Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Bookish Wisdom earns from qualifying purchases. This doesn't change our picks or your price.
Quick answer: If you loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, try Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, A Natural History of Dragons, Half a Soul, Sorcery of Thorns, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and Sorcerer to the Crown. Each one offers cozy magic, scholarly heroines and folklore with a slow-burning romance.
Heather Fawcett's novel is written as the field journal of Emily Wilde, a prickly Cambridge professor who in 1909 travels to a remote northern village to study its hidden faeries. Her charming, infuriating colleague Wendell Bambleby turns up uninvited, and Emily begins to suspect that he is not quite human. Readers love the dry humor, the eerie folklore and the slow romance. These books share its academic charm and its magical wonder.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Mood | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands | Heather Fawcett | Cozy, eerie | readers who want the sequel |
| A Natural History of Dragons | Marie Brennan | Scholarly | readers who love field-journal fantasy |
| Half a Soul | Olivia Atwater | Sweet | readers who want Regency faeries |
| Sorcery of Thorns | Margaret Rogerson | Bookish | readers who like magical libraries |
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Susanna Clarke | Grand | readers who want a long, footnoted epic |
| Sorcerer to the Crown | Zen Cho | Witty | readers who like comedies of manners |
| Soulless | Gail Carriger | Funny | readers who love a sharp-tongued heroine |
| Uprooted | Naomi Novik | Fairy tale | readers who like dark forests |
| Spinning Silver | Naomi Novik | Wintry | readers who like icy fairy kingdoms |
| The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches | Sangu Mandanna | Cozy | readers who like found family |
| Legends & Lattes | Travis Baldree | Very cozy | readers who want a low-stakes treat |
| Piranesi | Susanna Clarke | Strange | readers who love mysterious worlds |
| Howl's Moving Castle | Diana Wynne Jones | Whimsical | readers who love a magical rogue |
| The House in the Cerulean Sea | TJ Klune | Heartwarming | readers who want comfort |
| The Starless Sea | Erin Morgenstern | Dreamy | readers who love hidden worlds |
1. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
Emily and Wendell travel through the Alps to look for a door to the fairy realm.
Best for: readers who want the sequel.
2. A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
A Victorian-style lady recalls her dangerous career studying dragons.
Best for: readers who love field-journal fantasy.
3. Half a Soul by Olivia Atwater
A young woman with half a soul meets a grumpy magician in Regency England.
Best for: readers who want Regency faeries.
4. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
A librarian's apprentice teams up with a young sorcerer and his demon servant.
Best for: readers who like magical libraries.
5. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Two magicians revive English magic during the Napoleonic Wars.
Best for: readers who want a long, footnoted epic.
6. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
England's first African Sorcerer Royal faces a magical shortage.
Best for: readers who like comedies of manners.
7. Soulless by Gail Carriger
A proper Victorian woman with no soul tangles with vampires and a werewolf lord.
Best for: readers who love a sharp-tongued heroine.
8. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
A village girl is taken by a grumpy wizard to fight a corrupted wood.
Best for: readers who like dark forests.
9. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
A moneylender's daughter catches the eye of the winter king.
Best for: readers who like icy fairy kingdoms.
10. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
A lonely witch is hired to teach three young witches.
Best for: readers who like found family.
11. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
A retiring orc opens a coffee shop in a fantasy city.
Best for: readers who want a low-stakes treat.
12. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
A gentle man keeps a journal while living in an endless house of statues.
Best for: readers who love mysterious worlds.
13. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A cursed young woman moves into the castle of a vain wizard.
Best for: readers who love a magical rogue.
14. The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
A rule-bound caseworker visits an orphanage for magical children.
Best for: readers who want comfort.
15. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
A graduate student finds a strange book that tells a story from his own childhood.
Best for: readers who love hidden worlds.
How to Choose
Continue with Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands if you want more Emily and Wendell, and look for the later books in the series. If you loved the journal format, A Natural History of Dragons comes the closest, while Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell offers the same scholarly delight on a far larger scale, with footnotes that make up part of the fun. For the romance and faeries, try Half a Soul or Spinning Silver. If what you want is cozy magic and gentle humor, The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and Legends & Lattes are the safe picks. For something odder, Piranesi is short, strange and unforgettable. Fans of Studio Ghibli may also enjoy Howl's Moving Castle, the novel that inspired the film.
Related: Which Emily Henry Book Should You Read First? · Lori Wilde Printable Book List
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries about?
A Cambridge scholar studies faeries in a remote northern village in 1909 while her charming colleague becomes more mysterious.
Is Emily Wilde a series?
Yes. Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands is the second book, and more follow.
Is Emily Wilde spicy?
No. The romance is slow and sweet, with little on-page heat.
Is the book written as a journal?
Yes. It takes the form of Emily's personal field notes and footnotes.
Is Emily Wilde cozy fantasy?
Mostly yes, though its faeries can be truly frightening.
What age is the book for?
It is an adult fantasy, but it is suitable for many older teens.