Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde #2), by Heather Fawcett
9 Feb 2024The Book
Synopsis:
When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series.
Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her infuriatingly charming fellow scholar Wendell Bambleby.
Because Bambleby is more than brilliant and unbearably handsome. He’s an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily’s feelings for Bambleby, she’s not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers.
She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time 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 relationships 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.
My Review
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is the second book in the cozy historical fantasy series Emily Wilde, written by Heather Fawcett, and published by Orbit Books in the UK. Maintaining the vibes of the first book, we embark on a new adventure with Emily Wilde and her former academic rival Bambleby, which will take us to the Austrian Alps in this occasion, while being in the run from the assassins sent by Bambleby's mother.
Time is not wasted with recaps, and we quickly jump into the story, following the style of journey entries that were used in the first book of the series; with the style that characterizes Emily, they are excellently written, with a carefully crafted prose, and with plenty of descriptions that embellish the experience of reading it. The banter between Bambleby and Emily is a tonic during the whole book, despite some secondary characters are added into the plot, stealing a bit of the spotlight on some moments.
Despite the quick jump into the plot, it is true that it devolves into a slower pacing and a slow burn romance between our characters; all while we become participants of this new Emily's investigation, driven by the meticulosity that characterizes the professor. Shadow also makes a return and this book, and that makes extremely happy, because he's the best boy.
While I would have preferred a bit of more straightforward plotting in this book, especially because the story stalls a bit on St Liesel, it is true that this second installment is the perfect cozy story to read with a teacup in front of the fire; it's cozy and charming, a big hug to the reader. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is a great sequel, and a really enjoyable read.
The Author/s
Heather Fawcett
Heather Fawcett is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Grace of Wild Things, and more. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and somehow all include dragons in one form or another. She has a Master’s degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s in Archaeology. She lives on Vancouver Island.