When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she’s worried she’s not going to fit in. To her surprise, she’s immediately adopted by the most popular girls in school. At first glance, Marley, Arianna, and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under a full moon, Becca learns that they also have a big secret.
Becca’s new friends are werewolves. Their prey? Slimy boys who take advantage of unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf, and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.
But things get complicated when Arianna’s predatory boyfriend is killed, and the cops begin searching for a serial killer. As their pack begins to buckle under the pressure—and their moral high ground gets muddier and muddier—Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.
When this one popped up on my Facebook newsfeed, I immediately knew I had to grab it. Between the enticing cover, the premise of hunting skeevy guys, and the fact that it featured werewolves—my absolute favorite of all supernatural creatures—it seemed the perfect fit to fill a slot in my spooky month! You know what they say about too much hype, though...
I wanted to love this book, and I think it really does some things well, but I ultimately wanted more. It probably doesn't help that I take a special interest in werewolf stories, so I hyper-focus on everything and notice the small inconsistencies simply because I love them so much... But hey, if I care so much, shouldn't the creators/publishers do the same?
I really loved the art style, I just wish there had been a bit more polish at times. Sure, my complaints are mostly nitpicks—a hamburger disappearing here, an inconsistency of clothing there, the different werewolves being completely indistinguishable except for color—but those nitpicks add up. There was one werewolf fight scene which had me totally lost in its action, and though the result is pretty obvious, I still would have liked more details or direction or something to help me figure out what all was actually happening in the scene. That's also where the clothing inconsistency came into play, robbing some of the moment's impact for me.
Again, realize that I'm a bit of a werewolf fanatic, but I wanted more werewolves. For example, we don't even get to see the majority of the transformations. There are a couple frames here and there of fur or claws, but then it's just full wolf and back again. We don't even get to see Becca's bite, just "told" that it's gonna hurt and then "Awoooooooo". And the supposed consequences of being a werewolf? Barely came into play, and had practically no effect on the characters: Becca essentially broke a glass and got mad at her mom. You'd think a graphic novel would do better in the case of "show don't tell," but here we are. Granted, that may be due to lack of space (seems 200 pages is a hard cap for these), but still...
So what did I like? Despite how it sounds, a lot actually. I thought this story's werewolf rules were an interesting take, even if I felt like the downsides weren't explored enough. I loved the titular Squad's rules and justifications for their hunting practices; their sales pitch to Becca was *chef's kiss* très magnifique. I loved the LGBTQIA+ rep, which included both students and faculty. I liked Becca's conversations with her mother, and the internal commentary running through them. In fact I liked the majority of the points raised, about rape culture, social standings, "the various implications of victim blaming and internalized misogyny" [pg 107], previous generations' not recognizing some of the stressors of today, and more. I just wish there was more time given to them.
I fully believe that had this been given a standard novelization treatment, with 200-300 pages of prose (supplemented with a couple werewolf illustrations), it could have been a great commentary and exploration. As is, it lacks some of the depth—both visually and thematically—I craved from its premise, acting merely as a conversation starter rather than a fully-realized character story. Hell, I had to check the description just to find the main character's name, and I read this only yesterday. And rather than ruminating on what happened in the story, I'm left wondering about what didn't. As I said at the beginning, I just wanted more.
Overall, this was a good story with interesting artwork, it just lacked the time and space to fully tackle all the points it raised. I'd still recommend it as a quick and interesting read, especially for those interested in werewolves, YA, vigilantism, or exploring societal issues, but it probably won't be all that memorable in the long run. So if you find the premise interesting and are looking for a bite-sized horror read, then give Squad a try.
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