Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Maps

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly topic created by gingerreadslainey over on Youtube. There's a Goodreads group here, where you can sign up and take part each week.

This week, the topic is our favourite maps. As someone who's favourite genre is fantasy (and therefore owns a lot of fantasy books) I was spoilt for choice. There are so many amazing maps throughout the genre so it took me a lot of consulting my books to narrow down my top five. Some were chosen for the scale of the world, and some were chosen purely for how aesthetically pleasing I found them, regardless of how large or complex the world was. So without further ado, my top five maps are below. I'd like to apologise in advance for the pictures; I found that it's incredibly difficult to take decent pictures where nothing is left out of shot but it's close enough to show the details.

Kenettra from The Young Elites

While this map is fairly simple compared to some of the others that made it into my top five, I felt that the way the world has been depicted is a very good reflection of the story within. The grey tones used are all fairly dark, and it's soon revealed that our main character Adelina isn't entirely what she seems, having a darker side to her as well. Things throughout the land are less than ideal, and the small scale of the country on the map, as well as how rough and craggy it appears, gives me a sense of foreshadowing. It's like Marie Lu and her cartographer got together and discussed how best to present the overall tone of her story in a visual sense.

Morrighan from The Kiss of Deception

This made it onto my list mainly because of the colouring and the fact that, unlike the other maps I chose, it's printed onto the inside cover rather than a separate page at the front of the book. Whether that's because this is the only hardback to have made it onto the list, I don't know, but I liked it either way. It meant that, while I was reading, it was a lot easier to flip back to check the location of the story. There was no fumbling with pages, it was clear and easy to see. I also like the illustrations along the bottom and how they feature the three house banners. It made it easier to imagine the kavah Lia had, and I just think it ties everything together nicely.

Erilea from Throne of Glass

Erilea made it onto my list because I really like the shape of the land, and the stretch of forest that spreads down the centre. What I like most is the way that The Deserted Land is almost cut off from the rest of the country and surrounded by the ocean. I also really like the font used and the names Maas chose for the different areas. Everything sounds so pretty and magical, and I feel that it's a good representation of her writing and the world she's crafted. I also like the insight it gives to one of my favourite character's homeland. It's interesting to see where Celaena's adventures took place in the books.

Ravka from Shadow and Bone

Ravka made it onto the list for the font used and the illustrations on it. I love the art style and the font really gives it a feel of fantasy, but also matches with the Russian theme and feel I got from the book. The names of the places obviously sound Russian, but the font they're written in emphasises it. Much like the Kenettra map, I love the colour scheme and use of dark grey throughout. The shading makes me think of the Darkling and the 'shadow' part of the title. It's hard to explain, but I feel like this map really fits the book.

Westeros from A Song of Ice and Fire

This is no surprise, coming from me. I have a poster of Westeros above my bed, for goodness sake. This was the perfect excuse to talk about, not only my all time favourite map, but my all time favourite fantasy series. The world of Westeros is so richly detailed, and this is shown in the two maps (technically three, if you count the land beyond the wall as part of the Seven Kingdoms) included in the book. Not only is Westeros visually pleasing to look at, it serves as a fantastic - and at times, essential - guide to A Song of Ice and Fire. The major cities, holdfasts, and rivers are named on the map, with little illustrations of trees and mountains and to accompany them. In the north, along the wall, the nineteen Night's Watch towers are even named. The depth and detail transcends just the writing, it flows into every corner of the world, allowing you know exactly where you are in each chapter and therefore furthering your investment.