A beautifully illustrated and sharply written story of Aiza: a girl from the colonized and villainized Ornu people — who hides her identity and enlists in the military to become a knight for the Bayt-Sajji Empire that conquered her people. Aiza grew up with stories celebrating the Knights of Bayt-Sajji as legendary heroes, but in boot camp she begins to realize there’s another side to war.
Aiza is a complex, lovable protagonist who you can’t help but root for even when her dreams start to conflict with her values. If she becomes a squire, and then a knight, it would mean full citizenship and status that could benefit her family and her people. However, it would mean raiding Ornu villages which have not yet been conquered by Bayt-Sajji.
Squire packs a lot of themes into a small package, and does so without sacrificing characterization or plot. The way particular a telling of history can be utilized as national propaganda, the question of whether one should have more loyalty to one’s country or one’s people, and whether equality comes through the accepting or the eliminating of difference; are all touched upon and handled with skill.
The artwork is expressive and beautiful, drawing upon traditional artistic styles from Jordan and Palestine. Landscapes, architecture, fashion, and characters are brought to life and create a compelling world.
A satisfying ending, yet it entices the reader to want to know what happens next. Perhaps there may be a sequel in the works?

I'm amazed and in love with this graphic novel.

Aiza is part of a in an empire and joins the military, even though her parents had reservations, because she loves the ideals of knights fighting for freedom. In training, she learns about the world around her and doesn't always like what she finds.

Themes the book raises:
⚔️ is military recruitment predatory?
⚔️ colonialism! Do we like it? Does it help people? (No)
⚔️ friendships across cultural/societal boundaries
⚔️ the rewriting of history
⚔️ the legacy that one generation passes to the next and how it's good and bad

The art is gorgeous, the details are really well done, and the funny faces that you'd expect are delightful.

I love the characters, and while there's a big plot going on and other reviews have poo-pooed the climax of the book, I think it's more character based than plot centered so I can't really fault it for the plot being rushed to further the characters growth.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five stars, obviously. Please read.

I received this arc from NetGalley and HarperCollins for review.

This book follows Aiza as she leaves her family to try and join the ranks of the Bayt-Sajji Empire’s squires. She is a part of a subjugated class of people called the Ornu and she must hide her identity as she enlists in the Squire training program.

I enjoyed the world-building and felt that it was incredibly well done. In general, I enjoyed the plot of this book.

Honestly, the story was interesting, but I found Aiza’s character incredibly annoying. I feel like she is just living and loving life on one page, and then she is suddenly pissed and yelling at someone. I feel like the motivations of her anger were never clear.

Additionally, the art style was not my favorite, I could barely tell if Aiza was really happy, being sarcastic, or really mad.

The ending was incredibly rushed. The buildup to the final confrontation was huge and made up the majority of the book, however, the actual conflict was short lived and left open-ended. Also, I’m pretty sure one speech with nearly no evidence would not rile up an army to turn against their leader, but what do I know.

I really wanted to love the heck out of this book, but the story fell flat for me. The artwork was amazing and the portrayal of a strong heroine was done well, but the overall plot of the story just didn't intrigue me as much. Maybe if some of the characters were more relatable, I would have been able to connect better with the story. Overall, a solid three stars.

This is a gorgeous graphic novel about life on the margins of empire, complicity and resistance, and balancing obligations to one's family and one's self. It's also a story about friendship across borders- geographic, cultural, social, and economic ones. The art is extraordinarily accomplished and magisterial, and it works together with the writing to build a beautifully-realized world and engaging characters. The storytelling is masterful here, and I so look forward to seeing what this team does next.

A rich tapestry composed of complex and beautiful words and images that explore war, right and wrong, integrity, and more.

I absolutely flew through this story. Aiza was such a compelling protagonist and I loved watching her relationship with the other characters evolve (especially with Doruk). The story captivated me pretty early on and I was stressed for Aiza basically the entire time. The art style really grew on me and does a great job of translating the emotions of the characters in the story. I wish the ending could've taken up a few more pages to really wrap it up, but overall it was a really lovely story which, despite having a message with serious real-world implications, managed to still be a joyful story about a girl with a dream.

3.75 Stars. This was a well done graphic novel. I’m a graphic novel fan, but with so many books on my to read list, I don’t find the time for as many graphic novels as I would like. When I saw this particular new graphic novel, it immediately caught my attention and I knew I would happily make time for it. I love fantasy stories about young women who are underdogs in training to become squires and knights. And of course seeing the tittle of Squire, caused me to instantly think of a favorite series of mine, Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce. I was hoping for a similar feel with this comic and I did get a little of that.

I must admit that I was not crazy about the art in the first few panels. I don’t know if overdone is the right word, or not, but something wasn’t clicking for me. However, that soon changed and I found myself really enjoying the art, especially the colors. The color choices are wonderful and this graphic novel really stands out because of it.

I enjoyed the story and found it very easy to get sucked into this world. If I am totally absorbed by any type of story, my reading pace picks up. That is not always easy to do with graphic novels since you have to be more careful how you read them. In this case, I was happy that the bubbles were easy to follow so I didn’t find myself reading text out of turn, and it kept the story flowing and allowed me to read at good speed.

My only slight issue is that I was not crazy about the ending. Not the actual story, but that I felt like the ending was a bit too rushed. There is a lot going on in this graphic novel, so I get it, but I feel like the climatic ending wasn’t as exciting as it should have been for me, since certain things felt like they were happening too quickly. It did not ruin my overall enjoyment, but it’s why I didn’t give this a full 4 stars.

TLDR: A beautifully colored graphic novel. I’m a YA fantasy fan, so this was right up my alley and I enjoyed the story. The ending was a tad rushed, but everything else was well done and I would absolutely read another volume if there is one in the future.

This young adult graphic novel tackles global issues of colonialism and empire through a fictional lens. It's about struggles within and between people and governments; about trying to find a path between the desire for acceptance and a good life and loyalty and love for one's community, when your community is absorbed into, or at least contained within, one that is larger and more powerful.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy. I had been looking forward to this book for a long time, and I’m glad to finally have read it. The graphic novel is colorful, detailed, and eye capturing. The tale of a strong young woman who goes to join an army of sorts finds adventure, though not what she was expecting. The themes of humanity, race, and morals runs strong. I appreciate that the graphic novel is clean, without profanity or graphic violence. I like the Arabic infused into the dialogue, and I think our Arab students would identify with it. I would recommend this for our school library. Thanks for a happy ending.

Squire is exciting and fun, an adventure story that grapples with big questions about morality and ethics in a time of war. Squire is at times simplistic in its plot and writing, and feels accessible to a young audience. Fans of Tamora Pierce who always dreamed of seeing a brown girl as the main character will surely be swept away by Squire, a lovely little book full of beautiful art that leaves you desperately wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Interesting and engaging worldbuilding. Good story. The art was really emotive with the characters and I really liked that. I had a little trouble with the pacing, but that could just be me. Overall enjoyable and would recommend.

Well, I’m impressed. I admit I was just expecting a girl power fantasy comic that I’d enjoy but quickly move on from. This was much more than that. The emotions were genuine and there’s definitely a meaty enough plot to make the reader stop and think. I can’t recommend this highly enough if you like a coming of age fantasy.

Squire was absolutely lovely, and after hearing about it for so long in the comics space, I'm grateful I had the opportunity to read it. The story follows a small cast of characters as they navigate their large fantastic world with many parallels to our own. I would have liked to see more community building in action (tying into the story's message of how the many can be stronger than the few), as some of it was hinted to have happened off the page and most of what was shown was between the main cast. However, I still enjoyed the narrative overall, and I'm excited for the future of fantasy.

Sara Alfageeh's art was fluid and full of life. Each page was well balanced, and I appreciated the use of negative space to convey the feeling that a great world existed beyond the characters we followed. Flat color assistance provided by Lynette Wong (chapters 1 through 4) and Jayne Carpenter (chapters 5 through 14). Additional coloring assistance by Lynette Wong.

When Aiza joins the ranks of those training to become a squire, she has no idea what she is getting herself into. Will she choose her country or what is right?

There aren't many great fantasy graphic novels out there (at least from what I have gathered in my cursory search), but if this is any indication of where the genre is heading, I'm stoked.

Aiza lives with her family selling fruit on the streets to get by. Their country of Ornu was conquered by the Bayt-Sajji on their quest to retake all of the territories that were once a part of its empire. Facing discrimination and poverty, Aiza decides to become a Squire, a member of the military who fights alongside the heroic knights of lore. Deciding to keep her identity as an Ornu a secret, Aiza works to be good enough to not have to face the front lines and realize her dreams. But will those dreams turn out to be everything she imagined?

This has everything I love in a fantasy novel -- good world-building, excellent character development, a central conflict that explodes into a larger conflict for future books in the series. I wish there was a bit more development of minor characters, but since it is a short form work, it's understandable that it felt a little undeveloped.

This book was a pure delight, and I'm hopeful the creators will keep going and make this a series.

A beautiful story set in a fantasy middle eastern-like nation. Aiza comes from the most derided people who fell to the Bayt-Sajji, a sprawling warlike empire that continuously churns out soldiers, squires, and knights. Restless in her farming community, Aiza enlists in hopes of becoming a squire and, eventually, a knight -- a role that promises both a heroic legacy and highly valued citizenship that comes with significant freedoms. Over the course of her training Aiza makes new friends, enemies, and mentors before realizing that true cost of her dreams of knighthood. This could easily be part of a compelling series, I really hope this isn't a stand alone effort!

This graphic novel follows the story of Aiza, a young girl who wants to become a squire, and eventually a knight. Her journey seems straightforward, but as she progresses through her training, she learns more about the empire she is enlisting to serve.

The story is fun and fast-paced, with quirky characters and beautiful illustrations. I really enjoyed this book because the protagonist has very real emotional moments, where she needs to grapple with prejudice and the impact of the empire. These elements give readers a way to get invested in the story and relate to the protagonist.

One last thing: don't skip the author's note at the end: "Squire" and History. I really enjoyed reading about the author's motivation for writing this story.

Hands down, Squire was amazing. It's such a well thought out, wonderfully craft story, with worldbuilding that'll suck you right in. This story is based around a Middle Eastern inspired world, with the story taking place in the once great Bayt-Sajji empire. Aiza is an Ornu, making her a second-class citizen in this empire, yet she still dreams of enlisting and becoming a Knight, a hero. She gets her chance when a recruitment officer comes to her town, and she jumps at the chance. She makes friends and chases her dreams, but soon comes face to face with the worst parts of war. Faced with a choice between chasing her dream and doing what's right, Aiza is faced with a moral dilemma she never dreamed of facing. There's a lot of interesting social commentary in here, such as discrimination, imperialism, complicity in acts of war, etc. But, that's all balanced by a brightness and humor that comes from having a cast of younger characters who are not quite jaded yet. The characters are fun and engaging, their world is interesting, and I can't wait for more from this series.

Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a knight for the empire of Bayt-Sajji. When Bayt-Sajji is faced with war once again, Aiza is finally able to enlist and prove herself worthy. However, soon she will have to choose between her own people and the empire she is fighting for. This is a beautifully illustrated own voices graphic novel with themes that will continue to resonate with readers for years to come.