Solid 4 out of 5 for the second installment of the Emily Wilde series. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Admittedly, I was not the biggest fan of the first book in this series; but when I saw book 2 available I wanted to give it another shot. I am very glad that I did.

Book 2 outshines Book 1 in both plot and character development for me. I am still not thrilled with the relationship between Emily and Wendell, though you do get tiny sprinkles of empathy in Emily as Wendell continues to sacrifice himself for her. I think a lot of their relationship is developing off book, which unfortunately makes the romance subplot read as superficial. TBH if that subplot was removed I still think the book would be great.

However, Rose and Ariadne really shine in this book. Both provide opposing foils to Emily's character and force her to self reflect and think about her world view.

Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Fawcett strikes again! This is the highly anticipated sequel and it does not disappoint. New faeries, new horrors, new characters, and more! Emily is still as emotionally stunted as ever but she has Wendell, a niece, a disagreeable colleague, and a good dog on her side.

It was very fun to see more banter between Emily and Wendell. It cracks me up how people complain about how stupid/goofy he is but that's his whole thing, he's an idiot! A weirdly likable idiot. I still love how he made up a bunch of stuff for his "research papers" when he's literally a faerie and could have written extensively about everything he knows but nope, he made up random stuff. Peak comedy, that. He continues that himbo behavior in this book which I love.

The only thing I wish we got more of was Rose, it seemed like he disappeared after a certain point (not due to faeries) but still, other than that, it was an extremely enjoyable read much like the first.

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands did not disappoint whatsoever. It was even better than the first book in this series, which I already loved. It maintained the same vibe as the first but also expanded on it. The faerie realm was familiar, but the book introduced new elements and provided more information about faerie lore and their realms. It was written in a way that made me feel completely immersed in the world and the time period, just like the first book. The pacing was great, and the story moved engagingly, even more so than Encyclopaedia of Faeries. I never found myself bored while reading this.

The main characters, Emily and Wendell, continue to develop in this book. Sadly, there were moments when I found Emily to be annoying, but it honestly made sense for her character. She has trouble navigating relationships and people, even within her own family. Wendell was still as iconic as ever. He’s funny, sweet, and so protective of Emily. And I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters that were introduced. Rose’s character in particular was a highlight for me. I just love his personality.

The book also delves deeper into the romantic relationship between Emily and Wendell, which feels like a natural progression of their bond. Even though their love story doesn't take up much space within the story, it's still palpable throughout the book. Their love serves as an undeniable factor that drives the plot forward and motivates Emily.

One of my favorite things about this series is the portrayal of Faeries. Emily describes them as, “-filled with scenes of both loveliness and horror, which Faerie seem to possess in equal measure.” Which is a perfect summation of the faeries. Not to mention, because this book is written through an academic lens, we learn a lot about Faeries through Emily’s extensive knowledge of them. Which she shares with us. As the story progresses, Emily's journey of learning more about Faeries is also depicted, and her discoveries are added to her journal, which is shared with us too. In this sense, not only do we learn from Emily's knowledge but we also get to accompany her on her journey of discovering more about Faeries. This form of storytelling enriches the story in such a unique way. It grounds the fantastical elements of the story in reality. By providing a detailed account of the Faerie realms through Emily's academic knowledge and journal entries, it creates a sense of realism and makes the world feel more tangible. Not only that but Emily's journal entries provide a glimpse into her thought process, her observations, and her emotional reactions to the events around her, which makes her journey of discovery more relatable and engaging. 5⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Heather Fawcett for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a sequel. You can find my review of book one, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, here. This review will be published on January 2, 2024.

I loved book one and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is even better! The characters and plot have already been established so the story gets moving right away. The charming use of journal entries to tell the story continues, with Emily's quirky personality shining through. And what personality! She's far too clever for anyone's good, stubborn, brave, and a wee bit rash. I love that neither she nor Wendell fall into any sort of trope. Her character has grown since book one, but she is still her, retaining the qualities that make her such a fun character in the first place.

