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Mapmaker
When Tanya Barrett takes an internship at MapOut, she expects emotional landmines. Her father cofounded the digital mapping company, and he died for it—on a cartographic expedition he didn’t even need to take. Her father’s business partner and his son, Connor, welcome her to the job with open arms. And being with Connor, an old childhood friend, turns out to be the only thing that makes Tanya feel normal again.
Soon she’s spending every moment she can with Connor. But when they sneak into her father’s old office late one night, they stumble across a deadly secret. The next day Connor disappears.
Tanya isn’t just bereft; she’s terrified. It’s clear that people at MapOut are willing to kill for what she and Connor discovered. Alone again—and on the run—Tanya must rely on her wits to find out what happened to him and stay a step ahead of MapOut. But in the world they envision, no one stays lost for long.
Soon she’s spending every moment she can with Connor. But when they sneak into her father’s old office late one night, they stumble across a deadly secret. The next day Connor disappears.
Tanya isn’t just bereft; she’s terrified. It’s clear that people at MapOut are willing to kill for what she and Connor discovered. Alone again—and on the run—Tanya must rely on her wits to find out what happened to him and stay a step ahead of MapOut. But in the world they envision, no one stays lost for long.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published April 14, 2015
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576 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
July 10, 2015
Once this book finally got to the crux of things we were so far into it that there wasn't time to wrap it up. I like books that come in a series, PROVIDED that each has it's own complete story to tell. This was an incomplete effort and felt like I only read half or a third of a full book. I'm not sure that I will even read the next one because I don't know that I'll get a resolution even then. I like the maps and technology, but wasn't quite sure that a 16 year old could get away with what Tanya did. Overall, this book could have been much better -- seems like the author broke up the story into pieces for no reason at all other than money or to make a deadline. Sorry to be harsh -- just so frustrated!
December 7, 2015
While this book attempts suspense, conspiracy theories, and romance, it actually turns out to be a well executed improbable snooze fest for the most part. Even the reversals, surprises, and what's meant to be exciting spy action comes across as flat, bland, and stretching credulity.
I'm not sure that readers much care about map making, though apps that keep tabs on their friends might do a bit better. The best thing about this book was its brevity. Main character Tanya and her life, her dilemma, and her jeopardy all fail to thrill.
I'm not sure that readers much care about map making, though apps that keep tabs on their friends might do a bit better. The best thing about this book was its brevity. Main character Tanya and her life, her dilemma, and her jeopardy all fail to thrill.
August 29, 2015
2.5 stars rounded up
"Tanya's father co-founded a company called MapOut before he died on a cartographic mission. Now, Tanya is taking a summer internship with the company thanks to her father's business partner. While there, she and Connor, the son of the business partner, uncover a secret that might take both their lives and a mystery that will have Tanya traveling further than she expected." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
"Tanya's father co-founded a company called MapOut before he died on a cartographic mission. Now, Tanya is taking a summer internship with the company thanks to her father's business partner. While there, she and Connor, the son of the business partner, uncover a secret that might take both their lives and a mystery that will have Tanya traveling further than she expected." Full review at Fresh Fiction: http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...
February 20, 2016
OMG! There had better be another book coming soon! How could they end it like that? Just cruel!
January 3, 2019
Credited to Mark Bomback and “Galaxy Craze” (?), this story definitely felt like it was written by two very different authors.
It is not advertised as YA, but its protagonist is a precocious HS student who has a crush on a boy. There’s some good tension in spite of a slow pace until page 99 (about half-way) when it suddenly becomes all out, implausible, guns-a blazing, cross-country chase scene on planes trains and automobiles (but not in that order...)
If realism is your thing, or if you like loose ends in a mystery tied up, or reunions, or scientific plot points that could actually happen, then the second half of the book will drive you crazy.
Oh well, it was a harmless distraction.
It is not advertised as YA, but its protagonist is a precocious HS student who has a crush on a boy. There’s some good tension in spite of a slow pace until page 99 (about half-way) when it suddenly becomes all out, implausible, guns-a blazing, cross-country chase scene on planes trains and automobiles (but not in that order...)
If realism is your thing, or if you like loose ends in a mystery tied up, or reunions, or scientific plot points that could actually happen, then the second half of the book will drive you crazy.
Oh well, it was a harmless distraction.
February 2, 2018
I received the Advance Uncopyedidted Edition from the library I work at.
