Title: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands
Author: Heather Fawcett
Source: DRC via NetGalley (Random House Publishing Group – Ballentine, Del Rey) in exchange for an honest review
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Synopsis: Goodreads
Purchase Link: Amazon

Other books in this series: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde #1)

Why did I choose to read this book?

I requested this a looooong time ago when I had already planned to read the first book (see above) because the first book was so highly acclaimed. As I’ve mentioned before I love stories about faeries that deal in their darker sides, or at least their more complicated forms. We all know Tinker Bell and Fairy Godmother and the three fairies from Sleeping Beauty. Give me the weird ones with hooves, antlers, and strange magicks – that’s what I’ll line up for.

What is this book about?

This answer is a bit more difficult to pin down, but I think I’ve settled on the ideas that small things can be dangerous and being overconfident can be your downfall. The story reminds us over and over that the common fae are just as dangerous and often even more helpful than the courtly fae. They are more appreciative as well, often leading to more benefits to the person who decides to treat them with respect.

So don’t turn your back on the small, because they’ll bite your hand off.

What is notable about this story?

I really enjoyed that the assorted fae are starting to realize that Emily is fucking dangerous. She’s 100% mortal (as far as we know) and she knows more about the fae’s strengths and weaknesses than even the fae seem to, and she uses this information to great effect. She relied a lot on Wendell in the first book, but here she’s forced to use her knowledge on her own (and technically with her niece Ariadne, who is her assistant) because Wendell is poisoned and cannot help. I look forward to seeing how much more powerful she becomes in the third book, when inevitably there will be assassins coming after her.

I have never been represented so clearly and aggressively in literature. Emily Wilde is me and I am Emily Wilde and I think that she and I would have neighboring dragon hoards full of pencils and notebooks and once in awhile we would breathe fire at each other. If you want an idea of how I see myself and how my personality works, you should read these books.

Was anything not so great?

The structure of this book is much like the first one, so while it was nice to lean back in the familiar structure, there was a lot about this book that didn’t quite surprise. This book is about growth on what came before, which can come off a little flat.

Someone please phone Heather Fawcett and tell her I am owed a sex scene. You cannot build up that kind of tension across two books and not give me the satisfaction of at least some details. When Emily and Wendell finally “do it” it’s a “tee hee and then we did it” fade to black and I. AM. FURIOUS. What a blue-balling. Truly spectacular. I am upset about this and demand satisfaction. They were even stuck in a storm and forced to share a tent!! Outrageous!

What’s the verdict?

4 stars on Goodreads. You have to read the first one first though, so plan to read that one if you haven’t already.

Please Support Amanda and Angry Angel Books!
Enjoying the reviews? For only $1 a month you can become a supporter of Angry Angel Books on Patreon or Ko-Fi! Help keep this website ad free and fund book purchases that usually become library donations too! If a one-time show of support is more your style, Ko-Fi supports individual donations! Thank you for your support!
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/angryangelbooks
Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/angryangel_03