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invaderday's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
this book is making my brain explode!!! when i was not even halfway through i was like "how is there still so much book left" and then i tore through it because it was so intense and i had to know but now that i know. whaaat omg.
okay my real review is that this book is like, so insanely well-paced. there's SO much going on but it never felt like too much, and it kept me hooked the whole way. i also liked that there's bits and pieces of clues so the reader can figure a few things out for themselves, it's so satisfying when a reveal happens and you got there at the same time! really loved nell and felix and basically everyone except [redacted]. and i'm definitely gonna be thinking about this one for A While
okay my real review is that this book is like, so insanely well-paced. there's SO much going on but it never felt like too much, and it kept me hooked the whole way. i also liked that there's bits and pieces of clues so the reader can figure a few things out for themselves, it's so satisfying when a reveal happens and you got there at the same time! really loved nell and felix and basically everyone except [redacted]. and i'm definitely gonna be thinking about this one for A While
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Gun violence
sdunn13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Murder, Stalking, and Gun violence
ticookie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
stampest's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder
abrich's review against another edition
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? Yes
1.5
Pacing issues, plot holes, and of the 10 characters Bear was the only potentially likable one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death of parent
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Classism, Grief, Infidelity, Stalking, and Violence
bc288's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
Minor: Gun violence
helliepad's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love stories about hauntings. It's a mental exercise, like painting. Here is a blank space. What should be in there?
This is a beautiful story about broken friendships and secret maps, or a tragic story about broken maps and secrets between friends. Peng Shepherd is a MASTER at mystery storytelling. (And she did Agloe better than Paper Towns lmao)
This is a beautiful story about broken friendships and secret maps, or a tragic story about broken maps and secrets between friends. Peng Shepherd is a MASTER at mystery storytelling. (And she did Agloe better than Paper Towns lmao)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Fire/Fire injury
sydhoben's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
lastblossom's review
informative
mysterious
slow-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
tl;dr
Strong mystery hook based on true events that spark the imagination, with a very honest love of maps and cartography. Well placed magical realism. Too many characters to track easily, and an antagonist with unclear motives.
Summary:
Nell Young loves everything related to cartography. Working at the New York Public Library, she's positioned to become a leader in the field until an argument with her already famous cartographer father about the provenance of a cheap gas station map gets her booted from the library, and then the industry. Years later, her father dies under mysterious circumstances, and it seems like the same cheap map might be the reason. But why? And how is it related to the death of her mother all those years ago?
What I Liked:
I tend to be less interested in books where the plot does most of the driving, but this book was an exception. It's absolutely the kind of book I'd describe as "page turner." I was worried that the map's big secret would be some sort of treasure trove or other equally disappointing payoff, but the truth was actually much more satisfying. The mystery comes in strong, with enough hints planted along the way that the magical reveal is surprising, but easy to accept once it's out in the open. There's a very real love of cartography here that's infectious. Not only did I believe that all the characters involved care about mapmaking, I felt just as excited as them. Settings are described in immersive detail, making each of the places feel very real and present. The description of the time spent inAgloe was especially haunting, and I was moved by the powerful sense of unease I felt every time they visited. I also really like the historical notes and the real history that this story is based on. The novel Paper Towns also leans on this history, but this book goes in an entirely different, more fantastical, direction that I really liked.
What Wasn't for Me:
Despite the plot being completely riveting, it did suffer from one of my least favorite plot extenders: People keeping secrets for much longer than is responsible. MC's been in danger her entire life, and you thought not telling her was protecting her? And when the bodies start dropping, proving that the danger was getting closer, you thought telling her not to look into it would somehow keep the danger from reaching her? Sigh.
The antagonist's motives and methods were very fuzzy.I figured out it was William pretty much at the start, which I assume is the author's intent. I really would have liked to see that pressed to an advantage - either giving us hidden knowledge so he became a sympathetic villain, or pushing his evil side so we could have some deliciously tense reader moments every time he interacted with one of the characters.
Perspectives outside of MC Nell and her ex Felix didn't really have enough space to develop distinct characters.
Strong mystery hook based on true events that spark the imagination, with a very honest love of maps and cartography. Well placed magical realism. Too many characters to track easily, and an antagonist with unclear motives.
Summary:
Nell Young loves everything related to cartography. Working at the New York Public Library, she's positioned to become a leader in the field until an argument with her already famous cartographer father about the provenance of a cheap gas station map gets her booted from the library, and then the industry. Years later, her father dies under mysterious circumstances, and it seems like the same cheap map might be the reason. But why? And how is it related to the death of her mother all those years ago?
What I Liked:
I tend to be less interested in books where the plot does most of the driving, but this book was an exception. It's absolutely the kind of book I'd describe as "page turner." I was worried that the map's big secret would be some sort of treasure trove or other equally disappointing payoff, but the truth was actually much more satisfying. The mystery comes in strong, with enough hints planted along the way that the magical reveal is surprising, but easy to accept once it's out in the open. There's a very real love of cartography here that's infectious. Not only did I believe that all the characters involved care about mapmaking, I felt just as excited as them. Settings are described in immersive detail, making each of the places feel very real and present. The description of the time spent in
What Wasn't for Me:
Despite the plot being completely riveting, it did suffer from one of my least favorite plot extenders: People keeping secrets for much longer than is responsible. MC's been in danger her entire life, and you thought not telling her was protecting her? And when the bodies start dropping, proving that the danger was getting closer, you thought telling her not to look into it would somehow keep the danger from reaching her? Sigh.
The antagonist's motives and methods were very fuzzy.
Perspectives outside of MC Nell and her ex Felix didn't really have enough space to develop distinct characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
lvr105's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Gun violence, and Murder