A neat, if fictional, story that takes inspiration from Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. It's an interesting story about Margaret, a girl who was left on the island of nuns as a baby. It follows her activities learning about the island's inhabitants, the animals, what each toll of the bell means, and their general life. Margaret also goes around asking about who her parents were, which no one seems to know.

The illustrations are lovely, looking simple at first glance but add to the atmosphere of the story. It treads the line between historical and fairytale. All of the characters are rounded out and feel close to real people.

A woman and her son come to stay on the island, William is around her age and they slowly become friends. However, William's mother contracts a fever and dies, leading to William being forced off the island. Things become tumultuous for Margaret when it's revealed what the island's purpose is and why William is made to leave. Margaret does eventually find out who her parents are.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I thought to try a graphic novel but I simply did not finish this book.

The graphic was beautifully drawn but couldn’t get into it.

Better VERY late than never on the feedback, but this was a spectacular graphic novel! Palette, graphic design, storyline -- the works. I learned loads about convent life and am looking forward to next year's sequel. I bought a hard copy and have recommended the book widely. Thanks!

'Queen of the Sea' with story and art by Dylan Meconis is a historical fiction graphic novel inspired somewhat by true events.

Margaret lives on an island in a convent. She has lived there since she was little and since she is a child, she is free to roam and discover the secrets of the island and its inhabitants. She learns that many of the women on the island are banished there by politics. The Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished the island, Margaret becomes friends with her, but then Margaret learns a secret about her ownself that may threaten Eleanor.

I liked this story of island life and political intrigue. The story is sprawling at 400 pages, some of them more packed with words, but the whole thing kept my interest. From the charming art, to the lettering. I liked how the art changed for Margaret's flashback and explanation sections.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Candlewick Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

Meconis draws from history for this graphic novel, but she turns it into pure imagining. The novel focuses on a queen in exile, her older half-sister, whose claim had been nullified by declaring the marriage of her parents invalid, having taken the thrown away from her younger sister.

The main character is Margaret, a girl who has grown up on a small island run by an order of nuns who help sailors. She does not know where she came from or why she was brought to the island, but she loves her small home. The graphic novel drifts through her childhood until the arrival of the exiled queen.

I appreciate the complexities of the situation from Margaret's point of view, as she learns many truths about her world. There's also a nice, childlike humor to many of the descriptions and summations that I found immensely charming. The artwork paired nicely with the text. However, the story did feel somewhat incomplete. There was no sense of resolution upon reaching the end. It seems like it might be leaving things open for a sequel.

So I liked it, but I expected things to ramp up in intensity but they never really got there.

Loved it - loved the illustration and the story and how reminiscent it is of Elizabeth I. I need a sequel, please. SEQUEL. PLEASE.

Cute and easy to read. Was enjoyable for at adventurer daughter.

Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful read, and I was engrossed in the book's world the whole time. The story was inspired by Queen Elizabeth I's exile, so now I'm tempted to read some nonfiction about that time period to puzzle out what in this book was real and what was more imagination!

Please tell me there will be a sequel! I was captivated by the format as I requested it thinking it was a graphic novel and it had a lot more text than I was expecting. I am not complaining, though. I loved this... would it be alternate history?... of England's Virgin Queen and her sister.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a graphic novel where there is a lot of text in addition to the illustrations. "Queen of the Sea" by Dylan Meconis is an alternate history version of England, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I. It takes inspiration from the history books, but then it goes in another direction (for instance, with Mary's feud with Elizabeth and her subsequent exile; also, the country in which is set the story is a fictional one).
The overall storyline was good and enjoyable to read, even if I found the ending a bit lacklustre. I just hoped there was even more to the story!

If history is your cup of tea and the Tudor history in particular is what you like, than this graphic novel is definitely a must read for you.

This story did not draw me in. However, I do love the artwork. The pictures were very pretty. However, it lacked engaging characters and an interesting storyline.

I love a good historical retelling and British ones are the most common I've seen around. Reading about Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary was fun and the artwork was cute. However, it was a very long story and I thought it was a bit dragged out at some points. Overall, I think it's a really entertaining book and definitely a good fit for fans of retellings.

