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!

I should start by saying I should have re-read book one before reading this book. I found I didn’t remember the world as much as I thought I would and there were a few times where it impacted my ability to understand what was happening.

Overall, I enjoyed the book but didn’t feel like I was as connected to the stakes. The side characters were not as compelling and I was less interested in the plot. It feels very much like a middle of series book. Good but not as engaging as the first and I have faith book three will be interesting. I will definitely keep reading the series!

<strong>My new favorite Fantasy series is back! </strong> After adoring <em>Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries</em>, I was lucky enough to read the sequel early and now it’s finally coming out soon 🥰 As the title suggests, this time <strong>Emily is setting out to map the fae lands</strong>, which is directly relevant to Bambleby finding the door to his own realm! Her encyclopaedia was a success, but their adventures are far from over! I <em>could honestly read many more books in this series</em> and I hope this isn’t just a Trilogy 👀 I’m already eager for the next book to come out!

<strong>The setting this time is the Austrian Alps! </strong>I loved that we got to follow Emily and Bambleby on yet another expedition and I loved the <strong>setting of a small, quiet Austrian village</strong> that is surrounded by many hills and valleys. While Emily is cataloguing the fae lands, she’s also <strong>searching for a door to Bambleby’s realm</strong>, as he’s still hoping to return home and take back his kingdom. That’s easier said than done, <em>especially with part of his court now hunting them</em>, as they see Emily as a threat to their existence. Then there’s a famous scholar who went missing in this very region and is still said to be roaming the land on the fae path she’s trapped on. <strong>Once again I loved the sense of adventure and the way the story is written in the form of Emily’s diary!</strong> We got to see some fae worlds and I honestly want so much more of this, as the possibilities for more fae and their courts are endless!

<strong>Emily and Bambleby still melt my heart! </strong> They are definitely in my top fictional couples as I love their dynamic so much! There’s just something about <strong>Bambleby being so devoted to her and still insistent that he wants to marry her</strong>, even though his court now has it out for the both of them. He’s determined to find his realm and make Emily his queen! Their banter just always makes me laugh and we also got some <strong>more swoonworthy and steamy scenes</strong> this time 👀 I also liked how the story explored Emily’s feelings toward Wendell’s nature. <em>She knows that he’s fae and that despite his affable nature, he’s not human</em>. In the end, I liked that she loved him how he was without trying to get him to be more ‘human’! They truly are a match made in heaven 🥺

<strong>This time we also have two more characters! </strong>One of them is <strong>Ariadne, Emily’s niece who is hoping to learn more about dryadology</strong>, but has been pushed aside by Em’s grumpy nature. Ariade is such a sweet girl, but her aunt isn’t really good with people and therefore prefers to keep her at an arm’s length, especially given the danger of her studies. Nevertheless, Ariadne is determined to get some hands-on experience and joins their expedition. I loved seeing Emily and Ariadne’s relationship develop and it was great to see part of her family, as we haven’t seen her brother yet! <em>Another unwanted guest on their quest</em> is Mr. <strong>Rose Farris, another professor at Cambridge who disagrees with Emily on almost everything</strong>. Both of them don’t get along at all with their different academic viewpoints, but Rose is too stubborn to be left behind. I loved getting to see some new dynamics besides Emily and Bambleby!

Despite this being one of my most anticipated new releases of 2024, I can’t believe it took me nearly a month after release to actually read this book. But, as I am fond of saying, better late than never.

The story picks up a good bit after the events of the last book, and Emily’s comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries has been published. Her brilliant mind is finally starting to be recognized and appreciated in her field and things seem to be going well between her and Wendell, aside from that pesky marriage proposal hanging between them. And while Emily is working on her new research project to map the different realms of faerie, Wendell’s dangerous past comes back to haunt them. She already knew he was a noble, but he’s more than that—he’s an exiled king of faerie, hiding out from his mother, who wants to kill him to steal his throne. So when assassins sent by his mother come to kill Wendell in the heart of Cambridge, the upcoming research trip is altered slightly to search for a hidden door to Wendell’s kingdom so they can remove the threat hanging over his head and still complete research.

