic and I could understand it。 Gorgeous， gorgeous art， too！ The art？ The story？ Beautiful。 It was so interesting and different to have a fantasy story written around my culture and I love it。 I think my favorite part was when two of the characters were speaking their 'native language' to each other but it was just Arabic and I could understand it。 Gorgeous， gorgeous art， too！ 。。。more
Ananya Garg
，
Such a beautiful graphic novel！ I want to read everything this author + illustrator publish。
Sesana
，
A thoughtful look at colonialism and xenophobia in a fantasy world。 Starring a girl with a sword， for all your Tamora Pierce needs。 In this world， gender is not a consideration for military service， which is probably good。 Alfageeh spends so much time developing the colonialism and xenophobia issues there probably isn't room for another。 Unfortunately， the ending felt a bit rushed for me。 It's especially obvious because the first 75% of the book feels much more deliberately paced。 It's an open e A thoughtful look at colonialism and xenophobia in a fantasy world。 Starring a girl with a sword， for all your Tamora Pierce needs。 In this world， gender is not a consideration for military service， which is probably good。 Alfageeh spends so much time developing the colonialism and xenophobia issues there probably isn't room for another。 Unfortunately， the ending felt a bit rushed for me。 It's especially obvious because the first 75% of the book feels much more deliberately paced。 It's an open ending， so maybe there will be a sequel one day that will develop a lot of what felt too fast here。 。。。more
Kelsey
，
Holy shit this was SO good
Cecilia
，
please tell me there will be more
Katya
，
A lovely and deceptively simple graphic novel about a girl longing for something more than her lot。 Several readers have compared it to Tamora Pierce's books， whether it be The Woman Who Rides Like a Man or Protector of the Small。 It is and it isn't。 In my opinion （and god I loved those books growing up） it's more than that。 Squire weaves in themes of found family， colonialism， and sacrifice， deftly tying them together into one neat， sharp， funny， heartfelt package。 I'm not always sold on the ar A lovely and deceptively simple graphic novel about a girl longing for something more than her lot。 Several readers have compared it to Tamora Pierce's books， whether it be The Woman Who Rides Like a Man or Protector of the Small。 It is and it isn't。 In my opinion （and god I loved those books growing up） it's more than that。 Squire weaves in themes of found family， colonialism， and sacrifice， deftly tying them together into one neat， sharp， funny， heartfelt package。 I'm not always sold on the art in graphic novels， but I really enjoyed the art here， especially the occasional nods to manga that made me laugh with their quirky displays of strong emotions。 The art here is colorful， detailed， and intricate， and I felt immersed in the world as I was moving through the story。 This is a lovely， quick， but memorable read for young 'uns and adults alike。 Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC。 。。。more
Kendal
，
3。5
Nancy
，
3 and 1/2 stars Good book I liked it but I probably won’t remember it
Isabelle
，
The art in this was so eye catching， so wonderfully expressive！ It looked beautiful， and the story measured up to that promise。 The pacing is good， the characters are interesting， and I think the messages are realistic and meaningful。 It does wrap up fairly quickly and neatly， but I can definitely see the potential for a follow up book to continue on Aiza’s journey！The word building was good， and I think it could’ve been great if a little more time was spent outside of the training barracks， whi The art in this was so eye catching， so wonderfully expressive！ It looked beautiful， and the story measured up to that promise。 The pacing is good， the characters are interesting， and I think the messages are realistic and meaningful。 It does wrap up fairly quickly and neatly， but I can definitely see the potential for a follow up book to continue on Aiza’s journey！The word building was good， and I think it could’ve been great if a little more time was spent outside of the training barracks， which hold the majority of the story。 It’s never confusing， but I think the story hints at a wider， richer world that we don’t get to see enough of。Regardless， I really love this story and it’s art！ 。。。more
Vincent
，
A very endearing story about prejudice， justice， and war with a fresh historical fiction setting， writing， and art style that you can tell Sara and Nadia really put their hearts into。
Morgan
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Hafsa
，
This book was extremely rushed and it felt as though it just randomly included some situations to make Aizah look like a hero。First， she trains for more than half of the book and becomes excellent at sword fighting within a few monthsThen， when she saw the guy who she wounded in the forest for the second time， she accused him of "ruining her life" which makes no sense since all that happened from his attack was her becoming a squire。 Ok， the other members of her group were mad at her， but to go This book was extremely rushed and it felt as though it just randomly included some situations to make Aizah look like a hero。First， she trains for more than half of the book and becomes excellent at sword fighting within a few monthsThen， when she saw the guy who she wounded in the forest for the second time， she accused him of "ruining her life" which makes no sense since all that happened from his attack was her becoming a squire。 Ok， the other members of her group were mad at her， but to go as far as to describe this as ruining her life is a bit far。 And after training in swordsmanship for just a few months， she manages to hold her ground against the general of all squires while battling with a KNIFE against the general's sword。 On top of that， the fight against the general wasn't really HER fight， it just happened to make it look like the typical heroes in books where the hero fights the main antagonist。 And right after battling to the death with the general， the general's legs get trapped under rubble during the fire and Aizah instantly becomes concerned for the general's fate and offers to help her。Overall the book didn't have a great storyline， as for more than half of the book Aizah trained to become a Squire， and towards the end， the typical things happen to make Aizah a hero。 A near-death situation （her trial）， a big fight with chaos and fire（between the general's supporters and those against the general）， and a solo battle between the protagonist and the antagonist。 。。。more
Brandon
，
