I enjoyed this, but didn’t feel as charmed as I was by the first one. I loved seeing the development of Emily and Wendell’s relationship and I particularly liked the last third of the book. One qualm I have is that I feel like the character development wasn’t as strong in this book as the first one, and sometimes I found Emily to be colder than necessary toward her niece. I’m excited for the third book based on the ending of this one!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. The anticipated related date is January 2024.

This is the second installment in the Emily Wilde’s series and it was just as cozy and fun as the first. Heather Fawcett’s prose is well written and full of whimsy and lore. I love that the Fae creatures are little tricksters and fiesty at times. If you enjoyed the first book you will probably like this as well.

I have a few cons:

Pacing: the beginning of the book felt rather slow and all the action happened in the last third of the book. I would have liked for it to be spaced out better.

Wendell/Emily relationship: I would have liked a little more development here. The book starts a few years after the first one and there was zero progression in their relationship in that time. Wendell had asked Emily to marry him at the end of the first book. I understand Emily is not someone who shows affection and has trouble voicing feelings, but the way it was written, it seemed they weren’t really a “couple” through all that time (it was such a surprise when Emily gave him a kiss in the beginning ). Though their relationship does have some progression in this book - I would have liked a little more. Also, Wendell was incapacitated for a lot of the book anyway.

All in all, it was a good installment. I will continue with the series, but will admit I liked the first one better.

These books are so unique in them being a journal style narrarative. This not only makes it more personal but relatable and provides insight to our main characters thoughts. Emily is clever and her banter spot on, especially as the grump to the sunshine-y Wendell. The stakes are raised on this latest research expedition as things are now personal. We also get a larger cast as two more join our duo to investigate two missing scholars who may have found the illusive door to Wendell's realm. While still cozy, and fun to sink into this story, the fae in this world prove ruthless and many incidents cause roadblocks in their quest. While certainly a style not everyone may enjoy, this is certainly character driven and despite the quest, still on the slower side of pacing but a nice and comforting read.

The enchanting world of Emily Wilde drew me in again! It was a quick cozy fantasy and was much more focused on moving the story forward than developing the inner world of the main character. I read books one and two in the summer and re read them this fall to write the review.

Now, on the other side, I am not sure I am as captivated or enthusiastic about reading book three, especially if I don’t get more of the characters thoughts. . If we could get in Wendell’s mind and see his viewpoint about Emily, now that would be intriguing!

This book was as delightful as the first book, if not more. New characters introduced, while still having the notable characters from the first book. Emily & Wendell’s banter is winning as always. I felt like this book has loose Alice’s adventure in wonderland references, with the door business (especially the nexus) and following a creature through a strange realm. Loved it. I’ll be seated for the next book, as I believe that there’ll be the third book, for the Folks like things that came in three♥️

If you enjoyed Emily Wilde's Encycopaedia of Faeries you enjoy the sequel! The writing is so cozy, and such a unique way of storytelling. I love Wendell's ridiculousness and Emily's seriousness, and how they interact with such a teasing chemistry, but I'm not completely sold on the romance between them (even if this book does make me like them more together than the first book). Emily is so clever, and I really enjoyed seeing her figure out dilemmas as the story is told and overcome the problems. Sometimes the book felt a little slow, but I did enjoy it as a whole. Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This book was everything I could have hoped for in a sequel, all the things that made the first book cozy and charming with the addition of new terrifying fae and an intriguing puzzle. Wendell and Emily could have been the only two characters and I would have still adored it, but Ariadne and Rose were great additions to the ragtag team of dryadologists.

Kind of sad I read this in advance because now it's that much longer until I can get my hands on the next one.

Would I recommend this book: Yes.

As a sequel this book delivers everything I loved from the first book and fleshes out some of the major subplots. A major question of mine was the relationship between Emily and Wendell and Wendell's exile. I liked that this book gave me the chance to see more of their conflict and explore the fairy realm he's from. I also enjoyed that Emily is still acting as a researcher and that her quest involves more friends and faculty as she begins her new mapping project following the publication of her encyclopedia. There's something about the way Fawcett writes and the style she writes Emily's journals in that really gets me. It's an unusual point of view and while I know the POV isn't entirely accurate it doesn't need to be. The main character's commentary is charming, witty, and funny.

