I can't quite determine the target audience for this book. Older teens? Adults? While the story started off great and looked like it might be a coming of age historical novel it turned into something else that lacked a clear theme or purpose. Not recommended as a primary purchase.

The illustrations in this book were absolutely stunning. Each page was a visual feast, and I found myself lingering on the artwork, soaking in the intricate details and colours. The storyline itself had quite an engaging flow.



Thank you to Europe Comics and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story started off promising, but it never really progressed past that. There were a lot of words and images but it didn't convey much. It was boring and I didn't really even enjoy the art style.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Honestly struggled to finish reading this. Something about the way it is written just didn't hold my attention, so I had to force myself to finish. First off, I think this might be more enjoyable to people who already know about the historical events this story is set in. I know practically nothing about French history, aside from the French Revolution and some random facts about Marie-Antoinette. Of course, I vaguely know of the Medici family (thanks Assassin's Creed) but know nothing about Catherine Medici, let alone she was Queen. Beyond that, nada. So for most of this graphic novel, I was a bit lost on why events were happening in the order they were. It just seemed to jump from event to event, and the segways were a bit bluntly done. Also, the tone seemed off with Gabrielle's mannerisms. She acts like she's a younger teenager for the majority of the time, but then she's watching other people have sex or having sexual relations herself. Also, the few sex scenes or scenes that include nudity that popped off threw me off as well. It completely changed the tone of what I thought the graphic novel would be like. The art style is decent, I liked it well enough.

I love history from this time period. One of my favorite shows was Reign that followed Mary Queen of Scots with her rule and mostly her time in France, engaged and then married to Catherine de Medici son.

I loved following the fictional young girl, as she is invited to court and then learns to adjust to life amongst royalty. I loved the blend of true history with a fictional individual.

Having all of this wrapped into one story, told through a graphic medium, makes the historical context so much easier to understand. It is wrapped in tons of political intrigue, and leaves a bit up to interpretation. I highly recommend this book.

This was a graphic novel about a fictional character placed among the ladies in waiting of Catherine de Medici during the religious wars of France.

I really enjoyed the art style and how much I learned about a topic I didn’t know much about. I wish there would have been a bit more explanation of the various characters during the story because I didn’t know their backstory or what role they played in history. A lot of it was inferred for me but overall a quick and interesting read!

Thank you Netgalley and Europe Comics for sending me a copy.

“Catherine de’ Medici. The Flying Squadron” by Manon Textoris turned out to be a an unexpected surprise. I am new to the world of graphic novels and this one was such an intriguing and well-written ride.
De’ Medici’s history is a major point of interest. I love Florence and how this family still seem to rule it after all those years. Catherine de’ Medici is such a peculiar and compelling historical figure and reading about her, both in a fictional and non-fictional way, is always riveting and I end up discovering new curiosities.
This graphic novel narrates an important part of France’s history: the Wars of Religion and how it affected our main character, Gabrielle. She is a fictional character, but it isn’t easy to imagine that something similar might have happened to some other young girl.
Gabrielle is sent to join Catherine de’ Medici’s “squadron” and be one of the Queen Mother’s lady in waiting. But nothing is as Gabrielle thought it would be: it’s a life full of lies and deception, a life of danger and she quickly learns it.
Even though Gabrielle is our main character, the reader’s focus is drawn to the historical part, overshadowing the protagonist’s journey and the relationships she tightens over the story. I would have preferred the opposite: reading more about Gabrielle’s life at court, how she fell in love with Monsieur de Villeroy, and if she missed her family and her friend Justine. But despite this, I appreciated the work the author did with regard to the historical context and how Catherine de’ Medici was portrayed.
The boards gave to the story the perfect atmosphere, the colours weren’t too bright and respected the topics covered. I loved the setting and the characters and how they were depicted, the style of the drawings met my expectations and let me dive into the tale.
I also appreciated how the story started and ended, how there was no character or landscape in these particular boards but a static background. It helped to set a precise mood since the beginning, connecting with the ending.
In conclusion, I don’t usually read graphic novel but I could start now. It was a breath of fresh air and the perfect read when you’re in a bad reading slump. I highly recommend it if you’re searching for an easy to read historical tale with fantastic drawings.

