This was...fine. Probably a smidge better than the first volume, but still resoundingly meh for me. I think with my background in academia so much of this just jars, and I can't help but feel the central pair are just exhaustingly entitled toward everyone around them, despite their different personalities. Their entitlement to the infinite labour of others in order to keep themselves going, plus the fact that Emily herself continually makes such illogical and terrible decisions, all while praising herself for her brilliance, made this a bit of a slog. The covers continue to be gorgeous, though.

I got this book from Netgalley but I also purchased it independently because I’d read the first one and knew I wanted a physical copy. I went into this with high expectations as I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and this one fell short of that. The relationship development between the characters was very minimal until the end when it all happened as once (more about this later). A new character, Ariadne, is introduced as Emily’s niece who is working as her assistant. I despised her. So much. She was happy and bubbly and smart and just, for some reason, none of it worked for me. When she dragged herself along on the adventure I was physically and literally groaning. There was another character, one not meant to be easily liked, that I actually liked more than her.
I was also really disappointed with the plot pacing. Very little happens in the first 200 pages which would’ve been fine if there was character development or even just immaculate vibes but there wasn’t. It wasn’t bad and it wasn’t a turnoff, it was just not interesting. But, once the plot got going, it was good and I did enjoy the twists it took to put Emily in new situations. I strongly disliked the constant mentions of Shadow aging- his is a magic dog and I swear if he dies in the book I will not be happy. Part of what I loved about the first one was Wendell and he was a lot less prominent in this which was sad. Also, the ending was basically where all of the character development and plot was but there wasn’t enough space and it felt too rushed and like not enough time and space was given to it. I will still be reading the next one because I’m excited for it but this was not my favorite.

A strong 5 of 5 stars to Heather Fawcett for encouraging the love of reading to her fans by writing this cozy read! I understand the writing is not a style loved by all, but the emotions in this book wholly make up for it. The plot in the first and second books were both intriguing and compelling. The relationship development between characters developed in a wonderful way. I can't wait for her next book!

Really love this book as the first one of the series. I just love heather's writing and the whimsical world she creates.

I listened to the first book, and i think that the purple prose works better in audiobook form vs reading. The book was just too flowery and descriptive. Wendell and Emily were kinda boring characters.

It is very much the "it was fine" sequel

It was a pleasure to return to this world again and visit with these characters. This adventure is more personal to Emily, but she is still as inquisitive, witty, smart, and caring (even if in her own way). The focus is a bit more on the romance, so that was what kept me intrigued in this plot. But overall, I'd love to read the next book in the series and see how this journey continues. In both, romance and the fae way.

Thank you to PRH Audio and the publisher for my review copy.

Oh how glorious!! I love when a second book in a series not only lives up to a well-loved first book, but in some ways eclipses it. It has become a rarity for me and I approached this book with great anticipation but also some serious trepidation. Thankfully, it was all fantastic and my worries at the time seem so silly now. ;-)

This was just such a great read for me and I think the reason I enjoyed it more is that I was more settled in Emily's world and therefore what was going on just opened up for me [given the ending, I think there will be a book 3 and should that be the case, I will be rereading the first two books again - simply because I loved them, and because I will want to be fully immersed in the wonderful world of Emily before diving into book three] and I could not get enough. It took everything I had to make myself stop listening and move on to the next book I needed to read and IMO, I don't think a book can get higher praise than that.

Filled with magic and faeries and love and stubbornness and full-on adventure, this is one of the best reads [in my top 5] I had this month [and this was a V E R Y good reading month for me, so that is saying something], and I will be thinking about this book whilst suffering from massive book hangover.

I need to mention just how much I also love these narrators and how they just bring that world to life. I highly recommend experiencing these books this way - so glorious!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Fawcett, and Random House Publishing House - Ballantine/Del Ray for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was yet again another perfect read to cozy up with during the winter. This book incorporates an element of mystery as well as missing persons cases. I enjoyed seeing the relationship with Emily and Wendell develop, as well as Emily's relationship with her niece. I feel like we saw Emily have a lot of personal growth moments in this story and I can't wait to see how it continues on.

Ah, I loved being back with Emily and Wendell. In a new setting, they are once again outsiders in a new community of charming townspeople. Emily is still grumpy at times but I love her POV filled with her dry sarcasm and brilliance. I love a FMC fully confident in her abilities and expertise! Wendell is still a little insufferable, which only makes his more tender moments seem extra sweet. Shadow is still the best. We have new characters, creatures, and a cat! I will say, both books in this series are *slow* but charming. It is not a sizzling romantasy with tension and longing as many might assume- it’s cozy and cute, with the main themes often focusing on the power of accepting help, befriending unlikely creatures, and solving the mysteries and wonder of the faeries. If you liked the first book, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Book Two of Emily Wilde's adventures find Emily and Wendell back within the hallowed halls of Cambridge. After the successful publication of her encyclopedia, Emily has gained tenure and has begun a new project: drawing a definitive (as much as possible) map of the Otherlands. This, too, is sure to garner her more scholarly acclaim for there are so many uncharted lands - many completely forgotten. Meanwhile, Emily's work pulls double duty as a way to continue to gather information on Wendell's door and may have found something in the notes of missing famed Dryadologist Danielle De Gray. So they leave Cambridge and head to the Austrian countryside where De Gray was last seen. If I can be honest, it's less choosing to casually leave Cambridge and more time is of the essence as Wendell's stepmother has escalated her efforts to keep him out of his home.

I actually heard of Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands before I had heard of the first book Encyclopedia of Faeries. I honestly don't know how I had missed such a delightful book the first time around, but I knew I had to quickly fix the situation before I delved into the second book. So coming into this book a newly minted Emily Wilde fan, I can say that I really enjoyed this second book the same if not moreso than the first book.

Right off the bat, the thing I really loved about this book is that the beginning section takes place at Cambridge. The first book begins with Emily well on her adventures and we only hear about her scholarly life through ruminations in her journal, but here, again technically ruminated on in her journal, I feel like we get to experience Cambridge a bit.

Even though it's not long before Emily and Wendell - along with their colleague Dr. Farris Rose and Emily's niece Ariadne - are off in search of Wendell's door, I still appreciate the snapshot we get of Emily's time at Cambridge. It's a little calm before the storm so to speak.

I like the addition of Rose and Ariadne. It's felt very insular between Emily and Wendell and these two new characters bring an outside (on the inside) perspective. Different than that of the villagers, they aren't truly in the inner circle of research so they are held at a distance. Whereas Rose and Ariadne are in the thick of things so their perspectives have weight.

I thought Rose was particularly interesting. He is a fellow scholar, turned head of the department at Cambridge. He has years of field experience searching for and studying the Folk. He's witnessed how "other" they really are and so he looks upon Wendell with different eyes than Emily. It's interesting because we only really know Wendell in the way that Emily knows Wendell seeing as how this story is told from her point of view. We've witnessed various times the aspects of his power that he's heretofore kept hidden. Could there be more about himself that he's kept hidden, for better or worse? It comes down to trust. If you're Emily you trust who Wendell is down to your bones. If you're Rose, you have a little doubt about his true motivations. I'd like to say I'm firmly in Emily's camp, but honestly, Rose brings up some sound points.

Ariadne provides a nice contrast in that she's so new to everything. She clearly adores Emily and is keen to learn from her and go out in the world and live her life like Emily has. She kind of brings to light the fact that Emily does have family. She does have people who care for her and she can, in turn, care for them without sacrificing her independence.

I hope these two characters pop up in the final installment of the series.

I also really enjoyed the idea of the mystery surrounding De Gray's disappearance. Of course when the Folk are involved it's never anything so simple, and seeing how that aspect of the story unfolds and also leads into other threads of the story is brilliantly done by Heather Fawcett.

