Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands is the second book in the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett. Emily is a professor and dryadologist, and these books follow her on adventures.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, I'd suggest starting there. If you have read it and enjoyed it, you'll likely enjoy this one too.

This time, Emily and her handsome, scholarly companion, Wendell Bambleby are on the run. They are being chased by nefarious faeries and other Folk. Why? Because Wendell is an exiled Faerie king, and his treacherous stepmother has finally decided to kill him.

Emily is learning from her mistakes, and there's a lot of character development and growth for both her and Wendell. These books also tend to be more serious, and are more about the characters and their adventures than the romance. Although, of course there is a romantic relationship. Sort of, maybe?

I found this to be a fun, quick read. Emily is a quirky protagonist, who doesn't always get it right. This is refreshing, and yet it bothers me that we seem to have either gorgeous women who can do no wrong, or they are like Emily and described as disheveled, slovenly, hunched over books incessantly, and often unfeeling or insensitive to others.. Isn't there something in the middle? Can't we have a woman who's not perfect but also not the worst?

★★★★

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Del Rey for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballentine for an ARC of this book.

The character development of Emily from the first book was great to see. While she is still a very focused scholar, it was nice to see more humanity in her this go around.

What I loved: As with the first book, my favorite characters are the new side Folk characters that were introduced. Snowball is a particular delight.

What I didn’t like: Even though the book starts off with excitement, the beginning felt very slow. About midway through the book is when I really started to become invested in the story, and after that I was able to finish the book within a few hours whereas it took me days to get through the first part.

I would give this book a 3.5. The ending set up the next book nicely and I am looking forward to it.

*I received this as an arc through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

4.5 ⭐️

I absolutely adored this! The first and second are just fabulous, and I can't wait for the third one!

I feel so attached to all the characters! Not only that, but the new ones Fawcett introduces. The world she spins of Faerie is simply exquisite. A new favorite series of mine, certainly.

The writing is so well done, I just... I can't wait to own this and put it on my shelf, right next to the first!

Content: tasteful fade to black, few uses of lesser curses: bloody hell, damn. Two instances of God****.

My only hang-ups are the two instances of strong language, which aren't my favorite. But nonetheless, everything is done rather tastefully.

Somehow, Fawcett managed to make a cozy mystery that still had the EERIE elements of European faerie. I really enjoyed how her presentation of faeries was the frightening version rather than the normal dude but with wings version that has become so prevalent in literature today. Eeriness aside, I adored Wendell and Emily's banter so much I am manifesting a third book into existence right now.

Such a wonderful follow-up to the first book. I absolutely adored this second book. I felt such a connection to Emily as we really got to dive into her personal life and more of her personal motivations for doing what she does. I loved all the characters that were introduced and really let myself get lost into this wonderful world. I really hope we get more books in this series!

I love Emily and Wendell's adventures! This book series is extremely cosy and I love that I can get lost in their travels in the human and faerie worlds. The author has a knack for writing engaging scenes exploding with action and magic. In this particular story, I love that their universe was expanded, with more friends, family, and a set up to the next book. We even got to spend more time in the Faerie lands where we were able to meet new faeries! Emily's character development was also a great storyline. When we first met her she was more closed off, logical, not at all open to love or having a personal life. In this story, we got to her her open her heart to more than one character and that felt really special. I cannot wait to see where Emily and Wendell go next. I will be recreating one of Poe's bread loaves on my HappyGabyCooking TikTok closer to when this book is released next year and i can't wait! I just hope that it does Poe justice.

Amazing follow up, ai loved the first one and I love this one even more. The story develops beautifully. The characters once again in love . Definitely totally worth the wait for it . 100% recommend .

I absolutely fell in love with the first book in this series and I was hoping this would be a strong sequel, but unfortunately I found myself...let down, if there's a word for it.

The characters in this book, just like the last book, is a highlight for me. I love Emily and Wendell. I loved them in the first book, and despite everything I loved them in this book as well. Emily is my soul sister - it's great to read about a scholar leading a fantasy book since recently, most female protagonists in fantasy books seem to either be badass warriors or damsels in distresses (no, I'm not naming names). I see so much of myself in her as a woman in STEM, and this book did not disappoint in terms of her characterization. She's smart and brave even if it bites her in the back every now and then, yet she also cares so much about the people around her, no less Wendell, and it feels like a breath of fresh air to read about. Wendell is an absolutely ridiculous love interest - well, (spoiler alert to the previous book, though I assume if you're here you've already read it), he is a fae - and he is the kind of person I would probably hate in real life but can't help but love on the pages. The new additions, Rose and Ariadne, unfortunately fade a little into the background in my opinion - I wish they were fleshed out more and I hope to see more of them in the next book.

The most disappointing part of this book for me was the plot. It took me forever to finish, mainly because I thought the plot just dragged on, especially towards the very end - when you want the most exciting part of your book to be. A lot of mysteries seeded in the beginning were solved quickly, and while I love the research aspect of the book the climax just fell flat in my opinion. A lot of the promises made to the readers through the writing and the lore didn't really come through and I felt myself wanting more.

