Be warned: the art in this one will deceive you. Based on the art and the summary, I picked this one up as a chill children’s book to help get my Netgalley score up. As stated in my August TBR blog post, I’m very interested in reading about English history. I thought this would just be a child’s view on what happens in this retelling but boy was I wrong.

The story starts with the MC Margaret, an orphan girl and only child on an island convent, explaining the island and her own mysterious history. Margaret’s sense of humor and the wonderful illustrations really brought this island to life. She was my favorite character, although I did like all the other nuns living there and the servants.

One day, a ship shows up with a young boy named William and his mother. He and Margaret become friends, but when William’s mother dies he is soon sent off the island.

This my friends is when the political drama gets SPICY. Soon after William leaves, a very angry woman who used to be queen shows up. Each page after that has the island’s and it’s inhabitants’ secrets revealed more and more.

There are some plot twists in this book that made me physically slam my phone on the table and pout like a child. My sister thought I was insane, but if she understood how much of a wild adventure this book was she would have picked up my phone and threw it out the window.

I 100% recommend for anyone who likes to read mature children’s books and English history.

Unfortunately, after loving the first "scene", my interest in this or any enjoyment went downhill and I was unable to read more than 10 or 15%.
It was were tedious and tiring to read, too much focusing on the mundane life and the nun part of the story.
The art is enjoyable, though.

Will shelve as DNF and won't rate.

*Received via NetGalley for review*

An interesting and amusing historical fiction story about a young orphan living on a nunnery she discovers is a kind of prison, in more than just her imagination.

Bright art and interesting fact (winding thread with gold wire for embroidery sounds so tedious- I'm glad that's not the way it's done anymore!).

I started off being very confused about where this book fits into history (it doesn't). Once I let go of trying to slot it in, it was very enjoyable! The artwork is captivating, facial expressions are so well done, and the plot is well paced and exciting! Lots of intrigue and secrets, and wit. It would be a great introduction to historical fiction style books for a younger audience.

The illustrations in this book are stunning and that's why I'm so devastated that I didn't like this one. I understand that I am not the intended audience for this novel, yet I feel the story missed the mark. It was supposed to be a reimagining of Queen Elizabeth I and yet I didn't feel that at all from it. It spent a long time on their day to day actions and it seemed to be more about religion and nunnery than Queen Elizabeth I. Loosely based or not, this story did not turn out to be what it is pitched as. This had a lot of potential but it doesn't reflect what the jacket copy says it is.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Walker Books US through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

A fascinating, well-done graphic novel. I liked that although influenced by actual events and people from English history, Meconis created an alternate reality and could focus on telling a good story. She did still accurately portray daily life from the time period. Recommended for middle grade readers.

This graphic novel is promoted as a re-imagining of the exile of Queen Elizabeth I, however, I would not describe it as such. This was a mix of religious knowledge and the story of a young girl that was brought to an island to be raised by nuns. It is about her life growing up and what she learned about where she lived, who she lived with and what was happening in the “outside” world.

The illustrations were gorgeously colored and the details were perfect for a middle grade read. The content however, was geared toward young adults and included much religious history and instruction.

This was not exactly what I thought it would be and it was a bit long, coming in at about 400 pages.

The art in this is so cool. I had a little bit of trouble with the e-file so I wasn't able to read the whole thing but what I saw was so impressive and brilliant. I cannot wait to get the physical version!

I attempted to read this, received it just before the publishing/archive date, and the format does not work on kindle. I can't get it to line up correctly because of the way you are made to download it. Was looking forward to reading it because it is about a favorite historical period of mine, but since it was archived before I had a chance to read it I wasn't able to troubleshoot the problem and actually read it. The artwork was enjoyable though, hopefully the rest of the book is also.

Copy provided by NetGalley and publisher.

Margaret has been living with nuns in a remote island since she became an orphan. Nothing really exciting happens on a day-to-day basis until, one day, a mysterious stranger arrives.
I have to start by saying that the art of this book is absolutely beautiful. The way it is painted is also aesthetically pleasing but, sadly, that’s the only thing I enjoyed in the book.
The characters did not captivate me nor did their story. However, unlike other books I’ve read or DNF’d, I recognize that this graphic novel has potential and could be really appreciated by certain people. It could be ideal for a younger audience but not for me.
The reason I was so not captivated by this story was probably because it didn’t develop as quickly as I would have liked. In the beginning of the novel, there’s almost a list of characters with their names and what they do, which I usually don’t like in books. This one was no exception. It bored me and I had to skip most of it. When I finally got to the beginning of the story, I was already saturated. Because, as I said before, it did not develop quickly, I lost interest. The characters also were nothing out of the ordinary, which was disappointing.
When reading this book became a chore, I knew it was time to give up and DNF it.

