Hardcover, 336 pages
Published Jan. 21, 2022 by Quill Tree Books.
Aiza has always dreamt of becoming a Knight. It's the highest military honor in the once-great Bayt-Sajji Empire, and as a member of the subjugated Ornu people, Knighthood is her only path to full citizenship. Ravaged by famine and mounting tensions, Bayt-Sajji finds itself on the brink of war once again, so Aiza can finally enlist in the competitive Squire training program.
It's not how she imagined it, though. Aiza must navigate new friendships, rivalries, and rigorous training under the unyielding General Hende, all while hiding her Ornu background. As the pressure mounts, Aiza realizes that the "greater good" that Bayt-Sajji's military promises might not include her, and that the recruits might be in greater danger than she ever imagined.
Aiza will have to choose, once and for all: loyalty to her heart and heritage, or loyalty to the Empire.
The art and coloring was beautiful; the story was told in an engaging way; and it was really fast paced (maybe a little too much for me), which meant that every detail really meant something.
Did not love the individual pursuit of militaristic honor to defeat a singular evil, in a story of systemic imperial injustice. But it is a pretty and in its way empowering YA graphic novel.
This has literally become one of my favorite graphic novels. It's a damn masterpiece! I really love the art style, the action scenes, and it especially 'flows smoothly'- the composition, the amount of dialogue/bubbles per page... Fantastic! But most importantly, the story, the themes, and the message. Spot-on. The background/extra content in the end of the book is also very epic and useful!
(Edit: Forgot the "favorite", it's truly one of my favorite graphic novels)
i mean, loads of anti-fantasy and anti-imperialist talk, but this story doesn't really do much beside changing the ethnicity of the characters. the key problems are still there and they dont seem to have been dealt with. there is almost an reformist vibe as well in the whole book. not sure what i've just read tbf.
