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navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave me Secret History-but they grew up vibes. Now I really want to start a map collection..
Two things that bothered me were how stereotypically not-like-other-girls Nel is, (petite, unruly hair, big glasses, big cardigans, not chic, bookish, quiet but feisty) i struggled to imagine her that way and the wording always prompted an eye roll from me. The second thing was just how easily everyone spilled their past to Nel even though it was the first time they had seen her in 2+ decades, and the fact that they included all their petty drama. It completely broke immersion for me whenever someone who was prev ously reserved started talking about what was going on in their relationship and even their sex lives. I liked the story but the way it was conveyed to the reader felt weird.
Two things that bothered me were how stereotypically not-like-other-girls Nel is, (petite, unruly hair, big glasses, big cardigans, not chic, bookish, quiet but feisty) i struggled to imagine her that way and the wording always prompted an eye roll from me. The second thing was just how easily everyone spilled their past to Nel even though it was the first time they had seen her in 2+ decades, and the fact that they included all their petty drama. It completely broke immersion for me whenever someone who was prev ously reserved started talking about what was going on in their relationship and even their sex lives. I liked the story but the way it was conveyed to the reader felt weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Alcohol and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content
mgdsmile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
4.0
The Cartographers is a mysterious story about how people connect. The novel is told from Nell Young’s perspective, with stories from other characters included as they are recounted to Nell and she pieces together her revelations. I wanted to keep reading all the time - the premise and questions kept me interested. I didn’t find the ending incredibly satisfying but it was pretty good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
cyndi1966's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
hazelgirl21's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
cgreenstein's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
Fast-paced and inventive, with enough hints to make the reveals feel earned rather than out of nowhere but not so many that everything is obvious right out of the gate. That's a hard balance to strike, I think, and this book handles it well, so each time something is revealed it's satisfying instead of prompting eye rolls. I would've appreciated a little more explanation of the climactic scene, and some of the ins and outs of how everything worked required me to go back and reread, and I am still not 100% sure I got it, but I think that's on me-- I'm not a detail-oriented reader, and I was more interested in the plot, which is rapid and twisty. The characters are fun, too, especially the family friends!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
trilli_pop's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The concept is great and actually the execution is pretty good too. I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery, and even though there is some murder I definitely wouldn't call the book a thriller. It doesn't linger too long on the murders before it moves the plot forward. I also enjoyed the exposition provided in the form of characters telling their entwined stories. Altogether an enjoyable book, but starts slow and pace really picks up toward the end...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Murder
cbugsy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Death of parent
hmwoodward's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-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
3.0
I enjoyed the setting of this book, the focus on maps, and that it was a mystery.
Though I predicted the villain and the twist, I didn't predict the ending. In fact, it still doesn't entirely make sense to me. Maybe it will after I sit with it more? On track to be a 4 star read but changed to 3 due to this unsatisfying ending.
I listened on audiobook and can't say this was my favorite narrator. There were several narrators, yet the main female narrator still did the stereotypical gruff male voice throughout. I'd understand if it was a one woman production but that was not the case here.
I listened on audiobook and can't say this was my favorite narrator. There were several narrators, yet the main female narrator still did the stereotypical gruff male voice throughout. I'd understand if it was a one woman production but that was not the case here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Death
Minor: Alcohol
juls0899's review against another edition
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
emissarytoearth's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Pretty fun, fast read. Good plot for a Pixar movie. I like maps and imaginary places.
Content Warnings
Minor: Fire/Fire injury