Professor Emily Wilde is now working on a book on a map of the realms of faerie, while also trying to find a door back to Professor Wendell Bambelby’s realm in Faerie, where he is an exiled faerie king. He has proposed marriage, but Emily is hesitant to accept his proposal. In this second book in the series, there is more focus on Emily and Wendell’s relationship (she’s still grouchy and he is still a flirt), while also delving further into the world of faerie. As much as I loved the first book, this book was even more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey for the advance copy. This is my honest review.

This was a fantastic continuation of the first book. I feel like we got to know our main characters better, and the expansion of the cast felt natural. Danielle De Gray being such a focal point in this book after being referenced in the first was such a delicious connection. I can’t wait to see what connections will be made in the next book now. The fairy lore that Fawcett writes are addicting. I want twenty more books where the Fae fee as otherworldly as hers do. And the romance was all just the icing on top. Though the slow burn from the first book does continue. All in all this book is 5/5 stars and I’m already sitting at the edge of my seat waiting for book three.

I enjoyed going back into the magically cozy world of Emily Wilde and I think I may have liked it more than the first. We again get to see Emily and Wendell go on an adventure, but this time going together as something more than friends. I’ve loved to see their relationship develop over these books. They just work so well together and balance each other out. In this book we are introduced to the other relationships in Emily and Wendell’s lives including their colleague and Emily’s niece. I liked these additional characters and it brought some more discourse for their adventure. Their adventure into the faerie realm is as magical as it was in the first with the stakes just as high, but it still remains cozy.

Overall, this was a good sequel and I recommend the series!

Read if you like…
•cozy fantasy
•faeries
•opposites attract

I have to admit I wasn't as charmed by the first installment of Emily Wilde's adventures as some of my favorite reviewers. I think I had a bit of a disconnect with how it is written - because the book is written as if in journal entries from Emily (and sometimes Wendell when he feels like it) there is some space between the reader and the action. Emily herself is a bit of a distant narrator so the end result for me was a bit of a separation.

The second installment of Emily Wilde's adventures in faerie is very adventurous and builds off many of the revelations from the first book. My favorite part about this book was the introduction to additional side characters that were at times nuisances as well as added to the overall heart of the story that I believe was sort of lacking the first time around. The callbacks to the first book were nice and I appreciate the way this book added to the world building previously established.

Emily's academic mind is at times very fun to be in and I appreciate her wry sense of humor even when she doesn't know she's being funny. The relationships she has in this book really develop in fruitful ways that I loved. I still find myself not wholly charmed by Wendell - he is obstinate and weirdly unhelpful (although the book produces a reason why he can't always magic everything away). The romance between him and Emily is developed in this book and while at the end of the book it finally did get me, it took longer than I would have liked.

I'm assuming there will be more installments in Emily and Wendell's journey and I am definitely along for the road.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to read an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The foot would not fit in my briefcase, so I wrapped it in cloth and wrestled it into an old knapsack…”

I loved this book as much as the first one! Emily is not nearly as much of a curmudgeon as she thinks she is. I found it endearing to see her bumble through interactions with both fellow scholars and the St. Liesl villagers. Meanwhile, Wendell is his usual charming self. Well, not quite his usual self. Darn assassins. This book introduces two additional scholars who join Emily and Wendell in their quest to find a Faerie nexus. One of them is Emily’s niece. It was fascinating to see Emily utter fail at trying to keep her Ariadne and an emotional distance when it’s clear that she both cares for and respects her niece.

The faeries in this book are arguably more dangerous than those in the first one. A major theme is the concept of good versus bad, or rather friendly versus malevolent. Those who are enemies one day may be allies the next (and vice versa). It was intriguing to see this play out multiple times throughout the story.

The book reminded me a lot of the Greek labyrinth myth. There’s a lot of time spent with characters being hopelessly lost and trying to find their way with ribbons. Emily’s niece is named Ariadne, so I’m certain the parallels are intentional.

I also liked how certain throwaway comments in the first book suddenly became integral to this storyline. Meanwhile, characters left behind in Hrafnsvik still manage to pop into the story from time to time. Sometimes literally. I’m curious to see what hidden clues we’ve already been given for the next book.

Note: This is the second book in the Emily Wilde series and should be read in order.

What a delightful journey I’ve just been on! In this sequel we return to the journals of prickly Fae scholar Emily Wilde, who is accompanied by her niece, an overbearing department head, and her exiled faerie king bf, a deeply charming crew that added a nice addition to the series. Heather Fawcett really met my expectations, with the same witty and flirty banter between Wendell and Emily, the whimsical descriptions of faerie happenings, and a convincing scholarly tone to top it all off! The plot was fun, and though many of the devices Fawcett uses to propel the story along were predictable, I was so endeared to the characters that it didn’t bother me much. If you enjoyed the first in this series, you will absolutely enjoy this sequel!

DNF at 20%

This one is difficult. I can't point to anything wrong with this book, the writing style, or the character development, but at 20%, I am not invested at all. I just don't have any character I care enough about to continue the journey with them, so at this point I feel like it is time to say, "It's not you, It's me. But we need to part ways."

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars.

Look, the first one was a perfect cozy read once you get used to the writing style of it being journal entries, and this one was no different. I love how Emily had to get out of her comfort zone of working alone, and how she had to also not rely on Wendell. I also am just a sucker for the two of them...and the whole fae being a normal part of this magical world where people literally study dryadology and make careers out of it.

In the second Emily Wilde we are back with Emily and Wendell as they navigate the scholarly world of Cambridge and the world of the folk, and it is just as delightful as the first. Highly recommend!

Spoiler warning: There will be no spoilers for Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. However, there will be spoilers for Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, so please proceed with caution if you have not read the first book!

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands picks up not too long after the first book when Emily and Wendell are back at Cambridge continuing their careers after the tumultuous and career-boosting events of the the first book.

This book is pretty much the embodiment of exactly what you want out of a sequel: everything you love, but more. We get more of Emily and Wendell’s banter, more of Shadow being a complete delight, and of course more Fae.

Much like in the first book, Emily and Wendell are off to travel to a new place to further Emily’s research, only this time we have two additional characters joining the trip, as well as slightly different stakes as Emily focuses in on finding the door back Wendell’s only Fae land. The effort to find Wendell’s door takes on new urgency as his mother, the reigning queen of Wendell’s kingdom, has begun to send assassins after him.

As mentioned, we do get to meet some new characters who join this journey, which adds a lot of interesting dynamics to all the different interrelationships and ends up creating a surprisingly enjoyable, if occasionally frustrating, time.

Emily is one of my favorite protagonists. I love the way that she simply cannot help but be honest and forthright about just about anything, and even though she may not always be the most tactful while doing it, there is something very compelling about it since there is very clearly often no ill will meant. She doesn’t hide behind soft truths or general pleasantries and politeness, but rather states her observations and moves on, and as someone who struggles with speaking my mind I really respect that.

And then there’s Wendell, who brings nothing but joy and laughter to this story in all the best ways and continuously makes the story that much better every time he’s on the page. One of my favorite things about him is his ability to somehow always manage to have something to say that, even when a joke, is somehow also very true and honest. I really appreciate how much he seems to genuinely respect Emily and the different ways that she is uniquely herself, such as how she can be very particular about things and how focused she is on her work. Wendell only ever seems to encourage and celebrate who she is with no pressure from him to try to change her or make her do things she doesn’t want to. The only exception to this is when he encourages her to maybe think differently about something or discourage her from doing something dangerous, but all the ways in which he does these things feel positive and more about growth than they are about changing who she is.

I adore the dynamic between Wendell and Emily and find it a very unique and compelling one, as well as one that feels very healthy. It’s a bit nontraditional for a couple different reasons, but it works absolutely perfectly. There is a very clear sense of trust between the two and it’s been such a joy to watch it develop over these two books so far.

It was also a pleasure (at times) to meet Rose and Ariadne and observe their addition to the group. In particular, I enjoyed seeing Rose’s dynamic evolve over the course of the story and how Heather Fawcett was able to showcase so many different sides of him. I think seeing Rose interact with Emily throughout the book also allowed us to see some different sides of Emily as well, which further developed her character and development.

And, of course, I couldn’t complete this review without discussing our return to the Fae and various Fae lands! It's hard to say the stakes are higher or more intense in this book–given how high the stakes were in the previous book at times–but there definitely seemed to be more instances of risk and danger that I think really helped to showcase different types of dangers associated with the Fae. There are a lot of angry Fae in this book that cause a myriad of problems for our characters, especially given the various attempts of assassination targeted at Wendell.

I really liked getting to explore a new area in this book and another example of how a secluded town interacts with their local Fae and what their relationship is like with them. I think this book really delivered on exploring more about the Fae and some of the different traits and characteristics they can have, including the many different ways they can pose dangers to humans. All of our characters seemed to be in peril at some point in events involving the Fae at some point, which certainly added plenty of suspense. I’ve been thrilled by Heather Fawcett’s depiction of the Fae and how they can be both predictable and unpredictable, harsh, and everything in between, and I truly think she just captures the Fae so well.

Overall, I’ve given Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands five stars. It’s so easy to fall in love with this series, and I can wholeheartedly say that I have. I cannot recommend this series enough!


*I received a copy of Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I was totally enchanted by the first book in this series, following the fantastical adventures of the brilliant and awkward Emily, professor of dryadology. In this installment, Emily and Wendell go in search of a particular door to Fairie after Wendell's life is threatened. They're joined by a professor who wants to see them fired and Emily's over-eager niece.
We have the beautiful frozen locale, enchanted clothing, poison, another group of locals for Emily to inadvertently offend, lots of hot chocolate and of course, the continued thawing of Emily's cold heart and her growing ability to accept love.
Love it and can't wait to see more!

somehow i enjoyed this even more than the first book! an easy five stars, loved seeing wendell and emily and shadow again. some things i liked:
- like the first book, the plot is a little more relaxed than a typical fantasy novel - it is more goal oriented in the second book because it follows the plot from the first book but it's not too fast paced or intense - things kind of just happen naturally, and that's one thing i adored about both books.
- it was also so great to see wendell's and emily's relationship evolve from the first book and i loved that they still have the same qualities of their relationship but it's changed as their relationship becomes more romantic.
- emily's intellect and knowledge is never labeled as a bad thing! yeah she's got some people issues but i love that not only does emily's interest never really change but it's the main reason why problems that come up in the plot are solved because she's so smart and studious and dedicated. we love a woman in stem!!!

5/5 stars, heather fawcett, please take this as a sign to keep on writing these books because i could keep on reading about emily's and wendell's adventures together forever.

