From book one I have been entirely enthralled with Emily Wilde and her adventures.

I maybe didn't love this one *quite* as much as book one, but I felt that it was still cozy and intriguing like the first book. It was a great follow up to the first in the series!

In the second book in the Emily Wilde series, assassins are after Professor Wendell Bambleby, sent by his step-mother, the new queen of the fae court in the kingdom he was exiled from. As he is searching for a door back to his realm, he once again teams up with Emily who has another project in the works. This time, she is working on a map of the realms of faerie, which leads them to the Austrian Alps for this newest adventure.

I adore Emily and Wendell, each with their own quirky ways. They complement each other well - she is very meticulous and focused, and he is somewhat spacey and a little flakey and unreliable. The author does an excellent job with the world building. There was a lot of action, plenty of adventures, a little romance, and a great storyline. This is perfect for anyone who loves fantasy fiction.

Oh, buckle up, my literary friends, because this book took me on a wild ride! I was obsessed with book one in this series and this book just stoked that fire all the more! There is no second-book syndrome here! Much like its predecessor, I couldn't resist the magnetic pull of this masterpiece and found myself lost in its pages for a thrilling two days of banter, adventure, and writing that's nothing short of absolute perfection.

The banter? Oh, it's like a verbal dance of wit and charm that had me grinning from ear to ear. The adventure? Picture this: a rollercoaster of twists and turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat, eagerly flipping pages to uncover what magical surprises awaited. And the writing? It's a symphony of words that compose a masterpiece, each sentence a brushstroke painting a vivid picture of a world where Fae, mystery, and romance collide.

Now, let's talk about the enchanting duo – Emily and Wendell. It was wonderful being back in their world! The chemistry between them is so palpable; it's like witnessing a magical tango of swoon-worthy moments and infectious giggles. I laughed, I sighed, and I may have even done a little happy dance. These two are like a literary power couple that you can't help but root for.

But wait, there's more! New characters sauntered onto the stage, each with their quirks and charms, adding layers to the narrative. And guess what? Old friends made cameo appearances, like a reunion of beloved characters that felt like catching up with old pals.

And here's the cherry on top – a promise of more! Rereading is already on my agenda, especially when the physical copy graces my bookshelf. I can almost feel the anticipation building for book 3 – the excitement is real, my friend. The adventure is far from over, and I'm counting the days until I can dive back into the magical world these books have woven.

In a nutshell, if book 1 was a delightful appetizer, book 2 is the main course, leaving me craving more. Absolute literary perfection!


read if you like:
-stories of the fae
- grumpy / sunshine (but this time she’s the stodgy one and he is the delightful ray of sophisticated sunshine)
- cozy fantasy (a genre growing in popularity by the day)
-epistolary reads (as if you are reading someone’s journal/diary)
-Folklore
-light Academia

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands publishes on January 16, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray for an e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion. Now I’m off to buy a physical copy!

3.75 stars. If you loved the first book, then it’s worth picking this one up too. I continue to be impressed with the clever and unique world Fawcett has crafted. The scientific approach to the magical creatures of the world, Emily’s unique voice, the academic setting, the journal as a narrative device…it all makes this series feel like a singular experience. I won’t say much about the plot to avoid spoiling the first book, but you get more of the great character dynamics, atmosphere, and footnotes! (I can’t believe I almost forgot about the footnotes!) And for someone like me with a terrible memory, this book did a great job reviewing what happened in the first one without being heavy-handed.

All that said, I found that this one didn’t click for me as well as Encyclopaedia of Faeries, which was a 5 star read for me. Book two didn’t quite capture my attention in the same way until the last 30% or so. Part of that was my rush to read this for pub date, so it felt more like homework than if I had waited for the right mood to strike. Part of it is that there are so many similarities to the first book (including much of the story arc) that were more magical to encounter the first time around. I’ve seen some reviews saying this was better than the first one, so I may be in the minority!

Thank you Del Rey Books and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, in exchange for an honest review.

You don't know how loud I screamed when I received the approval for this title.

Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands by Heather Fawcett is the sequel of Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries. Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby. Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers. She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby’s realm and the key to freeing him from his family’s dark plans. But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart.

To keep it simple and to save from spoiling anything, I think this book easily tops the magnificence of book one. Which is saying a lot, given it was one of my favorite reads of 2023. But just wait. Just you wait. Because this will both make you smile and tear your heart out, all at the same time.

Another adventurous read following Wendell and Emily as they traipse through the world of Faerie! Definitely an exciting book with many perils and mysteries. I love how much Shadow is incorporated in these stories and also love seeing new characters such as Emily's niece and old familiar faces such as Poe. Fans of Emily Wilde and her adventures will not be disappointed by this one!

4.5 stars

I love the Emily Wilde books, they scratch a very particular itch for me. I love the characters and the adventure and the magic in the world building. I love the academic language and rhetoric used in this book and hadn’t realized I had really been missing it in my literature. I also love the autism rep and feel like it is done really well. I love the romance between Emily and Wendell, and all of the pets are so cute and so fun and I love them. What a joy it was to be in this world again and I can’t wait to read book three.

Thank you to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Ms. Fawcett for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Five stars, easily.

First five star of the year!

I was a little nervous that the sequel could not possibly live up to its predecessor, which I dearly loved. But Ms. Fawcett hit this out of the park. Every ounce of the whimsy, delight, heart, and quirkiness of the first book is here again, including Emily's adorably stiff scholarly heart softening ever so gradually in the face of Dr. Bambleby's relentless charm. (Not to mention Shadow, foul-breathed hound of my heart.) This was so, so, so good. I loved the inclusion of Dr. Rose as the grumpy, traditionally-minded foil for Emily's "modern ways", and Emily's niece provided some naivete to the endeavor. I also think that the author handled the growth of affections between Wendell and Emily very naturally. Several times I was strongly reminded of Marie Brennan's Lady Trent series, except Fae, not dragons, obviously. Both are superb series.

It seems as though more might be in store for Dr. Emily? I sincerely hope so, because this was fantastic. I will be at the head of the line if so. Perhaps a desert kingdom next! or under-sea! So many good options.

Fairly gentle read if you’re looking for light escapism. The heroine is as plucky as the era (with plenty of magic) requires. You won’t want to read this without reading book one but if you liked that one you’ll love this one too. It carries the story and the romance right along.

It's really nice to see this story staying true to it's cozy roots from book one. Though this one does appear to have more of a mystery element to it this time around. Which is good as I have grown out of my love of cozy fantasy series. But this was def. worth the read. I do hope there's a book three.

read if you like:
fairies and other magical creatures
grumpy (her) x sunshine (him)
cozy fantasy
slow burn
epistolary (written in journal entries)

Heather Fawcett does it again! After reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries and loving it, I couldn’t wait to dive into this second book. I was a little nervous though, because I am usually just a tiny bit (and sometimes more than a tiny bit) disappointed in series books. Especially when I loved the first one so much. I was steeling myself for disappointment, but it turns out I had no worries, I found this book every bit as charming and delightful!

Emily is back and so is her faerie king Wendell. Wendell’s stepmother wants to kill Wendell so that she can hold the throne. In this next adventure, Emily and a crew of assorted helpers, set out to get rid of Wendell’s evil stepmother.

This book as it all it’s charming, funny, thoughtful, and cozy.

I really love how each character stays true to themselves. They are all quirky in their own way and yet not over-the-top quirky. Some authors bombard you with how quirky their characters are, or how evil, or how naive, but Fawcett has the perfect subtle touch in character development.

The novel ends with the perfect set up for book 3 and I can’t wait!

Book 2 in the Emily Wilde series. Emily has successfully published her encyclopedia of fairies and has taken on an assistant in her niece, Ariadne. Unfortunately, Professor Wendell Bambleby is being hunted by assassins from his realm in Faerie, sent by his scheming stepmother, who is determined to hold onto the crown.
Wendell and Emily lead an expedition to the Alps in hopes of finding his Door so that Wendell can depose his stepmother and once again, rule his Folk. Nothing goes according to plan, however, once it is discovered that Wendell has been sneakily poisoned on his birthday and it's affecting his magic. While all this is happening, Emily is determined to make her map of Faerie and find a cure for her fiance.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this e-arc.*

this book is so incredibly addictive, the story had me engaged from the very first chapter, something i don’t recall happening with the first book. i think the first book struggled with pacing, it felt like a slow cozy fantasy until all of sudden it was action packed at the end. in the sequel, there is never a dull moment throughout the book and keeps up that fast pace the entire time.
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of course the banter once again is totally giggling-and-kicking-your-feet worthy, as expected i absolutely loved wendell once again. the adorable brownie poe makes a reappearance as well as some equally cute new folk join emily’s story. though this is mainly a plot driven book, i enjoyed seeing emily grow a bit in this book, she found her humor and learned some hard lessons but still has lots of room to continue improving through the series.
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i will say i found a few descriptions to be very simple for how fantastic the thing being described was supposed to be so it was hard to picture some things, i felt like i had to fill in the gaps at points because i wasn’t given enough info to go off of. but what kept me from giving this the full 5 stars like i thought i was going to was the ending. though it wasn’t nearly as rushed as the first book it still left me wanting a little bit more, which of course just makes me all the more excited for the next one! (4.5 ⭐️)

In this sequel to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies delves deeper into this alternate 1910 Europe. Emily and Wendall plan on travelling to a small Swiss village to try to find Wendall's door to fairy. Assassination attempts expedite the venture. Emily's niece Ariadne and department head Ferris Rose end up joining them, which any academic know can only complicate matters.

While similar in structure, this book differs from Encyclopedia. We don't get as many details of the town, but we do see more of the Fey and differing academic opinions on the subject. Emily as as straight forward and powerful as ever. She will complete her research no matter where it takes her even if it risks her life and others. I really love Emily as a character, she reminds me of my friends in Academia.

Whew! All I can say is that 2024 is starting off with some excellent reading! Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands was everything I had hoped for and more. Following some of the beloved characters from the first book in the series, there are even more characters to love, more chaos to follow, and of course more mischief that needs to be unwound.

The formal writing style that was slightly difficult to get used to in the first book was easy to jump right into by the time this book came around. It was a wonderful feeling to fall headfirst into a world that is both familiar, yet still fantastic and magical. The formality of Emily’s writing really captures the nature of her scholarship and her need to find understanding in a chaotic world. Though the world that she writes about is fictional, her added footnotes and little tidbits of information always leave me ready for the next one.

Emily’s adventures were such a wonderful opportunity to see her growth from the beginning of the first book to the end of this second one. She, Wendell and a whole cast of new characters bring one another to life with well rounded background stories that intertwine and allow for their experiences to affect them in different ways. The strong emphasis on Wendell and learning more about him made this book an even more fun read because he is just so lovable.

When I started nearing the conclusion of the book, I was worried that it was feeling forced and far too fast, but as the reading continued I was able to reflect on the benefits to the ending being the way it was. It really allowed for a set up for another book and gave the growth that occurred throughout the book a moment to settle.

5/5 stars for a thoroughly immersive read that captivated me from the start.

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Quite a satisfactory second installment in the story of Emily Wilde (and Wendell Bambleby.) Still enjoy how these books are set up as journal entries and I love how it solidifies Emily's character. This book forces Emily and Wendell to finally go search for the door to Bambleby's land after an assassination attempt on Bambleby during one of his lectures. They have two new characters in tow, another professor who hates Bambleby, and Emily's niece who is now learning about faeries and dryadology as well.

Though to me, it took a bit for the story to pick up, once it did, I greatly enjoyed it. It really is more of a cozy, slow read than a fast-paced fantasy, even though the events that happen would be considered fast-paced and intense. That's the power of journal entries, baby! My favorite part, other than Bambleby being very fun, and Shadow being a good dog, was the addition of Emily's niece to the expedition. I like Emily's character growth in respect to her.

Thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the e-ARC!

Dryadologist Emily Wilde is back and is trying to find a backdoor into her fae boyfriend, Wendell's, kingdom, so that he can reclaim the throne from his stepmother. The book is full of adventure and many different fae. I cannot wait for the adventure to continue in the next book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I didn't enjoy this as much as I did the first, but this story still has the whimsical, cozy feel I enjoyed! Emily is so well written & I loved getting to know more about her & what makes her, her. I enjoyed the journaling format & I felt like I was along for the ride with Emily - I'm glad that this format was carried over into the second book as well. I'm looking forward to more & I can't wait to see what happens!

This is everything a continuation of a series should be. If you enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies, I am happy to say that for me, Map of the Otherlands was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Emily and Wendell continue to be my new favorite characters in a book series. We see so much more from them PLUS I am thrilled to say, a little more development in their relationship. We also have the addition of some new characters which really aided in the character development, especially for Emily. She grew so much into her own even more in these pages with the aid of the relationships she formed with Rose and her niece, Ariadne.

This installment is written in the same journal entry format, which I have come to enjoy immensely. In these pages you will find everything you loved in book one! We have an adventure in a beautiful landscape, a mystery, murderous stepmothers, lots of dark fairies, cozy yet dark elements, and so much more. I will be recommending this series all year!

**Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5)/5**
Happy Publishing Day, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands!

Full disclosure: I love the Emily Wilde series so much, and as such, this is only a glowing review,. So while I can totally see elements of this book that may not be everyone’s favorite (though I think most people will like it), there will be no notes from me.

In this second book of the Emily Wilde series, strange creature start appearing at Emily’s university with the apparent goal of harming Wendell Bambleby–her academic sort-of-rival, exiled faerie king, and Emily’s prospective fiancée. Emily and Bambleby (along with some unexpected guests) embark on another adventure to find a door to his realm to put an end to the threats. While Emily begins a new project to map out the realms of Faerie during their journey in the Swiss Alps, dangerous situations and new mysteries unfold, Emily needs to figure out the answers to finding this door and to whether or not she’s willing to give Bambleby her heart–and before it’s too late for them all.

Remixing fantasy, historical fiction, romance, mystery, and adventure–Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands balances all of these elements in a way that feels immensely satisfying, which is a difficult feat for a multi-genre book. Additionally, the characterization is a real strength of this series. From the adorable and often devilish small faeries, to the charming and persnickety Bambleby, to the practical and determined Emily–Fawcett creates characters that you just can’t get enough of and relationships you are really rooting for from beginning to end. The choice to feel the story through Emily’s journal also provides such an engaging way to see the adventure and mystery unfold. Perhaps most importantly, I had a great deal of fun reading this book and enjoyed the journey from beginning to end.

This was an easy 5 stars for me, and an excellent way to start off 2024. Fans of the first book will fall in love again with this second installment, and I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves a good adventure. I anxiously await the next book in the series!

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Heather Fawcett for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.