I would read a million books about Emily and Wendell. Okay, I might be exaggerating slightly, but I really do adore those two. In fact, this book was even more enjoyable to me than the first, because we get to see their relationship in a different light, where it isn’t as antagonistic in the first book. And while both of them have their flaws, I think what I love about their relationship is that they love each other more because of their flaws, not in spite of them. Emily is a bit grouchy and she might be considered neurodivergent, because while she is brilliant in her field, she struggles in social situations, even with loved ones, as shown in this book. But she never has to worry about it when she’s with Wendell—he easily and smoothly guides dialogue in social situations, smoothing her inadvertent gaffes, and never making a thing out of it. And loving a faerie isn’t the easiest path to take, but Emily goes into it with her eyes wide open and knowing exactly what she has signed up for.

We get to meet some new side characters in this story: Emily’s niece, Ariadne, who has expressed an interest in Dryadology; and the department head, Dr. Rose, both of whom push their way onto the expedition with our meant-to-be couple. Initially, I wasn’t thrilled with Dr. Rose, but ultimately, it was Ariadne who irritated me more than I had expected. She was whiny and entitled, and I really had a difficult time empathizing with her struggles, when they occurred, although I can honestly say that my opinion on both of them had changed by the end of the story.

As for the story itself, it was everything I could have hoped from an Emily Wilde book. There were scary faeries more along the lines of what you’d find in a Holly Black book than the sexy ones from a Sarah J. Maas book, although we did get a nice little cameo of Poe, the cutest and most helpful Brownie from book one. And on top of all of these terrifying creatures, there’s the mystery of finding the right door to Wendell’s kingdom and fixing that snafu, while also stumbling upon potentially solving the disappearance of one of the most brilliant minds of the Dryadology field, which happened many years in the past.

The fast pace, multiple plot lines, and wonderful characters kept me glued to the pages of this story, while the wonderful interactions between all of the characters had me loving the entire time I was reading this story. While this is clearly a fantasy, it felt more like a cozy fantasy to me. It had all the right elements for it—sweet characters, low stakes danger for the major characters, the coolest “pet” sidekick even if it’s a faerie grim, and a sweet romance—even if there’s still battles, scary elements, and some seriously vicious bad guys. But ultimately, this is the kind of book you don’t want to miss. And I hope that there are many more books forthcoming in this series.

The first Emily Wilde book was absolutely wonderful and immersive. This continuation of Emily and Wendell's story had the same cozy, magical vibes as the first book, but my interest faded towards the latter portion of the book. Something about the writing meandered and didn't actively carry me through the story.

With that said, this series would be at the top of my list of cozy novels that I would recommend. The writing is gentle and the story has some wonderfully whimsical and heartfelt moments.

Thank you Random House Publishing-Ballantine for the opportunity to respond to this story. All opinions are my own.

3.25✨'s

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is Heather Fawcett's sequel to Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Similar to the first, the book takes place in the early 1900s, is told through Emily Wilde's journal entries, and is set in a world similar to ours save for the fact that faeries are commonly known to exist. This time, Emily sets off to the Austrian Alps to uncover a longstanding academic mystery and help Wednell, faerie king and former academic rival, find a way back into his realm while avoiding his marriage proposal to her. Fawcett adds a bubbly niece and the grumpy Oxford department head as Emily's companions for the adventure.

I loved the book and thought it was a great sequel. It kept the same balance of dark whimsy and adventure without losing Emily's academic nature. It also let us learn more about Emily and Wednell while staying true to tone. They're both such compelling characters that they're incredibly interesting and fun to read, and the new characters were equally great additions. The story was well developed although it felt a bit slower in parts than the first. Overall, a fantastic read and I will be eagerly awaiting any further books from Fawcett.

I love this series so much! I was so excited to read this! It was just as good as I hoped it would be!! Fawcett’s ability to bring characters to life is amazing. The characters have their own voices that stay with me long after reading. (Every time I see tailoring anything) I would wholeheartedly recommend this book and have been recommending it to everyone.

I did receive an arc copy for my honest opinion. Thanks NetGalley!

