Golden Specific (Mapmakers Trilogy, #2)

by S. E. Grove

[Beth C.]

It's rare these days that I pre-order a hardcover book so that I can get it as soon as it is released. First of all, I don't often have the extra money to spend. Second, I tend to do a lot of my reading on my Kindle. But every once in a while, a series grabs me enough that I just want to continue reading as soon as possible, and having the hardcover is a bonus. 'The Golden Specific', second in the Mapmakers Trilogy, was just such a book.

In 'The Golden Specific', Sophia is still searching for her missing parents, but her ally and teacher, her Uncle Shadrack, has become a government official and - to her mind - abandoned their cause. When she thinks she sees her mother's apparition, Sophia looks for a way to gain access to one of the few places she hasn't searched for information. In doing so, she not only gains an unexpected ally, but ends up on an expedition without her uncle, her friend Theo (who unexpectedly ends up on house arrest), or even the mysterious ally.

While Sophia and Theo were working together most of the first book, in this one, they are both consumed by different adventures, even while starting out with the same goal. Sophia travels to a different age to find something that may have belonged to her mother, while Theo gets left behind and ends up realizing that a terrible figure from his past has surfaced and may well be affecting the present and future of everyone. So this book switches back and forth between Sophia and Theo in order to further both adventures. In some books, that particular method can be disorienting or overwhelming, but that was definitely not a problem with this.

As with the first book, I cannot rave enough about the world-building or the characters. The world in this trilogy is, to a large degree, a character. This story would not be nearly so compelling without the different identities of the places. As for the human-type characters, they are fleshed out to an amazing degree. It's almost as if I might recognize them if they passed me on the street one day. And yet, some people believe that world-building and characterization can be boring to read - which can be true. That is certainly not a concern here. The writing is superb and flows naturally from place to place and person to person.

The premise in these books truly is unique, and in another writer's hands, may have been either overdone or underwhelming. But S.E. Grove has done an excellent job not only weaving the various strands of the stories together, but doing so in such a way that the reader does not become lost along the way. However - a warning. Yes, a new reader *could* come into the trilogy with this second book. I would not recommend it though. Much is explained in the first book, and I believe that those various strands I spoke of could easily become frustrating without reading the books in order.

As for me? I will be pre-order the final book in the trilogy as soon as it is ready, and I will look forward to reading it upon arrival. I will tell my friends how much I love the books, and I will keep copies for my bookshelves instead of just on my Kindle. For me, these books deserve all of that - and I look forward to reading them again and sharing them with my kids.