The Mapmakers Daughter
By: Clare Marchant
I was truly captivated and quickly turned pages while reading this book. The Story goes back and forth between two time periods- the present day and 1569.
In the 1569 era, we are introduced to Freida Ortelius living in London, England, who fled her homeland of Holland to escape persecution from the Spaniards. She is from a family of master mapmakers. Queen Elizabeth I is made aware of her skills and commissions a map from her to present to Sir Francis Drake to assist him in fighting the Spanish threat. The Spanish Ambassador stationed in London has become aware of Freida's talents, and soon she finds she is once again being targeted by the Spanish.
In the present day, we meet Robyn Willoughby, who has experienced much pain in her life. While working for her father in his antique map shop, she uncovers an ancient map that sends her searching for its origin and to understand what caused the blood stain.
I was hooked with this storyline. I loved the back-and-forth search for answers about the map. I also loved that this story highlighted a female mapmaker during a time when this was a male-dominated role. I was disappointed with the ending. (spoiler alert) There was a lot of build-up about the blood on the map, and I thought that one of the main characters might have met with a fatality—overall an entertaining story with good character development.
Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 stars out of 5
Available September 1st, 2022
Amazon e-book $9.99
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