This spent so much time in the exposition, it did not fully reach a conclusion. It was hard to relate to as the characters seemed flat, and events and decisions by characters were not understandable and confusing. I felt like events and details were skipped as I went, leaving me confused but along for the ride. This picked up very very quickly but ended abruptly and felt like an unfinished novel.
This spent so much time in the exposition, it did not fully reach a conclusion. It was hard to relate to as the characters seemed flat, and events and decisions by characters were not understandable and confusing. I felt like events and details were skipped as I went, leaving me confused but along for the ride. This picked up very very quickly but ended abruptly and felt like an unfinished novel.
March 8, 2019
Disappointing and slow in parts. The non ending made me a little cranky. It might be interesting to learn the final outcome of these characters. Bit I dont think I want to spend the time to read another installment.
April 11, 2023
B-. fiction, YA, suspense; gifted girl attempts to solve mystery and save father and boyfriend; intended to be first in a series, but none following; from stash, keep. NOTE: must read paperback version because hardback missing last 30+ pages!
May 15, 2017
I liked the mystery and adventure
June 5, 2017
Hated the way it ended, will give higher rating if there is a next book
July 6, 2017
Interesting
July 30, 2017
This book was so disappointing! The pacing was terrible (too slow for the first 2/3 and way too fast for the last 1/3). The authors tried to cram too much in to too short of a book.
March 16, 2019
Read in one sitting; I could not put it down.
Read
October 21, 2019I think that the story line is good overall, however the story feels incomplete. I thought that there would be a sequel but that did not happen. (or has not yet)
March 18, 2020
I have the copy that ends too soon, per a Twitter discussion with the author. Entertaining up until the loose ending and want to find the final chapters to update.
November 1, 2017
Well considering that cliff hanger I'll definitely be disappointed if there is no sequel!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2017
I'm giving this 2 stars, but that all hinges on whether or not this book will have a sequel. If this is a standalone book, then it gets a big, fat ONE star. The ending is a stinking cliffhanger! It felt like this was only 2/3-3/4 of a book--not because it was so amazing that I read it quickly, but because that's where it felt like it ended, storywise. It just needed some more, and then it would have been done.
There were also some inconsistencies. For example, Cleo explains that the laser she gives to Tanya will only work for her thumbprint--someone else could take it, and it wouldn't work. But then Conner is able to use it without any problems.
Overall, the book was okay. It had an interesting concept, which unfortunately wasn't really explained very well. Tanya and her father have some type of "gift" that makes them able to map places on the earth very easily--they know distances just by seeing them, they can get a birds-eye view even when they're standing flat on the earth, they have photographic memories. But there's no explanation of why.
There's also no explanation of what the "bad guys'" motivation is. All we're told is that
The main characters were likable enough. There's a mere hint of a love story. More like Tanya has a crush on Conner, but he has a girlfriend even though maybe he might feel a little tiny something for her, too. Or maybe he's just happy they're friends again. Who knows?
How it ends:
If there is a sequel, I might read it to find out what happens. However, there are a whole bunch of other books way up on my list, so maybe I'll just look for spoilers when (if) it comes out. Like I said--I'm not sure if there's supposed to be a sequel, or if it just has a terrible non-ending.
Note: Some swearing.
There were also some inconsistencies. For example, Cleo explains that the laser she gives to Tanya will only work for her thumbprint--someone else could take it, and it wouldn't work. But then Conner is able to use it without any problems.
Overall, the book was okay. It had an interesting concept, which unfortunately wasn't really explained very well. Tanya and her father have some type of "gift" that makes them able to map places on the earth very easily--they know distances just by seeing them, they can get a birds-eye view even when they're standing flat on the earth, they have photographic memories. But there's no explanation of why.
There's also no explanation of what the "bad guys'" motivation is. All we're told is that
The main characters were likable enough. There's a mere hint of a love story. More like Tanya has a crush on Conner, but he has a girlfriend even though maybe he might feel a little tiny something for her, too. Or maybe he's just happy they're friends again. Who knows?
How it ends:
If there is a sequel, I might read it to find out what happens. However, there are a whole bunch of other books way up on my list, so maybe I'll just look for spoilers when (if) it comes out. Like I said--I'm not sure if there's supposed to be a sequel, or if it just has a terrible non-ending.
Note: Some swearing.
May 8, 2016
Summary
One year ago, Tanya Barrett's father went missing on a mapping expedition in Cambodia, and now, he's presumed dead. As Tanya begins an internship at the growing company MapOut, which her father and his business partner, Harrison Worth, created, she begins to befriend Harrison's son, Connor, and she also learns that there may be more to her father's death than Harrison told her. But when Connor and Tanya break into MapOut one night and hack into her father's old computer, they stumble upon a deadly discovery; one that Harrison and many others would kill to keep secret. The next day, when Connor mysteriously disappears and Harrison threatens to prosecute Tanya for breaking and entering, Tanya decides she must go on the run in order to discover the truth about her father's death and save her long-lost friend.