That said, I do like this world, and I am still excited for book three.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The eponymous Emily Wilde is rapidly becoming our own world's most distinguished scholar of Dryadology. There's something to be said about our fascination with the world of faeries whether you developed an odd interest in Shakespeares' A Midsummer Nights' Dream as a kid or stumbled onto the Iron Fey series in the public library or you're reading Holly Black's rich, beautiful, and cruel Folk of the Air series. What exactly is it about the world of fae that author Heather Fawcett ensnares so well in her Emily Wilde Series that keeps us so cozy yet mystified? Emily Wilde captures so logically the illogical and the strange. The world of fae doesn’t make sense. Much like the fables we hear growing up as children, just like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the stories of the Folk are nonsensical and terrifying and captivating. The lunacy of the fae is captured brilliantly in the writing, the encyclopedia notes, and the overall storytelling of each book. I appreciate the well-researched and scholarly take of such a weird subject matter. I especially enjoyed learning all the Irish-related mythos in this book as much as in the first book.
I noticed a pattern with the icy landscapes employed in the books and honestly, it’s becoming a source of comfort to imagine being secluded in a cozy cottage in a wintry village with your pets and your décor-loving academic rival. As a lover of reading cozy-fantasies and academia, this is a perfect book.

Characters
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Emily
Emily is a very unique and true-to-life researcher, and I don’t say this lightly. I’ve been in my fair share of academia and Emily is a very realistic representation of a professor and ambitious scholar. With her dry humor and urgency to journal, she is enigmatic and refreshing, defying most gendered conventions of written female main characters.

Wendell
Wendell is hilarious. He is wacky, vain, dramatic, charismatic, and frightful. He reminds me of the combination of Gilderoy Lockhart meets Howl Pendragon. Suffice it to say, he is my favorite character. His penchant to clean and decorate and be maudlin and charm everyone makes him a terribly fun companion for these expeditions.

Ariadne
I find Ariadne to be sweet, energetic, and clever. I find her to be a source of cheer and I admire her resourceful , academic spirit. I do wish Emily was a tad bit kinder towards her as well as her other students but alas, I did enjoy their heartwarming interactions towards the end.

Rose
I enjoy the growth of this character from that of a miserly faculty skeptic to a source of knowledge and balance in the group.

Eichorn
EIichorn’s story makes me a bit sad as he seems forlorn and sweet.

De Grey
Her character remains a true mystery and whatever we expect from her, we still will not understand.

Snowbell
I love this little guy. I like all the fae spirits Emily befriends and their weird quirks. I love Poe rambling about his door and his tree.

Shadow & Orga
I love Shadow, our big soft grim; he's loyal and helpful and fluffy. Orga is a sharp and clever cat, perfect companions for our two heroes.

Constructive Feedback
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While this was a very enjoyable book, it lacked some of the emotional depth of the first book. I really enjoyed the interactions and emotional growth between Emily and the Ljoslanders and I wished I could see more of it in this book but the interactions with the villagers were more brief and impersonable. I understand the focus of this book was different, but I do wish the pacing was slower and there was more merriment and involvement with the townsfolk.
I wish Wendell was more involved in this book. He was off page a good chunk of the time and a big part of my enjoyment is reading their bickering, quippy dialogue and seeing the contrast of their personalities. I hope to see far more of it in the future.
The imagery and written descriptions of the faerie world is vivid, lush, and eerie. The time-bending nature of being lost in the fae world is enchanting and terrifying and well-done.

Special thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC #EmilyWildesMapoftheOtherlands #NetGalley

Thank you to net galley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read the arc for this book.

Firstly, I wanted to say that I loved the first book in this series so I was undeniably excited when I got the arc for this book. The book starts a little bit after we left off in book one. Emily is now a tenured professor, the marriage proposal from Wendell is still up for debate, and the search for Wendall’s door leading home is ongoing. We meet a bunch of new characters with lots of depth and intrigue.
One of my favorite aspects of this series is the detailed description of faerie kind. This book introduces and slew of new species and they are referenced from academic journals or text of this world. In the first book, we were able to create some connections with the people living in Lljosland. I wish we explored and made more relationships with the townspeople, not just the small relationship with their local folk.
Overall, I would highly recommend picking this book up if you love Wendell and Emily’s story. I cannot wait to see what is next for on Emily and Wendell’s adventures. Pick this up if you’re ready for an action packed adventure following along as Emily attempts to map the otherlands.

This book gave us everything the first one didn't (as a first book should) secondary characters to fall in love with, more insight into their relationship and a more personal emily! loved it

I am in love with this series.

The worldbuilding is excellent: I enjoy the stuffy academic approach to discussing something that defies logic and reason as well as the magic system and the classifications of the Fae. Emily is a good narrator in that she strives to document everything in a scholastic way - Wendell jokes at one point to say something like “Only you would have footnotes in your journal.”

