Squire by Sara Alfageeh and Nadia Shammas

Summary from Goodreads:

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

For a girl who grew up reading Tamora Pierce, this book jumped out to me right away. However unlike in Pierce’s novels, Aiza wasn’t penalized for being female and she never had to pretend otherwise. Instead, she pretended she was from a different background. She hid her tattoo that marked where she came from. There were other girls fighting for places in the military.

Still, the story was a familiar one. Aiza’s people were shamed and had stories being told that were not true. She had to endure falsehoods and hide things in order to be accepted. But, you also can’t help but love her. She’s a dreamer that flocks to other dreamers and she accepts everyone.  She works hard, trains hard, and fights for what she wants, despite all the obstacles in her way.

The graphic novels has many lessons in it. There are trials of friendship, propaganda, strength, and power. There’s also a sense of history and politics to everything. And when the group of fighters/dreamers/friends all truly come together for the right cause, everything is kind of magical.

I’m not sure the bad guy element needed to be in there. That was the one part that felt a little forced and too much like a typical cartoon story. I wanted something a little less cliche to go with  with everything else being so fresh. But, I get that there needed to be a conflict to get the characters away from what was happening….Oh well.

The artwork is stunning. It’s what really will draw the readers in. It’s what drew me in. The desert landscapes make for a unique background to the story. I would read a whole series that takes place here, just to see more. I hope more gets made. I give a 9/10.