Just as delightful as the first installment in the series!

Emily Wilde is now working on a book of maps of the moving/disappearing doors between human lands and those of Faerie, but mainly they are trying to find a door into Wendell's lost kingdom. Along the way, they also end up with side quests and an interesting crew that includes Emily's niece and the head of their department at Oxford.

Once again, the voice of Emily's diary entries is self-aware and funny in a dry way. Wendell is delightful, as is their romantic dance. Rose grows on the reader as a character, but my very favorite part of the story is how Emily's scholarly pursuits allow her to solve the mysteries around them. I hope there will be more stories in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC I received.

3.5 ⭐️ Emily is back with another fun filled fairy adventure with Bambleby by her side. Without spoiling the first book, I found this to be an enjoyable sequel. I prefer the first book over Map of the Otherlands, I found a few parts to drag a bit during Emily' travels and a missing person plot line of this story was anticlimactic. The ending definitely leaves you wanting to continue with the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the review copy of this title.

I really loved this sequel. Well worth the wait.

After thoroughly loving the first book, I was excited to see where this book would go.

Emily, Wendell, and team are in another remote yet cozy village hunting for mysteries, befriending fae, and scaring the locals. This time, Ariadne, Emily's niece and assistant, and Dr. Farris Rose, the department head, have joined the expedition.

While I enjoyed the addition of Ariadne (since she balances both Wendell and Emily and prompts Emily's continued growth), I did not care for Rose. It often felt like conversations Emily would have with him could happen with other characters, thus he was not adding much for the bulk of the book.

Either way, the adventure was still fun and exciting, the romance was light and sweet, and the mysteries were solved. It's a perfect addition to the cozy fantasy lineup.

I know I am a little late posting this, but thank you Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

It's no secret that the first EMILY WILDE book was my favorite of 2023. I had high hopes and expectations that the same could be said about the second installment. Luckily, I ended up loving it! It took me a while to read but that's because I ended up waiting for release week to mix in the audiobook I had preordered. I really enjoyed the first audiobook so it only felt right to keep that going!

We follow Brambleby, Emily, her niece, and one of the other professors at their university in the Austrian Alps. She's working on a map book this time and they hope to track down a lost professor of dryadology while they're there. This story was just as whimsical and cozy as the first, with a dash of intrigue and danger where appropriate!

I like that Emily has become more self-aware and able to recognize when she's struggling to related to other people. The first book took a while for her to understand how to avoid insulting the locals. Emily was aware when she was messing things up with her niece and tried her best to fix them.

We got to learn more about Brambleby's world, which was a lot of fun. There were lots of faeries to meet and discuss along the way too. I know I've said this before but I was obsessed with faeries as a kid. Not the ACOTAR type but these small sprites and little mischievous ones. I don't think this type of fantasy book appeals to all fantasy readers, even if they like faerie books, for that reason. I love that books like this exist that appeal to me and make me nostalgic for my childhood.

Sometimes you rate books purely on feels and that very well may be the case for me with this series. I love seeing other readers enjoy them as much as me at least so I know I'm not alone! My one "complaint" is that I wish we saw more faerie worlds in this one. Hopefully that gets explored in future books?

I loved the first book of this series, and the sequel lived up to all of my expectations. I find this to be a bit more of a niche genre within fantasy, and I've been referring to it as Scholarly Fantasy. This novel is so cozy, as well! I enjoyed the introduction of new characters as well as visits from old ones (POE!!). There were times I was chuckling at the banter and times I was holding my breath anticipating what was to come next. An absolutely delightful read!

Loved this sequel. Had all the elements I loved in book one and overall it was five stars. I read this via audio and ebook

This was an absolutely stunning follow-up to the Encyclopedia of Fairies!

Emily and Wendell's quest to find a door to Wendell's court takes hilarious twists and turns, with a suspenseful turn as the fairie king is poisoned by his stepmother's assassins. Their journey to Austria with Rose and Ariadne feels so reminiscent of the first book as they spend time in another small village, though this time in Austria.

The characters remain true to how they were written in the first book, but Emily is struggling with how to handle Wendell's marriage proposal. It's a funny situation that feels like something any woman might deal with. Though most women aren't being proposed to by a member of the fae.

The second half of the book was so lightheartedly intense that I was keen to finish it as fast as I possibly could. It did take a turn I was not expecting, but it did leave room for the imagination as we wait for the next installment of the series. I will be on the edge of my seat until I learn what awaits these wonderful characters in book three.

“Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands” by Heather Fawcett - (4.5 Stars) (Out Now!) – This second installment of the Emily Wilde series is compulsive reading, with an interesting array of new characters to compliment my favorites from the first novel, as well as a firm and enchanting sense of place(s). I’m in love with Emily and Wendell!

Good Things: The pace in this story is perfect, and the characters are just as real as the first novel, with some absolutely great new additions. (Adelaide and Snowbell!) Emily is an amazing literary character…she’s brilliant, and awkward, and struggles with social and emotional interactions, and she’s earnest and caring and funny. There’s been some chatter online about Emily as neurodivergent but it’s nice that this information isn’t central to the story. It’s nice to have a unique and quirky character who may or may not be neurotypical, but that fact not being a key part of her story is just so reassuring for this neurodivergent reader. I also very much loved the idea that Emily’s quirks are exactly what contribute to her researcher superpowers of recall and connection-making.

Opportunities: I really like the method of journal-storytelling, and the fact that people who journal oftentimes do come back after a few days of craziness and ‘catch up’ is a real truth to journaling but…the device of re-telling exciting parts of the narrative in this catch-up method could have been used just once or twice less. I ‘caught on’ to this style and found that it made the story just this side of predictable for me. I am a little like Emily in my pattern identification and matching, and it led me to predict more what was going to happen and I didn’t want to. So, I would have liked the retelling/catch up method if there had been less “big reveal’ moments hidden in it.

Final Thoughts: I loved this book, I loved the characters (every last one of them), and I loved the sense of place, both in the mortal world, and in the Otherlands. I cannot wait to read the third story, and I may or may not have looked up “publication dates” of which of course I could find none, for the ‘next one’. I haven’t enjoyed a fairytale this much, in a very long time.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #emilywilde @emilywildesmapoftheotherlands #heatherfawcett #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs

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Review Shared on Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/leah_cyphert_butidigressbookclub
Publishing Review 1/21/2024

Swoon. I love this series so much. It is great fantasy with faeries being a known and normal part of daily life for most of the world and scholars dedicated to their study. It's sort of cozy, sort of more high stakes and all fun, with some romance too. Emily is a great protagonist, she reminds me of Veronica Speedwell (another favorite FMC); she is scholarly and can seem stuffy, but also clearly loves at least two creatures - Shadow and probably Bambleby :).
I hope this isn't the end of the these characters. There's nothing I love more than cozying up with some tea and a blanket and an Emily Wilde book. Such a solid sequel, no book two slump here!

A great sequel to the first book. I really love this world and the characters. Such a fun and whimsical story. I look forward to more from thus author.

Emily and Wendell are back in Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett, and I’ve never been happier! After reading (and loving) Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries last year, I was so excited to receive an ARC of Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands.
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There was so much to love in the Encyclopaedia of Faeries - Emily and Wendell’s dynamics, Wendell’s antics, the scholarly vibe, one of the best fictional dogs ever, and, of course, Emily’s personal growth. And while I won’t go into any details because I don’t want to spoil the first book for anyone, everything I loved about Emily and Wendell’s first adventure carried through beautifully while continuing to build on itself, making the Map of the Otherlands a thoroughly enjoyable read!
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If you read and loved Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, I think you’ll love this new installment of Emily’s adventures. If you haven’t yet met Emily and Wendell, I highly recommend checking out the series - you won’t be disappointed!
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Many thanks to Del Rey Books, Heather Fawcett, and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I think pretty much anyone who liked the first book will also enjoy this one. I actually maybe even enjoyed this one more. I liked all the main and side characters and appreciate the world building. Emily is just the kind of character you root for and her romance with Wendell was really sweet. Overall I feel like this is such a unique series- I really haven’t ever read anything else like it. I really look forward to more books in this series!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion.

This was a great cozy fantasy read and a perfect sequel! The pacing of this book was much better compared to encyclopedia of faeries. I was hooked from the very beginning and I loved the interactions between Wendell and Emily. The side characters had great development throughout the book as well. The ending is set up perfectly for the third book and I’m excited to see where it will lead.

This series has turned into such a delight. I really enjoyed book one and found this book captures the same vibes of book one and more. Emily and Wendell’s romance further progresses in this book and it was too good. The romance is one of the highlights of the book. The story was also fast paced which I appreciated. Not only did I love the main characters but there are more characters introduced here that further elevated the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Ray publishing for an arc of this book.

This book reminded me how much I loved Emily Wilde. Emily is witty, clever, curious, and of course in love with Wendell.

It has been a year since scholar and professor Emily Wilde published her book The Encyclopaodia of Faeries. She is beginning to work on her Map of the Otherlands. While one day at Cambridge University, Wendell is attacked by a group of assassin Faeries for his Stepmother who is ruling his current Faerie Kingdom.

Now last book, Wendell has to save Emily from the horrors of his evil stepmother, now it is up to Emily to save Wendell

With an introduction of new characters, first we are introduced to Emily's niece Ariadne, a colleague Faris Rose, a new Faerie Snowbell. We also our return characters of Shadow and Poe.

This book cause me to laugh, be angry, and again fall in love with the characters. I am hoping there is a third in this series.

Loved this book! Just wanted to start with that. This is the second book in the series and it's just as good, if not better than the first.

Emily has just completed her encyclopedia of fairies, much to the chagrin of one of her colleagues. When her boyfriend, Bambleby is attacked by creatures sent from his stepmother, she realizes it is up to her to help find the cure. The adventure commences with her niece, Bambleby and that rival to find hidden doors that might lead to Bambleby's kingdom. We follow Emily as she stumbles through her inevitable adventures and as she moves through the world of the Folk. I loved the story, loved the banter, loved the descriptions of the different Folk, the townspeople and their idiosyncrasies. I really just thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one to come out. Definitely read the first book first to truly understand what is going on in this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely love Emily Wilde and the adventures she takes us (and her companions) on. Map of the Otherworlds picks up a little after Emily and Wendell returned from their previous adventure in Hrafnsvik. This time our favorite duo is taking it to the Alps in search of a “backdoor” of sorts into Wendell’s realm, a nexus of doors, and a missing Dryadologists (of over 50 years). Joining them on this new journey is none other than the head of the Dryadology, Dr Rose, department and Emily’s niece.

There is nothing I love more than a cozy fantasy and this book is no exception. The relationship between Emily and Wendell is truly wonderful and the support they give each other is unmatched. I also loved the way they each have their own strengths and use them to lift the other up. The growing relationship between Emily and her niece was wonderful to watch and the respect that both Emily and Rose have towards each other is nice to see even when they are disagreeing.

I cannot wait to see where Emily and Wendell take us next and what Heather Fawcett has in store for our beloved characters. If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy, Victorian style mysteries, banter for day, strong female leads and their supportive partners then this is definitely a read for you.

A truly excellent sequel! Delightful as the first book but with it's own special feel. I really enjoy how the fae are written in this series, at times they are genuinely frightening and even Emily has to remind herself how dangerous they are. It was an adventure, a romance, and had me genuinely kicking my feet at times! I'm incredibly excited for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Considering how much I struggled with the first book, I'm not very surprised I didn't enjoy this one much either. I think my main struggle is the writing style. It was hard for me to become immersed in the story because it felt very flat. Much like the first book, it took me way too long to get into it and I wasn't all that interested in what was happening. I wasn't very convinced of Emily and Wendell's relationship and I didn't really care for them. There was a lack of depth. Rose's character had a lot of potential but it still wasn't really anything that grabbed my interest. The journal formatting was interesting at times, but honestly, this book was just too similar to book one and there was nothing new to it.