stormeno's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Interesting premise, but the “twist” was too predictable. Also, I feel like the book could have had a few more chapters to wrap up the loose ends.
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Gun violence
meg_elyse's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship
meredith_williams_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Cartographers was a book that had great potential, but fell flat for me. The academia setting and mystery elements were interesting. However, the pacing and execution were not very well done. The beginning was a slow build up to an admittedly intriguing mystery about the main character’s past. Once more of the backstory was revealed, I felt like I couldn’t read fast enough only for the ending to be very rushed and unsatisfying! There were too many characters to keep track of and the main character felt underdeveloped. If you’re looking for a fantastical mystery set in the world of academia, you might enjoy this. Overall, I think there are better fantasy options out there!
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, Death, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Gun violence and Injury/Injury detail
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
3.5
it was fine
i dunno why the parents made the decisions they did. i also figured out the villain pretty early on
i think the maps aesthetic is cool but it felt like too much sometimes
very slow start and slow pace not super exciting for a mystery
i dunno why the parents made the decisions they did. i also figured out the villain pretty early on
i think the maps aesthetic is cool but it felt like too much sometimes
very slow start and slow pace not super exciting for a mystery
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
taylor_annotates's review against another edition
adventurous
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
2.5
It is rare that I give a book a two star rating, but this book was incredibly frustrating to read. I found the characters’ actions and motivations to be unreasonable and unrealistic. Further, the incident which much of the book hinges on feels incredibly overblown. The magical realism of the book sat in a weird juxtaposition with the style of writing and lastly the structure of the story felt very unbalanced to me. OOF.
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Toxic relationship
More...