This was one of my most eagerly anticipated sequels, and it did not disappoint! The banter between Emily and Wendell was still flowing; the magical and whimsical imagery and atmosphere was dripping from the page.

I loved it.

The addition of 2 new prominent supporting characters, along with a mystery quest, and favourite faces from the previous installment popping up made the Map of the Otherlands a wildly delightful read (no pun intended!).

I really hope there will be more installments in this world with these characters.

5/5

*review to be posted to goodreads 2 weeks before publication date (16/01/24)*

Lovely like the first one! I really enjoyed it and I can't wait for the book 3!

Style, pacing and feel of the book remain the same which is very satisfying! We learn a lot more about Folk and meet some very cute in personality ones. Story continues where it stopped and interesting new developments happen.

This series is becoming such a comfort series for me, and I am loving it!! It has all of the warm and cozy vibes, but it still has the plot and the adventure that we love.

I love these characters so much and can’t wait to see what’s next for them!

*thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely magnificent! I devoured this! Seriously this book is everything! The characters,the plot, the writing are just spectacular! 10/10 ! I live for Emily! She is a whole mood! If this series has not been on your radar I recommend you put it there asap! 5 stars !

Thank you for the arc NetGalley.
It was a fun and enjoyable read. However, I prefer the first book of the series. Emily’s creation of the maps seemed like an afterthought. She seemed to focus less on her scholarly work and the book focused more on romance. I believe this is probably the direction the author is going in so I won’t be continuing with this series.
I'd like to see a stronger emphasis on elements like her personal growth, the concept of found family, and her social interactions, as observed in the first book.

Thank you to netgalley and Orbit UK for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Rating:3.5/5
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is just as charming, quirky, and delightfully cosy as it's predecessor. This time, Emily is compiling a map of locations of faerie doors. Her quest to find the door to Wendell's realm leads her to a small town in Austria. However, like the previous Emily Wilde book, i enjoyed the first half of this one much more than the second.
The good:
- I absolutely adore Emily as a main character. Here's is a unique and refreshing voice and I loved reading the story from her pov. I love Emily's personality and her character development is excellent.
- Book 2 dives deeper into Emily and Wendell's banter, which is super entertaining. If you loved their romance in the first book, you're going to love it even more in the second.
- The new secondary characters were really good. Ariadne is just so sweet and won my heart . I came to like Rose as well. A familiar face also makes an appearance.
- Bloodthirsty fox Faeries!!!!
- The epistolary format it very well written and the footnotes make it even better.
- The setting, along with the light academia vibes make it a perfect read to curl up with in winter. The atmosphere is whimsical, and I'm amazed by how Fawcett balances violent and dangerous Faeries with a humorous tone.
The not so good:
- The pacing is a little weird. A lot of the book is spent in exploring and wandering, but Emily's journey to the Faerie realm is wrapped up in a quite a less number of pages.
- Just like book 1, I lost interest when Emily ventured into the faerie realm. It just wasn't as well written as the rest of the book. I know that this is a cozy fantasy and the stakes are supposed to be low, but some things were way too convenient.

I enjoyed this more than book 1, and will be rounding off my rating to 4 stars. If you enjoyed the first book, then you're in for a treat! The Emily Wilde series is a pretty great cozy fantasy and I'm glad it has found a home in the hearts of many readers. I'm excited for book 3 and will definitely be reading it.

This was such a cozy comforting read! And now I need my own Poe friend.
I read the first book a while ago and could barely wait to get to the next one. Thanks to @netgalley i snatched an ARC and this was so worth the read.
I really enjoy the cozy witty old english writing style, I have come to find that this is my most favourite writing style, and its calming even if our characters go through stressful situations.
I am very happy about the direction of this book, which is why I am once again in limbo waiting for the next book.
The characters were all enjoyable, and this book wasn't very focused on the village, but rather on our main characters. We also got to see some side chatacters from the first book, and I sincerely hope they come back.

What a wonderful and charming book! So cosy, if you loved the first one then you won't be disappointed.

The Map of the Otherlands follows Emily and Wendell on their search for a way to return to Wendells realm.

It's a delightful read and hope it's not the last that we see of this series.

A wonderful cosy fantasy in such a unique writing style.

This book continues the story of Emily and Wendell as they search for a way back into Wendell’s realm.

This was such an interesting read that I could never guess the direction that the author was taking with any of the plot points.

I enjoyed the banter between Emily and Wendell so much but would have also loved more action from the side characters.

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>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.</i>

I will post this review on Goodreads in January, as required on your acceptance email. In the mean time I have a pre-review on goodreads on the listed link.

Loved this book just as much as the first - which is a lot!
These books are so whimsical and magical. The characters and plot so well written.
One of my favourite series!

I was really worried that as this being the second book it a series I wouldn’t love it as much as the first but I enjoyed this just as much if not more.
I loved that we still was reading from Emily’s journaling narrative and exploring new fox fea, and expanding the world.
This series continues to be super cosy and the perfect winter read I can’t wait for Emily’s story to continue.

It was such a joy to be back in the world of Emily Wilde and Wendell. I've missed her so! This is a wonderful sequel with more of what we loved about the first. I just adore the fantastical world building, this idea of dryadology being studied at Cambridge and adored how this second instalment built on all we learnt about Emily and her world from the first book.
Obviously, the relationship between Emily and Wendell is the show stealer in this series. The epitome of opposites attract, it was a joy to see how their relationship developed. I also liked how Emily had to navigate her way through other relationships, such as with her family and work colleagues.
If you adored the cosiness of the first, you'll be hooked on this next instalment. It was a real pleasure to read.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an arc in return for an honest review.

I need book three now. I need more Emily and Wendell asap!

Following from the first book, we are now trying to find a way to Wendell's Kingdom in faerie but there are now complications thwarting them and this time Wendell is indeed in need of saving.

I love love loved the plot of this one, I flew through it even quicker than the first and loved it just as much. The characters they meet along the way, new friends and faeries introduced, I'm just so surprised at how much I'm enjoying this series. Sad I'll
have to wait like a year for this though 😩 highly recommend these books for sure!

The excitement I had for this book was immeasurable. And my oh my were those expectations met. This was the cutest most chaotic adventure ever! Emily and Wendell are so beyond precious, and the romance was definitely more prominent in this book which I adored, but it didn’t overshadow the plot/fae elements. Wendell is really battling cardan as my favourite faerie king. Not to mention the adorable side characters, who shone and made elevated the book ever better as we saw Emily come more into her own and navigate familial bonds, professional relationships and friendships!

This was the perfect finish, with room for more in this stunning faerie world in the future! Thank you netgalley, the publisher and heather fawcett for the arc!

This book, y'all. I enjoyed every second of it. I wish it didn't end. I need Book Three NOW.

I didn't even realize how tired I was of snarky-but-"charming" book boyfriends and perfect adorable Mary Sues until I read something that didn't feature either of those things. Emily being a truly antisocial (and not just in a I'm-not-like-other-girls-way) and curious lead, writing a journal that features footnotes and literature sources, and Wendell being a clean-freak fairy king with a murderous stepmother who also loves him (but also very much wants to kill him)? I don't think I've had protagonists quite like this. And I love them SO MUCH. Just for comparison, I'll put a paragraph here from my review of the first book, because it also applies here:

"First of all, Emily is a perfect main character. I generally don't enjoy those clumsy type of characters (oh no my hair is in such an awfully embarassing yet perfect messy bun and I never wear make-up and my sweaters are always oversized because I'm so skinny - you know the ones) and I originally feared Emily would fall into this category, but no. While she is a bit clumsy and her hair is always messy, she's just really ino academia. She just really likes writing papers and doing research. She's passionate as hell about her field of studies. She's so afraid to offend people that she does end up offending them with her politeness and desire to make herself seem likeable. She's real, she's well rounded, and I loved her so much."

Once again, something happens to Emily, and her first thought is always about the papers she's gonna write. And everytime I'm there, cheering her on - "Go write those papers, queen!"

While the first book puts Emily and Wendell into an isolated town where they are the only scholars, this one adds an ensemble cast of more or less four other academics (with varying degrees of sanity), which leads to an amazing array of academic debates and discussions (and fights!). I really wish we would've gotten more of Eichorn and de Grey, who were absolutely fascinating characters.

The only complaint I kind-of have is in regards to the pacing. We spend a good long while running around the Austrian countryside with nothing to show for it, with the actual exciting part (Emily and Ariadne's foray into Fairie) is done with in a couple of chapters. This is explained away with their memories and conception of time being skewed and muddled simply by being humans in a fairy realm, but I really wish we could've gotten more of this, because this is where Heather Fawcett's imagination really shines. We've all seen the alps. What we've not seen is a fairy realm where the trees have eyes, where owls with spider legs hang of castle walls like gargoyles, where women have hair made entirely out of roses. Those few chapters were amazing, and they went by in the blink of an eye. My only hope is that we get more of that, but considering where we left of, I truly believe we will get that in Book 3. Fingers crossed. I, for one, cannot wait. Like, literally, cannot.

Turning the first pages of this second installment in Emily Wilde's story I wasn't totally sure what to expect. I had enjoyed book one but found the plot a little bit of a muddle and I couldn't be sure whether 'Map of the Otherlands' would feel more confusing or a bit more linear. I'm delighted that book two not only made a *lot* more sense I also think I enjoyed it so much that it actually made me feel even more fond of book one - exactly what a sequel ought to do.
We head out with our characters from book one (and a few additional side characters all of whom were fantastic) into the alps to continue with some plot threads that were left at the end of the first book. Where in book one I found the romance ,which forms a key aspect of the plot, to be a little lackluster it definitely shines in this second book. I personally feel it is the addition of those other characters and the chance to develop chemistry between a group of people that makes that romance feel slightly less stilted than it did in the previous story.
The actual plot alongside that romance is very interesting, it was fun to find out more about faeries in other parts of the world and it has me interested for what kinds of things we might experience in future books.
I think the biggest thing that stops me from totally adoring this series is the fact that the books are formatted as diary entries. While that may be a format that works well for some I think it contributes to that feeling of slight befuddlement that I got at times where the narrator is just as confused as the reader. I think it also means that things can jump from one thing to the next very quickly where one entry ends and another begins which can make things a little stilted. That may also be personal preference for more of a memoir format rather than an 'unedited' (in the context of the book) diary.
Overall this was a good reading experience and it was great to see Heather Fawcett's writing and ideas develop in this second novel. I'm very interested to see what comes next!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

"Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands" is the second chapter of "Emily Wilde," a historical adult fantasy trilogy written by Heather Fawcett and currently in progress.

The story picks up some time after the end of the first book and follows Emily and Wendell as they grapple with a new quest, a new setting, new characters, and new threats, all while trying to understand and resolve their strange relationship. What can I say? I loved the first book in the series, but this sequel, with its more dynamic pace and greater focus on the development of Emily and Wendell's relationship, totally won me over!

I love the author's evocative, elegant and enchanting writing! The way she manages to portray the places, the numerous members of the Fair Folk, and the different characters is simply wonderful to me. The narration proceeds with the same ironic tone as in the previous book, without taking itself too seriously, with bizarre and at times intentionally absurd situations that entertained me a lot. I continue to appreciate the particular style of the text: a diary kept by Emily (which Wendell also sneaks into at times), where events alternate with annotations, observations and reflections on the Fair Folk.

The change of setting convinced me a lot! From the frosty, snowy and isolated village of Hrafnsvik, on an island off the coast of Norway, we move to the no less frosty, snowy and isolated village of St. Liesl, in the Austrian Alps. Of course, this involves lots of new information and stories about the Faeries and local folklore, which sent me into juices! In addition there are also several scenes set at Cambridge University and help, I loved them a lot!

The cozy atmosphere is always exceptional! I am not joking to say that this novel made me feel cuddled, held in a warm embrace, allowing me to spend a few quiet hours away from the everyday. However, there is no shortage of some darker undertones, due to the whimsical and unpredictable attitude of the Faeries, their sometimes disturbing features, their not-so-happy legends.

Emily and Wendell are fantastic! Emily remains the main narrator, with her first person pov, but every now and then Wendell also takes over the journal and inserts his own first person notes. They are two lovely characters, with splendid development, whom I have definitely grown fond of. Wendell then is really iconic to me and with his listless, bored and distracted way of dealing with life makes me roll with laughter every time! This sequel puts more focus on the development of their relationship and I don't know, I lost count of the number of times I giggled, screamed, huffed and swooned! They are beautiful, I love them and can't wait to read more about their adventures!

All in all, I loved this sequel immensely and can't wait to read the third book in the series!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm so in love with these series. I can't have enough of Emily's awkwardness and Wendell's good nature. This second book felt a little bit more repetitive than the first one, some major plot points were kind of predictable and convenient, but overall, I was intrigued and invested throughout the story. The atmosphere was superb, and the writing was so on point. This one actually felt like a step-up in comparison with the first one.

What to expect:
- Whimsical story
- Light academia
- Cozy fantasy
- Fairy folklore
- Epistolary format
- Funny banter

I can't wait for the third book.
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Pub Date: 18 Jan 2024

Thank you to Netgalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK and the author for giving me the chance to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

*excited squeals* I LOVED THIS SO MUUUUUCH! 😍🥰❤️🧚

In this sequel, we follow Emily and Wendell as they go find a door to his realm, prompted by a series of assassination attempts on Wendell's life. Emily is following the trail of a dryadologist, de Grey, who went missing while investigating portals, and she will take advantage of this adventure to draft a mapbook of the Otherlands, her newest project.

Will they be able to trace de Grey's steps and find what they're looking for? Will Wendell survive and finally go home? What about the pending proposal? Will Emily answer?

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The world Heather Fawcett has created is extraordinary, bright, and alive. I loved stepping into it in the first book, and I loved it even more this time. It's just so immersive! Every time I picked this book up I felt I was transported. I'm so grateful I got to read this so soon, it was a wonderful time and I loved every second. I can't wait for book 3, I'm so happy the story will continue!

I think the plot in this one was better than the first one because I was more invested in it and the stakes felt higher this time. There was more action, new (and lovable) characters, and so much more information on the Folk, which is one of my favorite things about this, learning about all these faeries and realms.

We also see a lot more of Wendell, which instantly makes everything better, and the way Emily's way of talking about him has changed was so heartwarming to see. He has such a great personality and it contrasts so well with Emily's, I just love these characters so much! I deeply enjoy the way they love each other because it's not corny, it feels very grounded and unconditional. So heartwarming and nice.

I have nothing bad to say about this book. Literally nothing. If you liked the first one, there's no way you won't love this one.