5 🌟
0 🌶️

What a wonderful duology! Emily's second adventure with the Folk was so exciting and revealed more about Emily to Emily than anticipated. I believe a good descriptor of Emily is her equanimity. She rarely gets rattled as she depends upon her superior intellect and vast knowledge regarding things in her chosen field of dryadology. Since her last adventure and her proposal from Wendell Bramley (exiled Fae prince), things have returned to normal, or so she thinks. That is until assassins begin trying to kill Wendell. So starts Emily's latest adventure.

Heather Fawcett manages to write another cozy and adventurous tale filled with unusual Folk and a cast of characters to keep Emily on her toes. This adventure included a hunt for a lost door, the whereabouts of a long-lost dyradologist, and tangling with an unusual array of Folk that are neither charming nor very nice. This adventure has Emily questioning some of her behaviors, realizing she can make mistakes, and determining how vitally important Wendell is to her. All of this is written in her journaling style, which only adds to the book's charm. The pace is just right, and it all is so enjoyable. I am so fortunate to have received an ARC of this book. This is a fantastic conclusion to the story, and I look forward to what Heather Fawcett may write next.

Thank you @Netgalley and @RandomHouse @Ballantine

Amazing! I liked this book even better than the first. Fawcett’s use of Emily’s scholarly gaze to view the nonsensical is so lovely. I would read many many more books from Emily’s perspective!

If you haven't read the first Emily Wilde book you will definitely want to go back and do that. Although much of what happens here is not dependent on knowing what occurred previously, there are a lot of references to those events and characters. I felt like with Map of the Otherlands the stakes were higher and the story developed more quickly. Within the first few chapters we are introduced to a group of assassins and Emily and Wendell are on the run. I liked the addition of Rose and Adriadne to this world. Emily needs someone to debate with and Rose is the perfect adversary for that. I liked that he is also a the more sensible/old-school one and Emily is more of the jump first and see what happens type. And as much as Ariadne drives Emily crazy, she is really the perfect assistant for her. I also really liked getting to see Poe again. I love the world building the author has done here, it never feels over-the-top (at least as far as I am concerned). I am very much looking forward to seeing what Emily and Wendell get up to in the next book.

This is one of those instances where the sequel is better than the first book. I loved Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries but this one blew it away. It felt like the first book was setting up the foundation for the true story and now we’re really getting to dive into the world of Faerie and the relationship between Wendell and Emily.

I freaking love Wendell. He is the star of the show and I wish so bad we could get more chapters from his pov. I love the mystery of his character and seeing little glimpses into how he thinks.

I was so happy to see that another book is going to be published because I can’t get enough of this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy to review!

EMILY WILDE'S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS is our second adventure with Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby. This time, Emily has a new project and a determination to help Wendell find the door to his realm. Their travels take them to the Austrian Alps as they seek to escape from faerie assassins. But the Alps contain more than just beautiful scenery and charming mountainside villages. Soon, our heroes find themselves in over their heads and uncovering unexpected secrets.

After two novels, I can say that Heather Fawcett's creations remain delightful. For all her curmudgeonly ways, Emily is so lovable. Wendell woos Emily with such lovely attention that I can't understand why she still won't answer his proposal. Their banter is sweet, affectionate, and charming. I could read about them all day.

Ms. Fawcett continues to impress me with her writing. Her descriptions of the Alps put you there among the action, but the Folk and Faerie come alive under her pen. While Wendell makes the Folk look fun-loving and safe, Ms. Fawcett ensures we understand how dangerous they are. Some of Emily's encounters are downright scary, and there is no doubt that not all of the Folk are as innocuous as Wendell is.

EMILY WILDE'S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS is every bit as charming as the first book. While we now know the characters' truths, we lose nothing in the knowing. If anything, we are more vested in their story, and it works. With its tension, a frisson of horror, and all the awkward love that Emily feels toward others, EMILY WILDE'S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS is a fantastic way to start the new year.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. I feel like Emily was so much more personable in this story and we got a little more insight to her emotions outside of her scholarly exterior. I really loved her wit and cleverness in this book. We saw it last book, but I felt a lot more impressed in this one. I really adored her and Wendell’s dynamic even more in this novel. I thought it was cute how relaxed Emily appears around him in comparison to everyone else. She really is so smart and understanding of of their customs and way of life. It’s so amazing to see.
I also love all the secondary characters. I feel like they all really add so much to the story. Each character is so fun in their own way and brings either a new cleverness or a new level of kindness that really brings everything together.
This story was just so much fun. What an adventure. I can’t wait for the next book. I will happily read anything about Emily and Wendell and Shadow. Such a cute family. I’m obsessed.

I think I actually liked this book more than the first. Emily is still the clever but slightly naive scholar. And she seems to be more of the focus this time around. She is the one figuring out things as Wendell is partly indisposed. Plus, this time around we get a fairy dog AND cat. The pacing in this one is also more even. Overall, an enjoyable book with fairies, interesting magic, and a good storyline.

With this sequel, I am again validated that this is as if Bones fell back in time and was an expert in Fae. Snuggle up because this followed in the footsteps of the first book by being another cozy winter read. The mountain vibes of Austria were chilly and vast and there is a bit of an Alice in Wonderland nonsense to both of these books.

The pacing felt similar to the first but had a bit of an easier-to-fall-into start. We pick up a few months where the first book left off with Emily and Wendell back at Cambridge. Emily has found some clues that might lead to Wendell's door and circumstances from Faerie and Cambridge force our little crew on their trip to Austria ASAP.

Some new characters are added to the mix that brought out challenges and growth to our main duo. Sometimes I found myself a bit irritated with how Emily would interact with her niece but I think that's the point. Her behavior was on brand and we got to see her work through some interpersonal relationship struggles in different ways. I think that is where this book truly shines, the character growth from Emily (we did see moments with Wendell too but honestly he was a bit indisposed for a large chunk). There were moments with Rose where the way they could just be themselves that were quite sweet. The banter continued to be top-tier!

I still thoroughly enjoyed the academic tone and the journal entries! I don't know if other people find this series as funny as I do but there were several moments where the dry humor and the ridiculous situations had me cackling. I was so happy to see Poe again (and meet the terror that is Snowbell)! The plot was just as steady as the first and questions had satisfying answers. This was a solid sequel and I am excited to jump into the next book!

Final thought: As a millennial with an aging dog I got in my 20s, Emily and Shadow really hit me in my soul. I love how this little part feels for me. Also Orga!

-signed a dog AND cat person. Actually, let's be real...I'd probably try to pet Snowbell.




Big thanks to Netgalley and Del Rey for the ARC! Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands releases on January 16, 2024

This second Emily Wilde book was just as full of fairies but also has much more adventure and danger! It is a great continuation of Emily Wilde's studies and travels, with new lands and creatures.

This was such a fun read! I love Emily and her quirky side and Wendall is just my favorite! Loved the nonstop adventure of this one and how fast paced it was! I would definitely read more in the series! Really enjoyed this one!!

You should begin reading this book by not expecting anything to make “sense.” And then you will enjoy the fantasy that Heather Fawcett weaves for your entertainment. The main characters, Emily and Wendell, are professors at a University that is, and is not, part of Cambridge. Emily is mortal and Wendell is a fairy king from another country. The third character of importance is Professor Rose, a kind of rival of Emily’s, who talks his way into going to the Swiss Alps with her and Wendell.

It's easy to get involved in this fantasy right away, but I do wish I had taken the time to read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. There are many references to people, things and places that were part of Emily and Wendell’s first adventure. Fawcett does do a good job of working in biographical details of her characters, so I understood that as well as looking for a lost professor, the group on the Swiss expedition are also looking for a back door into Wendell’s kingdom so he can take his throne back from his mother.

This is the second book of a trilogy. If you, like me, are reading the second book without reading the first, go back and read volume one so that you're fully ready for the third book.

Almost but not quite as magically delightful as Book 1, it is still nevertheless a delight.

More faeries, more adventure, more magic.

And maybe there will be a book 3?

I received an ARC from the publisher

It was so wonderful to be back with Emily and Wendell! The series is such a whimsical and quirky ride. I love the adventures that these two intentionally (and unintentionally) get into. Emily is brilliant and such a fantastic heroine. I love seeing her outmaneuver and triumph over her adversaries. Her inner monologue is so funny and the banter between her and Wendell is a delight. I was also happy that things progressed romantically between Emily and Wendell in this book (closed door).

