fairyhill's review against another edition
2.0
dnf -_- this book was so mind-numbingly boring which is a bummer because i thought the beginning was really interesting
bethany_a's review
The concept of this book is super cool. Mapmakers, secret utopian societies across the river, a royal kingdom, general rebellion? Sign. Me. Up.
However, I really could not get past two things in this book. 1) everything is written in second person. For real. Everything is 'you saw this, you said this, you thought this'. I like character pieces, and the author really takes the reader into the main character/narrator's head more than any other book I've read. But I just could not deal with the second-person narration. It was terribly clunky and I could not get into a flow of reading. 2) I hated the main character. She just was not likeable in any sense and I couldn't deal with her.
I read the reviews again before I decided to not finish the book. One review mentioned how interesting it was that the author skips all the world building and scenery. And that is what got me. I love world building. Atmospheric & immersive settings with sweeping, lush worlds is what I live for. This book is not that.
If you want to go for something very different and odd, go for it. But this was not for me.
However, I really could not get past two things in this book. 1) everything is written in second person. For real. Everything is 'you saw this, you said this, you thought this'. I like character pieces, and the author really takes the reader into the main character/narrator's head more than any other book I've read. But I just could not deal with the second-person narration. It was terribly clunky and I could not get into a flow of reading. 2) I hated the main character. She just was not likeable in any sense and I couldn't deal with her.
I read the reviews again before I decided to not finish the book. One review mentioned how interesting it was that the author skips all the world building and scenery. And that is what got me. I love world building. Atmospheric & immersive settings with sweeping, lush worlds is what I live for. This book is not that.
If you want to go for something very different and odd, go for it. But this was not for me.
foxgo's review
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
sanaastoria's review against another edition
3.0
[3 Stars] This is yet another book I'm finding difficult to rate. I really enjoyed it, but there are certain characteristics this book has that makes me pause. I'm going to talk about what I liked first though, and that has to be the overall storytelling and the world Domingue has created. It's magical but at the same time isn't. I like the way this book really does feel like a memoir written by a woman who has been through so much in her life, has been a catalyst for so much without really wanting it. I also loved how honest our main character was. You felt for her, her plight, and you also felt her grow. It really is a bit of a magical book.
Now I'm going to talk about the things that cannot make me give this book higher than a 3.5 star rating. First up we have the writing. Yes, the writing is well done, lyrical, beautiful even. The fact that this is written in second person only adds to the intrigue. I liked the writing but often I found it distracting. There are no quotations in this book, and we move from one plot point to the next so quickly that I found myself more wanting to skim the story than actually read every sentence. I also felt that the writing was a bit wispy. It left me wanting more detail, but that is probably just my own preference for description. The other things that threw me off were the violence and the sexual abuse in this book. I wasn't expecting either, but there they were. These elements seemed to be added to increase drama in the story, to emphasize how females in our main character's world are kind of at the mercy of men. I felt like that point was clear without having the sexual abuse, it seemed like overkill to me. It was highly disturbing, and I just don't know how I feel about it apart from that I don't think it was necessary. I also want to add that this story definitely had its boring moments, and I don't really know how I feel about the end. I know it is a story about our main character, her growth. But at the end of the day I don't know if I can call her story happy, sad, triumphant, or anything really. I just don't know what to think of it.
The last thing I will say is that this book does seem to present itself as a feminist fantasy book, but I don't really know how I feel about the book when I look at it from that perspective. I just honestly have no idea. I feel like this was an ambitious book, and it just kinda fell a bit short. Not sure if I would recommend it, but it was definitely an intriguing read that still has me a bit confused about my feelings for it.
Now I'm going to talk about the things that cannot make me give this book higher than a 3.5 star rating. First up we have the writing. Yes, the writing is well done, lyrical, beautiful even. The fact that this is written in second person only adds to the intrigue. I liked the writing but often I found it distracting. There are no quotations in this book, and we move from one plot point to the next so quickly that I found myself more wanting to skim the story than actually read every sentence. I also felt that the writing was a bit wispy. It left me wanting more detail, but that is probably just my own preference for description. The other things that threw me off were the violence and the sexual abuse in this book. I wasn't expecting either, but there they were. These elements seemed to be added to increase drama in the story, to emphasize how females in our main character's world are kind of at the mercy of men. I felt like that point was clear without having the sexual abuse, it seemed like overkill to me. It was highly disturbing, and I just don't know how I feel about it apart from that I don't think it was necessary. I also want to add that this story definitely had its boring moments, and I don't really know how I feel about the end. I know it is a story about our main character, her growth. But at the end of the day I don't know if I can call her story happy, sad, triumphant, or anything really. I just don't know what to think of it.
