This was such an exciting ARC to receive, as Emily Wilde was one of my most highly anticipated upcoming reads, and it absolutely did not disappoint! Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for granting this wish, and allowing me to read and review Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands early. I loved the first book in this series, but book two went above and beyond my expectations. I was totally captured throughout the entire storyline. The plot, the whimsy, the fantasticality of it all- I loved every second of it. Seeing Emily and Wendell's story unfold this way was such a joy, and I am so hopeful that there will be more Emily Wilde books in the future. This is such a pleasant combination of cozy fantasy and fantastical academia that was enhanced by introducing some truly lovely characters. This was an absolute five star read for me, and I look forward to its release in January 2024 so I can pick up a physical copy for my bookshelves. Heather Fawcett, you are incredible, and I can't wait to see what you do next!

I loved seeing Emily and Wendell again. Especially going on more shenanigans. The addition of a couple other characters was also pretty cool seeing. The dynamic between Emily and another character is cool, this other character is Emily's niece. The events of this one was fun but also a whirlwind. I really hope there's a third book at some point.

First of all, thank you to the publisher for granting me the eARC of this book! This is my honest review.

Wow! Heather Fawcett has become an auto-buy author for me. I loved The Encyclopedia of Faeries and Map of the Otherlands is no exception. I adored picking back up with Emily and Wendell, the story felt new and I love the new aspects of this world that we get to explore. The characters felt true to what we as readers learned in the first book and I didn't feel like anything was recycled (which often happens in a series). This felt fresh but familiar in that the reader gets to join along in a new adventure with familiar faces (and some new). I loved the continued representation in Emily, which is what made me fall in love with her character in the first place. This will definitely be one of my all-time favorite series and I cannot wait to see what Fawcett does next.

At this point I think I would read endless books in this series. Emily and Wendell are delightful, the creatures are charming and terrifying in equal measure, and the stories are masterfully paced. Not only would I read about this world forever, but I think I must be a little bit faery mad because I want to live in it as well, people-eating foxes and all!

I really enjoyed this book. I love Emily and Wendell as characters. Emily is stoic, standoffish, hardworking and incredibly Intelligent. While she doesn’t ever go out of her way to find friends or build relationships she somehow always finds people who value her and all her oddness. Wendell on the other hand is exceptionally attractive, intelligent, powerful, charming and yet naturally lazy. He can make friends anywhere he goes and have a relationship with any number of people and yet he adores Emily for exactly who she is. He doesn’t expect her to change or be something she’s not so in this book we see how Emily and Wendell handle his marriage proposal. It is entertaining, fun and heartwarming to watch these characters grow as people. I also really enjoy the world and world building. Every character is unique and so is their lives, their homes, their worlds. I also enjoyed the progression of the story and that each book ties up certain things but leads into a whole other story to tell which fits perfectly with Emily and her incessant writing. I absolutely plan to keep reading this series and just really enjoyed everything it has had to offer so far. I enjoy that while the book is written so Emily is the primary perspective we also get bits and pieces from Wendell’s point of view and it flows and is easy to follow. I can wait to see what antics everyone comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book!

Returning to the world of Emily Wilde & Wendell was so much fun. In this installment, Wendell is under attack by his stepmother, and he & Emily must find the door to his kingdom in order to thwart her plans. However, the key to finding the door may lie in the mystery of another dryadologist’s disappearance: Danielle De Grey.

I absolutely LOVED this book—especially since there was a splash of mystery within the fantastical adventure. I think that fans of the first novel will thoroughly enjoy this one! There are also references to past characters (Poe returns!), so there is a fun balance between what happened previously and the next adventure. There is still plenty of witty banter between Emily and Wendell, as well as a lot of growth for Emily as she realizes the power and importance of family/friendship.

I absolutely adore Emily and Wendell. I was worried going into a sequel that the magic and brilliance that accompanied book one would be lacking in this one. There was absolutely no reason to worry. It had the same wit, charm, banter, adventure and stubbornness that I loved. Our slow burn picks up a little bit of heat. We make new friends and meet new creatures. Save some lives, and fight off madness in Faerie. Emily is one of my favorite characters ever written. Her stubbornness, tenacity, awkwardness, researching and wisdom seeking remind me a bit of myself and I need more of her and Wendell’s story. I will be talking this series up to everyone I know.

Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Fun novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in I absolutely love Emily wilde! Heather is an autobuy author for me. Thank you Net Galley for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Author: Heather Fawcett

Release Date: January 11th, 2024*
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Category: Historical Fantasy

Synopsis: Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore, and has catalogued many secrets of the Hidden Folk in her encyclopaedia with her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar, Wendell Bambleby, by her side.

But Bambleby is more than just a brilliant and unbearably handsome scholar. He's an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother, in search of a door back to his realm.

By lucky happenstance, Emily's new project, a map of the realms of faerie, will take them on an adventure to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby's realm, and the key to freeing him from his family's dark plans.

But with new friendships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors, and of her own heart.

Quote: “I knew you were the real threat. Mortals always are, aren’t they? If you read the stories.”

The UnReel Take:
Story: 8
Writing: 8
Characters: 9
Setting: 9
UnReel AR: 8.5

Bottom Line: I am so incredibly lucky that I was approved to read this book a full six months before its release date! To avoid potential spoilers (this being the second book in the series), I’ve listed some general thoughts below.
• As with book one, Map of the Otherlands includes footnotes, though they were awkwardly formatted this time. I’m going to assume these will be fixed for the final release.
• Map of the Otherlands takes place primarily in the Alps - though a certain Fae realm is also featured – and Fawcett has proven her ability to create an incredible atmosphere wasn’t a fluke. I could practically hear the yodeling.
• Meeting the new characters was fun, they felt consistent inside the world without being copy/pastes from book one.
• I’m delighted to say this book includes a mystery that I actually didn’t figure out before the Big Reveal.
• Wendell Brambley is possibly the single most relatable character I have ever read. (Even taking his unusual backstory into account.) When he was complaining about having to hike so much, I felt it on a spiritual level.
• The balance of the primary plot with the romantic subplot was just *chef’s kiss.* It never once felt like the romance had overtaken the main plot, but we still saw enough relationship development to keep things believable and shippers (like me) happy.
• Fawcett does an excellent job incorporating genre tropes while cheekily poking fun at them.
• The development of Emily’s character was fantastic.
• One of the things I love about this series is that the magic system FEELS LIKE MAGIC. It is nonsensical and impossible and the “how” is typically far less important than the “why.” A lot of modern fantasy has magic systems so rigorous they feel scientific, which can make for some incredible fiction but often feels a little lacking in enchantment.
Now, please excuse me while I go cry in a corner until Book 3 comes out…

Ideal Reading Location: Outside, on the grass, somewhere remote. Bonus points if the Alps are involved.

Drink Pairing: I wanted to say tea, for the first book but didn’t, but am for sure going to say tea this time, in honor of Ariadne. You’ll see.

This romp is just as much fun as the first Emily Wilde book, albeit with less sexual tension between Emily and her Faerie lover Wendell. The story ranges over a wide field, and we get new characters, new kinds of fae, and a host of tramping around in the mundane world and several fae ones. Even if you haven't read the first book, if you like new and fun takes on faery stories, academia, and fantasy lands, this one's for you.

LOVED the first book in this series and love the second just as much. The perfect cozy read for curling up at night or sitting out by a garden. Great sequel.

I was delighted to receive an early earc of the second Emily Wilde book. This one is as much fun as Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and just as hard to put down. You could begin the series here--both books are a complete adventure--but you'll probably enjoy it even more if you have read the first book (read it now! These books are difficult to sum up, and I thought they would be too sweet for me. They're much funnier and sharper than they sound in descriptions, and nowhere near as tidy.). This time Emily is joined on her adventures not only by Wendell, her fascinating colleague and romantic interest (who also happens to be a faery king), but also an irascible elder human colleague and her intrepid and chatty niece, who has just begun studying Emily's own field. The need to find a door to Wendell's kingdom has become urgent, and Emily thinks she's found the answer (it's not that simple, of course). As usual, she's hampered by humans, aided unexpectedly by toothy minor denizens of faery (probably my favorite part), and prone to making unexpected enemies and friends. The footnotes are back (my other favorite part). I cannot wait to read what happens next.

Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for an earc in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

I really liked the first Emily Wilde book, and I think this one is just as good if not better. We get a few new characters and Wendell isn't quite as annoying in this one, so those are both positives. I had a lot of fun with Emily's journey and enjoy the journal style of writing (including the cloudiness of what happened when in the fae realm).