Being in familiar territory with the characters and kind of knowing the score, I think helped the story really expand. I almost felt like that first book was very remote and this one is vast. The Austrian countryside in which they find themselves is also kind of like an intersection of many doors so we're already seeing a lot of varied kinds of Folk. This, in turn, ups the dangerous aspect because if nothing else is apparent it's that you never know what exactly you're going to get when crossing a Folk, whether friend of foe.

Overall, this is such a great continuation of the first book but also pushing out of it's shadow and really forging it's own path. I'm now eagerly anticipating the final book of this series.

I really enjoyed the first book, especially the relationship between Wendell and Emily. And in this second book we got them together the whole book. I'm happy to say that I liked their interactions even more in this book and how their relationship is progressing. It's always nice to see a relationship based on respect and caring for one another so deeply as it's depicted in this story. I also like how much joy they bring into each other's lives. I also really liked the inclusion of other characters in the journey as Dr. Rose and Ariadne; it was nice to see Emily interacting with them, learning to have a friend and a relative. And I always like her interactions with the fae.

I know the writing is grating for some people but I like the scholarly way that the book is written because it really feels as Emily's writing; it fits her character.

Although I liked this book a lot, I did like the plot of the first one. I found the mistery more intriguing and compelling. One part of the first book that I really enjoyed was seeing Emily applying the stories to the Folk that she was dealing with so she could advance her discoveries. But that didn't really happen in this one. I felt the mistery was ok and she didn't really use her knowledge as much as she used in the first one. The plot felt as just a shuffling of the pieces for the next book.

With the first book, I liked the plot as much as I liked the characters and the relationships. But in this one what really stood out for me was the characters. I'm really excited for the next one, though, because the ending was really well established and it promisses a really good story.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

This was a fantastic sequel to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries! The writing is beautiful, the story is wonderful. The love between Emily and Wendell is so sweet! I cannot wait to see where this series goes!

Returning to the world of Emily Wilde is a dream come true. I absolutely adored the first novel and the premise of book two sounded just as magical and enjoyable. Emily and Wendell are everything and I really enjoy their banter (and flirting) while dealing with pesky fae who may or may not have safe intentions for the MCs. Absolutely looking foward to book 3 as Heather Fawcett has created a perfect blend of magic and realism in this world with characters you cant help but love!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me this ARC! While I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands fell a bit flat for me. I was hoping for a deeper dive into the characters, as their relationships felt a bit surface-level. While this is still a good cozy fantasy read, I wanted more from the characters. Furthermore, there were many small things we learned in the first book that I wish were re-explained in this book (this is definitely not the kind of sequel I would recommend picking up without having read the first). Even so, Emily and Wendell still have my heart, and I will be sticking around for book 3.

Emily Wilde has published her Encyclopedia of Faeries and is now working on a map of the faerie realm. She and her potential fiancée, Wendell Bambleby, are settling into university life as professors. However, life is interrupted when Wendell’s step-mom sends a group of assassins to kill Wendell. Wendell and Emily go on the run and try to find the door back to Wendell’s homeland. This time, they are also traveling with Dr. Farris Rose, the department head, and Ariadne, Emily’s niece. I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, to be back in the world of Emily and Wendell. However, the pacing seemed to drag in the middle. It seemed a bit repetitive to be discovering the forest and the hills looking for faerie doors or the nexus every day. Then, the ending picked up the pace, with lots of action. Overall, still a great read and looking forward to the next book in this series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of this book.

Emily Wilde and Wendell (with Shadow) are all back for another adventure filled with fae adventure, new friends, and romance! After the previous adventure, Emily now has tenure and has published her encyclopedia of faeries, she has also not given Wendell an answer to his proposal because becoming the queen of a fae kingdom is not something Emily is sure she is ready for. She is however, ready to help Wendell find the nexus door to his kingdom... the only problem? His Stepmother (and current ruler of his kingdom) has sent assassins after them and she knows about Emily. Emily's search for Wendell's door as well as her new project, mapping the realm of the faerie is definitely going to keep her occupied. Along for the way is her niece, Ariadne who is her new assistant, and an opposing academic, Rose, a grumpy older man who wants to come along with Emily despite his strong dislike of faeries. Emily, Wendell, Ariadne, Rose, and Shadow (of course) are now going to the Austrian Alps to find Wendell's door... but can they evade all the dark forces Wendell's stepmother is sending after them and will Emily finally give Wendell an answer? This one is a FANTASTIC sequel to the first book, in fact I love it even more. I adore Wendell and Emily's relationship so much. The romance definitely ramped up in this one and the fun adventure in this story was so enjoyable. Emily is hilarious and I love how brave and strong she is. She's an academic and not afraid to get after what she wants. You get to see her grow more in this one and open herself up to more people, particularly her niece and even getting a rival academic to become her friend. We get some familiar faces and cameos from the first book too. The story is such a fantastic cozy fantasy romance, and it's got me smiling and giggling while reading it. I adore this series so much and can't wait to see what Emily and Wendell get up to next!

*SPOILER:

Wendell's stepmother poisons him and he's pretty out of it most of the book however Emily does find the door and visit's Wendell's kingdom and poisons his stepmother. She gets his cat, Orga, and takes her back as she is the only way to cure Wendell ( who was poisoned and Orga killed the poison that was seeping into his skin). Emily does say yes to Wendell's proposal. At the end of the book they lose access to the door and Wendell still needs to reclaim his throne. Emily ends the book getting ready to publish her mapbook. She does make friends with Rose and Poe (our fav little bread baking faerie appears again).

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was a lovely follow up to the first book. I enjoyed the new characters that were introduced as well as finding out a little more about this world. I was not as entranced with this one as the first but still really enjoyed it.

Emily Wilde is one of my favourite series. This second book had just as much charm, magic, and snark as the first. I adore everything faerie and Heather Fawcett does an incredible job writing such a fun story. I cannot wait for book 3 to learn more about Emily and Wendell’s adventures with whatever unique cast of characters join them this time around.

When I read book one of this series, I was underwhelmed. It felt very much like a fluffy romance with a little world building and I didn’t much like Emily or Wendell. I so appreciate the publisher for giving me a chance to check out book two even though I didn’t love book one. I understand that sometimes you need a little room to vibe with an author or a series. I liked book two infinitely more than book one. There was so much more action and every unusual creature had a purpose in the story. Book one it felt more like we were just being wowed with the variety of unusual folk and here we are engaging with them.

Emily was a little less rough around the edges and maybe a bit more confident in her skills as a scholar and researcher. Wendell was waylaid for a lot of the story and when he did appear, I found myself more endeared to him. I will definitely continue with the series and am interested to see where things go after that final page.

Thanks to Del Rey and Ballentine for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a continuation of Emily's adventures (from E.W.'s Encyclopedia of Fae). I recently went to a large B&N in California and loved that this series was being showcased. The special edition of this book has also seen a pretty big jump in price, so I know it's been getting pretty popular.

Emily Wilde books are completely different from a lot of fantasy books that are popular right now. I read a lot of fantasy/romantasy with male main characters that have smoldering good looks, smirks every other page, and have half-smiles that showcase how unbelievably sexy the MC is .... I am so happy that I did not have to suffer through that with this. Yes, Wendall is good-looking, but I don't get beaten over the head with it constantly. The book is technically written for adults, but mostly because the characters are all adults. I like reading my other fantasy books, but this is the palate cleanser of a book and I'm grateful for it.

Emily Wilde is book-smart and slightly awkward, but she's character with a lot of growth and has high standards for personal achievement. She is an adventurer and wants to know everything about the Fae world-- and as a reader, I enjoy following her through it. As far as I know, there is one more book expected in this series, and I am already anticipating read it!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for an eARC of this book. I kept putting this book off because I was worried that it wouldn't measure up to book one. I was wrong-- I should have put more faith in Heather Fawcett's writing because this book was excellent!