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bookishmillennial 's review for:
The Cartographers
by Peng Shepherd
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This science fiction mystery (I wouldn't say thriller because I wasn't particularly at the edge of my seat?) that follows Nell, who was fired from the New York Public Library seven years ago. Her father suddenly passes away and she finds herself back amongst his items, including a map that got her fired all those years ago. She is perplexed as to why he held onto it for so long, since he was initially furious over her bringing it to him. It turns out that these maps take you places that are hidden away from the rest of the world. Nell begins to investigate and finds more than she bargained for.
The beginning of this was a bit of a slog for me to get through, and the ending really saved it. However, I think this would do better on film because the written narrative moved too slowly for me at times, and I shouldn't have been thinking that so often. I also wish Nell and her family's ethnicities were at least pointed to a bit more? None of the characters were described at all, so even though we run into folks with seemingly East Asian last names, I don't know what any of these characters look like. That's a minor thing, but I just wish it could have had a bit more description for us, since Peng Shepherd is also of Asian descent.
Overall, I liked "All This & More" (2024 release) by Peng Shepherd a lot more, but I will give The Book of M a shot!
This science fiction mystery (I wouldn't say thriller because I wasn't particularly at the edge of my seat?) that follows Nell, who was fired from the New York Public Library seven years ago. Her father suddenly passes away and she finds herself back amongst his items, including a map that got her fired all those years ago. She is perplexed as to why he held onto it for so long, since he was initially furious over her bringing it to him. It turns out that these maps take you places that are hidden away from the rest of the world. Nell begins to investigate and finds more than she bargained for.
The beginning of this was a bit of a slog for me to get through, and the ending really saved it. However, I think this would do better on film because the written narrative moved too slowly for me at times, and I shouldn't have been thinking that so often. I also wish Nell and her family's ethnicities were at least pointed to a bit more? None of the characters were described at all, so even though we run into folks with seemingly East Asian last names, I don't know what any of these characters look like. That's a minor thing, but I just wish it could have had a bit more description for us, since Peng Shepherd is also of Asian descent.
Overall, I liked "All This & More" (2024 release) by Peng Shepherd a lot more, but I will give The Book of M a shot!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content