Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Product details
Web ID: 16131348Squad
I love sapphic werewolves!!!!!* *But everyone talked to each other in a way that I really didn’t care for and I couldn’t figure out if it was intentional and that behavior wasn’t resolved by the end, leading to a 3.75 star rating
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
good
good
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thank you EpicReads and HarperCollins!
Thank you EpicReads and HarperCollins for sending the book! All thoughts and opinions are my own! I love graphic novels and I'm super happy to see such an influx of stories set in graphic novel form. It's a great way to help someone discover their love for reading and/or help with reading skills. The idea of having a group of teens as werewolves is fantastic and I thought the author did a fabulous job writing realistic teens in an unrealistic setting. The book reminded me of The Craft, Gingersnaps, and Heathers but for the modern teenager. I can see this novel being on the CW as a mini series. Graphic novels have to have a great artist to pull you in. Sometimes even if the story is great the artwork can throw you off and, for me personally, not make me want to read it. I love the artwork for SQUAD! As much as I love the black and white, I am looking forward to seeing a full colored version.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This one really surprised me!
This one really surprised me! Becca is a new student transferring from LA to a rich neighbor and she’s instantly embraced by the Squad, a group of popular girls who she doesn’t quite understand why they chose her but eventually learns they’re werewolves looking for a fourth in their pack. Soon they’re eating boys, howling every month, and going to parties. But when a mistake crashes everything down around her Becca suddenly doesn’t know what to do. All she wanted was friends. Now she’s in the middle of a nightmare. Very on topic, funny, sweet at times, and the art is gorgeous! Will definitely be looking for more from the author and the artist!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great characters, great art!
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of this to review! Looking at the cover, I had a feeling that I would absolutely love the art in this. And I wasn’t wrong! Immersive art with some great storytelling. We’re dropped right in the middle of the story, with Becca going back to show us how we got there. The way the whole story plays out almost feels like a teen movie. New girl in a new school, easily gets into the popular group. And they’re werewolves! I loved this twist on the classic high school story, which all comes with its own problems. Right from the beginning, you know Becca is getting in over her head as she joins this pack of werewolves. Each of the characters have their own quirks and personalities; no one really fell flat. Honestly, you’re almost rooting for them to take out these terrible guys. Even if you know something is going to go wrong. However, the ending maybe felt a little rushed to me. There’s a lot of buildup to what’s going to happen with Arianna’s boyfriend, and it maybe isn’t what you expect it’s going to be. In reality, I wish that some of this werewolf world was more fleshed out. There are clearly more packs out there, so I would love another volume maybe exploring that? It seems all so fascinating to me! All in all, this is a great high school drama story that I think teens will love. The art and the characters will definitely have you hooked!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Action packed, morally vague
I had mixed feelings about this one! It's got a set of main characters where rooting for any of them makes you feel a little guilty. As a story about navigating the misogynist structure and ever-present gendered danger of a lot of spaces in our world, and as a metaphor for certain kinds of adolescent friendships, I found it really compelling, but taking the story at face value I kept being like, am I supposed to like or approve of this main character? ...are these the baddies?! Are these people not all extremely truamatized?! The characters, while "friends", are generally pretty cruel to each other and in some cases racist and homophobic, and they're never really called out on that. It's also hard to square the anti-patriarchy stuff with all the internalized misogyny they demonstrate. There are things I'm guessing we're meant to interpret as overall signs of change and growth, so as an allegory of young women learning and becoming better people with healthier relationships it works, but overthinking it is my downfall.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com