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jramoly's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
alexlily's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
juls0899's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Not a fan of the needlessly-inserted love interest. All of Felix’s chapters were hopelessly out of place and I skipped most of them. Jesus Christ the Cartographers are long-winded. And wow, was Wally’s motive for the whole thing flimsy to anyone else? Guy just had an obsessive personality I guess. Also, yikes on bikes was Swann’s death meaningless! I don’t know what it accomplished other than more trauma. This book was great in the beginning and really epically bad in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Kidnapping
hann_smc's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Honestly, I was really into this book until the end.
There were a few world building holes that didn't really add up, likewhere did the magic come from? Anyone can draw an incorrect map, if every one of them with a label for a fake town creates said fake magic town then it's not even special, just find a new map and then a new town/room/etc.
But it was the ending that really killed me. I kept thinking, "man this is wild, I wonder how it's going to be tied together in a way that makes sense" and then it...didn't.their reasoning for leaving her mom there so that the crazy dude would chill CLEARLY didn't work. After he kept being crazy that plan failed, go get your wife/mother of your child and just burn the fucking map. There was NO REASON for her to just abandon her child.
There were a few world building holes that didn't really add up, like
But it was the ending that really killed me. I kept thinking, "man this is wild, I wonder how it's going to be tied together in a way that makes sense" and then it...didn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Kidnapping
adamsbookshelf's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I loved the idea of this novel and the overall plot was well executed. However there was something about this novel that just couldn't keep my interest. It just felt so long and I had to force myself to keep reading by locking my phone in the other room. Maybe my attentions span is the problem here? Who knows.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Murder, and Stalking
bookworm247's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
mari_books's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love a good mystery in a museums/library with ancient relics. This book clearly draws inspiration from A Secret History. I thought the story was fast paced, with an interesting cast of characters and a plot that kept you hooked. The only areas I thought the book kind of got distracted were in explaining Wally’s motivation for wanting to keep the map a secret. And killing so many people?? And in the letter from Nell’s parents which just tried to spell out why Tam lived in the secret town for 30 years which seemed clumsy especially after all the careful retelling of the other Cartographers pov. Additionally I didn’t love the magic realism part of the book - some of that was probably lost on me just trying to understand the dynamic between the different characters. Didn’t feel Felix was super useful either….he just didn’t seem developed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and Blood
honeywine's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Loved this story and the use of liminal spaces. I found myself glazing over some parts but I enjoyed it overall. As a geography person, I loved all the maps.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic friendship, Gun violence, Death, Stalking, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
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