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A review by rorikae
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
'The Cartographers' by Peng Shepherd is a novel with an engaging premise that never quite lives up to the promises set up in the beginning of the book.
Nell Young dreamed of working at the New York Public Library like her father but a falling out with him years ago resulted in her being fired from her dream job. It was all over a seemingly useless gas station map that she found in the library's collection. Years later, Nell's father dies at his desk and when she finds the same gas station map in his belongings, she starts delving into why this particular map, something that shouldn't have much worth, is still in her Dad's possessions. As she learns more about her father's past, her mother's death in a fire when she was young, and a mysterious group called the Cartographers, Nell begins to unravel why this map has had such a sway over her past.
'The Cartographers' starts out great. The premise is engaging as it sets up a mystery around the gas station map that has put a strain on Nell and her father's relationship. The first third of the book is great as the tension continues to ramp up as more incidents appear to all be triggered by this map that Nell finds in her father's belongings. Unfortunately, as the mystery continues on, it becomes less engaging and the solution to everything is rather lackluster. For the heights of the mystery and intrigue set up at the beginning, the answers don't match up and end up being kind of boring. This is capped off by explanations at the end, including why Nell's father fired her, that don't really make sense. The stakes are never as high as they are set up in the beginning and this makes the drastic nature of some of the decisions that were made in the story feel nonsensical. This book could have been so much fun but it is never allowed to fully explore the possibilities of the premise.
There is a lightly speculative element to this story that I did really enjoy but again, it wasn't used in as engaging of a way as it could of been. I had to suspend my disbelief a bit, not with the speculative element itself, but with the narrow scope of how the element was used. This ultimately left me frustrated.
I did enjoy the audiobook narration. The story is mainly told through two narrators with a few characters popping in to give backstory. Having each of these backstory moments narrated by their own narrator did help create the community feel that I think Shepherd was trying to evoke.
Ultimately, this book has a great premise that is never allowed to shine.
Nell Young dreamed of working at the New York Public Library like her father but a falling out with him years ago resulted in her being fired from her dream job. It was all over a seemingly useless gas station map that she found in the library's collection. Years later, Nell's father dies at his desk and when she finds the same gas station map in his belongings, she starts delving into why this particular map, something that shouldn't have much worth, is still in her Dad's possessions. As she learns more about her father's past, her mother's death in a fire when she was young, and a mysterious group called the Cartographers, Nell begins to unravel why this map has had such a sway over her past.
'The Cartographers' starts out great. The premise is engaging as it sets up a mystery around the gas station map that has put a strain on Nell and her father's relationship. The first third of the book is great as the tension continues to ramp up as more incidents appear to all be triggered by this map that Nell finds in her father's belongings. Unfortunately, as the mystery continues on, it becomes less engaging and the solution to everything is rather lackluster. For the heights of the mystery and intrigue set up at the beginning, the answers don't match up and end up being kind of boring. This is capped off by explanations at the end, including why Nell's father fired her, that don't really make sense. The stakes are never as high as they are set up in the beginning and this makes the drastic nature of some of the decisions that were made in the story feel nonsensical. This book could have been so much fun but it is never allowed to fully explore the possibilities of the premise.
There is a lightly speculative element to this story that I did really enjoy but again, it wasn't used in as engaging of a way as it could of been. I had to suspend my disbelief a bit, not with the speculative element itself, but with the narrow scope of how the element was used. This ultimately left me frustrated.
I did enjoy the audiobook narration. The story is mainly told through two narrators with a few characters popping in to give backstory. Having each of these backstory moments narrated by their own narrator did help create the community feel that I think Shepherd was trying to evoke.
Ultimately, this book has a great premise that is never allowed to shine.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Murder