The town of Alden has been under the control of dystopian militia, the Night Coats, for as long as everyone can remember. The Night Coats keep Alden safe from the dangers of the Valley. Alidade Rose loves to explore the woods around Alden and always seems to run afoul of the Night Coats, she just can’t make herself follow all their oppressive rules. When she finds a magic lodge hidden in the woods her entire understanding of The Valley changes.

Mapmakers and the Lost Magic sets a wonderful emphasis on adventure and exploration. While Alidade is out in the woods around her town she learns about the land, plants, animals, and how they all come together to make a complete ecosystem. She also learns to treat the woods with care even though it doesn’t come naturally to her. Alidade is not only struggling with oppressive rules that dictate she cannot leave town, she is also struggling to process the death of her father and everywhere she goes in town reminds her of losing him. Mapmakers also focuses on Alidade’s personal journey to find her place in the world and do what is right for home. Alidade is lucky to have loyal friends and supportive family to help her along the way.

The illustrations are lovely and the coloration of different settings was one of my favorite parts of this graphic novel. I loved the extras at the end of the book; it included a recipe, craft inspiration, and a drawing tutorial. These extras were a perfect addition as they conveyed the Mapmakers ideals of combining artistry and craftsmanship.

While I adored the adventurous spirit of exploring the woods that makes Mapmakers a fun and original story, I didn’t enjoy the conflict with the Night Coats. The Night Coats were a somewhat hollow enemy, I think the same introduction to the series could have taken place without as much time dedicated to this dull Night Coats storyline (compared to the exploration/mapmaking storyline which was so much fun). The Night Coats’ authority in the narrative lacked the foundation that would make an entire town surrender to their rules. Everyone in Alden follows the Night Coats’ rules except Alidade, and the consequence for rule breaking is trash cleanup. It was hard to mesh that with the impression of an iron fist the narrative impressed. It left me with questions. Why were people so afraid of them? Why did they have to be so authoritative? Was Alden a prison, a workcamp, a place people chose to live? I imagine the Night Coats’ story will expand in future installments, but ultimately there was conflict in the way they were portrayed in this installment. The Night Coats claim they are protectors and guardians of the townspeople, but the townspeople hate them and Night Coats behave like generic evil meanies and even wear sinister bad guy clothes. Hopefully sequels in this series will not focus too much on the Night Coats narrative or rely on it to move the plot along, Alidade’s adventures and explorations finding ingredients and discovering elements that define a place were far more engaging details and that’s what sets this story apart.

Ultimately Mapmakers and the Lost Magic is a delightful introduction to a new graphic novel series. This series has a lot of potential for fun adventures and exploration in future installments. It is a great fantasy adventure recommendation for fans of 5 Worlds and Amulet.

I have posted this review to my Goodreads account and I will actively recommend this book when it comes out.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974
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A magnificent and enchanting read. Adelaide wants to explore the outdoors but the red coats rule the land with an iron fist. One day she finds an enchanted building. From there Ade, Lewis and Blue seek to learn all they can about map making and right terrible wrongs.

The art is amazing. I wasn't certain if the book is a full copy or not. I look forward to the sequels.

The art in this is absolutely beautiful, but the plot and writing sadly just weren't for me. I can see the target middle grade audience being into it, though, and that's certainly what matters.

I did not like this at all. Sadly I found it to be really boring. I felt like the story dragged on and not a lot was happening. The art was beautiful and the plot was solid but it just went on for way to long. I stopped caring very quickly and just wanted the book to end.

I received an eARC of this title through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thought this was such a good read. It did not go the way I thought it would which I think makes it even better. I loved how the characters went through some tough times and even had some friendship troubles all in one volume. I like when a graphic novel not only sets up a story, but keeps the reader interested in all that is going on. For me, that is the hardest part with starting a graphic novel series, I think this one pulls it off well.

The artwork is also nice. I liked the colors were made to show the blandness of town versus the vibrancy of the wilderness.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story with magic and adventure.