Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands Audiobook Review — Good, But the First Book Is Even Better
The first book in this series is delightful – start there. This one is good, just not as good.
My Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5 stars: Good)
- Author: Heather Fawcett
- Category: Fantasy
- Published: 2024
- Runtime: 12 hours
I picked up the first Emily Wilde book skeptically — faeries aren’t usually my thing — and ended up completely enchanted. Fawcett writes with a vividness that’s hard to describe. In this sequel, she conjures a scene “like a billow of fog trapped in a shard of ice,” and that’s the kind of writing that made the first book so memorable. The world felt alive. There were unhurried passages introducing creatures like Poe, a small faerie who lives in a beautiful tree grove and bakes Emily delicious loaves of bread. That kind of detail makes a fictional world feel real and worth lingering in.
This sequel is good. It’s just not that.
Book two opens with a dramatic action sequence and mostly stays in that gear. Emily, her handsome man, and a couple of additions to the group embark on a quest, and the pace rarely lets up. That’s not exactly a bad thing, but the atmospheric world-building that made the first book so distinctive gets squeezed out in favor of plot momentum. Poe does reappear, which I adored, but those quieter moments feel like brief pauses rather than the heart of the story.
Fair warning on the opening: there’s almost no recap of book one, so if it’s been a while since you read it, the first few chapters may feel disorienting. Stick with it; my brain caught up after a few chapters.
The Audiobook Experience
★★★★☆
Ell Potter narrates the main storyline, with Michael Dodds in a cameo role. Potter does lovely, distinctive voices that heighten your ability to imagine the world, making the audio version memorable.
High multitasking potential, typical for fiction at this pace.
Audio or print? Audio is the better choice here thanks to the lovely narration.
Read It or Skip It?
Read it if: you loved book one and want more time with these characters, since it’s a satisfying enough continuation.
Skip it if: you haven’t read the first book. Start there; it’s better and this one won’t make much sense without it.
Related: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (book one of the series). I adored far more than I expected, so give it a try if you’re on the fence.
For Your Book Club
This would be a fun albeit non-traditional book club pick; think cozy evening with wine or hot chocolate rather than a deep literary discussion. It would be especially fun if everyone has read book one and comes ready to talk about craft, world-building, and what made the series magical.
Discussion questions:
- The first book was atmospheric and unhurried; this one is faster and more action-driven. Did that shift work for you, or did you miss the quieter moments?
- Does Emily’s academic perspective on the faerie world make her more or less relatable as a protagonist? Did her choices in this book feel true to her character?
- The group expands in this book with new additions to the quest. Were you glad to have them along, or did the larger ensemble dilute what you loved about the original dynamic?
- Fawcett’s writing is remarkably visual. What were your favorite scenes that she brought to life?
- If you’ve read book one: which do you prefer, and what does that tell you about what you’re looking for in a fantasy series?
Listen Now
I only recommend audiobooks and resources I’ve personally experienced. This post contains affiliate links — if you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
