Don't miss out on SQUIRE!

I think we all at one point of our lives dreamed of going on an adventure, be it hiking through the woods, swimming in the deep end of the pool, saving the world from some colossal monster or training to become a hero whose deeds are recorded in songs, tales and become legends. Which would be no surprise because from when we are young we've seen movies, read books, and made believe we were heroes because deep down everybody wants to escape their life, even for just a split second. These were the kind of stories that to this day have made me fall in love with the medium of storytelling, and how one can learn about themselves on a deeper level by relating to the characters they read about.

Which leads me to Squire, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh and written by Nadia Shammas, this coming of age tale takes place in a fictional land where an empire has spread thanks to military might to envelop the neighboring lands. Our heroine named Aiza starts her days going to the local market and selling the fruits her family harvests to sustain their life in the colony. The one drawback though? Aiza is an Ornu, a people and culture reviled through the entire empire for being "cowardly and cunning", and this leads to most of her days to be treated as less than dirt amongst the marketplace and every other colony. That is until, she notices a military caravan and a poster in the town square stating that they are recruiting young men and women to take the trainnig to become squires! If one were to make the ranks of squire, they would be set for life, gain citizenship and go off on adventures through the empire. Of course we later learn that the road to reach squire is riddled with obstacles the likes of which Aiza has ever seen. Can she brave it all and make her dream come true? Or is this a dream she should wake up from soon before learning what truly lies at the heart of squires and knighthood?

• What did I like about it? Easy, the worldbuiling is fantastic to the point where it feels like a world that has been lived in for centuries. The characters are incredibly grounded despite the fact that they are in a rather medieval-arab setting, it all feels like reading the adventures of teenagers in modern times. The character dynamics between Aiza and her fellow recruits, the tension when she first meets her mentor and the incredible conclusion left me on the edge of my seat and soothed me in a way that warm cup of tea does after a long day.

• Influences on display: this is a story seeped in a myriad of influences, from anime sword fights/action scenes that would fit seamlessly in Fullmetal Alchemist, to world building that rivals Avatar: The Last Airbender and of course, my favorite aspect of it all would be the obvious cultural influences from arabic history. From armor that has roots in the Ottoman empire, recruit uniforms with turkish/syrian influences and the tattoos the Ornu tribe have which harkens back to Bedouin culture.

• Why should you read it? Seriously, do I have to say it. I mean you read this post and are still unconvinced! Pshht, pfft, hmm. Ok, in all seriousness...the reason you should read it is that it offers a fantasy narrative from a different perspective. For as long as I could remember most fantasy is written from the point of view of a white man slaying monsters and rescuing damsels in distress, and to be honest it always gets to a point where it gets stale. As I grew over the years I wanted more tales from different perspectives, caribbean, african, asian, more female main characters who had total agency in their stories and how they acted through the tale! So imagine my levels of hype and surprise when stumbling upon this book online and absolutle loving every second of this graphic novel! We need to broaden our horizons for new stories and I wholeheartedly recommend you look up this gem and even consider giving the artists a follow! You will not be dissapointed.