Queen of the Sea
Ratings5
Average rating3.6
Cult graphic novelist Dylan Meconis offers a rich reimagining of history in this beautifully detailed hybrid novel loosely based on the exile of Queen Elizabeth I by her sister, Queen Mary. When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives. As Margaret grows closer to Eleanor, she grapples with the revelation of the island's sinister true purpose as well as the truth of her own past. When Eleanor's life is threatened, Margaret is faced with a perilous choice between helping Eleanor and protecting herself. In a hybrid novel of fictionalized history, Dylan Meconis paints Margaret's world in soft greens, grays, and reds, transporting readers to a quiet, windswept island at the heart of a treasonous royal plot.
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I thought that I would like this a lot more than I did. The art is beautiful and I liked how it would change to a more simplistic, even stained-glass style when Margaret was telling a story. But that fact that it was just close enough to the actual story of Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots was distracting to me. If it had been even one more step removed from historical events I think I would have enjoyed it more. I kept thinking, “wait a minute, that's not how it happened!” But it was very well done and I think some historical fiction-minded kids will like it. I was just too distracted!
This was a fun and interesting read. I enjoyed the slightly historical setting.