Ah, Wendell. A disgraced faerie prince, he's more of a charming scholarly layabout than anything, although much of his idleness is affected. One must keep up appearances when one is royalty, after all. He is trying to find a both a door back into his realm and convince Emily to accept his marriage proposal. It's anyone's guess which is more difficult. I really love him, despite normally being irritated by those sorts of characters. It could have something to do with his penchant for making all clothes and rooms look cozy and inviting. Him sewing enchantments into Emily's cloak really made me laugh.

There are new additions to their little group: Emily's niece, Ariadne, who is the unfortunate recipient of Emily's...Emily-ness. She's constantly trying to prove her resourcefulness to varying success. Then there's the self-important scholar, who clashes with Emily. There are additions of the nonhuman variety as well, and they are all great. There's a rather bloodthirsty addition that I fell in love with.

Because the characters have already been established in book one, the story starts up right away, with an assassination attempt. It is handled in the most entertaining of ways and jumpstarts the plot. This isn't the sort of book that focuses on nonstop action, though. I would hesitate to call it a cozy fantasy, but it does lean a little more in that direction. The obstacles require a bit more knowledge and problem-solving than your usual fantasy, but never cross into full-on mystery fantasy territory. Let me just say that this book defies classification. It's a unique series thus far.

Emily's world (s) is more defined in book two, with the fun and rather nonsensical faerie "rules" making more sense in their nonsensical sort of way. It was so much fun watching the characters figure out what was happening and why, coming up with the oddest of solutions.

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a charming book, the sort that leaves a smile on my face. I found myself rushing to pick the book up during every free moment. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Highly recommended.

I just wanna say first off thank you to net galley for gifting me this arc in turn of a review. I genuinely enjoyed this book it was like a cozy blanket in a book honestly! I loved MMC and FMC chemistry and banter it was funny and amazing. I loved Poe so much I can’t get over the little guy I wish I had my own little poe

It is rare that a second book in a series proves itself to be far superior than the original, but here we are. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands strips away some of the stodginess that I felt the first book had and simply delights in the realms and folklore of fairy. Filled with page turning adventure, Heather Fawcett's sequel continues the story and romance of Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby and takes place shortly after the events of the first novel. Where my original complaints had been that the romance between the two had seemed forced, their interactions with one another are sweet and believable this time around and I no longer sow any doubts as to whether or not the two belong together. I further enjoyed learning more of the lore of the Folk and their differences and the plot moved quite smoothly and advanced at a favorable pace for the second book in a series.

I wholly look forward to reading more of Emily and cannot wait to see what further magical adventures await her. This was a very satisfying sequel and sets up a third book in the series quite nicely.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House - Ballantine, and Heather Fawcett for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey.
I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Romantasy, Academia Fantasy
Spice Level: Fade-to-black scene
Representation: A gay couple mentioned in passing. Benign, helpful, and wicked faeries. Neurodivergent character.

I loved this book as much as the first. The combination of Emily working on respect within the community, while also knowing more than some of her counterparts in the department feels oh so real. And then in the field, Emily really shines with her instincts, bravery, and innovative approach. Professor Rose is curmudgeonly and I enjoyed seeing how he changed. Wendell is mopey for tea and fashion, and truly upset that anything could go badly on his birthday celebration. Emily's niece acts as a foil of innocence and wide-eyed enthusiasm.

One of my questions was: Will Emily and Wendell get together? The short answer is that you'll have to read to find out. The longer answer is that they've already built a friendship (of sorts with his complaints and her letting him be) so I fully expected their relationship to deepen. After all, assassins are after Wendell, and Emily hasn't left him to carry on by himself...going as far as Austria and the Otherlands seems like something of a commitment to more than scholarly research. That must mean she cares about him a bit, right?

This was thoroughly enjoyable from cover to cover. The one thing that makes this a standout novel in the world of fantasy are the characters. I loved revisiting everything I loved about previous characters and meeting new ones. I'm convinced Fawcett is a genius.

I highly recommend this book! Please read them in order though.

Happy reading!

