This book takes place shortly after the ending of the story told in part one (and I think that it would be helpful to have read the events of the first book - plus, it's really good!). Emily is back at Cambridge, but Wendell's past intrudes on them, and the pair travels to Austria in search of a door to let Wendell return to the fae kingdom.

The characters in this series are so fun. Emily is a scholar above all else, and her approach to things is smart, and sometimes funny to read about because it's so analytical. I really liked Wendell, Emily's niece, and even the grumpy professor that ends up going with them. And of course, I'm in love with Shadow, the grim who follows Emily everywhere.

If you enjoyed the first book in this series, be sure to pick this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I genuinely wanted to love this book! I really liked the first one despite a few hangups, and I often find myself enjoying the second book in a series more than the first because I’m already invested in the characters. Unfortunately, that was not the case for me. While I still enjoyed the same aspects that I did in the first book - namely, the characters, the folklore, and the banter, I found the writing style to be tedious and would have preferred the story to be much shorter.

There really is a lot to like about this book - Emily grows a lot during the story, and I appreciate that her strength is something that she completely owns and is also recognized by those around her. I read so many “chosen one” fantasies, and while I do love that trope, I like that Emily isn’t magical, but she’s so smart and quick that she comes out on top anyway. You see her start to get the respect in academic circles that she deserves, and you also see her grow more secure in her more personal relationships. I will also say that the romance felt a little more natural in this book, but I’m still not really a fan.

Getting through parts of this book was such a slog that I was tempted to quit several times, but the pacing does pick up as the story goes on. I also felt like many chapters were written as some sort of fever dream as a result of the effects that magic has on Emily’s mind, but it felt very frustrating as a reader - like reading about someone’s hallucinogenic drug trip and being expected to understand what was going on.

Overall, it’s a cozy low-stakes fantasy with whip-smart dialogue and lovable characters, but it just doesn’t connect with me as a reader on a strong emotional level. I can definitely see why and how others love this series so much, and I will definitely be reading the next installment!

This was a delightful cozy fantasy! It’s a great follow-up to the first book in the series. It grabs you right away. There are assassins, dangerous and friendly Fae, a quest, an adventure to the Alps, and old friends and new. Emily and Wendell are charming characters who make me laugh with their banter.

I loved this! I can’t wait for the next one in the series. If you liked the first book, you’ll probably like this one, too. It was nice to be back in this world with such fantastic characters. It comes out January 16. Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC.

I absolutely fell in love with Fawcett's first book in the series, and I couldn't wait to delve back into Emily's next adventure. Her world building is fantastic, the supporting characters wonderfully drawn, and the story is just addicting. What fun - a not-fluffy world of fairytale like creatures that you don't want to meet in the dark, and some really fun magical elements.

Ahhh it was so nice returning to the world of Emily Wilde!

This second book in the series takes place only a few months after the ending of the first book. Wendell and Emily are back at Cambridge but not for long before assassination attempts and a visit from a mysterious person cause them to turn their search for a door to Wendell's realm into high gear. They travel to Austria with Emily's niece, Ariadne, and a fellow professor, Farris Rose.

I loved this one more than the first book! It's easy to slip right back into Emily Wilde's world and feel at home!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I adore Emily Wilde! This sequel was just as good as the first! I love her relationship with Bambleby and her total lack of people skills. The only thing I found lacking in this book was the fun relationships she built with the villagers in book one. I seriously cannot wait for the next installment in this series!

Heather Fawcett was written a fantastic follow up to the first book in the Emily Wilde series. I enjoyed the familiar characters, and the new faces grew on me until I loved them just as much as all my old favorites. The new setting was particularly interesting, as well as how Wendell’s family drama developed. Emily and Wendell’s relationship remains a hilarious yet sweet romance, and their arc in this book felt very true to both their characters.

This book exceeded my expectations for a sequel. Fawcett’s prose is delightful, and Emily develops as a character in heart-warming ways. Wendell continues to be himself, as frustratingly charming as ever. This is the perfect cozy fantasy for fans of academia, fae, and footnotes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the earc!

While I really enjoyed the first book, EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS was fantastic. I found the footnotes delightful, loved the relationship between E & W, and thought the cozy fantasy nature of this was wonderful for an evening at home with a cup of tea.

3.75/5 ⭐️

We pick up where we left off in Encyclopaedia of Faeries with Emily and Bambleby trying to find the door that leads to Bambleby’s home. Though research is not the main focus of this novel as it was in book 1, this book is still written in journal format and has a research feel to it.

I will be honest, I mentally wanted to DNF this book several times because I felt the beginning was just too slow for me. Once I hit the 60% mark, the book began to pick up and I was able to read half of the book in one day.

Emily’s foray into Faerie is a bit trippy as her memory becomes hazy and she cannot recall everything that occurred during this time, the effect of Faerie on mortals. That being said, the last 30-40% of this book had a lot crammed into it with this haziness and a lot of action that I wish was spread into more of the first 60-70% of the book.

For this reason, my rating for Map of the Otherlands is a tad lower than for Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

However, I did love the appearance of Poe (my favorite!) and Snowbell quickly became a favorite character of mine as well. I enjoyed the introduction of Emily’s niece, Ariadne, as well.

Overall, I give this book 3.75 stars.

Thanks for NetGalley for the ARC for my review!

