A review by seawarrior
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was an interesting and exciting story that was reminiscent of Heathers, The Craft, and Jennifer's Body. Becca's newfound friendship with the Squad gives her the sense of belonging she's always craved, but at a price. Before long her hunger and her power begins to spin out of control, leading her to question how far she's willing to go to sate it, and if her Alpha really possesses the judgement necessary to protect the group.

The plot went off into directions I didn't see coming and ended with a darker twist than what I had expected from a young adult book. Becca's world is definitely grisly, she and her friends spend one night a month baiting themselves for predators, and tackling their cognitive dissonance when they consume someone they're not certain was deserving of a death sentence. Additionally, Becca is dealing with internalized shame from being sapphic and having been humiliatingly rejected in the past. Varied experiences of victimization, victimhood, vengeance and how to go on living with them are displayed throughout the narrative, with each girl having their own perspective on their bloodthirsty secret, which begin to splinter into disillusionment. 

I really enjoyed the art for this book too, it was dynamic and full of expression, supplying additional meaning in some scenes where words weren't used. For the most part I felt the panels were paced well, giving the story almost a cinematic effect, though they were some instances where I couldn't follow what was meant to be happening on the page. Overall I would recommend this story to others who feel they can handle the subject matter. I was pleasantly surprised by its fresh depiction of werewolf lore and plot that continued to complicate itself. 

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