The last thing I will say is that this book does seem to present itself as a feminist fantasy book, but I don't really know how I feel about the book when I look at it from that perspective. I just honestly have no idea. I feel like this was an ambitious book, and it just kinda fell a bit short. Not sure if I would recommend it, but it was definitely an intriguing read that still has me a bit confused about my feelings for it.
mhall's review against another edition
3.0
Anthropological fantasy about a rebellious female mapmaker who discovers a kingdom of peaceful people beyond the borders of her own land. Told in 2nd person. Recommended if you liked [b:A Natural History of Dragons|12974372|A Natural History of Dragons A Memoir by Lady Trent|Marie Brennan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359770409s/12974372.jpg|18132937].
msthienkim's review against another edition
5.0
Every now and again, I read a book that reminds me why I love reading. The Mapmaker’s War: A Legend by Ronlyn Domingue is one such novel. Domingue weaves a tale of love, ambition, loneliness and belonging that will resonate within all of us.
Aoife (pronounced ee-fah) is the mapmaker in this story. Born a girl in a far away land in a time long ago, her path in life was set: grow up, marry, and produce children. Instead, at a young age she falls in love with charts and maps. A childhood friend, who also happens to be the crown prince, learns of her desire. Pretty soon, she is apprenticed to the kingdom’s mapmaker. Aoife enjoys the freedom and privilege not common to girls her age.
In her travels to map the kingdom’s land, she discovers another land. Word spreads of the Guardians’ gold paths and various riches, and soon Aoife’s kingdom is ready for war. She attempts to advocate for the Guardians’ peaceful, almost Utopian world, but to no avail. Aoifee is eventually exiled and adopted into the Guardians’ community. While her new community is understanding and embraces her, Aoife struggles with her past, her betrayal, and her inner demons.
Wow, did that sound like I gave away the entire story? Don’t worry, there are no spoilers. The book jacket reveals even more details. The beauty in this story is Aoife’s evolution, transformation even.
http://www.fromlefttowrite.com/book-review-the-mapmakers-war-by-ronlyn-domingue/
Aoife (pronounced ee-fah) is the mapmaker in this story. Born a girl in a far away land in a time long ago, her path in life was set: grow up, marry, and produce children. Instead, at a young age she falls in love with charts and maps. A childhood friend, who also happens to be the crown prince, learns of her desire. Pretty soon, she is apprenticed to the kingdom’s mapmaker. Aoife enjoys the freedom and privilege not common to girls her age.
In her travels to map the kingdom’s land, she discovers another land. Word spreads of the Guardians’ gold paths and various riches, and soon Aoife’s kingdom is ready for war. She attempts to advocate for the Guardians’ peaceful, almost Utopian world, but to no avail. Aoifee is eventually exiled and adopted into the Guardians’ community. While her new community is understanding and embraces her, Aoife struggles with her past, her betrayal, and her inner demons.
Wow, did that sound like I gave away the entire story? Don’t worry, there are no spoilers. The book jacket reveals even more details. The beauty in this story is Aoife’s evolution, transformation even.
http://www.fromlefttowrite.com/book-review-the-mapmakers-war-by-ronlyn-domingue/
whatandreawrote's review against another edition
1.0
The beginning reminded me of Juliet Marillier, whom I love. But I quickly lost patience with the artsy lack of quotation punctuation and the [heavens, I'm pretentious] interrupting thought bubbles. And the ending was just bleh.
acinthedc's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book on several levels, The Mapmaker's War is the story of Aoife, a girl who overcame gender biases to become a mapmaker, pursued a love above her station in life, sparked a war, and sought redemption with the very people she nearly destroys. Written mostly in the second person, Domingue has crafted a compelling novel with some magical elements.