Review
In "Mapmaker", Mark Bomback and Galaxy Craze have seamlessly blended mystery, action, and thrill. Nowadays, with technology booming, this novel offers thought-provoking insight into the world as it is, where you can run, but you can never hide. Tanya's resourcefulness in the situation she is cast into is intriguing, and her interactions with other characters are entertaining to see. While reading this novel, I could not bear to part with it for even a second, and the ending offers an unexpected twist that readers are sure to love—I know that I did.
Intended Audience
I believe that the intended audience for this novel was thirteen years old and up.
Rating
5 stars
One year ago, Tanya Barrett's father went missing on a mapping expedition in Cambodia, and now, he's presumed dead. As Tanya begins an internship at the growing company MapOut, which her father and his business partner, Harrison Worth, created, she begins to befriend Harrison's son, Connor, and she also learns that there may be more to her father's death than Harrison told her. But when Connor and Tanya break into MapOut one night and hack into her father's old computer, they stumble upon a deadly discovery; one that Harrison and many others would kill to keep secret. The next day, when Connor mysteriously disappears and Harrison threatens to prosecute Tanya for breaking and entering, Tanya decides she must go on the run in order to discover the truth about her father's death and save her long-lost friend.
Review
In "Mapmaker", Mark Bomback and Galaxy Craze have seamlessly blended mystery, action, and thrill. Nowadays, with technology booming, this novel offers thought-provoking insight into the world as it is, where you can run, but you can never hide. Tanya's resourcefulness in the situation she is cast into is intriguing, and her interactions with other characters are entertaining to see. While reading this novel, I could not bear to part with it for even a second, and the ending offers an unexpected twist that readers are sure to love—I know that I did.
Intended Audience
I believe that the intended audience for this novel was thirteen years old and up.
Rating
5 stars
April 17, 2016
2.5 Stars rounded down.
MAPMAKER is a YA mystery and suspense novel about Tanya, a high schooler who has a genius sense of direction. Her father died before the book started during his frenzy of mapping the entire world. Tanya gets an internship at MapOut, her father and his best friend’s company for the summer. This follows Tanya as she works to clear up the mysteries surrounding MapOut and her father. Romance, adventure, mystery, and suspense ensue.
This book sucked me in a lot more than I thought it was going to. I found myself reading it very fast, but in the end not being extremely satisfied with how things went down. I expected it to be fast-paced but it was a little too short. I felt like it was over before it began. I liked Tanya, she was very intelligent and I agreed with her decisions for the most part. It felt a little rushed in the end. The plot was pretty realistic until we got the explanation, it didn’t really fit the direction of the story. I think it lacked a natural flow that would make a great novel to readers. It doesn’t really fit in its genre either, I wasn’t even sure what it was going for until I looked it up. I do think the author was successful in the matter of making it fun to read and enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks the premise sounds interesting. Even if I didn’t love it, I think some people will, and I recommend you give it a shot.
MAPMAKER is a YA mystery and suspense novel about Tanya, a high schooler who has a genius sense of direction. Her father died before the book started during his frenzy of mapping the entire world. Tanya gets an internship at MapOut, her father and his best friend’s company for the summer. This follows Tanya as she works to clear up the mysteries surrounding MapOut and her father. Romance, adventure, mystery, and suspense ensue.
This book sucked me in a lot more than I thought it was going to. I found myself reading it very fast, but in the end not being extremely satisfied with how things went down. I expected it to be fast-paced but it was a little too short. I felt like it was over before it began. I liked Tanya, she was very intelligent and I agreed with her decisions for the most part. It felt a little rushed in the end. The plot was pretty realistic until we got the explanation, it didn’t really fit the direction of the story. I think it lacked a natural flow that would make a great novel to readers. It doesn’t really fit in its genre either, I wasn’t even sure what it was going for until I looked it up. I do think the author was successful in the matter of making it fun to read and enjoyable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks the premise sounds interesting. Even if I didn’t love it, I think some people will, and I recommend you give it a shot.
December 10, 2015
Mapmaker Book Review Unfortunately, Mapmaker is one of those books that ends before things really got started. I enjoyed the overall idea of this book. Things were fast paced, a bit unrealistic but fun. I think a middle school aged child looking for a fun adventure book would really enjoy this.
Tanya has missed her father ever since she learned of his death. Now she's forced to live with her stepmother Beth and is joining Mapout his fathers old company to work for his father's best friend Harrison. And in turn her childhood friend, Conner whom she hasn't seen since her father died. Secrets are quickly revealed and Tanys is trying to piece together what really happened to her father all those years ago.
There were many scenes where I found myself going, "yeah right." I wanted more of the mapmaking si
The ending was also very predictable for me (which, I'm usually terrible at predicting endings). While its not a great book its not a bad one either. However, with how much I read in a year I will probably have forgotten all about Mapmaker this time next year. We'll see if I get around to the sequel when it comes out.
Tanya has missed her father ever since she learned of his death. Now she's forced to live with her stepmother Beth and is joining Mapout his fathers old company to work for his father's best friend Harrison. And in turn her childhood friend, Conner whom she hasn't seen since her father died. Secrets are quickly revealed and Tanys is trying to piece together what really happened to her father all those years ago.
There were many scenes where I found myself going, "yeah right." I wanted more of the mapmaking si
The ending was also very predictable for me (which, I'm usually terrible at predicting endings). While its not a great book its not a bad one either. However, with how much I read in a year I will probably have forgotten all about Mapmaker this time next year. We'll see if I get around to the sequel when it comes out.
October 25, 2016
I really wanted to like this book. I thoroughly enjoy young adult fiction, when it's done well. Brendan and Kathy Reichs and their Viral series, anything by Jonathon Stroud to name a few know what they are doing. This team got off to a good start, the setting and character introduction were compelling. However, as the story moved along simple errors, good editing could have caught, began to add up. The ultimate blow was the non-resolution of a major part of the plot. What a drag. Try a little harder Bomback and Craze, you clearly have the skill.
May 17, 2015
This book was enthralling and very fast paced. Unfortunately, it felt like a "trailer" in that it was over quickly and left you with a big cliff hanger. It almost should have qualified as a novella instead of a full text. I am looking forward to the next installment. I just hope that it will be long enough to lead to the development that is missing. Definitely a perfect read for those that are afraid of commitment lol.
January 25, 2016
Are you kidding me!! This was a good, intense book without an ending. It just stops. Where is the rest of the book?
How can I review a book when I have only listened to a portion of it? Up until the disappointing ending, I would have given it a high review. Now I don't know how to review it. Is there going to be part two or more?
How can I review a book when I have only listened to a portion of it? Up until the disappointing ending, I would have given it a high review. Now I don't know how to review it. Is there going to be part two or more?
June 21, 2015
2.5 Stars
This book has a great premise of adventure and mystery, but it doesn't really pull it off. It has the feel of the girl running all over the place trying to solve a mystery but doesn't really give you all the details of the mystery and the characters involved. Slow paced (until the end when it is semi-wrapped up). Falls well below my standards for a good mystery/thriller book.
This book has a great premise of adventure and mystery, but it doesn't really pull it off. It has the feel of the girl running all over the place trying to solve a mystery but doesn't really give you all the details of the mystery and the characters involved. Slow paced (until the end when it is semi-wrapped up). Falls well below my standards for a good mystery/thriller book.
July 8, 2015
I thought this was a very readable, nicely plotted book. In the end however it was very unsatisfying because it did not end. It stopped, but it did not end. If this is intended to be part of a series fine, but there was no indication that it was. So ultimately I walked away feeling very dissatisfied with the reading experience, despite how well it was written.
February 1, 2016
This was a very fun, twisty-and-turny tale of a girl with a perfect sense of direction, a mapmaker father who disappeared in Cambodia, and a conspiracy to cover his disappearance. I felt like the cliff-hanger ending wasn't quite in the right place--the book was quite short, and I thought we could have used more resolution to this particular story before ending it.
March 23, 2016
This book was really well written and kept my attention all the way through to the moment when it just stopped. Having just read another YA novel (Ashes, by Ilsa Bick) without an ending, I was incredulous. This is a crime. I will say that if Bomback decides to finish his story in installment #2, assuming it is coming, I will happily read it.
August 17, 2016
I finished it this morning but still wondering why it ended like that. I'm mad and disappointed. IT HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL! How it ended like this? I'm giving 1.5/5. At least I hope to know a new book coming. HOLY CRAP, I'M REALLY MAD.
July 11, 2015
Impatiently awaiting a sequel.
February 6, 2015
meh. Good premise, but I wanted more development....
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews