EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS
Author: Heather Fawcett
Date released: January 11th, 2024*
Category: 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.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The UnReel Take:
Story: 8.0
Writing: 8.0
Characters: 9.0
Setting: 9.0
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.
Maybe your experience will be different!