I love reading adaptations of true events. This graphic novel tells an alternative story about Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I. Their names are changed to Eleanor and Catherine, but the premise of the story is the same: that the daughter of the King banished her half-sister from the kingdom so that she couldn’t steal her throne.

I’ve read other books about Queen Elizabeth I, so I know the story of what happened. This book follows Margaret, who is a fictional character. She lives on the convent island, which houses Eleanor (the Elizabeth character) while she hides from her sister. This story includes mysterious shipwrecks, spies, and a hidden cave, which were not part of the true history. These aspects make it an exciting story for a children’s graphic novel.

This is a fun story! I loved it!

Thank you Candlewick Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the color to be a bit drab for a children's book, but it is in keeping with the general tone of the book on the whole. Very informative and a great choice for the mini history buffs out there.

Slow going. Fantasy fans and those who appreciate substantial world-building may enjoy it, but I didn't find enough happening quickly enough to grab me.

Such an enjoyable graphic novel. I loved Margaret as a character. Though she was young and abandoned, she carried herself with much grace. She loved people, even when they did wrong.

Eleanor was an awesome queen. She seemed like a snappy person, but she grew on me.

Sister Agnes was the best influence and person for Margaret. She knew Margaret's true identity and cared well for her.

Mother Mary Clemence was a wicked woman. I didn't like her at all. She was rude, hard and abused her authority.

The artwork in this graphic novel is very eye catching. It almost has such a simplistic look while still keeping you focused on the colors, drawings and words.

Overall, this was a fun graphic novel. Definitely would recommend it.

I can't express just how deeply I loved this book. Although technically a graphic novel, this historical fiction work has passages of prose seemlessly mixed in between pages of cell.. An island in the middle of the sea, an empty throne up for grabs, and sisters battling for power. What more do you need? Maybe an orphan child raised by nuns with no knowledge of her birth? Well-written and beautifully illustrated, the story is reminiscent of Mary Queen Scotts, but In a fantasy world where anything can happen. I'm looking for to future volumes to continue this epic story of intrigue!

I was fortunate to receive a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. The above thoughts, insights, or recommendations are my own meek musings.

I quite enjoyed this story, loosely based on the early life of Elizabeth I (called Eleanor here), as told by Margaret. Margaret is an orphan who was brought to a convent on a small remote island off the coast of Albion when she was a baby. The convent is only visited twice a year by a supply ship, and when Margaret is six, the ship brings two new residents- Lady Cameron and her young son, William. They live quietly for many years, until Lady Cameron dies and William gets sent back to Albion. As Margaret learns some things about the convent she didn't know before, two new people arrive- a young woman and a nun tasked with watching over her. Then the intrigue starts! The young woman was, until recently, the Queen of Albion, before her sister deposed her and took the throne. As Margaret gets to know Eleanor, she learns the truth about herself, and her quiet life will never be the same.
The artwork is really lovely, with soft, warm colors, occasionally changing to bright illustrations like an illuminated manuscript (these are used when a story, legend, or folk tale is being told within the text). Interspersed throughout the story are explanations of day-to-day life on the island- the various duties of each person, the various religious rituals and practices, embroidering linens to raise money for the order, learning to play chess. This is book is long for a graphic novel, but it kept me interested the entire time I was reading it. Definitely hoping for a sequel!

#QueenOfTheSea #NetGalley

Historical fiction loosely based on Elizabeth I. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl raised in a convent on a remote island. The story is long and drawn out at 400 pages but I never found myself bored. It's told in a mixture of traditional comic book panels and illustrated prose. The story shifts about half way through when a mysterious woman is brought to the island as a prisoner. Meconis's art has a simple, muted style to it that gave the book the look of an illustrated manuscript from the Middle Ages.

Thank you, NetGalley for the preview of this graphic novel.

I found Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis deeper than I expected it to be. Maybe I was a little mislead by the art in the beginning. As the book progresses, you get caught up by the plot, eager to finish the book just to see what happens to all the characters.