I was captivated the whole time. Well written. It has moments that are pretty dark. I am a fan of the author. Very different from All Thirteen but devoured this just as easily. The book is a good mixture of history, adventure and mystery.

If you are ready for an amazing adventure filled with magic and wonder, then this is the book for you. This book is sure to appeal to the middle grades with its fantasy adventure that is told through Sai, a 12-year-old map maker assistant, a job she gets by lying about who she really is and her ancestry. Beyond the shop, she is in truth a conman's daughter who dreams of more. In a place where your ancestry is usually worn on your wrist or neck, she struggles to carve out a place for herself. Opportunity comes in the form of the Queen sending out expeditions to discover new lands beyond their known scope. She takes to the seas with her boss, the map maker she works for, and discovers more about the reality of the queen's conquest, people's true intentions, and herself. The Last Mapmaker audiobook was done at a wonderful pace as it unfurled all of the wonders and adventures of Sai. The narrator did a great job of conveying the excitement, disappointment, and complexities of emotion in this book which made it all the more pleasurable. I look forward to reading/listening to more works from both the author and narrator. A wonderful middle-grade recommendation. Thank you to NetGalley and OrangeSky audio for a chance to listen to this advance copy of the book.

The Last Mapmaker is the latest middle grade novel from award-winning author Christina Soontornvat. I couldn’t wait to read it after absolutely loving All Thirteen by the same author.
At its heart, The Last Mapmaker is an adventure story with magic, historical fiction, and coming-of-age components mixed in. Twelve-year-old Sai is the daughter of a con man who runs away to embark on an open sea adventure. Along the way, she must figure out who can be trusted and come to terms with her own past and future.
I thought the historical fiction elements, especially as they related to mapmaking and the importance of lineage in Thai culture, were really strong. Unfortunately, I had a hard time connecting with the main character and found certain parts of the story a bit dark. I don’t think this book is necessarily too heavy for middle grade readers, but I’d be hesitant to recommend it without the caveat that discussion would be warranted.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced listening copy.

*4.25 Stars*

"As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams."

I had a good time reading this. The main character was very interesting and overall, it was a very good middle grade. I read it pretty fast but it still felt like the pacing was right, like the story held up and wasn't rushed. I also enjoyed the world and the secondary characters. None of it felt expected. It kept taking me to new places and I had a really good time.
Moreover, the narrator was very good and kept me hanging on.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable book and I'll have to find out more about this author.

In my opinion this book is more of a middle grade book than for children.

A science fiction audiobook with "Asian flair".

Sai, the young protagonist is 12 years old. At age 13 girls celebrate their heritage with a string of golden links based on their lineage. I'm not sure if this relates to any traditions. Much of this novel revolves around this concept.

Sai becomes the assistant to a mapmaker, she also has quite a talent for a copying which evolves into mapmaking.

There are some details about how whales are hunted which might be a flag for some young readers.

Kudos to the author for breaking a lot of stereotypes, a woman was the captain of the ship and women played a large role in this book.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. My NetGalley app needed to be restored; I knew it was likely that I'd have to redownload all my advance read copies. So glad that I was able to finish listening to The Last Mapmaker as it had already been archived.

Thank you to NetGalley, Christina Soontornvat (author), Sura Siu (narrator) and OrangeSky Audio (publisher) for the opportunity to listen to the advance read copy of The Last Mapmaker in exchange for an honest review. I really love NetGalley! I was not familiar with the author and I'm really glad that I stumbled across this audiobook and will be looking forward to reading additional books by the author.

This was such a great, atmospheric, and diverse middle grade story about a girl going on an adventure and discovering herself, as well as secrets about the people around her, along the way. I really love everything about this story!

Middlegrade has really been hitting the spot for me this year with adventurous and determined leads who are considerate and aware of their society and the ways in which their status or ethnic background affects their social standing and treatment. Add in adventure on the high seas and a chance for charting a new path and you get a truly satisfying read that not only tackles the bonds of family but also how we form new friendships and a new understanding of the world.

Sai is a talented girl with big dreams, but the ways in which her society mark value through heritage is an obstacle that she must overcome. So when an opportunity arises to escape her con-man father, she grabs it. Yet this adventure is about more than bringing glory to the kingdom and Sai will have to learn trust her instincts in order to survive and prevail against the dark intentions of one she thought a friend.

But there is always something new to learn and Sai finally begins to understand the truth of exploration and mapping the 'unknown': the lands conquered and stripped of their resources, the detachment of colonial rulers, and the detrimental effects on the natural world.

There was so much I loved about this book. It was moments that really pulled me in. It is a great story.

I enjoyed the seafaring part of the story and the talk about mapmaking, but I wasn't blown away by the remainder of the story. I would say it's a good adventure story though for a middle-grade audience, which I am not. It definitely had a nice atmosphere to the writing.

I was drawn to this book by the beautiful cover (a common theme by now) and I am happy to say it did not disappoint. The cover evoked a lot of expectations, all of which were beautifully met by the story.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, they were likable, intriguing and relatable, but most importantly I loved the main character (which is rarer than one might think), she wasn’t overly “quirky” or “definitely not like other girls”, but relatable and most importantly: authentic!

Now this does lead me to my only critique:

WHY DO THESE CHARACTERS NEVER REALIZE THE OBVIOUS?! I am a big (BIG) fan of foreshadowing, but it is a narrow line to walk, for if you don’t do it correctly it dampers the suspension. I feel like in that category the book definitely has its faults.

Luckily this gets overshadowed by the beautiful(!) world building. Soontornovat has created a beautiful and intricate world that you can’t help but get lost in, I swear I could almost smell the salt in the air.

Now I do have to acknowledge that this is meant for younger and less experienced audiences than I am, who will probably not have such a problem with the foreshadowing as I had, therefore I’ll give this book a solid four stars.

Thank you NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for providing me with an audio arc of this wonderful book!

Remarkable look at social acceptance, dreams and hardship. A young girl from the poor side of town, lies to get a job with a Mapmaker from the wealthy area. This leads to a mission to find Dragons on a mythological island or continent. Roomer and story had plagued her world, fishermen had wild tales of finding dragons, of the Southern Continent or Sunder Continent. The map maker she works for has his own secrets. Not knowing them may cost her her life, or it may bring her into the world in a new way that could change the casted society she struggles in. Its a great book for children, showing that cast societies have many struggles and hardships that democracy corrects. It also shows that learning can be the key to improving your position no mater how closed they system.
Audible version is remarkable in is broad expanse and diverse voice of the reader.

Sai will do anything to get away from her current life and create a better one for herself, away from her father, who is a conman. She shows promise as an assistant to a great mapmaker, but she can't see how she can get out of her current situation in a place that places such importance on lineage and social class. When she gets the chance to go on an expedition for the queen, she sees it as her way out and seems willing to do almost anything to escape her life circumstances. After some time though, she begins to question her choices and to consider what is true and right. I listened to the audiobook version and it is well done.

I received an arc for the audiobook from netgalley.

This was a really fun adventure story about a girl who sets sail on a ship to discover new places and make maps of them. Sai is a map-maker in training, of only 12 years old. She goes on this adventure with her mentor, the master map-maker, and through her journey learns a lot about herself and the world.

The worldbuilding was super interesting. It's a Thai inspired fantasy world, with a very distinct class system, starting (becoming obvious) when people turn 13. The world is well-explained and interesting.

The characters are great, they are complex and have multiple sides, and they all grow a lot throughout the story, especially Sai and Bo. Sai is selfish, lies and makes mistakes, but is also compassionate and caring. She has serious trust-issues because of her family, which makes her act out in relationships with the people around her. It's all very believable, and her coming to terms with who she is and what she has done was great.

The relationships, as in mostly friendships and family bonds in this story were all very well portrayed. They developed gradually, and weren't without conflict, but very believable.

The story touches on some dark themes, like poverty, crime, whale hunting, over-exhausting natural resources, betrayal, class differences, consequences to actions and imperialism. These were all well-addressed and in a way that the younger audience can still clearly understand them and their implications. The whale scenes might be a bit harsh for more sensitive children.

I wish the story had dived deeper into the Thai theme. I would have loved to learn more about Thai culture through this book, but it was all very surface level. It's still a good way to have children learn about Thai food, but I feel like it could have done more.

The title feels weird, because no where in this book is there any talk of them being the only map makers, let alone being the last ones. But I also know that authors don't always have a say in the titles of their books, so that might be the publishers decision.

There was quite a bit of plot convenience in this book, which I'm not a fan of. Bo for one. Several other things but most would be spoilers so I won't mention them.

Maybe I'm getting to old for books aimed at children, but Sai is 12. She goes on a trip with her master, which is still believable, but them than deciding that she's "good enough" to do it on her own, and how even her master wants to impersonate him, and her deciding the course of the ship by herself was just all a bit much. Maybe it's because I didn't even read much middle grade when I was of that age, but I just found it a bit far-fetched. A younger audience probably doesn't mind this at all, which is why I ended up giving it four stars instead of three.

The audiobook was well narrated, and the performance was great. The voices of all characters were distinctive and easily recognisable too.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this, it was a very imaginative light fantasy, with west asain influence. I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a grand adventure.

In a Nutshell: An interesting story of adventure and coming of age with some magical elements and dark themes thrown in for good measure.

Story:
12 year old Sai, the daughter of a conman, pretends to be from a well-bred family to ensure a better future in her job as the assistant to Master Paiyoon, the best mapmaker in the kingdom of Mangkon. An upcoming expedition is to the fabled Sunderlands which many have heard of but no one has entered. Paiyoon grabs at the opportunity to be part of this trip, and Sai doesn’t hesitate at her chance to escape from her miserable life because the residents of Mangkon judge everyone based on lineage or valorous achievements. But the trip turns out to be far more than they bargained for. Will Sai get what she dreams of – a better life?
The book comes to us in the first person perspective of Sai.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 Sea adventures are so uncommon nowadays in middle-grade fiction so this one worked as a wonderful change of topic. It does complete justice to its tag of adventure.
😍 Sai’s character is carved very well. Unlike most MG leads, Sai isn’t a goody-goody girl. She has her dark and selfish side. So to see her make mistakes and grow towards personal betterment is a nice experience. Master Paiyoon’s character and a couple of other characters are also quite interesting.
😍 The story moves along nicely and quickly, with enough elements of suspense and fun to keep its young readers happy. There are some convenient coincidences but that is expected in this genre.
😍 Though a children’s book, it covers many dark themes and serious issues.

Where the book could have worked better for me:
😑 The blurb says that this is based on a Thai-inspired fantasy world. I wish I knew Thai mythology better to correlate this story with. I tried searching online for some reference point but couldn’t find anything to substantiate the content of this book. I enjoy retellings better if I understand what elements it has taken from the original, even if I don’t know the original tale completely. That didn’t happen with this work.
😑 Except for a mention of some Thai foods and the names of the characters and some exotic-sounding locations, the story doesn’t feel “Thai” at all. The dialogues of the child characters have a lot of UK slang.
😑 I expected more magical elements. It touches upon the fantastical bits but doesn’t go deep into it.
😑 I couldn’t figure out the relevance of the title. Who was the “last mapmaker”?

⚠ Trigger warning (No spoilers): There is a traumatic whale hunting scene. If your child is sensitive about animal violence, this scene will be too much on their emotions. Even I felt uncomfortable reading it.

The audiobook experience:
The audiobook clocks at 7 hrs 20 min and is narrated excellently by Sura Siu. I loved her performance and would certainly recommend the audio version.

All in all, this is a very interesting MG adventure and except for the hunting scene mentioned above, delivers to a great extent. It was my first book by this author and I am certainly interested in trying more.

4 stars.

My thanks to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Last Mapmaker”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, for this free review copy.

Christina Soontornvat is a new author to me, and I really enjoyed this middle grade book. I listened to this on audio, and it was great. I enjoyed the characters, especially Sai. I loved the growth she made, and how even thou she came from a lower social status, she didn’t let that affect her. This book shows it’s readers that you can’t just sit and focus on the past, and you have to always continue to move on. Their journey was fun to follow, and the ending wrapped it all up, perfectly.

The Last Mapmaker comes out April 12th, 2022.

I just finished listening to this audiobook. And I am happy to say that I really enjoyed it. Sais adventure is one that is absolutely perfect for middle grade readers and listeners and of course everyone else who likes a courageous heroine.

Thank you to the OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio review copy of this amazing book. Wow! What an adventure! I really enjoyed this story. Loved the world building, the characters, and the writing style. The only thing I missed were the maps, but since I listened to the audio version — there’s no way to include those. Looking forward to checking out the print version with all the included magnificent maps. I’m sure my students would enjoy this book as much as I have.

Thanks to NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio for an advanced audio book in exchange for an honest review.


4 stars

Sai is a 12 year old working as an apprentice to a famous mapmaker. She is hiding her low status and hopes to leave her con man father behind. Sai goes on an adventure with the mapmaker to discover new lands. Christina Soontornvat takes the reader on a fun adventure as Sai and the crew search for new lands.

I enjoyed Sura Siu’s narration.

Sai is my new favorite pirate. Okay, okay. She's not a traditional pirate, she's a mapmaker, but this story has all the stakes of a high sea pirate adventure: a quest for riches and fame, dreaded sea monsters, ocean squalls, marooned crewmen, mutiny, gambling, pillaging and plundering and of course, wrecked ships and cursed islands. It's all there, just not in a pirate out right kinda way.

Sai lucked into a job as an apprentice mapmaker despite her father's backward ways (stereotypical con man who is trying to give his kid a better life in his own misguided way). When an opportunity to take to the high seas in a quest for a mythical chain of lush islands presents itself - Sai leaps at the chance to get out of town with her map making master. But watch out me hearties, there be monsters in the Sunderlands and maybe even a dragon or two.

In this story, no one is who they seem to be; everyone has their secrets and some would die or murder to protect them.

The narrator was delightful and a great voice match for Sai.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

Recommended for: middle grade/middle schoolers, anyone who likes maps and cartography, pirate lovers, anyone in need of a high sea adventure