The story here was just as compelling as the first: Emily wants to create the first map of the Otherlands, a broad classification of the Faerie realms. What she and her group discovers is far larger and more impactful: a nexus.

The book ends on a cliffhanger so fingers crossed book 3 can be expected soon?

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Fawcett, and Random House / Ballantine / Del Rey for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde (the first) hit me over the head, kidnapped me into the story, and spat me out the other side in a daze—much like Fairyland itself. Emily Wilde (the second) is equally charming, mysterious, romantic, lush, and magical.

I might have overdid it on the adjectives.

But truly. This series is as unique as it is well written, and Fawcett matched the promise of the first book with one that enlarges the cast, the scope of the world, and the stakes of the adventures without losing the heart of the characters.

Please read this series. It deserves all the love. It sort of reminds me of a more whimsical Erin Morgenstern or an adult, fairyland Stiefvater. I hope those comparisons made any sort of sense to someone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read the ebook ARC. All opinions are, for better or worse, mine alone.

This novel is a continuation in the Emily Wilde series, and is just as fantastical and heart-warming as the previous installment. Since returning from the village of Hrafnsvik and publishing her Encyclopaedia, Emily and Bambleby have resumed teaching at the college. Not all is peaceful, however, and the two soon find themselves the target of faerie assassin's sent by Bambleby's queen mother. In an attempt to escape, and a journey to find a door to Bambleby's realm, the two set off with companions from the college and begin their journey to map the Otherlands.

This book takes place a few months after the events in Encyclopaedia of Faeries, but answers some of the burning questions posed in the first novel, including: Will Emily and Wendell marry? Will Wendell find a way back to his home? Was Emily's novel a success? and How has Poe fared? The novel also introduces new characters, faerie creatures, and magical rules, all of which contribute to a wholesome and entrancing tale. If you enjoyed the first novel, you will adore the second.

I love this series with all my heart! The way this is written is so unique and enjoyable and nothing is cozier than being lost in this amazing fairy world!

Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a lovely collaboration of both the light and dark of the fantasy world. You are taken into the life of Professor Emily, a tenured educator of the faerie realm as she sets off to use her vast knowledge to guide herself on a dangerous, questionably intentioned journey to save her fae counterpart. What she doesn't understand is that academic learning is no match for reality or experience. But, with the assistance of an unlikely group of cohorts she navigates a whirlwind of challenges and saves the day. This book easily stands alone but is also a great companion to her first title of a similar world. I look forward to more tales of Emily Wilde and what I assume will only be a continuous string of unlikely events.

An enjoyable cozy read just like the first one!

The motivations behind all the character I think made this one more engaging as you got to see more of what drives them. It was nice to see how the relationships continue to build. Not just from 1st book to 2nd book, but throughout this one specifically.

My only qualm was that I felt the pacing was strange. Sometimes very quick and sometimes a bit slow. That could be just me, but it took me a bit to get through some parts.

But overall a great read!
Thank you to netgalley for the arc!

A satisfying follow-up to the charming first book in the series. The second contains all the thrill and cleverness of the first, as our protagonists continue in their quest to find entry to the fairy realm of the Silva Lupi. I continue to adore the book-smart and socially inept Emily and to cheer on her slow-burn romance with her counterpart, Wendell. The way that the plots center on following how a story ought to go, while still managing to surprise and delight, is nothing short of masterful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5/5 stars!

Oh how I loved this book! I breezed through the first installment, and I could say similarly with this one.

Something I loved about the first book is how well Emily is written. She is smart, witty, obsessed with faeries, and overall so charming in an intellectual way. Fawcett has written her so well and made her an even more enjoyable character in the second book. I also appreciated that her romance with Wendell wasn't the main focus. Yes, it was a huge factor but we were able to get more out of this book than just the outcome of their relationship. Plus, the slow burn ache was amazing.

The adventures and quests were fresh and exciting and had me itching to pick this book up whenever I had free time. I truly enjoy revisiting some old friends and being introduced to some new ones as well. Fawcett does an amazing job of mixing in frightening fae with sweet and cute fae which allows for great imagery! In the first book, I really enjoyed the structure of a journal and feeling like I am on an academic expedition with Emily, and I continued to feel this way with the second novel.

Overall, a very fun and exciting second book that leaves me wanting more!! If you love a good quest (like i do), unique characters and a cozy fantasy, this is the series for you.

Keep an eye out for this book, publishing on January 16th, 2024!

5/5 🌟
ARC Provided

Gosh I love this series. The writing is so unique. The characters and how they interact with each other is so consistent. The romance is subtle and sneaks up on you. Plus the world building is so fun! While we are reading from Emily’s point of view, somehow she’s always a step ahead of everyone else, including the reader. Yet again, the second book in this series is a knock out and has me waiting on the edge of my seat for book 3.