Mapmakers and the Lost Magic

Adventurous Alidade Rose and her best friend, kind, sensible Lewis, are caught by the Night Coats - an ominously tall, slim, dark-clothes-wearing, rules-enforcing body in their town of Alden. But when Alidade returns to the forest she was exploring, she finds a door in a tree, and the door leads to a lodge, which is the home of the Mapmakers - only, something has gone wrong. Alidade discovers a hidden map that has Alden on it, but also a river - and she has never seen this river. A Memri in the form of a bird called Blue emerges from the map and serves as a guide so that Alidade, too, can become a Mapmaker, and restore Alden to the way it used to be, before the Night Coats came and the river was forced underground. Likeable Lewis helps show more by rallying the townspeople to their cause, rising up against the Night Coats. With the river restored, Alidade has her mother's blessing to go off mapmaking with Lewis and Blue. Sequel to come....

Quotes

"But...how could the Night Coats have done this?"
"The way people have always divided one another: lies and power." (Alidade and Blue, 71)

"We are not merely drawing a picture. We are casting a spell. A lot of things must go right for a spell to work. For mapmaking, there are three tenets...[ingredients, artistry, accuracy]." (Blue, 81-83)

"Don't [Mapmakers always know where they're going?"
...
"Mapmakers thrive because they are comfortable not knowing where they are going. Everyone is lost, in a way. Embracing the challenge - that is the key to being a Mapmaker." (Blue and Alidade, 111)

"[That spark of energy inside you is] the reward for facing the world with humility. For knowing there is still so much you do not know. That feeling...is the joy of understanding something new. Hold on to it so you can pursue that spark in all you do." (Blue, 118)

"The world will always be full of dangers....All we can do is face them bravely...alongside those we care for." (Blue, 207) show less

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

Alidade Rose lives in the small town of Alden, where the main source of jobs is the brick pit, and the Night Coats rule with an iron fist. Though they claim to keep the residents of Alden safe from outsiders, once upon a time all the communities lived in harmony - both with each other and with nature - with a little help from magical creatures called Memri.

Brought to life by the Mapmakers, the Memri guided humans; they served as "protectors of the land and peace." When the last of the Mapmakers were vanquished from the valley by the Night Coats, so too went the Memri. That is, until rebellious Alidade stumbles upon the Mapmaker's Lodge while wandering outside the show more boundaries of Alden. She frees Blue, the last remaining Memri, from a woefully out of date map - and embarks on an adventure to train as a Mapmaker and return the Memri to the valley.

MAPMAKERS AND THE LOST MAGIC is an enchanted, environmentally-friendly tale to delight readers of all ages. Alidade is a scrappy heroine, and I love her relationship with bestie Lewis. But the most memorable character by far is dear Blue, cranky and cantankerous, formidable even in his diminished pigeon form, and entirely fed up with humans. show less

This is a really enjoyable Middle Grade graphic novel. Without going into the plot, I really enjoyed the way this story looked at how people and nature interact. I felt the art blended with the text of the story perfectly, too. I highly recommend this one!

I loved this story! I love the concept of magic maps and I can't wait to read more. I still have a lot of questions about the history of this world, but luckily there are two more books in the series. This is a great middle grade fantasy graphic novel. Very creative. The art and characters are great. There's enough intrigue to keep you invested, but it feels cozy at the same time. Wonderful.

I wished there was more explanation for the world/worldbuilding like who/what/where/how about the Night Coats. Who is y'all? Why does the Constable have a vested interest in Alidade? Are these hooks for the next book?

But I enjoyed the world, the artwork, and the flamboyant birdie Blue the Memris.

This YA graphic novel is beautifully illustrated and shares a story about a young child, Alidade, born to explore, but stuck in an oppressive town. During her prohibited adventures, she stumbles across a secrets sanctuary in the forest. Inside she learns that once there were Mapmakers - people who used to protect the lands and keep peace in her valley. Alidade decides she's the only one who can save her home, and to do that she has to become a Mapmaker.

Palette is ugly and the story is tedious. Stopped about halfway through cause I truly didn't care (but skipped to the end so I could confirm it was as predictable as I expected).