This was a great follow up to the first book, but unlike Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia I'm a little unsure whether this will be spun out into a trilogy. But if it was, I would continue the series for sure.

The second journal of Emily Wilde is just as curious, dryly humorous, and quirky as the first! I enjoyed the return of several characters, both human and fey, as well as a slew of new players. After several chapters of academia combined with faerie-wrought danger, the stakes increase to a satisfying height.

I love Emily and Wendell, who, it must be noted, are entertainingly epitomized in this book as quintessential dog and cat people, respectively. These characters are individually so strong and colorful, and together even better. I am looking forward to their next adventure.

I'm thankful to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦'𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 is now available for preorder, and will release from Del Rey in January of 2024.

A fantastic addition to the already wonderful world of Emily Wilde. There is something truly magical about these books that just draws you in like a faery door. Great for people who love folklore and fantasy.

Emily is also such an amazing and flawed character. I feel very rarely do you have a character as nuanced as her. She is often perceived as cold or detached but also has a burning intellectual curiosity and love for those dear to her. I especially loved seeing her relationships with other academics and her niece Ariadne in this book. I also am obsessed with the way Fawcett portrays the Faery realms and their effects on mortals.

I know this was planned to be a duology and I am actually pretty sad to see the end of Emily and Wesley's story. Rooting for a third installment of their adventures in Faery.

October 28 —

Here I intend to provide an honest account of reading Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, a book written in journal entries by a scholar of faerie folklore.

I embarked on this reading journey with anticipation, as the former Emily Wilde book had instilled fond feelings for the central grumpy/sunshine romance. Now, to avoid any spoilers for those who have yet to read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, I will not be detailing the plot of this one. However, I believe anyone who liked the first book will feel the same for this. The romance is an even larger part of the story, and I felt all warm and fuzzy whenever Wendell was on the page.

Though, to be upfront, I read this all the way back in August, and the side characters are not nearly as memorable as they were in the first book. While I have memories of the villagers in Hrafnsvik, I do not recall who Emily and Wendell interacted with in their journey to map the Otherlands—besides a couple of irritating, wandering professors who I was not particularly fond of.

(I attempted to write this review in the same style of the book, but the difference is practically imperceptible… There’s just less exclamation marks. That’s okay! ’Twas fun!)

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for letting me read the eARC of Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett. The following review is my own opinion.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was my favourite read of this year. Which meant I was eagerly awaiting the second book of the series! And let me tell you, the second instalment, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, DID NOT DISAPPOINT!!!

Everything I loved about the first, the banter, the lore, the necessity to study the unknown, continued on to the second. I will forever want to return to the world of Emily and Wendell. BRING ME THE THIRD!

Emily Wilde is back at Cambridge after writing her encyclopaedia of faerie folklore. She is now working on a new project creating a map of the faerie realms. She is also assisting her former rival and fellow scholar Wendell Bambelby in finding a backdoor into his faerie kingdom. Bambelby a former faerie king exiled into the human world by his mother. Emily and Wendell are forced on the run when his mother sends assassins after him. They must find a way to his world to free him from his mother's plans.

Heather Fawcett knocked it out of the park again with this book. I loved the first book in the series and this was just as good! I adore Emily and Wendell. Emily is a perfect lead. She is so smart and tenacious. There is so much fun adventure in this story. I loved the addition of Emily's niece Ariadne and Dr. Farris Rose. I can't wait for the third book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the next installment of Emily Wilde's journals. In my opinion the story keeps getting better. I always recommend it to readers looking for a cozy fantasy!

Reading Emily Wilde is always such a delight! And it seems like the author weaves enchantments of her own because although book one was AMAZING, this one was even better! (If I could exist in any fictional world right now I would choose this one.)

If you’re itching to discover more of and travel further through Faerie, this book will not disappoint. But as much as I LOVE this follow-up to Emily’s adventures, this book had me beyond stressed. I was never not worried for Emily. She just goes charging into dangerous (and potentially deadly) situations without batting an eye. What she lacks in social interactions she more than makes up for in getting the job done. I love that about her.

Heather Fawcett introduced some new (and some quirky) characters to join Emily in her adventures. Ariadne was a welcome addition. I really liked her. She’s always trying to prove her strength with the kind of fiery dedication that’s a bit scary to behold. She never let anything stop her from doing what she feels is right. Rose slowly grew on me. He’s like the grumpy uncle who is always so brutally honest but is secretly a softie.