Queen of the Sea is a historical fiction graphic novel loosely based on the story of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. We follow an orphan girl named Margaret that lives on an island in a convent with nuns, as well as those who arrive on the island looking for help, shelter, etc. When a woman named Eleanor is exiled there, her life is forever changed. Margaret knows little about her past, but as the story progresses she learns of her past, family, and where she fits in.

I loved the art in this novel. It is told with mostly muted tones, grays and blacks, browns and creams, with some bright colors thrown in as well. I also really enjoyed the style of text and panels. There were some points where there were almost full text blocks at the bottom of the page, which is new to me in a graphic novel. In this one, it works well. There is much information and history to be included in this story, and it just needs a bit more text than normal. I never felt like it was too much. I did feel like at some points the plot just wasn’t holding my interest. I’m not sure why exactly, but overall I thought it was a nice “alternate” history for this infamous duo.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Margaret has lived on an island with nuns and servants her entire life. The nuns are of the Elysian order, and their job is to pray for the sailors that sail on the waters near their island. They also take in those that need shelter who come to the island, and help those who are washed ashore from a shipwreck. Margaret knows that she couldn’t have been born on the island, but none of the nuns are willing to tell her where she came from. She was also the only kid on the island, at least until William came. This book tells the story of her adventures on this island as she learns about her family, true family, and friendship.

I love graphic novels, but I have never read a historical fiction graphic novel. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but this book completely blew me away. Margaret was such a lively character, she reminded me of the girls that I grew up reading in the classic novels at the library like Pippi Longstocking and A Little Princess. She was full of life and lit up the rooms she was in, even on an island full of nuns and servants. She was imaginative, but she wanted to grow up to be a nun so she could help people. She never even thought of life off the island until more people from the mainland started coming to the island, but then she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even when she thought about mainland life, she didn’t start to rebel against the people who had raised her. Which I took as a breath of fresh air. Not all preteen/teenaged girls are crazy and rebellious, some really enjoy their lives like Margaret did. You can be imaginative without trying to run away every 2 seconds.

This had to be one of the most fun yet even still historically accurate graphic novels I’ve read yet. I learned small things about living on an island full of nuns in the 16th century as I read about Margaret’s life there as an outsider. There were traditions that these nuns upheld, stories that these nuns told, that I had never even heard about as a non-Catholic Christian. Even so, the book wasn’t so forcibly religious that a non-Christian person would feel uncomfortable reading it. The historic religious events were woven in with brilliant storytelling and beautiful pictures.

I read this entire book in about 2-3 hours, while on buses and trains commuting to and from NYC. This book was so addictive that it took me out of that uncomfortable and annoying commute and made me think about a completely new world while I was reading it. I can say that I definitely have not had that experience while reading a graphic novel before.

I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a new historical fiction book or a new graphic novel to enjoy. I cannot wait to read more by this author!

I received a copy of this book and this is my voluntary review.

Queen of the Sea is a tome of a graphic novel. It is 400 pages! and the hardback could be used as a weapon... and that could be a positive or a negative depending on how you look at it, but I found this book lovely.

Margaret is an orphan being raised on an island at a convent and it chronicles the beginning of her life and then the events of today when she has to help protect the former Queen. Margaret tells the tale from her point of view and it is a refreshingly innocent tale told by an innocent girl learning about her past and her future in one fell swoop.

The book, like I mentioned, is on the longer side for a graphic novel but I think the space was used well to tell the story that it needed to. The images are bright and the art feels rustic almost, but it is perfect for the story. There were a few times were the pages were full text blocks and I fell like that sometimes takes away from the overall graphic but in the times when it was used I think it added context well that could not be explained fully in images that went along with the other panels.

I loved this graphic novel, I loved that it was a tome and it was so long, but I was surprised by it, so be aware - this is a big book with a lot of information and history in its pages. Prepare for a marvelous adventure with Margaret and her convent.

Queen of the Sea is one of those graphic novels that I’d seen floating around the book blogging world for a while before I decided to read the ARC. I’ve definitely been in a graphic novel mood recently and an alternate history featuring fictionalized versions of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary seemed really interesting.

The beginning moved really slowly and I had to consciously decide to keep reading. While the illustrations were nice and the characters were interesting, I felt like there was actually very little plot, especially for a book billed as “a rich reimagining” of royalty. Also, for being a graphic novel, this book has a lot of pages that mostly contain walls of text with few actual illustrations.

Fortunately, I felt that everything picked up a lot about halfway through. The plot finally started to capture my interest and I no longer had to force myself to keep reading. That said, I’m still not sure that I’d recommend it. All in all, not a bad read, just maybe not one for me.

