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A review by foreverinastory
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to B2 Weird and William Morrow Books for my finished copy in exchange for an honest review and promotion. All opinions are my own.
This was so fun. I was stressed and anxious the whole time, but in a good way!
The Cartographers is all about maps, especially maps that might be a little magical. When Nell's father is found dead in his office, Nell doesn't know what to think. She hasn't talked to him in years since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation in cartography. Nell finds the same map that caused their last fight in his possessions. She thought it was completely worthless only to find out it's incredibly rare and valuable. A mysterious collector has been hunting all copies down. The mystery of why sets Nell on a life changing journey.
I really enjoyed this book! I was immediately pulled in by the suspicious death of Dr. Young. From this Nell begins to dig into her family's past in order to find out exactly what happened to her mother the year she died in a fire. I loved seeing how all the pieces wove together.
While Nell is the main focal point of this story, we get glimpses into the perspectives of her parents and their friends throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and see their various motives for why they did what they did.
I meant to savor this book, but once I started I could not stop. I was so invested in the mystery. I had to have answers more than anything else. I also really enjoyed that the characters were all older since I've been reading mostly YA lately. Nell and Felix are in their 30s and the other side characters are probably in their late 40's to 50's.
Overall, I'm so glad I picked this one up, thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rep: white cishet female MC, Black cishet male side character, Black cishet female side character, Asian American cishet female side character, white cishet side characters, male side character mentions having a husband.
CWs: Murder, death, death of parent, violence, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury. Moderate: sexual content, infidelity.
This was so fun. I was stressed and anxious the whole time, but in a good way!
The Cartographers is all about maps, especially maps that might be a little magical. When Nell's father is found dead in his office, Nell doesn't know what to think. She hasn't talked to him in years since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation in cartography. Nell finds the same map that caused their last fight in his possessions. She thought it was completely worthless only to find out it's incredibly rare and valuable. A mysterious collector has been hunting all copies down. The mystery of why sets Nell on a life changing journey.
I really enjoyed this book! I was immediately pulled in by the suspicious death of Dr. Young. From this Nell begins to dig into her family's past in order to find out exactly what happened to her mother the year she died in a fire. I loved seeing how all the pieces wove together.
While Nell is the main focal point of this story, we get glimpses into the perspectives of her parents and their friends throughout the book. I enjoyed getting to know all of them and see their various motives for why they did what they did.
I meant to savor this book, but once I started I could not stop. I was so invested in the mystery. I had to have answers more than anything else. I also really enjoyed that the characters were all older since I've been reading mostly YA lately. Nell and Felix are in their 30s and the other side characters are probably in their late 40's to 50's.
Overall, I'm so glad I picked this one up, thoroughly enjoyed it!
Rep: white cishet female MC, Black cishet male side character, Black cishet female side character, Asian American cishet female side character, white cishet side characters, male side character mentions having a husband.
CWs: Murder, death, death of parent, violence, injury/injury detail, fire/fire injury. Moderate: sexual content, infidelity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual content