Scan barcode
A review by tinybluepixel
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you very much!
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.
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.