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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
I read Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries in April, and I absolutely loved it, so when I came across the second installment of the series last month, I knew I had to take it with me. And now, I cannot wait to read the third book in this wonderfully magical series. This is such a comforting, sweet, and cozy series, but at the same time, it also features quite a lot of action. It delves more into the fantasy aspect than other 'cosy fantasy' series, and, of course, it also has academic aspects, since Emily is a dryadologist, a faerie scholar. Obviously, this review contains spoilers for the first book. So in Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, it is all about finding the door to Wendell's kingdom. This time, the story begins at Cambridge, allowing us to learn more about Emily and Wendell's work at the university, as well as about some of their colleagues. We are introduced to a couple of new characters, mainly Ariadne, Emily's niece, who hopes to follow in her footsteps, and Rose, an older professor who is not as stern and unfeeling as Emily believes him to be. Yes, Emily still has some wrong impressions of people; she is not the best at social interactions and at knowing what people think or showing others she cares about them. Especially her interactions with her niece don't go as smoothly as one might hope.
It was quite different from the first book; I missed the banter between Emily and Wendell, since there is far less of it in this book. Now that there are more people, or at least a larger group of researchers, the conversations are divided among them. And this book made me realize that I just love Emily and Wendell, their banter, and their entire relationship. Since this novel was all about finding that door, I often had a feeling that, at the same time, a lot was happening, but also nothing really at all. So it left me with some mixed feelings, compared to the first book, but I still had a lot of fun reading this, returning to my beloved characters, and getting to know some others, as well as learning more about the different faeries and the workings of their realms. I also liked the mention and interaction (through letters) with some of the characters from the first novel. It showed that these characters had left an impression on Emily and had not simply been forgotten now that another story and another adventure took place.
So even though I prefer the first part, this was still really good and enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the next book.
So even though I prefer the first part, this was still really good and enjoyable, and I look forward to reading the next book.
adventurous
emotional
informative
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slay! makes me think magic is real and i have found my dream job
adventurous
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
These books are a true delight. I appreciate how they are written. The way the tale is told gives that extra feeling of fae trickery and whimsy. Emily is such a delight as an MC. Her personality is so distinct and makes the series so interesting. On top of this, the whole cast of characters is so well defined and interesting in and of themselves. Having a mix of old and new characters also brought a nice balance to the story.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes