I'd heard a little about Catherine de´Medici before picking up this graphic novel, and I was excited to learn more about her and read a work of fiction based on her life. I've never read a history book in the form of a graphic novel and I absolutely loved it! This is how history should be taught! Well, actual history that is, not just historical fiction. The beautiful art made the story come alive, and it was a pleasant read all around.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

A historically-based tale in the 1500s following a main character, Gabrielle, and her friend Justine during the War of Religions.

The art style was lovely but I found the story itself lacked direction and substance. I couldn't work out if this was meant to be a war story, a story about a girl joining a particular group of women (the Queen's Squadron) or something entirely different. As a result, I must admit I found myself confused throughout. I wasn't expecting sexual scenes to be present, but be aware that there are (in case reading with younger people around).

All in all, it was okay, but not something I found myself interested in continuing past volume 1.

<i>I was provided with a complimentary copy of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europe Comics for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I wanted to enjoy it so much but 'Catherine de'Medici. The Flying Squadron' was so hard to fall in love with. I eventually gave up because the storyline and art weren't what I expected.


-what is it about-
France, 16th century. Many enemies want to see the Queen fail. But her loyal spies always save the situation and try to overcome any issues they have. The young Gabrielle arrives and desperately wants to fit in the ''flying squadron'' group that belongs to Catherine de'Medici. Will she find her place when surrounded by danger and revenge plans?


-what I loved?-

→ I adore how beautiful the feminist aspect was in this graphic novel. Manon Textoris shows how hard it was to overcome issues, to find the way to free women - SO BEAUTIFUL.
→Historical fiction vibe that made me excited to finish this graphic novel. I adore stories set in the past - this one had a complex background I enjoyed reading about.



-what did I not love?-

→ I could not get into this storyline. I believe that Manon Textoris tried so hard to make everything described in a complex and accurate way that the graphic novel eventually lacked dynamic action and some unexpected twists.
→ The political, social and religious issues were bland in this novel. I hoped for more development in terms of diverse points of view on these matters. However, the characters also were one-dimensional.

rating: 2/5 ✮✮
genre: adult graphic novel, historical fiction
themes: feminism, life at court, political and religious issues

An interesting examination of historical femininity and the dangers of court life. An interesting corner of history if you're into that sort of thing. It is well presented visually though I found it a bit text heavy.

This was quite good!
Catherine de medicine is one of the few historical graphic novels I've ever read and made me more interested in that genre as a whole. With beautiful illustrations and sometimes heavier, more adult topics this graphic novel took a very interesting look into the political life of women in the 16th century.

I appreciate the topic. There can't be enough stories set in the French Renaissance. The drawings are very nice and a good companion in reading.

DNF - Yooo what was this.
This was so confusing and the drawings really didn't help.
I didn't like the art, I definitely didn't like the story even if there wasn't one and didn't like the characters. At around 50 pages I dropped it because I couldn't take it anymore.
I was reading without a purpose, because I didn't get anything I was reading.
I already lost all memory of it and not regretting it.

This is a graphic novel set in the court of Catherine de Medici. It's an interesting fictionalized account of a lady-in-waiting to Catherine de Medici that details the unrest due to Bloody Sunday and the religious fights between French Catholics and Protestants.

I was incredibly confused all throughout the book. Even though the art style was very pleasant, I learned nothing from the plot and it just didn’t do anything for me.

Lovely illustrations for this slice of history graphic novel.
The flying squadron is the group of ladies in waiting that spied for Catherine of Medicis... and this comic features them, not in the exciting romanticised adventures we could imagine, but in its historical context - how they were used to solidify the queen's desire to avoid war, and highlighted women's power in a world where women didn't have any.
The comic isn't exactly the light reading it could be, it is more on the educational scale and sadly its efforts to be more relatable with the invented main character come out as clumsy. If we're going to go for the real historical story, and stick to the dry facts, might as well do that to the end, instead of inventing a bland character with a disappointing insta-love arc. That was particularly gratuitous and annoying.
I loved the aspect that Catherine de Medici was working hard at doing everything she could to avoid war, and I wished they'd focused more on that, but I feel like they got lost in a lot of the details of the conflicts at the time.

