I love the Emily Wilde series so much and Map of the Otherlands is just everything I hoped it would be. Just like with Encyclopedia of Faeries, I struggled for a little bit to get into the voice of the story. But I always encourage folks to push through. The fact that this book is written like a journal from an academic you're going to deal with some barriers in terms of writing style. But one thing that I love about Emily's voice is how in depth she's willing to go. I think Heather Fawcett is bold for wanting to go into this entire complex universe from the standpoint of journal entries.

I continue to love Wendell and I loved that we really got some more information about his kingdom and all the other interesting characters that live there. I think it's very interesting that the more we dig into this story the more Emily starts to doubt even her own crediblity to make judgements because of Wendell. As a reader I find that that is in my head a lot too. The addition of characters such as Rose and Ariadne was also fun. I felt like it was a good study of how the world in Emily Wilde's life is not all her being this strong academic all alone. Truthfully, I loved this book and I can't wait for book three!

Such a charming and fun addition to the Emily Wilde series. I loved seeing Emily and Wendell’s journey continue, and Emily’s return to Faerie on her own terms. Wendell continues to be one of the most charming male love interests in current series. I love how charming and kind he is. In a world of growling/purring alpha males in other books, Wendell is such a breath of fresh air. He is soft and kind but incredibly powerful in his own right and I love this in a character. I also find it super unique. I can’t wait for additional installments in this series.

Emily and Wendell are back for another go in book two. While I liked this one slightly better than the first, it still took me over a month to get through, lol.

It’s a slow burn with consistently long chapters (like 25 - 30 min) and I didn’t find myself really wanting to read more than one chapter at a time. Overall this didn’t really hook me in like some fantasy novels do. I think my biggest struggle with this series is the way it’s written in journal form.

But I do like the more folk style to the storytelling and the academic musings from Emily. I appreciated the animal interplay and the last quarter did finally pick up. There is some excitement!

I loved this book!

Map of the Otherlands is just as good, if not better, than the first in the series, Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I suggest reading them in order for the best experience.

Emily is strong-willed, independent, and quirky. I enjoy every moment of the time I spend with her.

This story gives us magic, adventure, and a touch of romance. But it’s not the sappy kind of romance, because that’s not Emily at all.

I can’t wait for book 3!

This is the sequel to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries. I loved it just as much as the first one. Once again Emily, a scholar on faeries sets off to find a map. Wendell Bambleby, who we know is an exiled faerie king, accompanies her on their next adventure. They both hope to find a way to enter Bambley's faerie realm and put an end to his stepmother's cunning attempts to kill him. Emily is still as socially awkward as ever and Bambleby still charming, lazy and set on Emily becoming his wife.

These books are really fun to read. The characters all complement each other and the hint of romance with Emily and Bambleby makes me want this series to continue. I received an e-book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Heather Fawcett continues to deliver with excellent pacing, picking up this story very shortly after the first one. The character voices and personality drive my excitement of "What will happen next?" and the new character additions add more layers of richness. Very unique and highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book! If you loved the first book, you’ll equally love this one. The world building is so fun and you really just sit with the characters and learn to love them, quirks and all. A solid 4/5 for me.

Going into this I thought that it felt cozy. But about 30% in I realized that this was the second in the a series but I wasn't going to let that stop me. So I keep going. I really liked Emily's relationship with Bambleby. I also really liked the niece. Didn't love the guy that was kinda making Emily think the Bambleby would in the future possibly get bored of her that really up set me but over all I think this book was pretty good and I may have to go back to the first one in the future.

Emily Wilde is back for more in Map of the Otherlands and it picks up almost right where we left off in the previous book. With new characters and glimpses at characters we’ve loved before like my favorite bread making Brownie Po!

This one did have a slower start to it than the first book but by the time I got around half way through I could not get enough of it! I can say that the ending is definitely one we’ve all been waiting for and it was an exciting glimpse as to what else we can expect from this world!

In this second installment of the Emily Wilde series, Cambridge University professor of dryadology, Emily Wilde, and her friend and suitor, fairy king Wendell Bambleby, go on a quest to find a door back to Wendell's kingdom. Joining them are Emily's niece Ariandne and department chair Farris Rose. To complicate matters, Wendell's step-mother has poisoned him and keeps sending assassins after him. Mix in the day-to-day dangers of the fairy realm and a little romance and you have a delightful cozy fantasy.

This was an amazing sequel to this cozy fantasy series. Emily is a bad ass FMC without being your stereotypical “bad ass FMC” if that makes sense. Her intelligence and intellectual curiosity allow her to resolve the conflict in a not so typical fashion. This still is a cozy fantasy but the plot moved much more quickly than the first installment (which I still loved!) but enjoyed the sequel much more. Looking forward to (hopefully) reading more books in this series! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC on this one!

Reading the first Emily book was like have cozy tea with a best friend, snuggled under covers, talking about one's fave academia romances. The english accent is a must. This continued where the first one left off, and we get to know more about the world the two leads find themselves in. Lovely sequel. Can't recommend it enough!

I did like the first one more I think. I'm not reallt sure why. It did take me much longer to get into this one but that might have been because I took so long in between to read.

The perfect sequel! Love going on adventures with Emily Wilde.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the pacing was just perfect. All of the characters were so fun and interesting. I just love how the book is written and that it reads as if you had just picked up someone’s scientific journal. It just makes the book stand out and so different to other books. Overall this book gave me all the warm and cozy feelings. I would definitely recommend you pick it up!

I love love loved this book! The world Heather Fawcett has created here is one that I find so enjoyable. I'll be back to post a full review when I stop squealing so much and can form some proper thoughts but this sequel was worth every second I waited for it and more

I absolutely love Emily and Wendell, Poe and Shadow, and this entry escalated everything that I loved about the first book. It's always a comfy world to return to and I can't wait to read the next book!!!

Cozy fantasy with faeries and folklore, this one was cute and whimsical! Book two had a different setting then book one, but the journal style and the continued relationship building with Emily and Wendell was lovely. Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Heather Fawcett does it again! At this point I'm starting to think that she can't write a bad book.

It's extremely rare to read a second book in a series and it be just as engaging and fantastic as the first; and yet here we are. We join Emily, Wendell, and Shadow on a new adventure in search of a fairy door to Wendell's former realm. Don't forget all the new fantastic side characters (and some old ones too) that get stitched into beautiful woven tapestry of all things Fae. The level of detail Heather weaves into each creature and situation without it feeling as if its info dumping is truly outstanding and shows a true craftsmanship and dedication to her writing and storytelling.

If you are looking for a cozy, whimsical, and fanciful five star read that will sweep you into another world look no further. I can not recommend this series enough, I anxiously await the next in the series!


Thank you Random House Publishing Group for this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review

Title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Author: Heather Fawcett
Source: DRC via NetGalley (Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine, Del Rey) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Other books in this series: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1)

Why did I choose to read this book?

I requested this a looooong time ago when I had already planned to read the first book (see above) because the first book was so highly acclaimed. As I’ve mentioned before I love stories about faeries that deal in their darker sides, or at least their more complicated forms. We all know Tinker Bell and Fairy Godmother and the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. Give me the weird ones with hooves, antlers, and strange magicks – that’s what I’ll line up for.

What is this book about?

This answer is a bit more difficult to pin down, but I think I’ve settled on the ideas that small things can be dangerous and being overconfident can be your downfall. The story reminds us over and over that the common fae are just as dangerous and often even more helpful than the courtly fae. They are more appreciative as well, often leading to more benefits to the person who decides to treat them with respect.

So don’t turn your back on the small, because they’ll bite your hand off.

What is notable about this story?

I really enjoyed that the assorted fae are starting to realize that Emily is fucking dangerous. She’s 100% mortal (as far as we know) and she knows more about the fae’s strengths and weaknesses than even the fae seem to, and she uses this information to great effect. She relied a lot on Wendell in the first book, but here she’s forced to use her knowledge on her own (and technically with her niece Ariadne, who is her assistant) because Wendell is poisoned and cannot help. I look forward to seeing how much more powerful she becomes in the third book, when inevitably there will be assassins coming after her.

I have never been represented so clearly and aggressively in literature. Emily Wilde is me and I am Emily Wilde and I think that she and I would have neighboring dragon hoards full of pencils and notebooks and once in awhile we would breathe fire at each other. If you want an idea of how I see myself and how my personality works, you should read these books.

Was anything not so great?

The structure of this book is much like the first one, so while it was nice to lean back in the familiar structure, there was a lot about this book that didn’t quite surprise. This book is about growth on what came before, which can come off a little flat.

Someone please phone Heather Fawcett and tell her I am owed a sex scene. You cannot build up that kind of tension across two books and not give me the satisfaction of at least some details. When Emily and Wendell finally “do it” it’s a “tee hee and then we did it” fade to black and I. AM. FURIOUS. What a blue-balling. Truly spectacular. I am upset about this and demand satisfaction. They were even stuck in a storm and forced to share a tent!! Outrageous!

What’s the verdict?

4 stars on Goodreads. You have to read the first one first though, so plan to read that one if you haven’t already.

As charming as book one and full of even more magic. I loved the uptick in the romance between Emily and Wendell (especially how it pulled Emily further out of her shell) and the journal format kept everything intimate and engaging. I didn't particularly enjoy the secondary characters as much (I think I just loved Poe from book 1 too much for them to compare) and there were some moments of lag but neither was enough to turn me off from it. I'm very excited for the conclusion with book 3!