A lot happens in the book, but it also doesn’t. Instead of going from point A to B, there were dozens of little stops that made up the majority of the action in the book. Yes, we eventually get to point B, but it was in a very roundabout way. I also felt like there were some missed opportunities to delve deeper into characters and backstories (specifically the Queen). The end wrapped up quickly and sadly most of the action occurs off page. We do get 1 chapter in Wendell’s POV though, so that’s always fun. The end isn’t a cliffhanger, but it really sets up the next book (which is supposed to be the final book). I’m excited to see what happens next as they travel to Silva Lupi.

I mainly listened to the audiobook and adored the narration by Ell Potter again. She’s so talented and the casting couldn’t have been more perfect. Michael Dodds is also great and compliments Ell Potter very well. Please note that he only narrates one chapter.

Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

*I voluntarily read and listened to an advanced review copy of this book*

What a beautiful sequel!

This book was everything I was hoping for, and it was definitely worth the wait!

I loved pretty much everything about this book: the plot, the characters, the pacing, the writing style! Everything had me so intrigued. The writing style of this series is by far one of my favorite styles I've read in awhile. It feels so unique, and it gives the reader such a different perspective to the events of the book. I thought the pacing was also very easy to follow, and it flowed so nicely. The plot was enjoyable and fairly easy to follow.

I will say this is a harder read. It took me a lot of brain power and focus to read this, which isn't a bad thing, but it is something to note if you're not into that kind of writing. I, personally, really enjoy the challenge, and I think it's definitely think it's a story worth taking your time on.

My only thing I had been hoping for in this book was little more romance. Although, there was some, it still was very much not necessarily the focal point.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and it was definitely a top read of 2023. I can't wait to continue with this series and see where it goes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this review copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

This sequel has all the charm and wit of the original. Emily and Bambleby are having a cozy start to the semester in Oxford when Bambleby is mysteriously poisoned on his birthday, a circumstance which hurts his feelings greatly. Even worse, his stepmother begins sending fairy assassins after him while he's teaching a class. Emily and Bambleby decide they must set off on an expedition at once to track down a faerie door to Bambleby's faerie kingdom.

This is still a grumpy/sunshine romance, but Emily's prickles have been tamed somewhat. As Bambleby and Emily are properly in love now, though she still hasn't accepted his marriage proposal, the author introduces a new foil for Emily: a grouchy department head, Dr. Rose. Dr. Rose insists on going along with their expedition and fighting Emily for control of it.

The book is told through the perspective of Emily's journal once again, and she adds scholarly footnotes and faerie stories which give both additional context and charm. In an echo of the first book, Bambleby writes an entry as well.

As Emily and Bambleby track two mysterious scholars lost in Faerie who haunt a local village while dodging deadly fauns, this book reminds the reader of the sweetly sinister nature of the folk. This slow burn cozy fantasy enchants with every line.

Favorite quotes:
"I've been reading stories of the Folk since I was a little girl. This is everything I've ever hoped for."
"Everything you ever hoped," he repeated thoughtfully. "But if you come with us, you will also find everything you ever feared."

"(Bambleby) is no help whatsoever in easing my concerns, merely repeating his refrain that he has no idea what the symptoms are, and why should he as he has never in his life been poisoned before, and on his birthday too."

Fawcett’s Emily Wilde sequel ranks pretty high up on my 2024 anticipated list, considering how much I absolutely loved Encyclopaedia of Faeries; but after reading, it fell a bit flat for me. Undoubtedly, the writing style still propels me through the book, as it’s reminiscent of all of the Victorian and Edwardian literature I’ve read and studied, but the pacing in this one dragged quite heavily in the middle. Though I flew through the first book in a short amount of time, it took me over a month to power through this one, despite it’s short, 342-page length. I kept picking up other books to read and avoiding finishing this one too often. The title gives the impression that there will be a significant amount of traveling in the Otherlands, but the majority of the book takes place in one spot with the characters looking for the entrance to the Otherlands. Despite its shortcomings and my struggle to get through it, I did like it when I was finished but ultimately wish the storyline were more engaging.