Thank you NetGalley and Europe Comics for this arc!

2.5/5 stars rounded up

The art is beautiful, but the story is just confusing and honestly really boring 😭 I find myself zoning out while reading it, and where I do love graphic novels that teach me things, this is just too dry

A beautiful book with a historical setting in France. I enjoyed the illustrations that were quite beautiful, but I was a bit confused sometimes.


Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this!

As much as I liked the colours and the art style at the beginning, the story got lost on me because of the convolutedness of the story. Also, it wasn't until the end that I realized that this was the first part of a series, and so I understood why the story wasn't progressing. We follow a religious confrontation in France that causes an internal war. A summary of this would have been nice as an introduction, because it was hard to follow the plot, which was already jumping around. The romance is only a side line, as young girls are not meant for daydreams. But I was quite surprised to see a sex book and then a bed scene, so this is clearly a comic intended for a more mature readership. It could have been very good, but it needed more explanation. As it was, it was a rather mediocre experience.

A well written book infused with history. I enjoyed the illustrations that is on par with the era.



Thank you Europe Comics and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this!

Catherine de' Medici, also known as “the Black Queen,” reigned over France after the death of her first son, Francis II, and before the ascension of her second son, Charles IX. In order to maintain her grip, she had a group of beautiful spies loyal to her known as "the flying squadron." Catherine de' Medici, The Flying Squadron 1. The Good Girl by Manon Textoris begins when the idealistic Gabrielle joins the ranks of the squadron. Along the way, Gabrielle will wrestle with loyalties, desire, politics, religion, and her own reputation. Although fictionalized, this tale brings to life very real circumstances, histories, and aspirations.

Delicate, graceful, and stylish artwork perfectly complement this well-woven tale.

This graphic novel is semi-historically-accurate, as it follows Gabrielle - a fictional character - through the very real war and intrigue at Catherine de Medici's French court.

Most of all I loved the art of this book - the floral illustrations used as backgrounds and costume design are exquisite. The characters however aren't very developed - I would've appreciated more background and context aside from meeting them once or twice. There's also room for more badassery - this is a women-only spy squadron we're reading about! Hoping volume 2 does them justice.

✨Disclaimer ✨
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The story of a young girl, recruited to the French courts. Set in the timelines of the 16th century, the book focuses on politics, social life and the role of women amongst all this.
The story was quite different from what we usually read in graphic books. This one came with a historical fiction flavour. The book also had a few adult scenes which to me felt a little irrelevant to the main plotline. The initial storyline was engaging but things changed too fast in the last chapters that brought an abrupt end. I hope there is another part coming to complete the story.

Thankyou @netgallet @europecomics for the eARC

Genre: #graphicnovel #manga #historicalfiction #adult
Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

This graphic novel is about Gabrielle, a fictional young girl who is invited to join Catherine de Medici's court during the religious wars in France.

I personally liked how the story blends fictional plot lines and a true story but it not might be everyone's cup of tea.

I enjoyed the story, and how it portrays the lives of women in court. Gabrielle is innocent but knows how to survive. I liked how her personality clashed with her cousin Justine. I'm curious to see how the relationship between them will continue.

Regarding the art, the backgrounds and costume designs are beautiful and detailed. The characters felt a little bland in comparison. Some character designs are very similar to each other, making it difficult to differentiate them.

Overall, it is a comic that I really enjoyed, it has political intrigue, history, and a bit of romance. I appreciated some details after reading when I investigated more about the real story. Also, it kept my interest throughout and left me wanting to read the next volume.

The art of this graphic novel is absolutely beautiful and every atmospheric! Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the story, it wasn't in-depth enough for a historical story and there wasn't enough romance to make it romantic.

I can't quite determine the target audience for this book. Older teens? Adults? While the story started off great and looked like it might be a coming of age historical novel it turned into something else that lacked a clear theme or purpose. Not recommended as a primary purchase.