This follow up to Encyclopedia is just as delightful, cozy, and charming as the first book, featuring a new adventure, new friends (some wonderfully creepy), and some scene stealing cameos from characters in book 1. I did feel that this was slow to start and doesn't really hit its stride until the characters start their traveling. But it makes up for that by having MORE BANTER between Emily and Wendell, as they spend most of the book in each other's company, to both parties' delight and mutual vexation. We also learn more about Wendell's background and make progress on his plotline from book 1, to a very satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an e-arc of this novel!
Emily and Wendell return in this charming, cozy follow up to Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries! Emily is now challenged with making a map of the faerie realms, while at the same time searching for a door to go to Wendell’s realm.
Wendell’s vile stepmother is out to get him, sending her assassins to Cambridge to finish him and squash any threat to the throne.
Emily, Wendell, Rose, Shadow, and Ariadne, Emily’s niece, set off to the Australian Alps for their mission. While there, they must avoid the wrath of the dangerous folk living there and learn more about faerie doors, all while trying to piece together a mystery. The research of a dryadologist who went missing in the area may be the key to answering their questions, but few have spotted her during the long time she’s been missing.

Both Emily and Wendell are very unique and interesting characters, and I was happy to get back into their banter and antics. I enjoyed the addition of Rose and Ariadne on this journey, as they were complementary to the team. This book also showed a more emotional side of Emily as well, which was enjoyable to read. I’m hoping there’s a third book, because Emily Wilde is my comfort world!

I recommend both books in the series to anyone that enjoys faeries, folklore, fantasy, cozy books, etc. I think anyone could find something endearing in this series!

I loved the first book in the series and this one was even better! I got even more of what I enjoyed-this series somehow mixes scientific research with fantasy along with a a brilliant curmudgeonly heroine who banters with a particularly vain faerie research/romantic partner. I loved that Emily and Wendell accept each other 'as is' even though they find each other exasperating.
As this story opens, Emily has published her first "nonfiction" book about faeries and is fielding a proposal from Wendell. Wendell is still trying to figure out how to get home to Faerie with Emily's help. Suddenly, Wendell's stepmother (a faerie queen), sends assassins to Cambridge University to kill Wendell! Chaos ensues and Emily, Wendell and some new secondary characters head to the Alps circa 1910 in order to potentially find the needed door.
I can't recommend this series enough-I don't read a lot of fantasy anymore but this is SO worth it. It's a gem! Even the pets are fun and endearing :).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review. I really really hope that there is another book please!

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a compelling sequel. In this book, Emily and Wendell search a new village for a door or nexus of sorts to get Wendell back to his faerie realm. This book is such a natural continuation of the first book in everything from the plot to the character arcs. My favorite addition, aside from the exploration of more faerie creatures, was the plotline of finding past researchers who had gone missing on the search for the faerie realm nexus (a point where the faerie realm doors connect). This plotline allows for views that oppose our narrator when it comes to her research as well as providing a segue from the present to the history of the faeries. I hope Heather Fawcett writes a third installment soon!

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for January 11th
Blog post goes live January 16th
Will be featured in December Reads Part 2
Amazon Review to be submitted when released

TL;DR - I had a lot of fun. Not as strong as the first, but a lot of VERY cool developments and world building.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies was a bit of a sleeper hit for me last year. I finished in December and I genuinely enjoyed it. I had low expectations but it was very fun. Map of the Otherlands is the follow up that expands on the story of Wendell and his quest for the Door he needs. He and Emily, along with a collogue and Emily’s niece travel to a new location with new people and new fairies.

One of the only things I wished we had a bit more of in the first book were more of the Common Fae, the smaller brownie type fairies. In this one we definitely see more of those, and Poe from book one returns a few times which delighted me (I loved him in book one). We also see more of the inside of a Fairy land. That last quarter of the book had me racing to find out what was happening.

My only complain? Disclaimer? I can give these books is that consistently the first third is a little on the dry side and moves a bit slowly. After the halfway mark they pickup pace as things begin to unravel, but you do have to push a bit through that first portion. Otherwise I really loved this follow-up. I wouldn’t say it was nearly as strong as book one, but we get some great payoff in the relationship department and the world is explored even further.

4 out of 5 twisted doors

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries was a unexpected favorite read in 2023, so getting a chance to read an ARC of the sequel, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, was such a wonderful experience! Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands follows our favorites from the first book, Emily and Wendell, as well as some new faces, Emily’s niece and the department head from the dryadology program.

I genuinely think I liked this book more than the first one! While the first book definitely had adventure, I think the second had a more interesting adventure, and dove more into Emily and Wendell’s relationship, and where it might be going. I liked getting more of Wendell’s history as well with his kingdom, and I thought the experiences with the fae in this book were more exciting and endearing then the first.

Similar to the first, however, is how engaging the pace of the story is. I found myself being drawn in to the story and not wanting to put it down. I’d read, and realize I’d made it pretty far without even taking a second to drink some water! Additionally, there were definitely less footnotes then the first one, and while I loved the use of footnotes, I think having less helped with the pacing a bit as well.

Genuinely, if you liked the first one, I think you should definitely pick up the sequel. It’s fun and exciting, and I cannot wait to see where this story goes next. I think where this story left off sets up such an interesting book three.

I love this series so much. What a wonderful second installment. I was hooked from the first chapter. So much action, great plot advancement, even more unique magic, and tons of new (quite dreadful) faeries.

I laughed out loud a ton. Usually at Wendell’s responses and reactions to Emily. Ugh I just adore them both so much!

The new characters were a great addition to the growing cast. So glad we got some glimpses of Poe. I love that little guy.

I don’t want to say much more because I don’t want to give any spoilers. Go in blind friends and enjoy the ride!

This book ends beautifully like the first… with lots to look forward to in the next book, but a nice ending on its own… no cliffhanger!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers gif the chance to review an advance copy.

BEYOND grateful to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC! It took no time at all for Emily and Wendell to pull me into the chaotic antics once again. While I do miss the villagers, I adored the new characters we met along the way. This book certainly upheld the sense of adventure and thrill I found in the first book, and I'm beyond excited to read it once again when it's published.

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.
I absolutely loved this! It was fantastic and I can not wait to see what's next! The character development, plot, and story were so well developed. I loved it.

This was such a cozy and wonderful fantasy romance read, I'm in awe of the beautiful writing. The author's world-building is spectacular, and a wonderful sequel.

I liked this one more than the first (which I also liked), although it is definitely cozy and on the slower side until the last 25%. I think once you get used to the characters and writing style, it’s easier to get into. I loved that we finally got more of the Faerie realm, but I wish it had happened sooner but I’m excited for the next book, which I assume will be primarily in Faerie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, and I was delighted to see it being continued so soon after I discovered the first one.

Emily Wilde must juggle the publication of her book, a romantic proposal, an accusation of academic dishonesty, & the beginnings of her own atlas of faerie. Easy, right?

And i was not disappointed, even a little bit. I was worried that this might suffer from being the second book. But it is just as charming & delightful as the first!

We get great character growth for Emily, but it doesn’t feel rushed! She is gradually learning to be more vulnerable and more open, but it’s not immediate, or permanent. She backslides fairly often into relying only on herself, but she’s learning. And seeing the developing relationship with Wendell, as well as her connections with others like Ariadne and Rose, is just wonderful. More and more we see glimpses of the varieties of the world of faerie, including a delightful fox faerie that I desperately want some kind of stuffed version.. And I am so intrigued with how faerie doors work. Basically I just want to read all of Emily’s academic papers.

And the story! We get continuation of threads set up in book one, paired with a really satisfying conclusion! And then there are even more threads for a sequel without cliffhangers or making me feel like I only got half a story.

I loved this book, and I cannot wait for another one from Fawcett. Whether it’s a third in Emily Wilde’s series or a brand new story, I’m definitely going to be picking it up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is the second book in the Emily Wilde series, and is just as enjoyable as the first!

Emily and Wendell are in search of a door back to Wendell's kingdom and think that a previous explorer/scientist, Danielle de Grey, found a nexus in the Austrian Alps. De Grey disappeared years ago, but they have an old map of hers that Emily feels she can use to find the nexus (and maybe de Grey as well). Coming along are Emily's niece Ariadne and her boss, Farris Rose.

They encounter all sorts of faerie troubles and people trouble, too, as they bring down the ire of the local Folk on the inhabitants of St. Liesel. There is poison and crazy mists and other pitfalls to overcome as well.

There will be a book three, which is something to look forward to! Emily's slow burn romance with Wendell and the addition of her enchanting niece makes this a series to look forward to!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett was everything I hoped for in a sequel and more. This book combined the delightful meandering of book one, with a dash more action and adventure. I love how Fawcett’s creativity shines in these books. From the wonderful characters to the mischievous faeries, this book had so much to love. Emily is still quirky, scholarly, and socially awkward and I love her. Wendell is easily my favorite part of these books and my only complaint was that I wanted more of him in the story. This book was the fantasy romp I needed and I’ll definitely be rereading it soon.

*I received an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

This managed to be both cozy and comforting while also having some darker elements that are expected when it comes to the fae. I loved seeing Poe again and I hope we get more Emily and Wendell in more books. Thank you to netgalley and Del Ray for the e-arc. This is my honest review.

This was soo good! I’m really enjoying this series especially the characters. Love this cozy book. Makes me want to cuddle with my blanket and just keep reading.

This was fine. For me, the stakes in this book and the first one, as well as the writing style, are not my favorite. While I think the story is sweet, there's just an academic feel to the writing (which I know is intentional) that makes the narration feel too distant for my taste. This is very much a personal preference.

I love Emily’s perspective, I would love to read more books in this series! I do think this book has a bit of a slower pace than the first book. That might be one of my bigger struggles with the book. I felt like I wanted a bit more from the pacing and the romance in particular. Overall though I still had a good time reading this book and I hope there are spinoff or more books in the series because I really liked the world building.

I waited so long to do a review! I honestly was thinking about what to write (in my head) that I thought I already wrote the thing.

I thought this was such a delightful read, and even better than the first one since all the groundwork is established in book 1. We get to experience a new place, with new interesting things-and new perils. Emily and Wendell are adorable and as someone else pointed out Sophie/Howl coded and now... I can't not see it. It's the great dynamic of grumpy and sunshine partners.

Things are a little more complicated while working on the Encyclopedia of Faeries because Emily has been saddled with not only mentoring her overly enthusiastic niece (she's actually quite knowledgeable about dryads), but also the troublesome department head (if I remember correctly).

This one occurs in a far less icy, but still inhospitable location. The faeries are still dangerous, their companions are still in close quarters and become suspicious of things-the locals are odd in different ways. However, there are new friends to be made, attempts on one's life to be had, and progress on the Encyclopedia of Faery to be made.

Given more characters, not just Emily and Wendell, I thought I would not like it as much, but Fawcett just weaves a fantastic narrative that draws you into the world just as humans are drawn into Faerie-for better or worse.

I really felt like the pacing of the book was very slow. I was really hoping the romance was going to pick up in the second book and it didn’t for me.