Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Ratings170
Average rating4.3
Emily and Wendell as well as a few new companions flee a faerie attack and head out to the Alps where it's easy to become trapped in the borderlands and maze of doors.
This book was hard to put down. It maintains the cozy atmosphere and fun banner from book 1 while adding in a new understanding of Faerie and the creatures that live there. This is a must read if you enjoyed book 1
ARC received via Netgalley Merged review:Emily and Wendell as well as a few new companions flee a faerie attack and head out to the Alps where it's easy to become trapped in the borderlands and maze of doors. This book was hard to put down. It maintains the cozy atmosphere and fun banner from book 1 while adding in a new understanding of Faerie and the creatures that live there. This is a must read if you enjoyed book 1ARC received via Netgalley
I received this copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own!
It is fair to say that if you liked book 1, then you are going to like book 2. Emily Wilde is back in this book with some new characters as well as some old with a new adventure and a ton of interesting faeries. This book takes them to Austria, in search of the nexus portal that Dr. De Grey found and went missing through, in the hopes of finding a door for Wendell Bambleby to get home.
If you loved the dynamic of Emily and Wendell in book 1 then they are that much cuter in book 2. The faith that these two have in each other is so evident throughout the book, and the lengths they will go to to ensure the other is safe is paramount. The other interesting thing about their relationship in this books is you can actively see them making choices the other would have made, even at their detriment. It was an interesting bit of characterization that made their relationship that much sweeter.
In this book, it is a bit spookier than the previous book. The faeries are darker, ghost lurk about and the stakes are higher.
Overall, this was a really pleasant follow-up to the first and with the way that it ends, I feel like it's safe to say that there should be a third book, which I'm very excited to read!
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is yet another charming story from Heather Fawcett. I will always be a sucker for Emily's footnotes. But, the story itself is cozy. Fawcett's prose is beautiful, and you won't find anything written in this style anywhere else. Emily is a bad ass scientist learning about the fae and curious about anything and everything that she can learn about. Me, identifying as a grump myself, saw it rather cute to see lighter characters being her out of her comfort zone. I look forward to more in the series.
In Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, Emily and Wendell are back to chronicling the mysterious and dangerous faeries that inhabit the world. I always have my fingers crossed with sequels because they can be very hit or miss, but this one really delivered! It felt like a natural and interesting way to continue the story and develop the world and characters more – introducing new faeries, allies, enemies, and higher stakes.
“One of the guiding principles of dryadology,” I said, “is this: do not cross the sort of Folk who make collections of human body parts.”
journal
“Like me, he appeared relieved by the interruption—both of us, it seemed, would rather confront a supernatural intruder than fumble our way out of an emotional exchange.”
THE DOG DOES NOT DIE
okay, now that that's out of the way....love this book even more than the first one. The vibes are immaculate and I cannot wait for the next book. The perfect blend of cozy and Grimm fairytale-esque stakes, this series has quickly wormed its way into my top reads of the year.
Slow, slow start followed by an engaging ending, just like book 1. I’m pretty much just reading the story for Wendell and Shadow at this point so I’m looking forward to the next part of the story in book 3. I only hope the entirety of book 3 will be written more like the ending bit of book 2 than the beginning. Please, no more slow starts. 🥲
The Emily Wilde series is so much fun to read. The 340 pages just zoomed by. The fantasy world building is magnificent. I'm now totally invested in the lives of Wendell and Emily. Cannot wait to read the next book.
The second book in the Emily Wilde series continues to deliver much of what I highly enjoyed from the first book - a bit of charm, wit, fairy cottage-core, slightly unsettling magic and magical creatures, a mystery, travel, and fantasy forest atmosphere and vibes galore - but it doesn't stray too far from the formula. If you're looking for this to greatly expand or do something different from the first book, then you may be disappointed, but if you are okay with a new adventure along the same lines as book one, you'll certainly enjoy the continuing story of Emily & Wendell. I think more than anything the atmosphere, location, Emily's ‘voice' through her journal entries, and the imaginative and unsettling magical creatures that she encounters are what I like the best and this second book continues to excel in these areas, so I still found great enjoyment in reading it. Once again I found myself wanting to go out myself and traipse into a damp, wild forest and look for fairy doors when I was done reading and that usually means it did a good job of pulling me into that world. Looking forward to Book 3!
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! Possibly more than book 1! I can't wait for the next sequel and to explore Fairie with Emily and Wendell.
This was a fun addition to the series. I don't think as strong as the first one, but I enjoyed it..
3.5 ⭐ rating (rounded up to 4⭐) only because this book had the most plot I've read since Yr12 Literature (which says more about my reading habits than anything else) & it put my single functioning brain cell into overdrive without the reprieve of ‘slippery folds' (I'm an incel).
I love the Emily Wilde series and the sequel did not disappoint. We have our favorites returning for another adventure and a new cast to aide them! There were more mishaps in this adventure but I loved that Fawcett used Emily's relationship with the small folk to help them more than Wendell's royal fae blood. I always loved Poe and I was delighted that he would make an appearance in this book!
Seeing as how I'm not a series girlie and how I've been in a reading slump lately with a litter of DNFs in my wake this 4 stars is probably an underrate, but if cosy academic fantasy sounds appealing to you then look no further
Okay, don't go by me, I made a major mistake. I KNOW never to read series books almost back to back. I tire of the author's voice. I should have saved this for summer, but I couldn't wait so I ended up not loving it as much as the first one and I doubt highly that is the fault of the book.
In this one, Emily goes off in search of her hero Diane de Grey. And she's bringing a whole expedition group: Wendell, Professor Rose and Adriana, Emily's neice.
Maybe it's because Wendell is not himself in this book and gets himself kidnapped, but I just wasn't as entertained. I did come to love Adriana.
