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xvicesx 's review for:
The Geographer's Map to Romance
by India Holton
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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:
Complicated
A very pleasant follow-up to the Ornithologist’s Field Guide to Love. It does make heavy use of the misunderstanding trope, but for once I found that it was actually well done.
The Geographer's Map to Romance reads a lot like a rom-com, set to a Regency-early Victorian background. It doesn't take itself deeply seriously, but it does so in a way that's not off-putting. Which, I guess sounds rather absurd, but it makes sense when you read it. The world is interesting, starting from the idea that magic is something that does exist and is an important enough topic to be officially studied. It's a nice book (great series, even) for the fans of the Emily Wilde series, although I'd say Emily Wilde is just a touch more serious than the world India Holton introduces. Regardless, it's scratches a very specific itch for magical realism historical romance, and I very much welcome its addition to the range of options we have.
Onto the characters and the use of the misunderstanding trope. Elodie and Gabriel are lovely. We’ve got a believable reason for why Gabriel is so self-restrained, and while a good amount of it is just his nature, the author made a good effort to paint a background that explains his curmudgeonly behaviour.
Elodie is the sunshine to his grumpy, which leads us to a fairly entertaining scene where they stumble onto a cottage in the middle of nowhere in the middle of torrential rain, and Gabriel stoically bears its horrors while Elodie makes heroic efforts to see and praise the silver lining. The more irate Gabriel, the more determined Elodie is to be happy about things, which is perfection as far as I'm concerned. They're not cardboard characters – we get a good amount of background for Elodie’s determination to enjoy the world and for Gabriel’s restraint, shown both through internal monologue and their interactions with the world around them. The scene where they meet up with Gabriel’s sister is absolute perfection in my opinion.
All in all? A fast-paced book romantasy that won't be too taxing without coming across as lacking substance. The plot is novel, the world definitely worth exploring further, and the characters entirely lovable. Strongly recommended!
The Geographer's Map to Romance reads a lot like a rom-com, set to a Regency-early Victorian background. It doesn't take itself deeply seriously, but it does so in a way that's not off-putting. Which, I guess sounds rather absurd, but it makes sense when you read it. The world is interesting, starting from the idea that magic is something that does exist and is an important enough topic to be officially studied. It's a nice book (great series, even) for the fans of the Emily Wilde series, although I'd say Emily Wilde is just a touch more serious than the world India Holton introduces. Regardless, it's scratches a very specific itch for magical realism historical romance, and I very much welcome its addition to the range of options we have.
Onto the characters and the use of the misunderstanding trope. Elodie and Gabriel are lovely. We’ve got a believable reason for why Gabriel is so self-restrained, and while a good amount of it is just his nature, the author made a good effort to paint a background that explains his curmudgeonly behaviour.
Elodie is the sunshine to his grumpy, which leads us to a fairly entertaining scene where they stumble onto a cottage in the middle of nowhere in the middle of torrential rain, and Gabriel stoically bears its horrors while Elodie makes heroic efforts to see and praise the silver lining. The more irate Gabriel, the more determined Elodie is to be happy about things, which is perfection as far as I'm concerned. They're not cardboard characters – we get a good amount of background for Elodie’s determination to enjoy the world and for Gabriel’s restraint, shown both through internal monologue and their interactions with the world around them. The scene where they meet up with Gabriel’s sister is absolute perfection in my opinion.
All in all? A fast-paced book romantasy that won't be too taxing without coming across as lacking substance. The plot is novel, the world definitely worth exploring further, and the characters entirely lovable. Strongly recommended!
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail