Character Development: ☆☆☆
Plot/Writing Style: ☆☆☆
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐
"Quiet, sensitive Faith starts middle school already worrying about how she will fit in. To her surprise, Amanda, a popular eighth grader, convinces her to join the school soccer team, the Bloodhounds. Having never played soccer in her life, Faith ends up on the C team, a ragtag group that's way better at drama than at teamwork. Although they are awful at soccer, Faith and her teammates soon form a bond both on and off the soccer field that challenges their notions of loyalty, identity, friendship, and unity."
**Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers!**
Oooooookay. I'm going to preface this by saying that I do not read very many graphic novels. That said, I have read some, and they all seemed to tell a pretty cohesive story. This, on the other hand, felt a bit like I got a copy that was missing pages. The characters were relatable, but the story jumped from one moment to another with nothing to connect them. Frequently, something would happen that left me going "wait...why...how..." Very disjointed and jarring, and while the illustrations tell some of the story, I thought the overall narrative could have been rounded out better.
Next up, there are...three chapters in this book? I mean...can we get some more regular story breaks in there? This is a small gripe in the grand scheme of things, but good lord, chapters should not be 70 pages long, especially for a middle grade book.
Third and last gripe: The book synopsis is pretty misleading, y'all. I kept waiting for some actual friendship, but the C team (which, incidentally, I'm not sure was actually named as "The Bloodhounds" until the end of the book) is super cliquey and awful to each other until the very end of the book, at which point, mid-game, Faith is like "HEY, guys, we may suck at soccer, but we should all be friends!" and then spontaneously they all decide that yes, they SHOULD be friends, walk off the field, and go get pizza.
All that said, this book features a great cast of characters. It also jumps through different POVs, so you get to see multiple sides to some of the conflict happening between teammates, which I thought was a nice touch. And while the storytelling could have used some development, I thought the artwork was top-notch and carried a large amount of the storytelling. All in, it's a solidly okay book. I debated a bit but did end up adding it to my school library.
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