I am THRILLED to report that there was no sophomore slump for Emily Wilde - this adventure was just as fun, magical, and all-encompassing into the world of faerie as I hoped it’d be. Given that Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries was one of my very favorite books of 2022, I had high hopes! Heather Fawcett just has a way of writing that makes you feel as though you‘ve completely escaped into a new world. This second installment definitely felt more like the second half of book one than the first, so if you enjoyed the more true-fantasy elements of EW#1, then I think this one will absolutely be a hit for you.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read an early copy!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. The second chapter in the Emily Wilde series is even better than the first. Hold onto your fairy tale's as this time the journey is personal. Emily and Bambleby's relationship grows and changes when the wicked stepmother reappears. Now Emily, her niece Ariadne, and the curmudgeon Professor Rose have to map out a plan to find the Nexus and save Bambleby..
I loved every minute of this book and hope there will be more sequels to come. Initially found Emily a little fone-sided in the first book even as I enjoyed reading about her adventures, but I really loved seeing her grow and become more emotional and caring in this one. The addition of Ariadne and the return of Poe and my favorite character Shadow give more life to this novel beyond the world of fairies. There are lots of twists and turns, a town full of interesting characters, and new beasties that bring terror in the night.
This novel shows definite growth and progression from the first and I can't wait to see where the adventure carries into any sequels to come.

3.75 Stars
I was concerned that I wouldn't remember enough from the first book to be able to jump in and not be confused. I needn't have worried as it the author did a great job in giving you enough in the first chapter to maintain continuity, but not so much as to be patronizing to her readers.

Emily and Bambleby are still a couple as well as coworkers at the college where they both teach and do research. Emily is working on a map of the fairie realms, that she also hopes will help Bambleby find a door back to his realm, in order to reclaim his throne. As with her Encylopedia, this means Emily must travel. We are introduced to a new location and many new characters, some of whom I expect will be present in books to come.

In many ways the pattern of the story mimicked that of the first book, which I know most readers find comfortable. It's predictability resulted in some spots that were very slow for me, hence the 3.75 stars and not 4.

Definitely an enjoyable story and fans of the first book will be happy!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited when I received the message that I received the arc to this book. I remembered being impatient to find WIFI to download this one quickly. And I was not disappointed. With the first sentence (one of the best opening sentences I have read), "The foot would not fit in my briefcase." I knew I was in for adventure, mayhem, and the sweetest, silliest, slow burn romance. There is nothing I love more than a good looking man/faerie who knows he is good looking and their exasperated partner who is both annoyed and enjoys their man's good looks. With our opposites attract main characters, Shadow, and new characters both human and not, in a new location this new adventure is just as enchanting, chaotic, and amazing. I'm so glad I was able to read this and very sad I will have to wait a rather long time to find out if anything else happens (there is a third at least, right? Right?!). I cannot wait for everyone to read this. If you like magic, adventure, exploration, and a flamboyant homely (royal!) faerie who exasperates his love with enchantments, do not hesitate to get this second book when it is released!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publishers. All opinions are my own.

Emily Wilde is a genius professor of dryadology who has just published her extensive encyclopedia of faeries. But when a mysterious specter appears at her university, and faeries come to kill her friend (that she's kissed a few times, lol) Wendell, they embark on a journey to find a faerie nexus in the Otherlands with a curmudgeonly senior professor and Emily's eager niece. This is a sequel that cannot be read alone!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I wasn't the biggest fan of the first book, I thought it had some pacing issues and wasn't the most interesting. But I was looking for something cozy and wanted to give this world another try as I really enjoyed the characters. This delivered on all counts. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time! It was fast paced and interesting throughout, the romance was great and slow burn, and the world building is just wonderful.

I have nothing bad to say about this book, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

I loved this book so much! This is definitely one of those books you read for the ✨vibes✨. Many might not like the diary entry format but Emily is a reliable narrator and her attention to detail makes this read so immersive. This is definitely a perfect fall read.
Emily and Wendell’s relationship is so cute I love them. I got so happy when Emily encountered Poe again I love him 😭😭also Shadow deserves all the pets in the world he’s such a good baby🩷
Love this series so much!

Emily Wilde would not approve of the way I screamed when I saw that I received this ARC!! I loved the first in the series so much and was overjoyed to read this one as well. Thank you NetGalley and DelRey!

This has got to be one of the best sequels I’ve ever read! I loved being back in the magical world of Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambelby! This new adventure was fraught with peril (of course), but also excitement, cosiness (Wendell being Wendell), and so much more! Heather Fawcett outdid herself with this one!

This series is the ultimate cozy fantasy with just enough danger to keep us on our toes. The writing is beautiful, the characters are so endearing, and I can’t believe how drawn into the story I am every single time.

I hope Emily Wilde writes many more encyclopedias, textbooks, journals, map books, and essays because I will read them all!

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

After finishing the first book, I immediately knew I needed to read the second one. The vibes of this novel is cozy fantasy, and it’s easy to fall into a world of academia regarding faeries.

We meet Wendell and Emily once more as they travel to Austria, in search of a door to Wendell’s realm. Assassins sent to kill Wendell lead them to pursing the door, and emily’s new project of mapping the realms of faerie. With the addition of new characters, we follow them as they encounter even more dangerous folk, and attempt to find the door that could lead to more than just Wendell’s realm.

I loved the introduction of more secondary characters within this novel! It not only added dimensions to Wendell and Emily and their personal relationships, but their characters made the story even better. Each of them with their own personalities and tips for navigating the tricky folk. And I could definitely see more character growth throughout the novel. I think they were a perfect edition and I hope they make an appearance in the next book.

I also lived for Emily and Wendell. Their relationship growth breathed life into this story. I live for their relationship dynamic, as they bicker and fight, but also hold so much love and care for one another. I was indeed giggling and kicking my feet. And also the Wendell entries. I’m actually obsessed with his story telling.

The prose was absolutely breathtaking, and I felt myself being transported within the faerie lands. It was very magical, and I loved how much detail there was for the folk. Fawcett did not hold back describing the faeries and continued to weave in much faerie lore. iIt’s what makes her novel easy to dive into, and you find yourself wanting to know about the folk and their connections with the towns, like Emily does throughout. This furthered my fascination and love for faeries.

This is a perfect cozy fantasy to curl up with on a rainy day and a cup of tea. It has so many elements that make it fun and exciting. I cannot wait for book 3.

4.5 stars

Publishing Date: January 16, 2024

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

I really enjoyed this second installment in the Emily Wilde books, even more than the first. I just loved Emily and Wendell. Their relationship was so fun and Emily is a great main character. She is such a careful and measured professor, until she isn't. And then she is off and adventuring!

Loved this sequel so much! I couldn't wait to find out what happened with Emily and Wendall's relationship and if she ever accepts his proposal. Emily is so matter of fact in her problem solving, but really impulsive when running into danger, which makes her such a fun character to follow! I am so excited for the next book! I did end up pre ordering this as a hard bound book as well. Thank you so much!

A completely worthy follow-up to the first book! Emily is plucky and prickly as ever, Wendall is an absolute mad delight, and the new characters of Ariadne and Professor Rose add a wonderful new layer to the world and the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and was quite sad when I reached the end—I didn't want to leave these characters and their world. Cannot WAIT for book three!!

Emily Wilde reminds me of the cool, collected, no-nonsense Mary Russell in the Laurie R. King series. Professor Wilde is focused on her studies of dryadology (faerie research) at Oxford and lives mostly inside her own head, but sometimes she loses self-control. Emily’s descriptions of her hedonistic impulses are factual and detached, which lends a Spock-like humor to her character. Sometimes the faerie king/Oxford scholar Wendell Bambleby just gets the better of Em’s rational self. Who can blame her? He’s hot. Also witty!

Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for sending this book to me for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

In OTHERLANDS, Emily is off to investigate the fae again, this time hoping to create a map of all of the kingdoms and lands of the Folk, and also protect Wendell from the machinations of his evil stepmother who has stolen his rightful throne. Her scholarly curiosity lands Emily in frequent danger, so it’s good that Wendell’s enchantments are protecting her as well.

If the first two books in this series are any indication, Emily Wilde and I will be dear friends for as long as the series lasts. I adore Emily, her dog Shadow, and this whole vibe that Fawcett creates. Whether friend or foe (or either, as the mood strikes) I love the Folk. I can easily imagine a professor’s digs in Oxford and a life in Faerie vying to be the home of my own heart. I’ve been yearning for fiction to give me Strange & Norrell1 vibes for (checks LibraryThing reading record) 12 years, and this series really scratches that itch. There are even dryadology footnotes! The satisfying pace and style give the impression that Heather Fawcett has been writing adult fantasy fiction for ages, when in fact the Emily Wilde series is Fawcett’s first foray into adult fiction.

from https://jillsreads.com/wild-over-emily-wilde/

Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. I LOVED the first book but I think I may have loved this one just as much, if not more. The characters are charming, the story is interesting, compelling, and original, and the world created by Heather Fawcett is entirely immersive. I may be a bit biased as I identify with Emily on a scholarly and not-a-people-person level, but everything about this book kept me reading.
I'm not kidding, I read this book in one day. Totally worth it.

Dare I say I love this better than the first book? That’s so rare in a series, but I think it’s the case here. I only just finished reading this book a few hours ago, but I can’t stop thinking about it and probably won’t stop until it comes out in January 2024.

I understand that with this being an ARC, there will be some slight updates and changes when the book comes out. That being said, I really love it from start to finish. I was enthralled and literally stayed up reading it several nights in a row and only put the book down because my eyes couldn’t stay open any longer.

It does follow a somewhat similar formula to the first book. Emily, Wendell, a couple of new companions, embark on another visit of a village, in search of the Folk, and Emily does end up back in Faerie. But I feel like there is much more action and development to keep it from being repetitive and boring. I like the introduction of new characters and a new setting, as well as learning more about different faeries. There’s so much expansion upon what we learned in the first book, which was exciting and fresh. Now that the ways of the Folk have been established, we get to dive further into the world and not get too caught up in the world building, which allowed for more fast-paced action. I did love the small callbacks we get to the first book, though. It’s nice to revisit a couple of the characters and the setting for a bit.

The romance is a slow burn, but I think readers will enjoy it and feel all the happy, squirmy, joyful things at what we do get in this book. Sometimes slow burn romances can be too angsty to be enjoyable, but I think this book really nails it. Would I love more? Absolutely! I am such a sucker for the dynamic between Emily and Wendell (they have such Sophie and Howl vibes). But I do feel very satisfied with what we get here and I am left even more excited for the next book in this series.

Overall, I find this book to be delightful and easy to get sucked into. Having just finished it, I am already thinking about rereading it. So take that as a sign to read it!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands in exchange for an honest review.

Just as whimsical as book 1, Fawcett again leads us by the nose through the quaint adventures of unique and truly loveable characters. I absolutely adore the style and voice of this series and can't wait for book 3!

Another charming, wholesome installment in the Emily Wilde series! This time Emily and Wendell race to find his door after Wendell is poisoned by his stepmother in her hopes to secure the crown to their realm.

With a new cast of characters, and the return of some of our charming friends from the first installment, Emily Wildes's Map of the Otherlands bring warm, cosy vibes, perfect for reading in fall/winter.

Something I loved about this installment is getting to see Emily develop as a character throughout the story, as well as seeing how she uses her knowledge of faeries to escape some tricky situations. I love the relationship Emily and Wendell have, and even though Emily is consistently warned about Wendell due to him being a faerie, she sticks with him through thick and thin, always believing in his good nature.

Another thing I loved about this novel were the 2 new characters, Rose and Ariadne. Even though Rose starts out as a thorn in Emily's side, he becomes a enjoyable character that can even be helpful at times. I felt like he had a ton of character growth as he journeys with Emily and co, and starts to realize how he may at times need to let Emily lead their group. Ariadne was a sweet character, and it was wonderful to see how her relationship with Emily evolved throughout the novel.

If you loved the first installment in the Emily Wilde series, I think you will love this one just as much! This is a great novel for those who are looking for a cosy fall read, something with low stakes, a sweet romance that doesn't take over the plot, adventure, and magic. I cannot wait to read the 3rd installment!
5/5 Stars

Thank you so much to netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

And we’re back with another cozy, atmospheric read ft. Emily and Wendell!! Wendell is still an affable, cleanly, embroidering secret-faerie-king (basically everything I look for in a husband). We kick off with Wendell inconveniently getting himself poisoned and Emily becoming haunted by a ribbon man who likes to rudely comment on her lack of grooming rather than giving her any useful information on faerie doors to Wendell’s kingdom. Emily, being a no nonsense kind of gal, acquires a mutilated faun foot that takes her, Wendell, and company on her next adventure - Austria, in the 1910s (TG for alternate realities) to search for said faerie realm. This book is very similar to the first book - but insert more vicious faeries, rude Cambridge boss, Emily’s prodigal niece and more familiars. I absolutely love the autumnal moody vibes, hilarious banter (WENDELL) and Emily’s arc. However, if you like more action packed books, this book focuses more heavily on atmosphere, characters, and relationships between the characters which are subtle and nuanced.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun, cozy fantasy story!

EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS, the sequel to EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES, follows Emily and Wendell as they attempt to find the door to Wendell’s realm while dodging the assassins Wendell’s mother has sent after him.

This book features a few new characters, all of whom I adored. The addition of Rose, Ariadne, and Poe really made this book shine.

However, it was a bit frustrating at times to see how hard Emily was on Ariadne. It makes sense as part of her character for her to be more focused on the academia than hand-holding her niece, but Ariadne was more competent than Emily gave her credit for, and you’d think she’d want to foster Ariadne’s desire to learn more about faerie rather than crushing it.

I loved the development of Emily and Wendell’s relationship in this book—they’re so different but undeniably sweet toward each other, and I love their chemistry.

My biggest critique is about the ending; it felt a bit too easy. Emily didn’t face any major obstacles on her quest and (view spoiler) I expected, and wanted, more tension from these final scenes, especially since the potential danger was built up so much.

In all, a fun sequel, and I look forward to reading the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this eARC! The first book Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a top read for me this year. The sequel did not disappoint!