Thank you to SparkPoint Studio for sending me a copy of Moira’s Pen in exchange for an honest review!
Return to the world of The Queen’s Thief series in this beautiful new collection from author Megan Whalen Turner! Moira’s Pen gathers short stories, small scenes and other writings set in and inspired by The Queen’s Thief universe. Everything fits into various points in the series, spanning over 25 years of writing. It’s also full of gorgeous illustrations and notes from the author on the real-world elements and experiences that inspired her.
The Queen’s Thief books were important to me when I first read them. I was genuinely obsessed; I modeled my writing on these books when I was a kid. While I was nowhere near as talented as Megan Whalen Turner, her work has stuck with me ever since. When I heard I was getting a review copy of the newest installation, I immediately set out to reread the entire series. Moira’s Pen is the perfect companion to these six books, especially if you’ve devoured them as eagerly as I have.
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I loved getting a look into Turner’s inspirations for the series. In each book, she mentions The Queen’s Thief loosely draws on Ancient Greek culture and mythology. However, in Moira’s Pen, Turner writes about specific travels and historical artifacts that influenced the world. There’s even a recipe for almond cake that I can’t wait to try out! The number of different types of writing was impressive, unlike anything I’ve seen in other companion collections, which are usually all fiction or essays.
As Moira’s Pen spans six books’ worth of content (even after the final volume), it’s best to go into it having read at least some of the original series. The first three books are vital; you can get away without reading the others if you don’t mind spoilers. Some of the additional scenes fill in events referenced in the original books, while others depict simple conversations between characters. Many are tiny vignettes, but they do so much to flesh out characters and situations, great and small.
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Whether you grew up with The Queen’s Thief series as I did, or if you discovered the books recently, I highly recommend Moira’s Pen. It’s the perfect addition to a fantastic series, and I’ve never read anything like it.
Moira’s Pen is out now and available for purchase from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
TW: death, forced amputation, mention of past violence, murder, slavery
https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/pirate-webtoon-series/
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