Mapmaker Reviewed on Reedsy Discovery
For a writer, reviews are like nuggets of gold.
Random gold nuggetEven bad reviews.
Heck, I’ll take a 1-star review over silence.
Do you know why?
Because it means someone is reading our stories.
Some angel masquerading as a human has taken the time to read our work and immerse themselves in our stories. Then, they spend more precious moments of their lives to tell the world.
That, my friends, is worth more than gold.
Reedsy DiscoveryIf you haven’t discovered Reedsy, it’s a marketplace for independent writers (like myself) who can find book professionals for editing, design, publicity, and marketing. You can use the site to search for and hire folks to help at every stage of the writing journey.
I found my book cover designer on Reedsy, and I’ve been very happy with the results (see my Mapmaker page for some really pretty covers).
While I received several copy editing quotes from professional editors on Reedsy, I ultimately chose an editor recommended by another indie author (Lindsay Buroker in this blog post): Sarah Engelke. You can check out her services here.
Anyway, the point is: the Reedsy marketplace is flexible, safe, and fairly easy to navigate.
And they also have a book review site called Reedsy Discovery.
On Reedsy Discovery, you can sign up to be a reviewer or submit your book to be reviewed. Since my reviewing days are behind me (no time now, but maybe I’ll get back into it when I retire), I am especially thankful to the dear folks who devour books and follow up with a review.
Be warned, a review on Reedsy Discovery will cost you $50 and there’s no guarantee your book will be picked up by a reviewer nor that they will review it. Once you hand over your money, the book sinks or swims based on its appeal.
I got extremely lucky.
(Or maybe that snazzy cover caught an angel’s eye…)
Allow me to present, my first review from someone I don’t know:
⋆⋆⋆⋆ Loved it!Mapmaker portrays a dark, beautiful, and powerful world. This makes the characters shine all the brighter.
Aleeya is probably the best cartographer around, not that she’s allowed to relish this fact. As a slave, Aleeya is not allowed to do much beyond following orders. Unfortunately, it’s this talent that has put a target on Aleeya’s back.
It started as a simple – but horrible – transaction for Aleeya’s papers. But it quickly turned into an epic game of cat and mouse, as multiple factions and individuals battled to get their hands on Aleeya. Some want to change the world, others want to ruin it, while yet others just want to save Aleeya.
Mapmaker portrays a dark, beautiful, and powerful world. Or rather, the world can be quite dark and brooding, but this gives the characters the opportunity to shine bright. I loved this contrast, among many others.
I’ll admit that it took me a little bit to get into Mapmaker, mostly because the slavery depictions were so brutal that a part of me wanted to shy away. However, once I got into it, I was pretty hooked! Aleeya’s character, as is her journey, is the best part of the story.
Mapmaker Book 1 establishes the world and characters, and I’m eager to see what questions Book 2 answers. Because, let me tell you, I have so many questions. My questions range from current relationship statuses to questions about the world and the magical system. I also hope that we can one day see Aleeya’s homeland.
Readers looking for a magical yet foreboding world full of twists and turns should check out Mapmaker. It gets major bonus points for having compelling characters and cartographic elements. One thing I can tell you with certainty – I need to see where this series goes!
Highlights: Magical Fantasy World, Roman Mythology, Winged Creatures, Map Making
Trigger Warnings: Slavery, Abuse & Violence, Kidnapping & Controlling Behaviors
Reviewed by Cat Wyatt on Reedsy Discovery
If you care to read Mapmaker–Book 1, find it for free on Kindle Unlimited until March 5th, 2025.
As always, thank you for reading,
Nila
