A review by montrez
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Premise - 4/5

Execution - 3/5

Characters/ Connection - 3.5/5

Overall - 3.5 /⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you love Mean Girls, but you’re looking for something with a little more supernatural/paranormal bite, then this is the read for you.

Visually fun and fresh, it’s a fast-paced read also reminiscent of the underrated film, Jennifer’s Body.

Things to note:

- There was micro aggression towards characters of color. I particularly didn’t like the way the majority of characters treated Amanda, the black girl in the group. She was often the voice of reason and admirable in many cases, but was frequently dismissed, even after she saved the day (She’s a Bonnie Bennet). If not for this, my rating would be much higher.
- Weight shaming - This, similar to the micro aggressions against BIPOC, goes unchallenged.
- The stakes were high but the ending fell flat as one problem was handled too easily and the other complications and issues were left unresolved.

Overall, it’s got the snark, drama, some sapphic representation, and gore, though it wrapped up faster and neater (or maybe messier) than I hoped.