Emily Wilde is a professor researching faeries. She finds herself having to work closely with her rival Wendell Bambleby and the discoveries and adventures they find themselves on are just magical. This is such a cute and cozy fantasy series. The second book is even better than the first. I can't wait for the next book!

Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for the earc in exchange for my honest review!

This book is truly what I’d consider a cozy fantasy. It's an adult bedtime story if you will.

It was charming and whimsical as was expected. However, I will say the footnotes could be a bit much sometimes. But given the way Emily's mind works, I understand it.

Though I must say I did not enjoy this one quite as much as the first. I'm not entirely certain why. Perhaps, it is a pacing issue or a lack of action. That is not to say nothing happens. But it takes quite a lot longer for things to pick up than I would have preferred.

Something I did appreciate about this book was how we got to see Emily develop a familial relationship with her like-minded niece, along with an almost mentor/mentee relationship with Rose a senior member of her faculty. Emily does not make friends easily so getting to see her outside her comfort zone in both cases and grow to appreciate the role these two have in her life.

The romance, while sweet in its way, was a bit lackluster. I did think the affection and admiration were there, but it felt like we were thrown into a relationship that was mostly developed long before we joined the journey. We did not get to see Emily and Wendell fall in love. Which is a darn shame. That's not to say I did not like them together, I just wish I had more of a stake in the relationship.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book overall and will undoubtedly check out the next one to see what plots and hijinks Emily and Wendell find themselves in next.

First, I need Fawcett to write a collection of Children's Book staring our dear friend Poe. Poe really stole the show in this novel and I would love a stand alone series following his great adventures.

Second, I was pre-approved by Heather Fawcett, Del Rey, and NetGalley to receive an electrical Advanced Review Copy of the Second Novel in the Emily Wilde Series, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. Despite this, all opinions mentioned in this review are my own.

Finally, "Map of the Otherlands" is an enchanting sequel to "Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries," seamlessly continuing the captivating journey of faerie scholar Emily and exiled faerie king Wendell. It is essential to read the first novel to understand the background. The introduction of new characters, such as Professor Rose and Emily's niece, adds delightful touches without overshadowing the original cast. Fawcett's whimsical prose and the unique academic journal format enrich the narrative. The plot, set in the Austrian Alps, weaves a tale of mystery, romance, and faerie realms, with a more engaging start and deeper exploration of relationships. Balancing scholarly pursuits with magical charm, the novel is a triumph in fantasy, promising an immersive journey through the Otherlands for fans of faerie folklore and whimsical storytelling.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands was just as good if not better than the first!
Again, we see a strong female character that has guts and grit. I enjoyed getting to know her niece in this one as well as laughing at Wendell’s always lovable self.
My only complaint is that we have to wait for the next book!
Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed the new characters we met in this book, they were a little darker but still quirky and interesting to follow. I also enjoyed seeing the character growth Emily went through in this book and how gradual it was - felt a lot more realistic and was very heartwarming. I enjoyed the world building in this book and how it was a different setting from the last book. I also liked learning more about these magical faerie doors as Emily unravels the mystery.

Like the first book in this series, the book is written in the style of academic journal entries with footnotes. The author does an amazing job writing in the pedantic voice of our main character. I felt like the plot wrapped up well and a lot of little pieces of knowledge all came together at the end. Pacing of the book felt more like a cozy read and felt more even to me - instead of things all happening at the end I felt like enough happened throughout the book that didn’t make it seem like a big climactic point. This made it hard for me to put down the book but I wasn’t necessarily racing to find out what happens at the end. I just really enjoyed following the characters and savoring the story.

The book has great relationships between all of the characters and a few romantic moments. I do think you should read the first book before reading this one - the relationships are all slow builds and you may not enjoy them as much coming in the middle. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a more cozy fantasy read that or enjoys dark whimsy and faerie lore or folktales.

I’d like to thank Orbit and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest review.

Characters: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Writing style: 10
Plot: 8
Intrigue: 9
Logic/Writing Style: 8
Enjoyment: 10
CAWPILE Average: 9.14/10

As a fan of the first book, this was a must read for me. I enjoyed that we were able to get a continuation of what happened in the previous book and that we didn't just completely jump head first into something new. This one was a little harder to get into the first, but I enjoyed it by the end. There is definitely more action in this one, and I really enjoyed it! The first book is a must read before starting this. If she continues with a third book in the series I will absolutely be reading it!