I was so excited to receive this netgalley arc as I really have found a love for graphic novels and wanted to see more. So you can imagine my delight when i realised that not only was it a graphic novel but it was written for middle grade another of my favourite genres to read. It was interesting that the novel was loosely based on british history and being a brit i wanted to learn too as I was never really that good at history. For the first 10 pages it was going well but then I found it harder to get into and I nearly DNFed it but out of respect to both the author and the publishers I carried on but found it very hard going indeed for these reasons. First a graphic novel in my experience doesn't have much writing as this did and the font of the text was very hard to read at times yes it may have suited the novel but it did not work and I don't know if a middle grader would even enjoy it as clearly is confused. I found the jumping around in the novel very confuddling first we saw the introduction of lady cameron and her son william to the convent. Then there is a new character eleanor and we get to know her before jumping back to lady cameron there seemed to be no proper flow to the novel. I did find the backstory of the nuns interesting but again that was all over the place and got repeated later on in the book. I also couldn't understand why the game of chess was introduced throughout the book it may have been a good idea at the time. On the whole this novel could of been a great read but sadly for me it was below par but there may be readers who may disagree with me

This was a fantastic book. I really loved the gorgeous artwork and the story was amazing as well. I really liked the fact that this book is (loosely) historically based on the story of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. Our main character and narrator, Margaret was adorable and brought some humor to the story which was needed in a story about nuns living on a island. I especially liked all of the sisters and other women who were living on the island. Once you learn more of their past as well it really helps to humanize them and you can see them as complicated people instead of just nuns. I did sometimes feel that there was an overabundance of text of certain pages but overall it didn't bother me enough to impede reading the book. I would highly recommend this to fans of historical fiction, especially stories about queens or the Tudors. This is an amazing book and I am really hoping for a second volume!

This book follows a young girl named Margaret who lives on an island convent, told she was an orphan abandoned to the sisters who lived there. Her quaint, quiet life is interrupted when a woman named Eleanor is exiled to the island. This is an alternate history telling the story of Queens Elizabeth and Mary. I loved watching Margaret grow up and learn the history of the place she lives. The little secrets that pop up are fascinating. Margaret's character arc is well done. The art is beautiful and perfect for middle grade.

This gorgeously portrayed graphic novel depicts what I would refer to as an 'alternate history' loosely based upon the historical figures of Queen Elizabeth I and her sister, Queen Mary. As a history nerd (and a history teacher), I found that it was still enjoyable and refreshing, to see a sort of new 'perspective' on what could have been. I also want to emphasise how much I found the graphics of this book, absolustely beautiful. I don't know how to properly express it with words, and without actually showing the art itself, but it was done so in a way that was detailed, yet not overwhelming; muted, but still incredibly bright and powerful.

Margaret, a young girl who is the only child on the island Convent, was a fabulous character and narrator of the story. I found her to be adorable, innocent and enthusiastic and I really enjoyed reading the story through her eyes and her words. It takes place within a 16th century world, so it incorporated historical elements key for that period, quite well within the overall flow of the story, such as religion, the place and position of women, as well as the tumultuous poltical landscape of that era. I found that the overall storyline, though a solid one, was not incredibly engaging. I found myself wanting to put it down because I was bored or just wasn't too interested; and this frustrated me because I so adored Margaret's character but the story just didn't get me to that point. I also thought that the ending didn't really provide me with a sense of completion, or satisfaction, so I would say that it was a bit lacklustre for me.

Overall, however, I would recommend it to middle-grade to young-adult readers who are intersted in a sort of alternate history timeline of Tudor England.

Stealing bits and pieces from real life, Queen of the Sea tells the story of Margaret, a young orphan who lives on an island with a convent of nuns. She has no memory of her parents and has only known life with the sisters. After her only friend, a young boy, is taken away, Margaret starts to understand a little more about the politics going on in the nearby kingdom. As unrest enfolds in Albion, Margaret's quiet life on the island is disrupted by the newly ousted queen, Eleanor. Margaret and Eleanor start at odds with each other, but eventually realize there is more connecting them.

This was a great historical fiction graphic novel for middle grade readers. It has a strong sense of place and is greatly detailed. Margaret was a fierce heroine and I can't wait to read more of her and Eleanor's story.

Highly recommended.

**I received an e-ARC from Netgalley**

Queen of the Sea is an interesting historical fiction graphic novel. Margaret lives on an island with an order of nuns and her life is turned upside down by the appearance of a boy and later exiled Queen Elenor. Everything she thought she knew was partially incorrect and she must decide for herself which direction she must take. The illustrations are okay and I am sure would look better on paper than on a screen, but they just didn't grab me. I was not a fan of the ending of the story as it felt unrealistic and just blah.

Thank you NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.