Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Starred Review Off the coast of Albion is a tiny island, home to the Elysian sisters, a convent of nuns devoted to caring for shipwrecked sailors and their families. Margaret has lived there for as long as she can remember, but where she came from is a mystery. Though she's eager for answers from the sisters, it doesn't seem like an urgent question until a mysterious guest, Eleanor, arrives in the company of stern, haughty Mother Mary Clarence. Soon, Margaret has questions about not only her parents but Eleanor, the island, and the state of Albion at large. Inspired by sixteenth-century English history, this graphic novel luxuriates in the details of daily life on the island. Margaret explains keeping time at the convent, the layout of the island, recipes, types of nuns, embroidery methods, and more, all while narrating the changes arising as the fraught political climate in Albion trickles over to the island. Meconis fills her panels with naturalistic figures colored with expressive watercolor washes, which add rich emotional depth to the story. When Margaret shares folktales or stories, Meconis uses brasher colors and inky brushstrokes in a style resembling marginalia in illuminated manuscripts, and occasionally embroidery embellishes the background of pages. It's a stunning visual package, and the slow-­burning story of Margaret's gradually opening world is made all the more captivating by the well-researched historical setting, immersive world building, and engrossing characters.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

A young orphan's and an exiled queen's fates intertwine on a remote island.Loosely based on the childhood of Elizabeth I, Meconis' rich historical fantasy centers on young Margaret, an orphan taken while a baby to live on a nearly forgotten island in the kingdom of Albion. Its only inhabitants are a small order of nuns dedicated to helping anyone "whose life or love is at the mercy of the sea," a hapless priest, a couple servants, some farm animals, and a cat. Margaret, who's been on the island for six years, thrives in the simplicity of her idyllic existence. Nevertheless, she eagerly anticipates the semiannual visits of the lone ship that docks on the island's shores and finds her prayers for companionship answered when a young boy and his mother are sent to the island for opposing the king. Margaret then slowly learns the true nature of the convent's existence and begins to question her own lineage when a mysterious visitor named Eleanor is banished to the island by her sister, the queen, and kept under constant watch. Meconis' humor and storytelling gifts here wed seamlessly with her evocative pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations, which are rendered in warm earth and sea tones and brim with movement, expressively capturing even Margaret's interior monologues.With its compelling, complex characters and intrigue-laden plot, this will have readers hoping it's only the first of many adventures for Meconis' savvy heroine. (Graphic fantasy. 10-adult)

School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Gr 5-9 A young orphan named Margaret lives on an island convent, cared for by adoring nuns. The arrival of two strangers changes her life forever. The first is a young boy, who eventually is compelled to return to the land of Albion. Years later, Margaret finds herself in the company of the dethroned and exiled Queen Eleanor of Albion. And when one of Eleanor's former subjects arrives with news from Albion, Margaret finds herself at the center of a conflict that may change the fate of the kingdom. In this tale loosely based on the early years of Elizabeth I, Meconis skillfully balances imaginative twists with factual evidence. At several points, Margaret interrupts the narrative to offer historical context about Albion or information on the nuns' rituals, immersing readers in the drama in spite of the occasionally heavy backstory. The art, reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier's style, creates levity during perilous situations. The book is dense with dialogue, often feeling more like a work of prose than a graphic novel. As a result, this complex work will be more accessible to those familiar with graphic novels; some younger fans may struggle to follow along. VERDICT Certain to charm sophisticated graphic novel devotees. Matisse Mozer, Los Angeles Public Library

Horn Book

In a graphic novel loosely inspired by sixteenth-century British history, young Margaret has lived on the Island in a convent since she was a baby. At almost twelve, she discovers an unhappy secret about the Island and her own status there: she is a prisoner. The mixed-media illustrations in an earthy palette are a dynamic mix of panel sizes and shapes that reflect the emotions, intrigue, and actions of the complex characters.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A young orphan's and an exiled queen's fates intertwine on a remote island.Loosely based on the childhood of Elizabeth I, Meconis' rich historical fantasy centers on young Margaret, an orphan taken while a baby to live on a nearly forgotten island in the kingdom of Albion. Its only inhabitants are a small order of nuns dedicated to helping anyone "whose life or love is at the mercy of the sea," a hapless priest, a couple servants, some farm animals, and a cat. Margaret, who's been on the island for six years, thrives in the simplicity of her idyllic existence. Nevertheless, she eagerly anticipates the semiannual visits of the lone ship that docks on the island's shores and finds her prayers for companionship answered when a young boy and his mother are sent to the island for opposing the king. Margaret then slowly learns the true nature of the convent's existence and begins to question her own lineage when a mysterious visitor named Eleanor is banished to the island by her sister, the queen, and kept under constant watch. Meconis' humor and storytelling gifts here wed seamlessly with her evocative pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations, which are rendered in warm earth and sea tones and brim with movement, expressively capturing even Margaret's interior monologues.With its compelling, complex characters and intrigue-laden plot, this will have readers hoping it's only the first of many adventures for Meconis' savvy heroine. (Graphic fantasy. 10-adult)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Meconis offers an atmospheric alternate history inspired by the childhood and succession of Queen Elizabeth I in this quietly ambitious graphic novel. Margaret is the only child in a remote island convent, lonely until Lady Cameron and her son, William, exiles from the island of Albion, arrive and William and Margaret become constant companions. William-s departure years later leads Margaret to discover difficult truths about her island home and the sisters who inhabit it, just as another exile-Eleanor, the deposed Queen of Albion-arrives and embroils Margaret in intrigue that could impact the whole kingdom. Meconis constructs the plot with carefully paced revelations and story elements that echo, build, and amplify each other. Art in soft, earthy colors brings this singular story to life in styles ranging from simple line drawings to elaborately styled text illuminations. The island world is richly developed, both in its physical particulars and its close-knit community (fascinating digressions into topics such as convent time, hand gestures used at table, and chess and embroidery flesh out daily life), and Margaret proves herself an endearing heroine with a strong voice full of humor and wonder. Her perspective transforms a storm-wracked rock into a vibrant world of hidden treasures. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10-14. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (June)