The ending is quite exciting and I did enjoy it. I just felt it was a bit....rambling on a bit.
Contains spoilers
Just as cozy and adventurous as the first one! Was hoping for a bit more Wendell, but there were still a lot of cute and funny moments between him and Emily. I love how spoiled he is and insists on making himself as comfortable as possible, while Emily tries so hard to resist and tease him until she begrudgingly admits his cleaning and decorating is actually making their accommodation much more cozy. I thought Ariadne was a fun side character, I did not particularly care for Rose, but he served his purpose well.
Happy to see Poe again, being all helpful and cute He gave her his key!. I thought the foxlike(?) faerie was also kinda cute (when not being a vicious, human-eating being), being so excited to be on a quest. The ending did feel a bit quick, I would have liked a bit more aftermath I think, but it's not a huge problem, I mostly just can't get enough of these vibes and characters!
Looking forward to the next book! Very excited about seeing Wendell in his homeland and more of Orga the "cat"
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a sequel to Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, where we once again follow Emily and Wendell in exploring the fae world and its' mysteries.
Much like the previous book, the sequel is cozy, humorous, with immaculate vibes and loveable characters. Not only Emily and Wendell get to shine, we also get 2 new side characters who both have a connection to Emily, and it was endearing to see how they grow closer together despite not getting along initially. Can't of course forget about Shadow, and a mysterious fae cat that makes an appearance!
I really enjoyed seeing Emily develop in this book. She is still the no-nonsense researcher that prioritizes results over all else, but she gets confronted with some of her choices, and I love to see that. Also, seeing her open up to Wendell was very endearing and I really enjoy their relationship. Wendell, of course, is the star of the show for m. Oh what wouldn't I do for this loveable, precious man-child.
I grew to really love this series, and this book solidified it as my comfort read along Howl's Moving Castle. I can't wait to see what the gang is up to in book 3!
Thank for Netgalley & Orbit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Oh I adored this one - perhaps even more so than the first.
The story just flows and feels like a warm cozy magical blanket. I love the quirky characters, the creative world and its lore and the unique writing style. I wish I could discuss the world's impossibilities with Emily, taste Poe's bread and spring clean with Wendell whilst enjoying a good cup of coffee. And the fact that the second book plays in Austria was just icing on top!
I thoroughly enjoyed book 2. More so because I re read the first book just days before it, so the story was fresh in my mind.
I think interfered this book over the first. I loved the plotting and the pacing, I enjoyed the new characters and cameos by some old faces. This book was so delightfully cozy.
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Thank you to Netgalley and Del Ray Books for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely adored the first novel in this series, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries, and I was extremely hopeful that Heather Fawcett would be able to keep up the quality for the sequel. I'm more than happy to announce that – she totally did. Map of the Otherlands is just as fascinating, entertaining, and easy to read as Encyclopedia of Faeries. We see familiar beloved faces, and of course, meet some brand new ones. While I think I enjoyed Encyclopedia of Faeries a little bit more, I still really, thoroughly enjoyed Map of the Otherlands.
We see Emily and Wendell's relationship evolve – though there really isn't that much romance in this book, either. Neither of these books qualify for a fantasy-romance genre, and that's TOTALLY fine. These work so well for what they are, no one should be upset at the lack of on-page romance. Emily herself carries these books entirely on her own – Wendell is fascinating and rather funny, but he doesn't move the plot the same way that Emily does.
Plus Emily's just infinitely cooler. She's still no nonsense, eager to further her education and research on faeries as a whole. She does, however, admit that she has a huge soft spot for Wendell. (Which....obviously.) ANYWAY, sheesh this review is rambly. The plot of Map of the Otherlands is Emily and Wendell looking for the door to his kingdom. I won't go further into detail than that, because it's worth discovering as you read the book!
TO SUM UP – Map of the Otherlands is absolutely worth the read. If you loved Encyclopedia of Faeries, you'll adore the sequel, no questions asked.
It was so nice to read more about Emily and Wendell. I'm not a big romance fan, but this had just the right amount (very little).
As this is the 2nd book in the series, I won't give details.
They are still searching for the door to Wendell's kingdom. I loved their adventure! I also liked all the different fae introduced in this one.
I've been a fan of this author for quite a while, and she just keeps getting better.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.
This Emily Wilde series is the answer for the need I wasn't aware I had of cosy fantasy romance.
I loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and was ecstatic over the opportunity to read the eARC of Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands, as it was one of my 2024 most anticipated releases. I must say this second installment exceeded all my expectations and I loved every second of it.
Why are Emily Wilde's books such a hit for me?
- Emily and Wendel are everything the fantasy genre needed. Emily is a bit awkward (I agree Emily is neurodivergent coded and absolutely love this) and her main strength is her intelligence and passion for her work. She is sweet, caring, and fierce, all in her unapologetic way. Wendel is a breath of fresh air when compared to typical fantasy MMC. He is beautiful and vain (as all fae are), but also a home fairy obsessed with cleanliness, brave, resourceful, chaotic, protective, and utterly smitten for Emily. Their interactions are brilliant, and I can't get enough of them.
- The story is interesting and told in an original voice/ way. I preferred Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands because the stakes are a bit higher.
- There is romance but it never overshadows the plot.
- The set of secondary characters perfectly complements the MC interactions and add value to the story.
- Heather Fawcett writing is beautiful, engaging and vividly transported me to this brilliant light academia world.
I can't wait for the third book when we will finally be able to experience fairy without the fog. This was a fantastic read!
I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK, Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Emily Wilde's Map of Otherlands eARC in exchange for an honest an honest review.
Pre-reading thoughts
Christmas came earlier! Thank you so so so much Orbit and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the eARC!