This feels significantly less cozy than the first one, which was a downside for me. It goes right into the action, but then it hits a slog where there is simultaneously a lot going on and not much. I was confused at what the gang was trying to do, and where they were trying to go. There wasn't a lot of depth as to why Wendell's stepmother was trying to assassinate him now and not before, and I was just not able to get immersed in the story. I had struggles in the first one, and thought I had missed something since everyone seemed to love it. In this one I am realizing perhaps this type of fantasy may not be for me.

“With an oddly deliberate manner, he reached up and brushed the hair from my face with one fingertip, tucking it behind my ear. At that, the world split in two.“

oh my goodness these books have such a special place in my heart! what a fantastic way to start out the year😍

emily wilde’s map of the otherlands was everything I was hoping it would be & more. I am so happy I received the ARC for this and pushed it up on my TBR!

map of the otherlands releases next tuesday! get yourself a copy‼️

4.5⭐️s

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands
by Heather Fawcett

5/5


Continuing the cosy, slightly romantic light academia faerie tale, we travel with Emily and Wendell to track down Wendell’s door in the Austrian Alps.

This sequel maintained its status of being more of a low stakes read with moments that have you on the edge of your seat. Emily really shines

We see a lot of the same characters, but are introduced to a few more. I was very excited to see our old friend Poe again. The relationships between everyone grows much deeper, and you truly see some tender moments.

Emily takes their “will they or won’t they” relationship to a new level. SPOILER ALERT: THEY WILL. Emily and Wendell continue to make me giggle and kick my feet, but there were some…unexpected moments!

Heather Fawcett is really digging herself into my heart and is becoming one of my favorite authors. Just an absolute pleasure.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the review copy!

I received an eARC from NetGalley.
I had doubts going into this that this could even come close to how good the first one was, but I’m so happy to say I was COMPLETELY wrong! If you loved the first one, you absolutely have to pick this one up as well. So grateful to have had the opportunity to read this early.

Tropes/Themes:
Academia
Adventure/Quest
Grumpy x Sunshine
Slow Burn
Genre:
Romance
Cozy Fantasy

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book-possibly more than the first one but for different reasons
I have really enjoyed reading cozy fantasys with a medium stake level when it comes to the adventure
I love Wendell and Emily’s relationship. He balances out her intensity but you can see that he deeply cares for her throughout the book with all the little things that he does
I likes that there were a few more side characters this story
I still adore Poe and his little loaves of bread that he brings Emily
The driving force of this story is different than the last one, so while the research is still a main point, it’s not as important as the last one
I liked that there was a little more romance in this one and we got to see how Wendell and Emily’s relationship developed
I like the addition of Rose’s character but I think I would have liked to have a little bit more from him
I would like to listen to the audio of this book like I did for the first one
The very descriptive language helps me feel like I am immersed in the story and I want pictures/fan art so badly!

Quotes:
“Other women snore, or talk in their sleep. I don’t recall ever being woken by the sound of vigorous pencil scratching.”
“I enchanted all of your pencils,” he said without opening his eyes. “You always have at least one upon your person. I knew they would come in handy.” He added, as I continued to stare at him, “Well I can’t carry a bloody sword around with me everywhere,”
He does not understand you as I do, Em, but as you seem to consider him a friend now. I told him the truth: in order to be surprised, I could not have known already that you are capable of anything.

Just as with the first novel, the second follows Emily Wilde and Wendell through some perilous adventures. It took me a long time to get into the first book, but with that under my belt, the second was much easier to read and follow.

I especially love Wendell's wit and Emily's bravery - plus their banter/camaraderie is always impressive. I liked this book more than the first one, which isn't normal for me!

Really loved this book and cannot wait for future installments (fingers crossed!)

Thank you for this ARC, NetGalley, Random House, and Ballentine.
#EmilyWildesMapoftheOtherlands #NetGalley

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is the second in Heather Fawcett's Emily Wilde Series. This book, like the first, features Cambridge professor Emily Wilde journaling about her research expeditions as foremost scholar on dryadology--the study of fairies and their lore. This time, Emily has traveled to the Swiss Alps to find a door into the realm of her colleague and paramour, who himself is a fairie prince. The pair are joined by a stodgy professor who is expert in folklore of the Alps and Emily's niece Ariadne, keen to follow in her aunt's field of study. This entry in the series is consistent with the first in terms of charming, witty, and oddball narrative, as well as introductions to fun fae creatures, alt history, magic, fairy lore, intrigue, and romance. I love encyclopedias, but maps are my favorite. I wanted a little more cartographic jargon and detail, but otherwise I was all in. Looking forward to Book 3.

[Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I love, love, love the way that Heather writes this world and I will happily consume anything else she writes at this point.

Getting to see Emily and Wendell again, and of course Shadow, was so wonderful. I love the new additions of Rose and Ariadne. I thought this group of characters did so well together.

I am still a little iffy on the writing format (of reading Emily’s journals), but the concept is fun. I am not sure how I feel about how quickly it seems we got rid of Wendell’s stepmother, after two books of discussing it, but as these are journal entries, I understand the speed.

I feel like I liked the idea of this book more than the book itself.
For a large part of this book, not much happens.
It’s always interesting when we actually get to encounter the folk, or when Emily makes her way into Faerie. I think more stuff happened in book one to keep me interested, but in book two we only get to Faerie near the end, and it only lasts for a few chapters.
Furthermore, it seemed to me that most of the conflicts we witness in this book are resolved quickly. It takes only a few chapters—as mentioned before—for Emily to retrieve the cat, and the rescues of De Gray, and Eichorn felt very anti-climactic.

As far as how the book is written, I don’t think it’s for me. That’s not really a factor that I think will affect its success. That’s more or a preference, and therefore did not affect my rating.

I have hopes that the next book will be more exciting since it sounds like that one will take place mostly in Wendell’s realm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing group for providing an early e-copy!

I will also be sharing my review on my Instagram tomorrow. (@book.hoarding.dragon)

I received a copy of this book to review. This book is symmetrical to Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Fairies with the addition of new beloved characters.

Although the characters pretty much remain static, there was some evolution to Emily's stoic attitude towards others. By the end of the book, she seems more free with her affections towards the ones she loves.

Wendell doesn't change at all, but remains to be the same overtly clean fairy prince that he was in the first book.

I loved the addition of Rose and Emily's niece to the team. They both offset and mirrored each other perfectly. They both had a tendency to get on Emily's last nerve, and both had a lot to offer.

Overall, this was a great book 2 and it still leaves room for more. Now the question is, will Emily be queen?

I liked the first one, however I loved this one. It had a slow start for me but as soon as they were traveling I was hooked. And then enchanted and enthralled. A step up in nearly every area from the first book while keeping the focus on folktales and fae in a fun and classic way that we don’t see a lot today. Big recommend

This book was a good continuation of the Emily Wilde story. If you liked the first in the series, you will enjoy this one. I did find the pacing to be a little erratic where we are quickly jumping from place to place, and not every interaction seems to move the story forward. I did like the building of Emily and Wendell's relationship.

I absolutely adored the first novel in this series, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, and I was extremely hopeful that Heather Fawcett would be able to keep up the quality for the sequel. I'm more than happy to announce that -- she totally did. Map of the Otherlands is just as fascinating, entertaining, and easy to read as Encyclopedia of Faeries. We see familiar beloved faces, and of course, meet some brand new ones. While I think I enjoyed Encyclopedia of Faeries a little bit more, I still really, thoroughly enjoyed Map of the Otherlands.

We see Emily and Wendell's relationship evolve -- though there really isn't that much romance in this book, either. Neither of these books qualify for a fantasy-romance genre, and that's TOTALLY fine. These work so well for what they are, no one should be upset at the lack of on-page romance. Emily herself carries these books entirely on her own -- Wendell is fascinating and rather funny, but he doesn't move the plot the same way that Emily does.

Plus Emily's just infinitely cooler. She's still no nonsense, eager to further her education and research on faeries as a whole. She does, however, admit that she has a huge soft spot for Wendell. (Which....obviously.) ANYWAY, sheesh this review is rambly. The plot of Map of the Otherlands is Emily and Wendell looking for the door to his kingdom. I won't go further into detail than that, because it's worth discovering as you read the book!

TO SUM UP -- Map of the Otherlands is absolutely worth the read. If you loved Encyclopedia of Faeries, you'll adore the sequel, no questions asked.

Emily and Wendell are magical and this series continues to impress. Now that we know just who Wendell is we are off to seek his realm. Who better than the brilliant Emily Wilde as his accomplice and paramour. A brand new adventure, new characters and even a wicked stepmother. This was so good I can’t wait for more, thanks to netgalley and Delray books.