Book Review: Muirwood: The Lost Abbey Issue #1

This graphic novel is a Kindle Serial published in five issues for one price. This serial currently contains one issue out of five total issues, with future issues delivered every month at no additional cost until the collected series is complete.

Told in graphic novel form, Muirwood: The Lost Abbey introduces an all-new chapter in Jeff Wheeler’s Muirwood universe.

Maia, the daughter of the king of Comoros, has been banished, her rank and station taken away. Although magic is forbidden of women in her world, Maia secretly learned...and now her desperate father has sent her on a dangerous quest to save their kingdom. Protected by a hired killer, Maia voyages to another realm—the cursed shores of Dahomey, where an ancient Blight has destroyed all the inhabitants. Maia believes she can restore the deadly lands by using her magic medallion, but if she’s discovered wielding her clandestine power, she will most certainly be hunted down and killed.

From renowned fantasy writers Jeff Wheeler, Matt Sturges (Jack of Fables, House of Mystery), and Dave Justus (Fables: The Wolf Among Us), featuring stunning art by Alex Sheikman (Dark Crystal: Creation Myths). Covers by Inaki Miranda (Fairest).

My Review:

Maia is a woman in a world afraid of women. The only reason she is alive is because of her father, the king, who opted to lock her away instead of killing her. That is, until he needs her to do what he fears most: use her power, bequeathed to her by the powerful ancestors who made men scared of women in the first place. Maia is defiant and hardened, but still holds a kindness that she doesn't want to lose by accepting the mission set by her father.


Reasons I like this book: graphic novels have a lot to offer. They're great for people short on time and the use of illustrations offers something you can't always get from writing alone. I like how the narration is set in a faded yellow, to set the scene and give the reader a sense of the time and type of world Maia lives in. Lovers of graphic novels, strong female leads, and magic should all read this book.

Rating: 4/5