Cartographers

by Peng Shepherd

No cover — Peng Shepherd: Cartographers (2022, Orion Publishing Group, Limited)

400 pages

English language

Published Nov. 15, 2022 by Orion Publishing Group, Limited.

ISBN:: 978-1-3987-0542-5

(3 reviews)

Nell Young's whole life and greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field and Nell's personal hero. but she hasn't seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her and destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map. but when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New Your Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can't resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable and exceedingly rare. in fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence..... because a mysterious collector has been hunting down and destroying every last one-along with any who gets in the way. But why? To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret and …

8 editions

Elise reviewed The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

The twist makes it.

3 stars

The characters are a bit thin, there's a romantic subplot that doesn't really go anywhere or do anything, and the first half of the book is thankfully a quick read for how little is going on. The back half, after the twist is revealed, is much more compelling and is probably best enjoyed in a single sitting. Some characters are much more fleshed out, and the developing intrigue mixed with the dramatic irony (you can totally tell who the villain is before they ever reveal themselves) makes every page gripping and a little heart-wrenching. I was filled with thoughts like "is the antagonist going to show their hand now" and the twist was so out of left field given the otherwise rather mundane nature of the setting it genuinely took me by surprise. Glad I read it, and though I won't be reading it again, I'm excited to talk about …

Catship reviewed The Cartographers by Emily Woo Zeller

I was sufficiently entertained

No rating

It has its boring parts, it's hard to believe parts, it's predictable parts, it's too much parts, but I don't care, I like it. There's maps and map nerds.

I was wondering for a while if it'd go to a supernatural direction and whether I'd enjoy it more if it did or didn't. When I found out the way it went was fine with me :)

Sarah reviewed The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

nothing about this is right

2 stars

I’ve already hooted and hollered about the many ridiculous things the book gets wrong about libraries and academia and I won’t rehash (although ffs if you’re going to write a book revolving around these key details, why wouldn’t you think you need to actually learn about them?!). But even beyond that, this just doesn’t work. Like, the premise of why the murderer wants to do the murdering? Nonsensical. I stand by my appreciation of the romance plot. And I do like the idea of magical maps etc etc. But those are the only reasons this isn’t a one-star review.