A beautifully done and mastered look at court life during the 1560s in France, following a young noblewoman who seeks to be part of the Queen Mother's so-called 'Flying Squadron', a group of ladies-in-waiting serving the Queen Mother in everything, including bits of espionage.

This was a wonderful look at this time period and a great start to series, I am genuinely looking forward to more volumes with this absolutely gorgeous illustrations. I do wish there was just a little bit more depth in the dialogue, but it is a great set up for a series.

Beautifully written and drawn. I love that Gabrielle finds out who she truly is and what she really wants and deserves out of life. I can’t wait to see what happens next.

This comic was very well drawn and enjoyable to look at, but the political plot was a little tough to follow. Having some background knowledge of French history would have made this much more enjoyable. A lot of the names and faces looked the same, so it was hard to keep track of who was who. Nonetheless, I will read the second volume when it becomes available.

Thanks netgalley and europe comics for this ARC!

Gabrielle is stifled by the confines of 16th century france-she has an education she can't use, and a luxurious life that is only preparing her for marriage. All is upended when she is choosen to join the ladies of waiting of infamous Catherine de Medici and is swept into the intrigues of a court on the brink of war. Spying, falling in love, betraying a friend, Gabrielle learns about what really matters.

On one hand, I appreciate that this graphic novel was trying to show catherine as a sensible ruler in the midst of a frought religious/political boil, but i wish there was a smidge of sensationalism in there- i know the story was in translation but some of it was a little dry for me. Gabrielle also is constantly told by justine shes a silly fool and i dont think she is-she is just trying to survive and find joy in a life that is the definition of confining. Alas, it was good, but i want more.

Dnf 40% the art was just okay. But I kept reading because it seemed like a very interesting point in history that this story takes place. Then the nudity came in and I'm just not here for that.

I am grateful to have received an arc through NetGalley.
When I got approved for this arc, I was very excited. When I started reading the book, it unfortunately felt very boring. My expectations were not met and I was hoping to find out more about their lives. This was just a very long graphic novel. Nontheless, the novel had amazing drawings.

I really fascinating and intricately illustrated historical fiction graphic novel that is set in mid 16th century France and depicts the war between the Catholics and the Huguenots, Catherine de Medici and her 'flying squadron' of ladies-in-waiting, who spy for information.

Thank you for the team at Netgalley for allowing me access to this comic.

This short and sweet historical comic explores the life of a young woman in the royal court amongst war and a fierce battle for power. The illustrations in this are beautiful and the story is simple yet engaging enough to make you want to read more.

I highly recommend giving this a read if you have a spare hour.

How I love comic books.

Here, quite dry history, is brought to life with skill, insight and art. A heavy text is replaced by characters, speech bubbles and pictures to propel a story and get you immersed into a strange and alien world.

While the average reader might still fell confused and unable to stifle the odd yawn, for me, it succeeds in bringing an unfamiliar time, a foreign country, closer to home and more accessible. Not only that, by using historical context and documented events, it brings enlightenment as well as entertainment to the reader. An enjoyment that not only takes you into a new world, a sense of escapism, but also educates and challenges, since fact has become part of fiction.

For me the afterword shows this intent and fulfils that historical value this story seeks to leave with the audience.

I subsequently have a wider appreciation. The struggles for power, survival against a backdrop of intolerance and religious dogma has enough strands into our own lives to make any historical story like this worthwhile and thought provoking.

The characters can be a little confusing. The story is a vast one with many different players sometimes, even with pictures, you can get a little lost regarding where it is going.

However, it is an introduction and has places beyond these pages you might wish to follow-up. Whatever brings to this book, enjoy and lose yourself. With Catherine de Medici you’ll be royally entertained.

I was quite disapointed by this graphic novel. 'Catherine de' Medici, The Flying Squadron' follows our main character in her (boring) court life. Overall it left me pretty unengaged and I found the story to plain to portray via this medium. The art style is dynamic and consists of soft colors, but people are often overstylized, which I'm not the biggest fan of.

