Set in the early 1900s, Emily Wilde is an anthropologist of Faeries. She has traveled to a secluded northern island to study the local Faerie varieties. Because Emily is writing an Encyclopedia of Faeries, the story is littered with facts and stories from her book. Each chapter is structured as a journal entry. Emily is clearly a hermit focused on her studies. She must face disruption from the locals, their faeries, and a stubborn colleague.
The way the story is written drew me in. I loved that it was structured like it was her research. The inserts of footnotes and stories from her Encyclopaedia added a feeling of authenticity.
This is a good story for fans of alternate histories.

This was a fun book! I really struggled at the beginning but once I got past that it was such a cozy romance.

Thanks Netgalley, Random House Publishing and Heather Fawcett for this ARC. I really expected to love this book, with it being about fairies. I did find it a bit confusing for me, I wasn’t really getting into the storyline or the characters. I almost gave up on it, but glad I didn’t. I found the best part to be the magic tree and the fairy kingdom..I did give it 4 stars as I did figure it all out in the end..

This book is such a delight! I loved Emily and Wendell's dynamic as well as the academic style of storytelling. It sometimes did feel a bit slow, but I think that's the nature of the style being told partially as an academic field guide.

3.5 stars. This was an interesting story, but it was too long- I felt like at least 20% could’ve been taken out and it would’ve stayed the same story. And at least for audiobooks, the footnotes were extremely distracting/ disrupted the flow. I was interested in Wendal (sorry if I misspelled the male MC as I listened to it), but felt that his interest in Emily was too sudden (like, why now, and go from friendly to “hey, I like you and want to marry you and co-rule my realm with you” after he’s been sleeping around work half of the town girls. It was believable, or likable. And why did Emily suddenly disagree with the plot to poison the king? Nothing is said besides “I didn’t think it was the right way to end the story.” And the ending was so open-ended that it left me very frustrated.

This story was so well done! The characters are vibrant and feel real, and everything about the story is enchanting. The writing is beautiful but simplistic in its delivery. I enjoyed the journey but was a little let down by the ending. Overall, I thought it was a good read. Thank you to Heather Fawcett and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review and advance copy.

What an entertaining book! The story read like a fairytale--an introverted very educated female in the 1900s researching fairies is joined by a male colleague who is charismatic, outgoing and gorgeous....and of course there is a loyal dog sidekick and magical creatures involved as well. I appreciated the diary format, which gave some foreshadowing and insight into the characters, and the relationship between Emily and Wendell was just right to keep things light humorous and hopeful. Things were tied up nicely at the end but left room for eager anticipation of the next book of the series.

I couldn’t finish this book. I was looking forward to this book, it looked cute and cozy but it couldn’t keep my attention.

About 20% into the story I realized that this was a book I wanted to own a physical copy of and rushed to the store to grab the last copy....and I'm so glad I did! This book is EVERYTHING I could possibly ever want in a story. It is whimsical, lyrical, contains beautiful writing, folklore, mystery, and endearing characters who you'll grow more fond of with every page. I cannot gush about this story, the writing, and this author enough! It is amazing to me that this book is a work of fiction because Heather Fawcett's writing, format, and research she put into this book could almost convince me it's real! The only thing I'm upset about is having to wait for the second book to come out to continue this story. Heather Fawcett is now an auto-buy for me and I'll be busy going through her backlist as well.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave this a three out of five stars, I enjoyed it but it was a bit slow. I can relate to the main characters. I like the friendships that were made in this.

What a delightful book! I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, and honestly about half way through I almost gave up. The book is a bit slow paced at the beginning, so grab yourself a nice cup of tea, a comfy blanket and settle in.

This story is written like a journal, and you get Emily's version of her travels, and her stay at Hrafnsvik. Each chapter starting off with the date, and then a recount of what happened to her each day. She leaves footnotes, that further explain in greater detail about history, lore, or any other bit of information about dryadology.

Emily is so relatable. She is shy, introverted, quirky, with some obvious social anxiety going on. Girl...I relate! She is oblivious to those around her and what they may be thinking. She makes lots of social mistakes when she arrives at Hrafnsvik, some due to her own awkwardness and some due to a bit of culture shock. She has her ways with the faeries down well...it's structured and there are clear rules. Give gifts, be careful of bargains, and always keep that coin in your hand to avoid fairy enchantments. It became clear her study of faeries really suited her.

Wendell was adorable as well, and I could tell right off the bat he was smitten with her. He just shows up because he missed their "banter" in the office. He was much more at ease socially, and seemed bring certain strengths Emily's situation. I love how he just brushes off Emily's gruffness, and accepts her in all her quirkiness.

Overall, this story was the sweetest fantasy story I've read in a long time. If you're looking for a fun, clean read with a side of a sweet clean little romance be sure to grab this book.

A whimsical, early 1900s take on the grumpy sunshine and academic rivals tropes. Plus, it's chock full of fascinating faerie lore rooted in real-world history. I loved those aspects of the book, and the witty sarcastic banter between Emily and Wendell.

However, the pacing is glacial and much of the book is overwritten - adding to the slow pace. It reads more like literary historical fiction rather than fae fantasy. The writing is excellent even as it is most overwrought.

I wish there was more character work and growth; Emily and Wendell sometimes read as caricatures of themselves and the aforementioned tropes. Their romance also felt a bit insta-lovey even through hundreds of overwritten pages. While I am fascinated by these two characters and want to learn more about them, they are both insufferable in their own ways.

This book was an easy 5 star read for me. I absolutely love Emily and Wendall and enjoyed getting to know the villagers and fairy lore. I’m so excited that there will be a second book and will eagerly await that one!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital arc!

I started this story almost not realizing it was fictional. Written similar to an actual encyclopedia in the beginning and a good study in fiction comparing non-fiction. Of course, as always, magical.

This book was absolutely delightful! It is unique and absolutely one of a kind in its unique approach to telling the story through possible journal entries. I loved the point of view with which the story unfolds and found myself completely enthralled with the events, characters and happenings in general. I cannot wait to purchase this and have a physical copy as well!

This was a cute read, perfect for the cold winter months. I really enjoyed the characters, especially Brambleby and the villagers. Emily started out pretty set in her ways, but it was nice to see some growth and change over the course of the book. The beginning started out a little slow, I loved the middle, and then the end slowed down for me a bit too. The romance in this book seemed to advance more quickly than I would have liked…some more buildup would have been nice. It was still an enjoyable read though. I loved the fairies and the magic and all of the descriptions in the book. I thought the format of telling this story through journal entries worked very well.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine, Del Ray for an advanced e-copy of this book!

This is a little bit fantasy, a little mystery, a little light romance all rolled into one. The journal format worked really well, giving the reader not only the story, but also an insight into Emily's thoughts and feelings.

I really enjoyed the character of Wendell Bambleby - his presence brightened the book and brought out the best in Emily. I am looking forward to their next adventure together.

I loved this! I loved the characters and the plot! It was a whole other world to fall into and characters to fall for.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was absolutely fantastical! Fawcett wrote a story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

I loved this book and can't wait for the next installment. I'm ready to learn more about other Faerie regions and Emily and Bambelby's relationship.