Review: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands (Book 2)
Available for pre-order at Bookshop.org
4.5/5
For fans of: fairytales, folklore, faeries, fae, grumpy/sunshine, pining, light academia, cottagecore, forestcore, comfy fantasy, pining
The Big Questions:
What genre is this in? fantasy, romantic fantasy
Are there any swoon-worthy characters? Wendell Bambleby is rich, charming, arrogant, and a fae king.
Is it spicy? Fade to black
Is it violent or gory? No
Should I buy, borrow, or pass on this book? If you are looking for comfy fantasy or loved the first book, buy this book!
“Do you know what I miss the most?”
”Being waited on hand and foot?
”My cat.”
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.
“If your precious hills and forests unleash their monsters upon me, I shall become the most gruesome of ghosts and haunt you for eternity.”
Review: And we’re back for another adventure with our curmudgeonly Dr. Wilde, her ever faithful Shadow, and her Fae king-in-exile, Dr. Bambleby. I had so much fun with this romp into the Austrian Alps. We’ve got a new town, a new mystery (assassins!), a new goal, new friends, and some old ones come back for a bit of fun. Emily and Wendell’s relationship deepens as Emily no longer fights her feelings for him, but cannot commit to becoming his mortal queen. Along the ride is Dr. Rose, a colleague who forced his way onto the expedition, along with Ariadne, Emily’s 19-year old niece who is staying with her to get some worldly experience. As you can expect, Emily isn’t exactly thrilled to be around more people on this very important academic expedition, but the more the merrier! There is so much banter to be had between characters, expanding the world of Faerie, a fair amount of political intrigue as Wendell’s stepmother starts to take steps to eliminate him as a potential rival to her ill-gotten throne. There’s also new Folk and they aren’t going to be as sweet as Poe this time around. In fact, the adventure this time is more dangerous, the stakes are higher, and through it all, Emily will journal every single thing down. I love it.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.