After having published her encyclopaedia, Emily Wilde is now on a quest to map out the realms of Faerie, otherwise known as the Otherlands. After having some curious run-ins with faeries at Cambridge, she is led to Austria to attempt to discover the nexus that caused several notable scholarly disappearances. Professor Wilde is joined by Wendell Bambleby (naturally), her niece and budding scholar Ariadne, and the head of her department, Professor Rose.

Once again, Fawcett shines in creating loveable characters & the essence of cozy, even though there is danger almost at every turn. I don't think anything will quite capture the magic of the first book, but this book was so enjoyable, and I crave more Emily and Wendell content!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgally for a ARC of this book. There are enough words to describe how much I love this book. This book continues Emily and Wendell’s journey as they try to find the door to Wendell’s kingdom in order to save his life. This book has everything in it. Fantasy, adventure, romance. I also love the style of written. It feels like I am reading a journal of a real person. If you enjoy these things, then you should also read this book.

Might.... might this become one of my new favourite fantasy series? You know what, it's getting really close to that. I fell head over heels in love with the first book in Heather Fawcett's series, "Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries", and was STOKED to read the sequel. Emily Wilde, the titular protagonist, is a new favourite character of mine and haven't been as invested in a romance as I am in her and Wendell's relationship in a long long LONG while.

Just like its predecessor, "Map of the Otherlands" is a cozy historical fantasy set in the early 20th century, with the little difference being that fae actually exist. It's slow-paced and focuses on Emily's academic endeavors as a researcher, dedicating her life to accumulating knowledge on the different kinds of fae. I love that the second book didn't shift away from that even when the romantic relationship became more central, and I love that it is still written in epistolary form. The new setting and the new faeries we discover along ther way (the fox faeries?? Instant faves) are fascinating, the mysteries are intriguing, the grump-and-sunshine-dynamic between Emily and Wendell (with Emily being the grumpy one) and their slow-burn romance is just exceptional and honestly, I cannot say a single bad thing about this book.

I'm always a little wary of sequels to books I absolutely adored because more often than not they disappoint, but in this case, Fawcett really knocked it out of the park. Map of the Otherlands is just as great as Encyclopaedia of Faeries, it stays true to the characters, expands on the lore and perfectly mixes mystery and excitement with cosiness and heartfelt moments between its characters.

I just really love this series and can't wait to return to this world.

I liked this book better than the first! It was a bit more exciting and was more straightforward since the first book explains a lot regarding the faerie world and its customs. There’s more romance in this which I really enjoyed (it present but still very mild and true to who the characters are). Overall it was good but not great, I find it the writing to be a bit chunky sometimes and hard to follow in that it requires a bit of brain power to understand what’s happening.

This was just as cute & cozy as the first book - the stakes were definitely high at times, but the overall vibes were so comforting I couldn't feel the stress. Got off to a bit of a slow start, but I raced through the second half. Still love the journal-style narration and as always, huge fan of footnotes. Loved getting to know Rose better, I suspected from the start he'd weasel his way into my heart and indeed he did. I so hope there'll be more books in this series, sometimes I just need a break from the intense, violent, politically complicated series in the fantasy genre, and this provided just that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this from start to finish! The first book in the series was a delightful surprise, and the Map of the Otherlands continued right on in that groove. We continue to the story of Emily, Bambleby, and the fae that they study and seek out... all while trying to keep Bambleby safe and find a way back to his kingdom! I had a hard time putting this one down, even while I was at work in my job of a library clerk!
These books are a slow burn, plot and romance-wise, but it's suited perfectly well to the sensibilities to our main character, the eponymous Emily. In this one, we get a bit more of both main characters, their life together and even a bit of Emily's life outside of her work and Bambleby though her niece, who becomes her assistant.
I loved being at their side while they explored the alps and wilds of Austria, meeting and negotiating with different types of fae in the area, and trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to a famously lost academic who disappeared in these very mountains! All while trying to keep fae assassins at bay.
Super eager to continue the adventure with the third book (hopefully)!

