Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

9 reviews

hmwoodward's review against another edition

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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.

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emmonsannae's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? No

2.0

I’d really wanted to read this book for a long time, and it wasn’t an unenjoyable read, but I was disappointed by it. The story is promising and is an easy read. The premise is so intriguing! Its actual book was a bit of a letdown, though. The writing is a bit clumsy with a lot of telling rather than showing. I didn’t feel that words were used especially well—they were used in a utilitarian way to produce the story, but because of this they ended up taking away from the story. I ended up reflecting a lot while reading on how many other authors (even “non-literary” ones) fit language to their own ends so smoothly and effectively that we often don’t notice the artistry to what they’re doing. 

Most importantly, I felt the author took advantage of readers’ suspended disbelief by choosing not to explain key elements, which meant I was never fully bought in to what the plot was doing. And it was predictable—I guessed the major plot twist about 100 pages in. The characters were also fairly one-dimensional. Their motivations felt unbelievable and contrived for the sake of the narrative. Ultimately, I just didn’t feel like the book was well-written. It’s such a great idea for a story, though—I enjoyed the creativity of it very much. 

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spineofthesaurus's review against another edition

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mysterious

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indydc's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-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? No

4.25


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cookiecat73's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0


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theonlybaillie's review against another edition

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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


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laguerrelewis's review against another edition

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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!

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middumullu's review against another edition

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adventurous informative 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? It's complicated

2.25

The premise was really interesting and honestly carried the first half of the book - maps are so exciting and niche, so exploring that world was a really interesting subject. The deeper I got into reading it the worse it got, though :/.

The characters were all one dimensional and did not grow throughout the story. The antagonist was very one note and his motivations were really underdeveloped. Most characters were explained (Nell is a Young, therefore she is stubborn) instead of showing this trait for her. The romance subplots in the book also lacked any kind of tension, chemistry, or energy - I only felt any kind of real emotion between Nell and Felix when they were arguing. As for the other couples, WHOOO did they lack chemistry! They felt so contrived, especially the love triangle (?) with Romi, Francis, and Eve. I don't understand what draws any of these characters together, other than the plot dictating it. 

Now onto the tropes, oh the tropes. Nell's mother, Tamara, was burdened with the weight of the world with her story. First: she's the dead mother. Second: she's this brilliant and charismatic student that everyone loves. She did not feel like a real person, more of a vessel for other characters to go through emotions or problems.
It turns out she's alive the whole time which was a bad twist because of how predictable it was, and how unbelievable!
I had a lot of issues with her character lacking dimension and personality. The way that "found family" was used with the group of Tam and Daniel's college friends was told and not shown - it did not feel remotely real or close or dynamic, just like it wanted to jump onto the found family in academia trend. Just a bunch of people who we were told were smart and good at what they did but with no depth.

The world building was poor and I feel like it didn't hold up. Especially around the magic system - it was very loose in how it could be used and how it was practically applied in the story. There weren't any rules to how it worked, and any rules that were there shifted around according to what the plot necessitated. This was especially a problem towards the end of the book as the magic is explored more in depth. 

I also noticed three missing commas. That was just a little picky thing I got frustrated with. But it's all these little details that added up to make it not a very satisfying book, or even one that made a lot of sense when held up to a light. 

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aklovekorn's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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