Despite its pacing issues (for me at least, though quite a few folk on Goodreads highly rated this one, so I must be in the minority or there’s a bit of a rating inflation going on), the characters were just as charming as ever. Wendell is still neurotically tidy, crazy about Emily, and perfect comic relief. Emily is still an introverted curmudgeon who has a hard time expressing her feelings, and Shadow is his same wonderfully canid self. We meet a great many new characters, which I also liked, but I won’t name them or give details to keep from spoiling anything for potential readers.

The plot in this one felt very formulaic to me as well, which I suspect may be at the root of my pacing complaint. The first book followed a pattern of occurrences, such as Emily going to a new place, interacting with the locals, exploring the terrain looking for faeries, discovering said faeries, encountering a problem where one of the characters needs assistance that necessitates the traveling to a faerie realm, experiencing some danger there, and then wrapping everything up with a happily for now closure. Some readers appreciate the familiarity and predictability of such plot structures, but I do not and found it hard to push through because I just got bored.

What I do love about the predictability of the Emily Wilde books revolves around the armchair traveling. Each book is set in a different location with fantastic atmosphere (I love the cold and high elevations, so the Alps is so great) and guarantees encounters with faerie creatures who have charming and often hilarious idiosyncrasies. Readers will reunite with some old fae friends and converse with some old human ones as well.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, action-packed romantasy, you won’t find it in Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. Sure, it’s romantic. It certainly has brief blips of action and increased pace. The real action of Map of the Otherlands occurs at the very beginning and the very end of the book. The plot does not revolve around the romance in this one; it has a bit more substance to it with a romantic subplot. This is not a negative aspect for me; I always prefer my fantasy with more than romance. It is less hygge than its predecessor as well, as the characters spend quite a bit more time outside in the elements.

Overall, I have to rate this one a 3.5 out of 5. I did not enjoy the repetitive plot structure and slow pacing. I will still pick it up for my collection in hopes the future installment(s) will improve. If you loved the first one, definitely give this one a read. Though it’s not an improvement on the series, it’s certainly not a detriment.

My thanks to Del Rey at Penguin Random House via NetGalley for the eARC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion. (**This book will be published by Orbit from Hachette books in the UK**)

#heatherfawcett #emilywildesmapoftheotherlands #delrey #penguinrandomhouse #lgbt #faeries

After Wendell is poisoned during an assassination attempt courtesy of his stepmother, Emily and Wendell set off on another adventure in the hopes of finding the nexus - a door that is rumored to lead to many different Faerie locations including Wendell’s own realm. This time, they’re accompanied by Emily’s niece Ariadne, who has become a self-appointed assistant to Emily, and a curmudgeonly fellow professor by the name of Farris Rose, who thinks Emily is a fool to trust Wendell, let alone become romantically entangled.

The first book in this series was one of my favorite books of the year, and I’m happy to report that the second installment delighted me just as much! The bantering between Emily and Wendell and the clever humor in Emily’s journal-writing felt reminiscent of the first book while still feeling fresh. The stakes in this one were perhaps even higher, and I loved that we got to explore new places and new faeries, while also revisiting some old friends.

Five stars. I’m convinced Heather Fawcett is writing these books especially for me and I will quite literally read as many of these as she graces us with!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this review copy!

Emily, yet again, proves to be an absolute delight! I love the journaling style of this book. There were definitely elements in this one that felt a bit slower. But boy did I fly through the last 1/3 of the book! I’m definitely looking forward to her next story!

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is whimsical, amusing, and just plain fun. It is unlikely to win over readers who weren't fans of the first. BUT I found it even more enjoyable. Emily remains stoic and focused, while Wendel remains charming and head over heels for her. His proposal hangs in the air unanswered as they avoid assassination attempts and map the faerie world for the first time. All of the enchanting details of the first, with the same witty chemistry between Emily and Wendel, but none of the extra time needed to world build. I think the pacing has improved in this sequel without feeling rushed or half-baked. A joy to read.

This was very cute. The writing was not overly complex which I appreciate. I also love the formatting of this being journal style; it feels very personal.