There are two main quests in this book and sometimes that can cause a book to feel uneven, but that doesn't happen in this book. One quest is clearly a stepping stone on the path to the second quest and although it is a completed quest in and of itself, that completion is needed in order to complete the second quest. I thought the pacing was balanced quite well throughout the book.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for granting my wish for an early version of this book. I highly recommend the book and look forward to adding it to my collection when it comes out.

This was a great extension to the first book! I loved the characters, the story, and the banter. I love how strong and independent Emily is, and the dynamic between her and Wendell.
With the way it ended, there has to be another! Cant wait to get a physical copy when it releases in 2024!

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publisher for the chance to read an Arc copy!

Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett was such a joy to read! I loved reading the first book and was so excited to receive an ARC of the sequel! Emily and Wendell continue their adventure in the Austrian Alps where Emily believes they may find the door to Wendell’s realm while also trying to escape the faerie assassins sent after Wendell. I love how this story is told by Emily’s journal entries and also loved the new characters, Ariadne and Rose. This book is a fun, charming, and cozy read and highly recommend it if you loved the first book. Excited to read the next part of Emily and Wendell’s story!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC!

Following the scholarly pair, Emily and Wendell expand their crew as they trek to a new village in search of a door to Wendell’s realm. This sequel is nothing short of a harrowing adventure, mixed in with the unique fun of Emily’s journaling—citations and all

The book begins with such a whirlwind of events that you’re immediately sucked in. Like the first book, Wendell and Emily embark on another adventure but this time, there’s more danger in store. The time spent in faerie near the end of the book painted such a picture that it felt like I was watching it rather than reading. I loved this book even more than the first one and I certainly hope that there’s a third!

Fresh off of reading Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies, I was excited to get back into the world Heather Fawcett has created.

I found the beginning of the story to drag a bit and I didn’t really get into the story until almost halfway through the book.

That being said, I love Emily as a character. I love how sharp, unapologetic, and driven she is. I love that she doesn’t acquiesce to societal norms in social settings and she is very comfortable just being herself. And the fact that Wendell loves her for those specific reasons? Even better.

Seeing her relationships grow with various characters in the faerie realms was definitely a highlight for me. And ultimately, I think that even though I had trouble getting into this next part of Emily Wilde’s journey, I will still look forward to reading the next adventure for this couple!

I have eagerly awaited this sequel to Fawcett’s debut in this series and I was not disappointed. We pick up a few months after Emily’s adventures in Ljosland, and find our newly tenured heroine hard at work and very comfortable in her new office at Cambridge, happily researching and writing her next book. All of that, of course, comes crashing down when Wendell is poisoned and becomes the active target of faerie assassins sent by his stepmother.

Emily and Wendell pack up and embark on a journey to the Alps to search for a backdoor into Wendell’s faerie realm. Accompanied by Emily’s niece, the delightful Ariadne, and Department Chair Dr. Rose, the intrepid group descends on the small village of St. Liesl where all sorts of mischief takes place.

Fawcett continues the fantastical world building begun in her first novel, and expands upon the concept of faery doors and borderlands. There are several nods to the first book and a reappearance of Poe, one of my favorite characters. The character develop is well-done, with Emily becoming more relatable and endearing as she grapples with her feelings for Wendell.

Fans of faery lore and fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this and look forward to volume 3!

Recommended.

Emily Wilde, a curmudgeonly professor, and Wendell Bambleby, her rival, friend, recently outed high fae, and potential fiancé are back at Cambridge after having published their paper on the fairies of Norway. Wilde has been researching for a way for Bambleby to return home to his kingdom and believes she is close. Just as they are set to depart for Austria, Bambleby is poisoned by assassins sent by his evil mother-in-law, and their timeline for finding a way back to fairie becomes critical.

I’m always cautious of sequels to novels I really love, but I was completely blown away by this installment of Emily Wilde’s adventures. Everything I loved about Encyclopedia of Fairies was present - well researched folklore, cozy and dream-like scenes, banter between the love interests, and elements of found family - with so much more.

In the first book the tension is slowly built until the final act where the stakes are raised significantly, but Fawcett is able to maintain that tension and deliver it again within the first two chapters of Otherlands. While we as readers are still able to delight in cozy scenes by a fireplace, we are also kept on the edge of our seats as Wilde takes the on the role of hero to Wendell’s damsel.

Fawcett has a particular talent for making the fantastic feel completely real, and I can only hope she decides to return to our grumpy professor and charming fairy for a third installment.