Reviews

Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner

rani_reeds's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

bookishnookish's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

Any book that takes me back into the world of The Queen's Thief is a winner by default, but I actually really liked this one.

There are short stories interspersed with real anecdotes by Megan Whalen Turner of how she was inspired by archeological artifacts and ruins to create some settings, some jewellery and such. It was a piece of the fictional world mixed with a little bit of the real world. A must-read for all who loved the series! 

emor0818's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

kittlyn's review against another edition

4.0

3.5, rounded up.

Think I may just need a more intellectual person to really dig in and dissect some of the stories for me. Specifically the last one. If I'm being picky, the Costis and Kamet one as well.

Overall, it was extremely fun jumping back into the Queen's Thief world and seeing these characters again. I think the only thing missing that all the other books have is that feeling at the end when everything clicks into place.

The elusive, secretive dialogue and little dropped hints don't lead much of anywhere in these short stories. There's clearly something going on, something that needs to be understood, but no payoff.

Still. I'm always happy to see Gen and Irene again.

roxy_reads_romance's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.0

lpjapican's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Though this was my least favorite of all the series, if is worth the read to give you a little more of Eugenides. 

tjwallace04's review against another edition

informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

 "The Queen's Thief" is one of my favorite fantasy series of all times, but I have to admit to being disappointed with this follow-up compendium of stories, vignettes, images, and anecdotes from author Megan Whalen Turner. This is a very slight collection. Most of the new stories are only a few pages long and barely whet the appetite before ending. They raise more questions than they answer. Even for somebody who considers themself a fan (and who reread the series as recently as last fall), I was sometimes a little lost as to what was being implied in the little mini glimpses of favorite characters. And the last two stories, if I understood them correctly, were just depressing. I was sad there was no mention of Sophos and barely any mention of my beloved Costis. More than 10% of the book is a character list and advertisements for the other books in this series.

So. I sadly can't unreservedly recommend this book like I do the rest of "The Queen's Thief" series. I definitely don't recommend it for people who haven't read and loved the whole series, and I only half-heartedly recommend it to fans. You know the feeling of being on a diet and you let yourself have one bite of ice cream but not any more of it...that's what this book felt like to me. Maybe that one bite is worth it? But it also sometimes makes you feel more bereft afterwards. Hmmm...this analogy is not perfect, but hopefully you get what I mean. 

ashleyreadsanything's review

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

kriseaf's review

5.0

This is a love letter to fans, and from this fan I want to say “Thank you.”

(Now please excuse me while I go re-read the entire series just to re-live all of this again.)

pathlesspisces's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

I really don’t even know how to review this book since it’s basically just a collection of short stories. I enjoyed most of them, but I think my biggest complaint is that they’re so short that I feel like I didn’t have enough time to really enjoy them. I think that major fans of the series will appreciate some of these stories, but honestly I feel like I wouldn’t be missing much if I had never read this and I probably won’t revisit it again either. I can’t give it lower than 3 stars though, just because I love this universe so much lol