For anyone wondering about Emily and Wendell’s relationship, you’re gonna love the development in this one. And that’s all I’m going to say about that. (But also: how can anyone say no to Wendell? With his endless charm and knack for sewing?)

Book three is going to be a doozy, I just know it!

Our favorite scholarly duo is back in Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands. This book is just as fun and whimsical as the first. I love the chemistry between Emily and Wendell, which (as you can imagine) is heightened by Wendell’s proposal. Their banter continues to make me laugh, and I was left on tenterhooks waiting to see what decision Emily would finally make regarding the proposal.

Although they’ve left Jlosland behind, there are still plenty of references to their last adventure, and there are some ties that play a major role in this book (though I won’t tell you which ones, to avoid spoilers!). I enjoyed getting to “explore” the Austrian Alps in this book, but I did miss the community from the first one; while Emily and Wendell are boarding in another village, and there are a few villager interactions, the village and its inhabitants play a lesser role in this book. I imagine Fawcett didn’t want to play the same old tune in the sequel, choosing to focus more on Faerie this time around rather than the human village, which I can appreciate.

Plotwise, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is just as charming as the plot in the last. To no one’s surprise, Emily has taken the lead on this next adventure - finding the backdoor to Wendell’s homeland - while Wendell himself busies himself with the finer things in life: good food and finely tailored clothes. Their plans are accelerated a bit when Wendell’s stepmother makes her first move in ten years, sending assassins to take him out. The duo scuttle off to the Austrian Alps this time, where they’re met with faeries that are just as nefarious as - if not more than - those they encountered in Jlosland.

All in all, Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is a great sequel that will leave fans of the first book highly satisfied.

Grateful for the opportunity to dive into the ARC of this book, though it didn't quite captivate me enough to reach the final page.

This is probably a 3.5 but I’m rounding up. I loved the first book and as far as I knew when reading the first book this series was supposed to be a duology but now appears it has shifted into a trilogy, which is a pet peeve of mine.

I do not think this series needs to be three books with tighter editing in one and two the story could have been told in two. This book struggles with pacing. There’s a lot of slow parts where they just wander around and meander that ends up kind of wasting time.

Spoilers follow:
Wendell and Emily are looking for a door to his realm and they travel to I think somewhere in Germany area where two scholars looking for said door disappeared. Wendell is being hunted by his step mother’s forces and it turns out it’s because he proposed to Emily and she feels threatened by Emily, who is a mortal and therefore apparently smarter and more aware than the Fae.

They find the two missing scholars and pull them out of faerie they also find the door but Wendell was poisoned and Emily must go and fetch his magical cat who apparently can cure him. And she does. But then the door is shut behind them after Emily poisoned his step mom. So the book ends with them in Greece about to go through a different door after he allied with some lower Fae to take back his throne.

As mentioned this could have been tightened up to include his taking back his throne in this book.

I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley.
We're back at Cambridge with dryadologist Emily Wilde and her exiled oiche sidhe associate/love interest Wendall Bambleby. This time, Emily is working on her newest book: a map of all the fairy realms. Fortunatly for her, the search for the overlooked door back to Wendall's realm is the perfect research oppurtunity.

I was so excited to receive an eARC for this book. I was delighted to be back in the company of Emily, Wendall, and, most importantly, Shadow. I dig the grumpy/sunshine trope used in the story, and the Sophie/Howl vibes.

Over-all, this was an excellent follow-up to the Encyclopaedia of Faeries. The story picked up nicely from the first book, and the characters were reassuringly the same.

I did not enjoy the use of memory loss as a story-telling device. It began to feel like a way to gloss-over things that the author just hadn't gotten around to figuring out. It got old fast.

I really loved Wendall’s big ol'Taurus vibes

Emily and Wendell are back and it’s SO GOOD!! Usually a sequel can be such a risk, but we jump right back into the delightfully neuro-spicy mind of Emily and the magical world she is thriving in.
We get so many more insights into Faeries and magic. We also get lots of beautiful E+W moments that made me just swoon.
These books make me want to doodle in the margins and go on a magical adventure in the UK.