The real heroes were the radicalizing sword girls we met along the way。Squire was what I wanted out of this book and more， it exceeded my already high expectations and hype。 People learning to use swords and fight！ And realizing that hey maybe the big expanding empire isn't as cool as the propaganda tells you it is！ And swords and tests of courage and valor and swordfighting！ The real heroes were the radicalizing sword girls we met along the way。Squire was what I wanted out of this book and more， it exceeded my already high expectations and hype。 People learning to use swords and fight！ And realizing that hey maybe the big expanding empire isn't as cool as the propaganda tells you it is！ And swords and tests of courage and valor and swordfighting！ 。。。more
Tabor
，
Honestly， the only issue with this graphic novel is it's only one volume。 Beautiful art that features a feisty， little， gremlin protagonist with a whole lotta heart， and a story backdropped against an impending war， which raises questions of whether loyalty to an empire should be given or not。 Honestly， the only issue with this graphic novel is it's only one volume。 Beautiful art that features a feisty， little， gremlin protagonist with a whole lotta heart， and a story backdropped against an impending war， which raises questions of whether loyalty to an empire should be given or not。 。。。more
Elder
，
Genuinely made an account just to give this story five stars！ Highly recommended， beautiful and funny art style， amazing story with a potential for more！ Please make a volume two， pretty please！ I need to know what kind of trouble the trio gets into next :）
Paige
，
Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: SquireAuthor: Sara Alfageeh & Nadia ShammasBook Series: StandaloneRating: 5/5Diversity: Middle Eastern inspired characters， amputee characterRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， graphic novel， fantasy， historical fiction， Asian LiteraturePublication Date: March 8， 2022Genre: YA Fantasy Graphic NovelAge Relevance: 15+ （child soldiers， war， Classism， Colonization， Racism， Famine， Language， Abeli Disclaimer: I received this finished copy from the publisher。 Thanks！ All opinions are my own。Book: SquireAuthor: Sara Alfageeh & Nadia ShammasBook Series: StandaloneRating: 5/5Diversity: Middle Eastern inspired characters， amputee characterRecommended For。。。: young adult readers， graphic novel， fantasy， historical fiction， Asian LiteraturePublication Date: March 8， 2022Genre: YA Fantasy Graphic NovelAge 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 BooksPages: 336Synopsis: 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！ 。。。more
Jazz
，
Honestly one of my favorite books now and way too underrated
Ruth Covington
，
Great art， great characters， and potential for a great story that didn't quite succeed for me。 Great art， great characters， and potential for a great story that didn't quite succeed for me。 。。。more
Chelsea
，
* I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *I went into this book with no knowledge of it other than liking the cover and the publisher。 That doesn't always work out， but this time it very much did。 I read this book in one sitting and now I want to make everyone else read it， too。 The setting is beautifully drawn， the world is well-built and relatable， and the message is important。 I assumed from the title and from the first chapters that this would be a standard knight- * I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *I went into this book with no knowledge of it other than liking the cover and the publisher。 That doesn't always work out， but this time it very much did。 I read this book in one sitting and now I want to make everyone else read it， too。 The setting is beautifully drawn， the world is well-built and relatable， and the message is important。 I assumed from the title and from the first chapters that this would be a standard knight-in-training story， but it wound up being an interesting narrative about imperialism， war， and propaganda。 It is a message that has certainly been told by other stories， as well， but what I appreciated most here was the bluntness of delivery and the fact that the ending， while hopeful， is not neat and perfect。 It states clearly why and how there are no winners in war and why it matters to speak up against violence， even if nobody else wants to listen at first。 I'd recommend this to fans of stories like Avatar: The Last Airbender， because to me they have similar vibes and messages。 Highly recommend checking this out。 。。。more
Jessica
，
Scrappy girls with swords！
Jeannine McKenna
，
Reading the previews and comments got my curiosity piqued。 I'll write a review later on。 Reading the previews and comments got my curiosity piqued。 I'll write a review later on。 。。。more
Kate
，
I don't think Squire quite managed to do what it set out to do。It is an ambitious story that really wants to interrogate the imperialistic tendencies of much of epic fantasy， but I didn't think it managed to have enough nuance to be a really interesting story。 It is very cut and dry。 I do understand the limitations of a graphic novel but I don't think this was tackled as well as I hoped。 I don't think Squire quite managed to do what it set out to do。It is an ambitious story that really wants to interrogate the imperialistic tendencies of much of epic fantasy， but I didn't think it managed to have enough nuance to be a really interesting story。 It is very cut and dry。 I do understand the limitations of a graphic novel but I don't think this was tackled as well as I hoped。 。。。more
Amanda Hudgins
，
tw: fantasy racism， violence， amputationI loved， specifically， the art in this。 The world building itself is also quite good， but the art was the standout for me。 I finished this in one sitting and was ready to chow down on more。
Maleeha Siddiqui
，
I was surprised by how hefty this book is when I first got it， but the feeling of holding it while reading is so satisfying。 This unique graphic novel reads like the comics and anime that I loved growing up but is set in an alt-Arab world。 The characters are vibrant， diverse， and stand out on their own， particularly our scrappy but endearing main character， Aiza。 The message that this book sends is important and I appreciated the author's and illustrator's notes at the end。 I was surprised by how hefty this book is when I first got it， but the feeling of holding it while reading is so satisfying。 This unique graphic novel reads like the comics and anime that I loved growing up but is set in an alt-Arab world。 The characters are vibrant， diverse， and stand out on their own， particularly our scrappy but endearing main character， Aiza。 The message that this book sends is important and I appreciated the author's and illustrator's notes at the end。 。。。more
Jena
，