<blockquote>The feeling of freedom, It's an incredible feeling.
It's not really freedom of course, It's hope of the unexpected, the unknown, not knowing what's ahead.
It's like a little Knot in your stomach, Light, But a just noticeable weight.
A knot that says anything is possible.
I think that's why it weighs you down just a little, when anything is possible, It's a bit frightening too.</blockquote>
I have gotten a copy of this Graphic Novel ARC, in exchange for an honest review, It's read now on Netgalley for anyone willing to give it a chance, Thanks To Manon Textoris and Europe Comics for the opportunity.
This was a journey through the history of France in the 16th century, the time of the queen mother Catherine De Medici, But in fact she isn't really the protagonist of this story, The Protagonist instead is a girl in the Queen's famous/infamous Squadron, The Novel explores Religious Tolerance (Nobody was tolerant in this novel) And it also explores Feminism at that time, What did the women think about, how did they view themselves, how did they deal with a world ruled by men and their prejudices and their wars?

<blockquote>If you knew anything of the life of women, you would know that we are only beautiful accessories, and it is vain to believe that we can become something Else.</blockquote>
Reading this it hurt, and it hit home, not for women now, but women back then, Imagine to this day many are still fighting for equal pay, or women's right to their own bodies, and many other things, and that's in countries who are supposed to be the peak of civilization right now!
Imagine what it's like for countries in the third world.
It's ridiculous that we still have ways to go on so many of these rights, to the point of not feeling safe for just being a woman, or a black person, or a gay person, or a trans person, and so on.
Three weeks ago, I was talking to a friend about underlying Misogyny aspect of a Graphic novel we both read, and she threw in a name of Incel, Now this part is just ugly, so don't read it, i wish i didn't know about these idiots, It's a group of guys and it seems they are a big group, who identify as Involuntary Celibate, It's fucking ridiculous honestly, a group of whiny assholes who are sad and bitter they are not having sex because women are playing hard to get or something, i didn't dive deep into the topic, i don't want to, and i hope asshole youtube never recommends me any stuff about them, like they are annoying me with anti trans and anti atheist videos, i am atheist why would you send me hate videos is beyond me...
Here comes a scary part, one of these guys becomes a serial killer, and they are putting him on a pedestal as a hero? This is 2023, This shit is recent, i am not sure how recent, my friend was telling me that stuff, I am slowly losing hope in humanity, I know there is a lot of great people, I know nobody is perfect, But it seems, it's way too easy to descend to hate, I quit religion, and held ideals as the light i want to follow, But it seems those ideals can get trampled by large groups of people, with no consequences, I thought the west world was what i wanted to thrive to achieve, just get there be rid of all the religious intolerance of my region, and be free!
They have fucking Incel which we never heard of, they have racism which we are not really suffering from, And they have such a hardon for trans people, fearing that everything they ever knew is collapsing around them (okay we have that here too but you get the idea)
And i am thinking, Where is the path? Where should i go? Which country isn't suffering from all of these issues? that i can thrive to be there? because after a few months of me seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, i am stuck in a bleak place again, my faith is shaken.

<blockquote>You are wrong, I'm just a bit more cunning than you, i realized ages ago that if we want to have the slightest bit of freedom one day, we have to do what is expected of us for the time being.</blockquote>
You know i don't have that cunning?!
I don't have the cunning to act like a Muslim in a Muslim country.
I don't have the cunning to be something that i am not.
I don't have the cunning to not speak my mind, for fear of backlash.
My Heart is in the right place, and i talk, i take a stance, and fuck all if i ever yield to anyone.
That's Justine, she wasn't the noble girl type who wanted to join the court, and find her a noble husband, she was talking about voluntary servitude, The first thing that came to my mind seeing these two words was Marriage!
They are willing giving themselves to these men, and ending up feeling bitter like Gabrielle's mother on the previous quotes, At the beginning i thought the path the novel was going to take was make an example out of Gabrielle the not so feminist girl, but i was deadly wrong!
<blockquote>Thanks to you I'm languishing in a convent, you were right, you were better off in the castle.
Find yourself a good husband, Gabrielle, don't end up in a convent.
Because you may be sure of one thing, Gabrielle, You will find no forgiveness here.</blockquote>
They screwed up Justine the feminist instead, i thought with the narrative at hand, it would be the other way around, Also this totally just earned this entire review spoiler tag!

