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A review by ballgownsandbooks
Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Although it wasn’t an instant new favourite the way I was hoping, I still thought it was a fun, cosy read, and I went into the sequel with cautious optimism. And I would say overall those expectations were met: this was a solid sequel. All the things that were done well in the first book continue to be done well, and to be honest my overall thoughts are very similar to what I said this time last year!
Characters
I continue to love Emily. She’s come a long way from where she started in the first book, but she’s still prickly and awkward and struggles to express her emotions, and her character development feels so natural and real. On the other hand, I still struggle with Bambleby. His character and the romance were the weakest element of the first book for me, and that remains true. I admit it’s largely a personal taste issue, because his kind of character archetype almost never works for me, but I just never bought into their relationship. There’s no real reason for Emily’s platonic feelings towards Bambleby to flip to love so abruptly, and I could never appreciate what she saw in him!
I continue to love Emily. She’s come a long way from where she started in the first book, but she’s still prickly and awkward and struggles to express her emotions, and her character development feels so natural and real. On the other hand, I still struggle with Bambleby. His character and the romance were the weakest element of the first book for me, and that remains true. I admit it’s largely a personal taste issue, because his kind of character archetype almost never works for me, but I just never bought into their relationship. There’s no real reason for Emily’s platonic feelings towards Bambleby to flip to love so abruptly, and I could never appreciate what she saw in him!
I also have to shout out Poe, a minor side character but one who totally stole the show for me! He’s a brownie Emily befriended in the first book, who makes a reappearance here and ends up in a quasi-animal companion (fae companion?) role, and he’s utterly adorable in the way he loves Emily but is utterly bemused by her mortal ways!
Setting
When I first read the synopsis, I was really looking forward to part of this book being set in Cambridge. Unfortunately, Heather Fawcett clearly knows absolutely nothing about either the city or the university, and apparently didn’t do any research. Even aside from the ‘Cambridge’ of it all, it’s very obvious that she’s just plonked the American university system into a British-ish setting – (honestly I’m mostly surprised that her editor at Orbit didn’t pick up on this?) Also, this is probably just me, but I’m irrationally annoyed that she chose to make up a fictional bridge and cafe when the real Cambridge has numerous world-famous bridges which existed long before 1910, when the book is set!
When I first read the synopsis, I was really looking forward to part of this book being set in Cambridge. Unfortunately, Heather Fawcett clearly knows absolutely nothing about either the city or the university, and apparently didn’t do any research. Even aside from the ‘Cambridge’ of it all, it’s very obvious that she’s just plonked the American university system into a British-ish setting – (honestly I’m mostly surprised that her editor at Orbit didn’t pick up on this?) Also, this is probably just me, but I’m irrationally annoyed that she chose to make up a fictional bridge and cafe when the real Cambridge has numerous world-famous bridges which existed long before 1910, when the book is set!
That said, Heather Fawcett’s writing apparently shines most when she’s writing hostile, rural European settings, and once again I really appreciated the Alpine community she managed to evoke.
Plot/Storytelling
The plot also felt a lot more coherent here than in the first book, which I felt was a little chaotic. It’s a slightly double-edged sword, because I didn’t really care all that much about recovering Bambleby’s kingdom, but from a storytelling perspective this book is one main adventure with a much clearer arc, which I thought was an improvement.
The plot also felt a lot more coherent here than in the first book, which I felt was a little chaotic. It’s a slightly double-edged sword, because I didn’t really care all that much about recovering Bambleby’s kingdom, but from a storytelling perspective this book is one main adventure with a much clearer arc, which I thought was an improvement.
I also continue to love the way Fawcett writes fae – definitively the ‘dangerous, tricksy, play-by-their-own-rules’ old folktales kind, rather than the ‘New Adult Romantasy’ vibe. The analytical way that Emily so intentionally leans into the old stories, and how self-aware she is about how her adventure do and don’t reflect the traditions, is one of the things I love most about this series.
Again, this was a solid 4-star read. It’s cosy fantasy in the truest sense, in that it has very little in terms of deeper thematic content or anything it’s ‘saying’, but it’s atmospheric and engaging and overall a good time. The third book seems like it’s going to be largely centred around the romance, but although I’m not terribly keen on that aspect, there’s enough to enjoy in Emily herself and in this world that I’m still looking forward to it.
Thank you to Orbit UK for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.