A continuation of the charming, cozy modern fairytale series. It's what I would call "fantasy light academia" because of the lighthearted, enchanting academic vibes colluding with magic, as opposed to the "dark academia". If you enjoyed cozy fantasies like Legends & Lattes, or fae-inspired books like The Cruel Prince or An Enchantment of Ravens (with a lighter bend), or Victorian fantasies like The Paper Magician this is for you. It's a delightful blend of all three.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is one of the most enjoyable sequels I’ve read in recent years. It followed the same formula as the first book, but in a way that brought comfort and kept the magic of book one alive, rather than feeling redundant or boring. The story builds strongly on familiar characters while adding a few more to the team. I really liked Wendell before, but oh my goodness, my love for him reached new heights in this one. He makes me smile so much, and I will definitely be continuing the series!

***Thank you to Del Rey for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I loved Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands even more than its predecessor. Everything I enjoyed from the first book was in this one, too, and the story did a good job of providing ample opportunity for character growth and fascinating world-building. Most importantly, the plot of this sequel was much tighter than its predecessor, which improved the reading experience. There was a set goal that everything was driving toward, and the pacing felt more purposeful because of it. The writing style was still academic, yet whimsical, and I just adored the continued use of the journal format. It felt like I was reading actual field notes, which was delightful.

The depiction of faeries is one of the things I like most about this series. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands added to the mystique of the faeries and their realms and continued to portray them as equal parts whimsical and terrifying. They were all so quirky and a bit mercurial, and it kept things interesting because I never knew what they'd do next. I was so happy that one of my favorite faeries from the first book made an appearance in this one, too. It was nice to see him and know he was doing well. I just really, really love how Fawcett writes faeries, and this book was a perfect example of why I adore her writing.

There was quite a bit of character growth in Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, as well. Emily has always struggled with emotional interactions and tends to be abrupt and a bit too forward. I liked how the relationship with her niece pushed her out of her comfort zone and helped her learn how to show some affection. Emily's relationship with Wendell also helped her develop these skills, and the two of them worked so well together despite being so different. She helped to ground Wendell's flights of fancy, and he pushed her to open up more and care deeply about something outside of her scholarship.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands also introduced a new professor who was even more of a curmudgeon than Emily. lol. The two of them were butting heads constantly, but they also had important things to teach one another. He taught Emily the importance of slowing down and thinking through the potential dangers of her actions. Emily was always a bit rash when it came to doing whatever was required to make the discovery, and she learned that the consequences may not always be worth it. The other professor also learned that new methods and taking some risks were important to move the field of study forward. So, they each had a pretty profound impact on each other's scholarship.

Most importantly, all of the growth in Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands didn't change the heart of the characters. Emily was still very neurodivergent after all was said and done. She'd just learned some new lessons and acquired a few new skills to make navigating the world easier. The other characters loved her for her differences rather than despite them, which I think is such an important distinction. It was ultimately her differences that made her so successful in both her career and her current quest.

Overall, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands was an outstanding sequel. My only complaint was that I wanted a bit more Wendell, but I think that is coming in book three. The ending set up some huge things, and I'm excited to see how it all pays off. I cannot recommend this book, and series, enough. Go pick it up if you like faeries, or even if you don't. I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I will be recommending this series, no doubt. I enjoyed the first book, but the second one had me even more hooked. This is very uncommon for most series, I typically find the first book more enjoyable.

Loved this book, Heather Fawcett is amazing!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I have come to thoroughly enjoy Heather Fawcetts writing, both books in the Emily Wilde series have gripped my attention from start to finish and I cannot wait for more!

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries and Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands have made it into my top five books of 2023

This book was a cozy read & I hope there will be a next one. I hoped to see them in Wendells realm together, but I loved that her adventure was her own. I loved that this is a cozy fantasy with a sprinkle of romance/love and not the entire plot (although I do love a good romance). The cute brownie companions - omg. Poe and Snowbell are lovely characters.

Thank you to Del Rey for my arc!

After not totally loving the first book, this blew me away! It was even more a perfect cozy read and I loved it so much and couldn’t put it down.

This is cozy fantasy at its finest. We get all the same delightful thoughts of Emily along with Wendell's ridiculously charming self that we got in book one, but throw in some extra action and a little faster pace! This book was WONDERFUL. I can't wait to see where book 3 takes us!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my complimentary e-arc of this book. All opinions here are my own.

I was so excited to get this as an ARC! I love this series and I’m going to try hard to get any special release of this book. I want the scallop edges and all of the special additions. This story was just lovely and I am recommending it to everyone.!!!!! 5/5 this will definitely be one of my favorite books of the year!

4.5 stars

I am officially passing the Faerie Queen crown to Heather Fawcett. She has seemingly perfected the art of bringing the fae to life, no matter the folklore they originate from, into a cozy fantasy tale with hints of terror. Exactly how the Folk ought to be remembered.

It’s been approximately a year since the events of book one. Emily has since then published her encyclopedia and is itching to make her next breakthrough discovery: a door that connects their world to the faerie realm.

Like in book one, we are reading the results of Emily’s detailed journaling of the events unfolding. She is still an awkward grump, Wendell is still a charming golden retriever of a man, and I love seeing their relationship develop at a pace she is comfortable with.

I’m not here to give you the plot (we wouldn’t want any spoilers, would we?) but I am here to tell you that if you loved book one, you’ll love this one too. It’s just as cozy, just as intriguing, and filled with just as many Alice In Wonderland-esque moments of chaos. That being said, I wish it wasn’t as lateral as book one, but given the ending, I can tell the antics will be turned up a notch in the next release.

I loved this almost as much as the first book! I did miss the frigid wintery setting, which felt integral to the first novel, but I still enjoyed the village in the alps - and I loved the segment of the story that took place in Wendell's realm. The romance progressed a bit abruptly, which was disappointing but also felt in line with the character. Overall this had some classic second book flaws, clearly moving things along and getting everything set up for the finale, but I still had a great time and can't wait to read book 3.