The Emily Wilde series is a fantastical story about the titular character and her adventures in documenting the fae in an all-encompassing encyclopedia. I enjoyed the first book in this series and felt that Emily's character development was good. However, this second book fell flat for me. I thought Emily regressed in her character development and her relationship with Wendell did not improve that much. I liked the addition of the side characters but they also felt underused. I don't think I will be continuing with the series because I feel that the plot has gotten a bit repetitive. I think if you are a fan of the first book give this a chance because you may enjoy it or see potential to continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-book copy!

The Emily Wilde series is one my all time favorites! I love the banter between Emily and Wendell. They are my favorite literary duo. The books are so atmospheric, full of adventure, and hold an array of unique characters who add all kinds of fun to the story. I hope Heather Fawcett never stops writing these books!

Sadly, this one was a letdown for me after Encycloaedia of Fairies.

I found the content to be monotonous, and I had a very hard time staying interested. The footnotes that were charming in Encycloaedia were way too long and misused in this book.

I wish Emily and Wendell well on their next journey, but I doubt I’ll be continuing the series.

I absolutely loved the first Emily Wilde, so for me to say that this one blew the first out of the water, it has to be serious! This is one of the coziest, whimsical, most charming series I’ve had the honor to read recently and I’ll be waiting with bated breath for the next book to come out!

this second installment is set in 1910 and obviously still follows emily wilde, who this time is focusing her research on creating a map that will track the nexuses that connect all the fae realms (and their doors) to our world. and maybe, just maybe, there is a special emphasis on a fae prince we know and love. but anyways, she is also bringing along wendell bambleby again for this adventure, but also her young niece who also has a passion for the fae and the different research involving them. yet this time, the stakes feel much higher even if the fate of these stakes rely a lot on locating a magical cat behind these fae doors. (again, even if this is a cozy set up and setting, this does deal with some darker themes showing the dark faery side of things!)

for some reason, i just didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first. the format of journal entries is still perfect for me, i love these characters so much, and we even got winter fox faes in this! i mean… so so so much for me and my reading wheelhouse to love! but i guess (while trying to not being spoilery here) i really didn’t like not seeing as much wendell in this one (or maybe in the way… i would have preferred to see him… again, no spoilers is hard but hopefully you feel me if you’ve read this!) but overall, i still had a fun time with this one and loved being back with these characters and exploring some new worlds.

trigger + content warnings: missing person, talk of animals/pets aging, poison, illness/sick partner,, brief mention of loss of parents in past, talk of loss of friends in past, grief, abusive step parent, mention of infidelity (not mcs), blood, gore, violence, spiders

A magical cozy time!

Emily Wilde is such a charming character, it is hard not to fall in love with her and the entire cast of characters that Fawcett created. This was a perfect continuation of the first book that took us through even more quirky fae folklore. I have to say that my favorite part of these books is the footnotes. Fawcett can release an entire book filled with just tales from the footnotes and I would read it cause they are all so intriguing!


Can't wait for another adventure with Emily, Wendell and Shadow!

I loved and enjoyed this just as much as the first in the series. The development of the continuing characters as well as the new ones was enjoyable and well done. I really appreciated the call backs to the first book. I feel that some sequels depart so much from their origins but this series has not and I think readers will greatly enjoy that.

I was so excited to jump back into Emily and Wendell’s relationship and world! I still absolutely recommend this series for anyone looking for a cozy fantasy, but I found it fell prey to second book syndrome. The pacing was slow and it wasn’t focused enough on the relationship for my tastes. But I love the writing and will continue the series.

This is a really terrific read. Fresh and unique, this book/series is quick to capture your interest and maintains it beautifully. Wonderful world building and well-developed characters (Some that are delightfully quirky), make for an engaging and endearing combination that entices you right in and has you not only happy but eager to linger and return again and again.

So great to see this series back with a second strong book! Emily and Wendell are off to Austria with Emily's nieca, Ariadne, and fellow Cambridge dryadologist Rose (who I kept forgetting was a man at the beginning because they always refer to him by last name only). Finding a backdoor to Wendell's kingdom by following the footsteps of other list scholars and meeting new strange creatures along the way.

We didn't get as attached to the locals in this book mainly because there is so much going on! And while I found the plot moving at a quick pace, I found the long chapters dragging.

What a delight this series brings to the cozy academia genre! Can't wait to see what happens next!