A review by crlyhairedbibliophile
The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“Maps were love letters to times and places their makers had explored. They did not control the territory - they told its stories.”

Maps are one of my favorite parts of fantasy novels, but I’m not that familiar with the cartography world. That being said, the idea of a mystery surrounding magical maps had me intrigued and I knew this would be an interesting journey to go on.

The first aspect of this story I gravitated towards was the writing. There are so many places where the atmosphere leapt off the page that it felt as if I could actually go there from the pictures they placed in my mind. The details of all the spaces, from Ramona’s shop and the Map Division of the NYPL to the layout of Agloe were so vivid and really helped bring the story to life. I also really liked the placement of the flashbacks. Not only did they give accounts from different perspectives, but the slices of information dropped in each one helped put together missing pieces, which I love.

Along with the atmosphere, I also liked following these characters and the overarching mystery surrounding this map.
Some felt a little more fleshed out than most due to time spent with them, but having those flashbacks definitely helped build them up and made their found family believable. There were parts that kept me guessing and a few I was able to grasp on my own, but I thought the timing and placement of things within the pages was really well done.

Overall I really enjoyed this journey and have a bigger appreciation for cartography and the map world.

[BONUS THOUGHT: I need someone to actually make an edition of the original Dreamer’s Atlas - it sounds AMAZING! 😍]

Special thanks again to William Morrow Books for the gifted copy!