I truly appreciate Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and NetGalley for the the opportunity to read the ARC of “Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands”. The following review is my own opinion.
I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries and believe it was my favorite "cozy" book of the year. I worried this one wouldn't live up to the first because sequels don't always give the same feeling; the characters grow, the world expands, and sometimes a thing you loved becomes more an annoyance. This is a sequel which nearly surpasses the first book and that is very rare in my experience, especially when it sets up another book. Middle book syndrome can make a much anticipated read into a slog you need to push through so you can get to the ending and while I did find the middle section of this book a bit slow, I still loved it. Emily is still Emily, but you get to see her open up in this book more so than she ever did in the first and her times with Wendell really light her up and make her more understandable and relatable. Wendell is still a big ball of sunshine and joy, but we get to see more of his fae side in this book and I was here for it.
If you are wondering if you can read this book without reading the first, I am sad to say I don't think it will be possible if you want to fully understand the story. The author doesn't waste time rehashing the events of the previous book even if we are given small summary snippets throughout. The explanations we get are small and short and I greatly appreciated the author understanding they didn't need to hold out hand to get us to understand because we were here because we did read the first book. Jumping into a sequel and having every little thing explained like it was in the first book makes a sequel slow down and get boring, so for me this is a huge plus. So, if you want to read this book, take the time to read the first because you won't regret it.
My favorite part of this book was the same part I loved in the first - The banter between Emily and Wendell. Their repartee offered the perfect light relief in the first book, and the same continues in this book as well. I love their individual character development, but as a pair, they truly shine. Wendell and Emily are the true highlight for me in this series and usually I prefer the magic and the fae... but these two just make me smile and root for them above all other things. (I'm autistic and I struggle putting relationship above the things I am hyper-focusing on and because of that I think I relate to Emily and having Wendell be there to pull her out and give her the connections she doesn't know she needs just seems dreamy to me.) I also just really really appreciated that this book gave me more of their romance. In the last book, I kept hoping the two would get closer faster, but this one gave me everything I wanted. I knew this wouldn't be a "spicy" book and I was okay with it, but I really just needed more romance and it delivered.
If you are like me and you not only wanted more romance, but more magic then you are going to be really happy. The first book showed the presence of several magical creatures, but those were so minimal in comparison to the beings of this sequel. The magic becomes much darker and more interesting, and the creatures also get more dangerous. I was excited and found myself tensing up when we got to some of the more magic filled scenes. (Shadow! Shadow! Shadow! Such an incredible character.)
Now, I am not just going to gush over this awesome book because I did have a few complaints and it is only fair to be honest. This book was written in the same journal entry format as the first, but I found the first parts didn't read like journal entries and it read more like a typical first person narration with lots of direct quotes and way too many descriptions to be a journal... but maybe that is just me. I just seemed to feel it read different than the first book for quite awhile and then slowly shifted back to the feeling of the first book. I know this may not be an issue for most, but I did want to give a warning so no one is disappointed that the writing reads differently.
Also, if you really loved the townsfolk and the other human characters in the first you should be warned you get a lot less of them in this book. The only other humans that get a great deal of time are Emily's niece, Ariadne and fellow professor Farris Rose and neither are fully developed. You still get memorable characters,
Overall, this book lived up to my expectations and was a fun journey with these characters. We also still got the footnotes I really enjoyed in the first book, but in this book there was less of the side stories I enjoyed. After closing this book, I felt like I understood the characters more and had a great idea where the next book will be going and I am very excited for it to come out.
If you loved the first book, you need to read this one. If you love a cozy fantasy story, you NEED to read this series. My suggestion would be curling up in your favorite comfy chair (or bed), throw on a few blankets, crack a window to let in a cold breeze, and enjoy this book while drinking your favorite warm beverage and just fall into the world and the magic and take a journey with these incredible characters.

HIGHLIGHTS
~beware the foxes!
~(don’t???) follow the ribbons
~a lily pond in a teacup
~a singular foot
~to wed, or not to wed??? That is the question

I massively enjoyed the first book in this series, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, and I am here to tell you that Map of the Otherlands is a very worthy sequel!

I don’t have anything smart to say about it; if you enjoyed the first book, you’re going to enjoy this one. Emily is still her wonderfully curmudgeonly self – she might be in love with a prince of Faerie, but she hasn’t let that change her; she still doesn’t care about her appearance, and she’s still more likely to snap and snarl than simper. And she’s still more than capable of, if not dealing with attacks from dangerous Folk, then certainly assisting in dealing with them, in gamechanging ways.

And we have new characters to add to the cast! This time around, Emily and Wendell are accompanied not just by Shadow (of course), but Emily’s niece, Ariadne (and really, if her father didn’t want her studying dryadology, why did he give her a name straight out of mythology???) and also the head of the dryadology department at their university, Rose. Ariadne is the sweetest of sweethearts, earnest and passionate and quite a good foil to Emily herself, while Rose seems like a teeth-gratingly Old White Man until, surprisingly, he isn’t. (By which I mean – he’s still old and white and a cis man. But he can learn!!! Give him a chance, even if he annoys you at first.) They both bring a lot to this second instalment; sometimes enlarging the cast can dilute the story, but that’s definitely not the case here. Ariadne is a delight, and among other things, Rose serves as a really good reminder to Emily and the reader that what she’s up to with Wendell is…incredibly not-normal.