Emily Wilde and the Map of the Otherlands is an absolute delight. The second book in the Emily WIlde series might be even better than the first. I love to see the growth of Emily and. and Wendell, both individually and as a couple. There’s such a cozy vibe to the Emily Wilde series and it’s the perfect book for a cold winter afternoon. Also, can I talk about how much I love the footnotes in the series. As a person who always wants more information I find the footnotes absolutely delightful. Hopefully there are even more books in the series to come!

Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Well this was completely delightful. I found it to be much better and more enjoyable than the first book (which I did enjoy!). I just adore Wendell (plus it turns out he’s a cat person!). The grumpy-sunshine relationship that Emily and Wendell have just makes me smile. I love that we got to see precious Poe again too. Overall, this book seemed faster-paced with more action, and I actually appreciated the addition of Ariadne and Rose.
I’m eager to see how the story concludes and what Wendell reclaiming his throne with Emily will entail.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look at the book to review. All opinions are my own.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Del Rey for allowing me to read this early!

This was exactly what I was hoping for! Fawcett has done an amazing job at bringing the same cozy feelings through into book two while also creating an entirely new scenic vibe and story! This book picks up when Emily must make some important decisions from the events of book one. Her choices bring the reader into another page turning adventure mystery. I love the consistency of the journal entry style writing and the inclusion of the footnotes throughout making the story both personal and informative. I cannot wait to see what the rest of this series will bring!

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands picks up a few months after Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies. Now, Emily is a tenured professor at Cambridge, her encyclopaedia has been published, and she still has a certain proposal awaiting her answer. However, Wendell now has faerie assassins coming for him, is slowly being poisoned, and Emily may be the only one who can locate the faerie door home for him and save him. Alas, they embark on another venture filled with new supporting characters, more romance, and fantastic (frightening) fae.

Like the first book, this book is written as journal entries by Emily, allowing the reader to enjoy the inter workings of Emily’s brilliant mind. She is fast becoming one of my favorite protagonists. The mystery keeps me engaged and the spark between her and Wendell keeps me intrigued. I absolutely love their banter and dynamic.

This book was even better than the first and I cannot wait for the next book.

Is there such a genre as cozy academia? If not, there is now, and it’s blended expertly with fantasy/fae lore in this book. I liked this sequel more than the first book, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

This book was EVERYTHING!!! The atmosphere was amazing and I truly loved this book so much! If you need a fun, cozy book, I highly recommend! So so good! And so magical feeling!

I really loved the first book, but I think I might've enjoyed this one even more. This book takes Emily and Wendell to the Alps, where the veil between the fae and human worlds is thin, in search of answers to some pretty old questions.

Wendell is, as expected, surprisingly useful at seemingly useless things, while Emily is grumpy, academic, and frighteningly efficient. Their banter is excellent in this book, and I do think that's what pushed it just over the top in being my favorite of the two thus far. In addition to Emily & Wendell, we also have Emily's niece and one of her senior professors from Cambridge along on the expedition and they serve to both liven things up and complicate them in entertaining ways.

This book gives us lots of cozy academic moments with stacks of research, and lively discussions over cups of tea, as well as a healthy dose of adventuring in the wilds the solve mysteries and make discoveries with some unexpected guides along the way, with just a dash of self-reflection and deciding what one really wants. It is a strong second in the Emily Wilde series.
I really loved the first book, but I think I might've enjoyed this one even more. This book takes Emily and Wendell to the Alps, where the veil between the fae and human worlds is thin, in search of answers to some pretty old questions.

Wendell is, as expected, surprisingly useful at seemingly useless things, while Emily is grumpy, academic, and frighteningly efficient. Their banter is excellent in this book, and I do think that's what pushed it just over the top in being my favorite of the two thus far. In addition to Emily & Wendell, we also have Emily's niece and one of her senior professors from Cambridge along on the expedition and they serve to both liven things up and complicate them in entertaining ways.

This book gives us lots of cozy academic moments with stacks of research, and lively discussions over cups of tea, as well as a healthy dose of adventuring in the wilds the solve mysteries and make discoveries with some unexpected guides along the way, with just a dash of self-reflection and deciding what one really wants. It is a strong second in the Emily Wilde series.