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raquelcanread's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
3.0
Pretty entertaining! Gave me da vinci code/ national treasure vibes. If it gets picked up for a film it could be a cool adventure movie!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
leaflit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Murder, and Infidelity
Moderate: Classism, Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Mental illness, Grief, and Gaslighting
caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
- THE CARTOGRAPHERS is part mystery, part ode to libraries and curation. I was drawn in right from the start, happily along for the ride as this strange tale unraveled.
- To be honest, I could see where the plot was going pretty much the whole time, but Shepherd's writing was so cozy and the characters so real that it didn't matter if I figured it out before they did.
- This is the kind of book that I would love to see turned into a movie: the mechanics of the unreality elements would lend themselves so perfectly to the screen. So would the plot twists, tbh, but I won't give those away here!
- To be honest, I could see where the plot was going pretty much the whole time, but Shepherd's writing was so cozy and the characters so real that it didn't matter if I figured it out before they did.
- This is the kind of book that I would love to see turned into a movie: the mechanics of the unreality elements would lend themselves so perfectly to the screen. So would the plot twists, tbh, but I won't give those away here!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
tamara_joy's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Murder, Infidelity, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
taelights's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
I started off really loving this book so I'm a bit disappointed that it went so downhill for me by the end.
The first half quarter of the book was honestly so good. I was so drawn in by the story and the mystery and the characters. But towards the halfway point I thought the story had grown very repetitive and boring. I was kind of desperate for it to be over so I could move onto another book which is never a good thing.
Also by the halfway point I had already guessed the two biggest twists in the story so I didn't really feel surprised at all when either of them were revealed. I was just like "oh okay cool I was right" but not even in a satisfying way.
I thought the ending was super unsatisfying and a bit too open ended for my tastes at least.
Also I felt like a lot of the sacrifices and choices made by the characters were just dumb and unjustified.
Wally's whole motivation made no sense to me and his actions were so extreme. Like turning into a serial killer just to protect the secret of this town??? And for what reason??? Literally makes no sense to me still. Also Tam deciding to live in the Agloe for multiple decades just felt pointless. Like what person would give up their whole life with a loving husband and a tobbler just for some town even if it was a secret town. Turning the husband you are supposed to love into a single parent when you could idk just call the police and/or run away. Also Swan's death was overly dramatic and I thought it added nothing to the story.
Honestly the idea of the book really interested me but the execution of it was disappointing. Most of the characters fell flat and were unbelievable to me. The story also felt underdeveloped and had a few obvious plot holes. Plus the world building just wasn't it and left me with so many questions.
The first half quarter of the book was honestly so good. I was so drawn in by the story and the mystery and the characters. But towards the halfway point I thought the story had grown very repetitive and boring. I was kind of desperate for it to be over so I could move onto another book which is never a good thing.
Also by the halfway point I had already guessed the two biggest twists in the story so I didn't really feel surprised at all when either of them were revealed. I was just like "oh okay cool I was right" but not even in a satisfying way.
I thought the ending was super unsatisfying and a bit too open ended for my tastes at least.
Also I felt like a lot of the sacrifices and choices made by the characters were just dumb and unjustified.
Honestly the idea of the book really interested me but the execution of it was disappointing. Most of the characters fell flat and were unbelievable to me. The story also felt underdeveloped and had a few obvious plot holes. Plus the world building just wasn't it and left me with so many questions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, and Murder
erandle's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence
lilifane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What are the odds to read a second book in a row with a family history, mystery and adventure, a treasure hunt, and a friends group? But this time with adults?
I'm always craving more books about a friends group and an adventure that is not YA, and it's really hard to find those. So I was really happy that this book turned out to be exactly what I was searching for for so long. I really love the idea behind The Cartographers. And I very much enjoyed the book, even though some of the reveals were too predictable and some decisions... didn't make any sense. But I was willing to just go with it because I liked the overall story so much.
The weakest point is definitely the characters. Although you get a lot of their backstories, I had a hard time to get emotionally attached to them. Especially the friends group, it would have made it so much more believable and emotional if we experienced more interactions between them that explained their bond and different relationships a little bit more.
I'm always craving more books about a friends group and an adventure that is not YA, and it's really hard to find those. So I was really happy that this book turned out to be exactly what I was searching for for so long. I really love the idea behind The Cartographers. And I very much enjoyed the book, even though some of the reveals were too predictable and some decisions... didn't make any sense. But I was willing to just go with it because I liked the overall story so much.
The weakest point is definitely the characters. Although you get a lot of their backstories, I had a hard time to get emotionally attached to them. Especially the friends group, it would have made it so much more believable and emotional if we experienced more interactions between them that explained their bond and different relationships a little bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, and Toxic friendship
sophie42's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Infidelity
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Grief
theonlybaillie's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Murder, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Gun violence, and Sexual content
laguerrelewis's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I always love the magic in the mundane, and apparently, so does Peng Shepherd. This is a pretty solid and enjoyable story—the characters are great, the weaving of timelines and POVs is creative and fun, and the actual narrative is very engaging. The mystery fuels this book and keeps you reading, and the twists and turns certainly hit! The biggest hurdles are that I absolutely got ahead of multiple revelations, leaving me waiting for the book to catch up with me. MINOR SPOILER: There is a minor magical element to this world. However, I personally felt like the protagonists were confused/in denial of this for far too long, and time could have been saved by cutting that down. If you’re willing to stick with this book, and if the concept appeals to your senses, give it a shot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, and Death