You know, because the Folk are dangerous. And things usually don’t end well for the humans who fall in love with them.

In that way I think Rose is actually quite important to the book, because it’s so easy for us to…not forget that; the Folk give us plenty of reminders that they are not nice, safe, tame beings. But it’s natural to get swept up in the story, to assume a happy ending is guaranteed, to take Wendell as the exception to the rule of Don’t Mess With The Folk. These books are cosy! And fun! And Wendell is hilarious, fussing about tidying things and bemoaning the world that demands he rise from bed before noon; he’s not scary in the least, he’s endearing. So we do need Rose, to give us that bit of a wake-up call; to keep us from missing or dismissing all the bits of evidence that Wendell – and certainly the kingdom he wants to reclaim – are Dangerous As Hell, Actually.

We kind of have to stop and wonder, especially as that evidence builds up – is Emily doing the right thing, here? It’s definitely not the smart thing, but since when is love smart???

Speaking of the romance, I think Fawcett’s done something very clever with it here; for readers like myself who don’t really care for or about romance, it’s entirely possible to forget that there is a romance here, to sort of glaze over mentally and skim over the occasional mention of kisses and feelings. Whereas readers who do like romance can have their fill, since when you get right down to it Map of the Otherlands is driven by Emily’s love for Wendell and her desire to help him reclaim his kingdom. Oh, she’s definitely in it for the scholarly acclaim she’d earn by doing so, too…but that’s so obviously a secondary consideration for her, even if it takes her a little while to admit it to herself.

I think Encyclopaedia of Faeries was more straightforward than Map of the Otherlands; the latter revolves a bit more around the nature of the Faerie realms, as opposed to the Folk themselves, and honestly, of the two, the Folk are much easier to understand. Not that Fawcett bogs us down in dull minutiae or anything – the story here is never slow, or boring! – but it’s much harder to really get a grip on the way the various Fae realms co-exist, share borders, overlap, and/or have extremely casual relationships with time. I’m pretty sure Emily’s book of maps is doomed to failure, let’s put it that way.

There’s a magic cloak, and a magic scarf, and Emily is once again a one-woman armoury (even if she’s not forging a sword out of tears for Wendell this time, I was tickled pink when we discover how she’s carrying around weapons for him), and Map of the Otherlands is every bit as fun and perfect-to-snuggle-with as Encyclopaedia of Faeries ever was. Is it a bit more complex; does it go to some darker places? I think so. But it’s not deeply complex, and it’s not very dark, when all’s said and done. Just the right amount of both to make the story rich and interesting, as well as warm, funny, and delightful.

As I said; if you loved the first book, you’ll love this one!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Heather Fawcett for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands coming out January 16, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was a little surprised to get it from NetGalley since it’s really popular. I liked the first book, so I was interested in checking out the second book. I really enjoyed this book, even more than the first book. Emily was still a little stubborn when it came to certain things, but I think she definitely grew as a character and learned to loosen up more. I enjoyed more of her relationship with Wendell. I don’t think it’s my favorite, but I really enjoyed it. It was fun to read and I liked the side characters who helped Emily along the way.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantastical worlds!

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands
by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde #2
Fantasy Cozy Lore
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date January 16, 2024
Random House-Ballantine
Ages: 14+

With the new goal of creating a map of Fairie Realms, Emily's research is interrupted when her path is crossed by a confused older man with ribbons stuffed in his pockets. But when assassins come from Wendell; Emily, Wendell, her niece (? name), and Rose, the head of the college, take off to the Alps, to use her research on Fairie doors with the hopes of finding the Nexus, which could lead to Wendell's realm.


Just like the first book in this series, it is written as journal entries by Emily, and while she still seems dull, I liked this book a lot better. Emily had more 'emotions' and while she still reminded me of Temperance Brennan from the TV show 'Bones' with her lack of feelings, Emily felt more mature in this story. Not as self-centered. The same could be said about Wendell, and I disliked him less than I did in the first book.

Extra characters included Emily's niece, who felt as if she was just there, and (?) Rose the Head Master(?) of the university where they work. I don't remember his first name, but I got confused multiple times when he was called by his last name, which is probably why I can't remember his first name, because it wasn't used enough, and I kept having to stop reading to wonder who this Rose woman was.

Even though it was pretty convenient that Emily's newest project could be key in helping Wendell, it was a good story, and thankfully the romance part of it was kept behind closed doors, (you knew what was going on but there was no play-by-play).

Not a lot of violence, and as said the romance was behind closed doors so it's suitable for readers fourteen and older.

While I'm not giving it a lot of stars, only because I don't care much for the MC at this time, I would still recommend this series, (if you can get through the first book), to those who like cozy reads, and I will be on the lookout for the next in the series.

3 Stars

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for access to this arc.

I finished last year’s “Emily Wilde’sEncyclopedia of Faeries” knowing that I wanted to read the next installment. Yes, that book was complete in itself but there were plenty of threads left to pick up and use in another book. This book ended up having some of the same things I liked as well as some of the same things I didn’t like about the first one. There’s a lot of telling and some of the layout of the plot felt lifted straight from the first book.. But the liked stuff still edges out for the win. I will add that readers who didn’t like the first book probably won’t like this either.

Ariadne’s bubbling enthusiasm is sweet to watch though she mainly serves as a handy way for Em to explain things to the reader. Wendell isn’t quite as annoying this go round but he’s also a bit more bland. He’s still charming, a bit lazy, rather dismissive of those in or about whom he has little interest and his casual dismissal of the common fae still drives Em batty but he’s smitten with Em and continues to press her for an answer. I will admit that I remain a bit baffled about Wendell’s smittenness for Em.

I enjoyed Em’s competence almost as much as her bullheadedness and blind belief in her abilities annoyed me. Em’s statements of how infallible her instincts are only to have this disproved and often quickly followed by her charging headlong into trouble and danger could be turned into a drinking game. One scene in which she told off two people who should have been more grateful had me laughing though.

As in the first book, the initial pace of this one was glacial with a lot of time spent in Em educating the reader on every little itty bit of Folk knowledge she has whether or not this seemed needed. Yes, yes I realize she’s an academic who journals obsessively but it was too much. Then just then things heat up and I’d like more details, Em’s in a place where things become hazy as events race to a finale.

I did like Austria – both characters and their Folk. I thought Ariadne was given some good page time and abilities when needed, and Rose surprised me in a good way. Wendell was sort of just “there” for a lot of this book though he helped soothe the villagers who were coming with torches if not pitchforks and, wonders never cease, he appeared to finally appreciate common fae. Yay that Em appeared to be picking up a bit more social skills and ended up handling Ariadne with love if not tact. I wanted more Silva Lupi though. Oh, and I saved the best for last. Shadow once again made me want a fae dog plus we got a fairie cat!

I never want this series to end and I think that’s a reeeeally good sign!

Emily and Wendell are off on another adventure after Wendell is poisoned by his evil stepmother. They journey to a new village where they search for the nexus - a door that leads to all faerie realms. Chaos ensues, as per usual.

This book is just as good as the first one, if not better?! All that I asked from the last one was more banter between Em and Wendell and boy did we get it! I also love how well thought out the world is. This is truly such a wonderful scary cozy fantasy, and I want 100 more books!

5/5 magical littler stars!

ok i loved this. emily wilde is a magnificent story to begin with and i just truly enjoyed this world and diving into it much deeper. it’s a great cozy fantasy book that just feels good no matter how many times you could read it.

A charming, magical follow-up to last year's debut Emily Wilde book. Faerie intrigue and misadventures, scholars on a quest, cute banter and weird and wonderful magical creatures -- the whole book is a delight.