<blockquote>How can we countenance the coexistence of two religions in the same country?
Two different ways of living?
It's impossible!</blockquote>
Religious intolerance for days, here is the short version of it.
This is all about the Huguenots who were a protestant religious group in france in the 16th century, who were persecuted by the people and the government, even going as far as one of France's kings forcibly converting them to catholic.
They used to be 10% of the population and they were nearly extinct before finally gaining equal rights.
I doubt they are still around.
A big part perhaps of the oppression of the reformed Huguenots was out of fear of the most powerful country in Europe at the time in The Fanatical Spain (Back then), who was conquering other European countries on the pretext of fighting the reformed religion.
So France had to protect it's own ass by depriving the Huguenots of their rights, to show Spain that they hold no favor with in the royal court.
It's ugly business...

<blockquote>Frivolity for the few is bought with the suffering of the many.</blockquote>
<blockquote>All the Animals are brought there, They wait, They understand, They shit themselves with Terror, You have to get used to it, Gabrielle, That's the smell of Paris, Paris smells of fear and Death.</blockquote>
I combined these two quotes, As a last second decision, Obviously the first quote was meant as the suffering of Poor People for the frivolity of nobles and kings.
But then i realized, About the Animal Quote, That the frivolity for humans in general, Is bought with the suffering of the many animals being slaughter for our pleasure.
And No saying that i am not even a Vegan, I am also not saying this to suck up to Vegans, i would love to try it and embrace it one day, but i can't at this current spot i am in for economical reasons that i will not dive into, and don't presume to know my situation.
Suffering and Misery, It's why when i was religious i said the weirdest thing ever, That the world we live in is Hell, and if you fuck up you get sent back here again (Not that i stopped saying Weird things, it's kind of my thing)

<blockquote>It is foolish to believe that the division of minds can be settled with sword and the glint of weapons, You may slaughter some, But the earth fertilized by disasters and soaked in their blood, will beget many more.
- Michael De L'hospital</blockquote>
Does it matter since when do we say the exact same thing? 16th century, or much earlier?
War still go on, and war never changes.

<blockquote>I hate them for forcing me to fight this war...
Everything that is being done, on both sides, is done out of a hunger to rule, and to take whatever power i have, using the excuse of religion.
There's no holiness or belief, only passion, vengeance, and hatred for each other.</blockquote>
The Most feminist thing in this novel, wasn't the quotes, or the way Justine Acted, Or the words of their mother.
It is painting a new picture to the queen mother Catherine, who has been demonized throughout history, probably just because she was a woman in power, and they wanted to throw the blame of that civil war on her, instead of the real culprits the fanatics on both side catholic and protestant at the time.
At the beginning one of the girls said this, while watching a portrait of the queen.
<blockquote>- With crueller eyes! How can you hide such a dark soul?
- Maybe she's not hiding.</blockquote>
I kept waiting to see her bad acts through out the novel, But she wasn't, she was actually against the war, she was trying to protect the country from Spain, she was trying to convince all parties that war will weaken the country and make them easy prey for countries around them, and nobody was bloody listening!

I ll lastly talk about the art, it was good, it was bad, it was actually better than the writing, Because this is the closest thing to no plot novel i ever saw, it's historical events pieced together, and scenes of the life of Gabrielle, the fiction protagonist of this novel, who is based on that age and era.
The close up art was good, and great style actually that i would have enjoyed so much, even through it's simple but real features and expression, and intricate clothing designs, The far panels though, were over simplified, that i saw no beauty at all in them.
<blockquote>Farewell, my faithless friend, i have no doubt that you will be happy, you are a creature made for joy, and i was made for rebellion.
Perhaps we never had a choice in the matter.</blockquote>

This was a really interesting graphic novel. A bit heavy for me on the politics/religious aspects, but I liked the illustration style. I think it could be more tedious for someone to read who isn't as interested in the time period. I LOVE this time period so I liked this one a lot!

I was not a fan of this graphic novel I found the story boring but at least the artwork was good
Rating ⭐️⭐️