Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Cartographers

Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

147 reviews

zimmerlemon's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious

4.0

Interesting read! I liked it. Fun academia vibes obviously with all the maps and libraries. The mystery of it was interesting. I did

see a few of the twists coming for sure. Also some of the characterizations/character vibes felt a little inconsistent to me but I honestly have no idea why. And I wish I was rooting for Nell and Felix more than I actually was but tbh I think that’s bc their characters were a little poorly developed/fleshed out throughout. But the ending was pretty neat.

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vhlm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

It took a while for the story to properly take off, but I really enjoyed the intrigues and mysteries in the book. It would have been nice to include more information on mapmaking,

but the spin on maps and the "truth" they show was interesting.

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cgreenstein's review against another edition

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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!

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trilli_pop's review against another edition

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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...

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cbugsy's review against another edition

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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

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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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alexlily's review against another edition

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4.0

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kcjulia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Entertaining mystery with magical maps! Loved the storyline, but not the writing. Major plot holes in the big reveal.

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hann_smc's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Honestly, I was really into this book until the end.
There were a few world building holes that didn't really add up, like

where did the magic come from? Anyone can draw an incorrect map, if every one of them with a label for a fake town creates said fake magic town then it's not even special, just find a new map and then a new town/room/etc.

But it was the ending that really killed me. I kept thinking, "man this is wild, I wonder how it's going to be tied together in a way that makes sense" and then it...didn't.

their reasoning for leaving her mom there so that the crazy dude would chill CLEARLY didn't work. After he kept being crazy that plan failed, go get your wife/mother of your child and just burn the fucking map. There was NO REASON for her to just abandon her child.

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vdesjardins's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Cartographers was a fun listen. Twists and turns. Engaging world building. It's worth a read if you have any interest in geography or fun stories.

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