vickyramirezy's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars.
This book made me sad. In a way, I don't think it meant to.
Aside from that, it was all well and good until the last 20%. A lot of it just didn't make sense to me. The ending was also too romantic. No.
This book made me sad. In a way, I don't think it meant to.
Aside from that, it was all well and good until the last 20%. A lot of it just didn't make sense to me. The ending was also too romantic. No.
sasnipes's review against another edition
mysterious
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
hannahandrea's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
2.0
agonized through the last third of this book. i wanted to like it but i was just so bored
drb5232's review against another edition
4.0
This imaginative mystery breathes life into the beauty and wonder of maps, forever changing how I will think of them. The concept of phantom settlements is fascinating and I love where the author took this idea. I wish the reasoning behind some character decisions had been developed more. The journey was such a great adventure, but the “why” left me with questions.
contentlykelsey's review against another edition
It had me in the first half but lost me when the magic came in. I’m against a good fantasy book but it was not what I was expecting in an already two dimensional and slightly boring book
chyina's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
jferg's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
The initial premise, and the first third of this book, was great ... and then ... it wasn't. It took a left turn into magical realism, and, well, my suspension of disbelief and ability to suffer absurdly dramatic characters just couldn't survived. I finished it (I was listening to the audio version), but it was a hate listen by the end. "Big twists" were obvious, character logic was frustrating at best, even for magical realism the mechanics of the core principle was ... tough to make excuses for.
Spoiler
And the denouement? The author might have well just ended it with "and they all lived happily ever after".There seem to be people out there who liked this book, but I can definitely put it on my "do not recommend" list.
whataboutzana's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Ok this was an enjoyable read — magic maps! Liminal spaces! But there were a few inconsistencies that I — and my hours of reading through other Reddit discussions — was not able to explain and would be spoiler-y if I were to mention them here, and I also have problems with the bad guy’s motivation - like ok cool, but it does not feel realistic? My favourite thing was possibly finding out the inspirations and the backstory that led to this book. Yay maps!
oceanelle's review against another edition
Repetitive and the second half lost a lot of the momentum from the first half.
Moderate: Murder
sdwigg's review against another edition
3.0
I do not understand how this book won so many awards. The premise is good, however I was so annoyed by the plot holes, undeveloped characters, and ridiculous descriptions that I did not enjoy it. The book didn’t even get interesting until the middle - 7 hours in, if you are listening as I was.
Non-spoiler examples: the fire was blue - why?! Most fires aren’t blue and we haven’t been introduced to a fantasy world so explain.
The white marble glowed warmly - that’s not a typical description of marble so maybe explain why?
I couldn’t tell you much about the main characters other than the specific things that happened to them in this book.
How did a whole group of people end up in New York City after grad school if they weren’t in contact? It just doesn’t make sense and it’s never explained. I could go on…
Non-spoiler examples: the fire was blue - why?! Most fires aren’t blue and we haven’t been introduced to a fantasy world so explain.
The white marble glowed warmly - that’s not a typical description of marble so maybe explain why?
I couldn’t tell you much about the main characters other than the specific things that happened to them in this book.
How did a whole group of people end up in New York City after grad school if they weren’t in contact? It just doesn’t make sense and it’s never explained. I could go on…