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24carrotgay's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I could not put this book down!! I also could have never prepared myself for the twists and turns this book took me on. The narrative shifts, especially those retelling the past, kept me on the edge of my seat. I was completely and utterly captured. While I did guess one of the plot twists, I was taken by surprise by the others (and I was very proud of myself for guessing the one haha). I cannot express enough my adoration for this story and Peng’s ability to combine real life and fiction. I’ve never read a magical realism book that felt more real. Amazing, amazing, amazing!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Gun violence and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
swatbooknb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I liked the premise but I found the execution lack-luster. The first 25% was a great hook; the next 50% was too slow and the last bit was weak and a disappointing ending.
The magic elements at play here were underdeveloped in both their explanation and use in the book; they left me with more questions than answers. Another editing pass to tighten up the book and fix the ending would have pushed this book from 3.5 --> 4.5 stars. Rewriting from the 25% mark to the end could've made this a 5 star book.
Both the reason why the town needed to be kept secret and the actions various characters took to prevent William from getting his hands on the map felt paper thin given that the original reason was to prevent the secret from getting out before the Atlas was published. The fact that Nelle's parents collectively decided that depriving both their traumatized friends and daughter of the truth was the correct choice of action given how low the stakes seemed was irksome enough to ruin the novel retroactively. This is doubly true since the author did a great job portraying how emotionally devastating the event was to the original friends even 30 years later
The magic elements at play here were underdeveloped in both their explanation and use in the book; they left me with more questions than answers. Another editing pass to tighten up the book and fix the ending would have pushed this book from 3.5 --> 4.5 stars. Rewriting from the 25% mark to the end could've made this a 5 star book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Death of parent
chanlo1994's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
One of my favorites of this year so far ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Murder and Toxic friendship
0tter_a's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, and Murder
sugarlife's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
ginnydtaylor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death of parent and Murder
ericaw212's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it’s been a long time since i’ve been so into a book that i have to cover the pages so i don’t read ahead. expected a boring predictable book, was very wrong
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
navayiota's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave me Secret History-but they grew up vibes. Now I really want to start a map collection..
Two things that bothered me were how stereotypically not-like-other-girls Nel is, (petite, unruly hair, big glasses, big cardigans, not chic, bookish, quiet but feisty) i struggled to imagine her that way and the wording always prompted an eye roll from me. The second thing was just how easily everyone spilled their past to Nel even though it was the first time they had seen her in 2+ decades, and the fact that they included all their petty drama. It completely broke immersion for me whenever someone who was prev ously reserved started talking about what was going on in their relationship and even their sex lives. I liked the story but the way it was conveyed to the reader felt weird.
Two things that bothered me were how stereotypically not-like-other-girls Nel is, (petite, unruly hair, big glasses, big cardigans, not chic, bookish, quiet but feisty) i struggled to imagine her that way and the wording always prompted an eye roll from me. The second thing was just how easily everyone spilled their past to Nel even though it was the first time they had seen her in 2+ decades, and the fact that they included all their petty drama. It completely broke immersion for me whenever someone who was prev ously reserved started talking about what was going on in their relationship and even their sex lives. I liked the story but the way it was conveyed to the reader felt weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
mgdsmile's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
4.0
The Cartographers is a mysterious story about how people connect. The novel is told from Nell Young’s perspective, with stories from other characters included as they are recounted to Nell and she pieces together her revelations. I wanted to keep reading all the time - the premise and questions kept me interested. I didn’t find the ending incredibly satisfying but it was pretty good.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
cyndi1966's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail