Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall & Lisa Sterle

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 Becca's worried she won't fit in at her new elite San Fransico school. To her surprise, she's instantly adopted by the most popular girls in school. On the outside, Arianna, Marley, and Mandy are perfect. But when the full moon rises, Becca learns they have a secret. The three girls are werewolves, killing boys that take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Despite to accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf. It's not long before things get complicated though. After Arianna's boyfriend is killed, the cops and FBI are on the lookout for a serial killer. It's only a matter of time before they zero in on Becca's squad, and the pack is starting to buckle under the pressure.

Oh, and did I mention this book includes a queer romance?

This was such a quick read. I flew right through it and I really loved it. After reading Squad, I want more werewolf books! If Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Sterle ever decide to write a second volume, it will be at the top of my wishlist.

This book is perfect for fans of Heathers, Riverdale, 80s horror slasher films, and This Savage Song. That kind of sounds like a lot, but trust me, it blends together so well. Honestly, the more I think about it, the more the plot reminds me of Heathers. Unpopular girl joins the group of popular mean girls, she turns to mean, (almost) everybody dies at the end. Ariana is so Heather Chandler in werewolf form.

Even though this story had a modern setting, it gave me retro vibes. It was mainly due to the art style. The art style reminded me a little bit of the Archie comics. The illustrations in this book are stunning! The characters in this book look beautiful! Combined with Maggie Tokuda-Hall's sharp, witty writing, this graphic novel is great! 

I also liked the social commentary included in this story too! There's definitely a lot of anger towards toxic masculinity and rapey dudes. There was a bunch of feminism in this book! I love stories about girls who reak revenge on those who have wronged them.

One thing I wasn't such a big fan of was how obsessed all the main characters were with being skinny and "fit." The topic came up in a way that fits perfectly with the popular mean girl trope. If you ignore the fatphobia, this is a great book.

Page count: 224 pages

Published: October 5, 2021

Genre: urban fantasy, horror

My rating: 5 stars

Trigger warnings: mention of rape, murder

Buy this book!

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