A review by tjwallace04
Moira's Pen by Megan Whalen Turner

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.