This book is my new personality. I'm going to talk to everybody about this book. I'm going to buy like 20 copies and give them away. The ONLY thing that "disappointed" me (and I'm really not upset AT ALL because it means we get more content) was that this was not a standalone. And I only say that I'm slightly saddened that it's a series because 1) I'm always scared a sequel will never live up to the first book if I'm that obsessed with the first one and 2) I thought the entire time I was reading it that it WAS going to be a standalone and have no further character development so imagine my shock when I got to the end and realized WE WILL GET MORE EMILY AND BAMBLEBY (once again... this is not a bad thing AT ALL, I was just not prepared for it mentally).

Emily is such a fantastic protagonist because even during the times she did stupid things and I found myself shaking my fist at her, it all made sense for her as a character because she's an idiot when it comes to keeping herself alive vs. the search for science. And Bambleby... my beloved... He is every cocky, handsome character that you can think of and he's absolutely PERFECT! I want him... I need him...

I don't want to give too much away, except that this is such a wonderfully cozy fantasy novel with just enough drama and action to make it absolutely perfect. I can't wait to pick this up for my own shelves and reread it over and over.

Emily Wilde is young and determined. And also a bit fusty, with a preference for keeping to herself. But absolutely nothing will keep her from learning and documenting as much as she can about the world's fairy folk.

Which is how she finds herself in the small village of Hrafnsvik. Here she hopes to find evidence of a folk unique to the area. But while she immediately befriends a tree brownie, she clumsily insults the head of the village, leaving her on the outs until her maddening and unwelcome colleague, Wendell Bambleby, arrives.

Wendell is nothing but supportive and, in truth, wins over the very people Emily put off fairly quickly. But as Emily becomes entwined in the village's issues with the fair folk, she makes more and more trouble for herself. Having Bambleby along proves to be fortuitous in many ways, but Emily has her suspicions about the man and his motives.

This book was an utter delight!

Told in the form of Emily's journal during her research trip, the book is at once driven by Emily's wonderful voice and truly enchanting world building!

As I mentioned, Emily is a bit...set in her ways. She's not overly social, she doesn't do particularly well with groups of people, and she acknowledges that she has a terrible habit of putting her foot in her mouth. Which she does immediately and with no clue how or what to do to put things right.

But she is brilliant in the field, has an excellent memory for fairy lore, and proves that she can think quick on her feet in implementing that lore in real life when dealing with the fair folk.

Which might be why Wendell obviously finds her charming company. And much as Emily hates to admit it, it's clear that she not only views Wendell as a friend, but that he's likely the only one she really has.

As I mentioned, because this is told in journals, Emily is our narrator (most of the time) and the character we get to know best. And I adore her! I see myself in her, to be honest, an introvert who's happiest with books!

I had the extreme pleasure of listening to this one on audio, narrated by Ell Potter and Michael Dodds. Potter is absolutely perfect as Emily, giving literal voice to our narrator (and offering pronunciations things I would have butchered in my head otherwise).

Like I said, this was a genuine delight. A completely charming book that has left me anxiously awaiting whatever comes next for our intrepid academics!

I love this book and have already purchased a personal copy. Not exactly good for a YA audience so it won't go into the library but those who enjoy adult fantasy will enjoy this book. The cover is also stunning and I love a good hardcover printed book.

Fawcetts, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, is a fantasy lovers' dream come true.
A pure and utter delight to feast your eyes upon and let your imagination soar.
From stellar word-building to beautifully depicted snow-covered lands.
Characters you will love from Emily and her Shadow (the sweetie, isn't he?) to, Bambleby and sweet Poe!
With hints of romance and loads of faerie dust for you to explore if you care.
But BEWARE, not all of these "Faeries" are the fairy tale kind, some are... Well!
I think you will have much more fun reading about their antics,
Spectacularly done Fawcett
I Would love another book.

Kudos!!

Faeries Galore!!!

5 WELL-DESERVED STARS FOR FAWCETT!!

Have to reread this!



Thank you, NetGalley/Heather Fawcett/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey/ For this amazing e-ARC for my honest review. My opinions are of my own volition.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the ARC of this novel. The second I got wind it was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. I love Fae fantasy, and I meant traditional fae, not ones making jokes about wingspans.

I honestly don't know where to start this review. The writing was beautiful and descriptive. I had to google the see if the setting was real and I ended up learning a few extra things. The story was magical with a few hauntings of traditional fae lore. I feel that I learned a lot more of faerie lore on top of what I already knew. The banter between Emily and Wendell was adorable and just my favorite thing within the enemies to lovers trope. The main character was absolutely relatable in every nerdy bookworm way.

The plot itself was wonderful as well. Starting academically only to turn into a mission to save the town was perfect. Emily's character development within it was subtle but the reader could see it, even if Emily kept denying it at every turn. She was brave and foolish and even a tad arrogant in her abilities to barter with the fae. Easily a 5 star for me and the first for 2023.

DNF 30%

I'm honestly not sure what it is but I just cannot bring myself to continue.
The prose of the story is interesting and I was looking forward to where the story was going. It's written from a journal/diary perspective which made me a bit hesitant at first but it honestly feels like reading from a third-person perspective which was fine.
The book is actually set out like an encyclopedia which even hence the title I wasn't expecting.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with this book I think it's just me.

This was such a perfect, cozy winter read. It was cute and delightful. I loved the whimsical Wendall when he made his appearance in person. Emily seems like the type of awkward friend I need in my life. Or perhaps she is me.
It was fun reading about Faerie in this way. The Unseelie/Seelie done away with ans Faerie just were as they are.
Some of the revelations were a surprise whereas the major one...not as much. But it didn't take away from the story or the way Emily handled the truth.
I'm only sad that this is the start of a series and I know not how long we must wait for the adventure to continue

This novel is definitely lavishly enchanting! It started a little slow,but then as soon as the fae started appearing and the villagers I was captivated! A beautiful story and I can't wait for the next installment! Thanks #Netgalley for the ARC!!

I absolutely loved Emily’s story. Fawcett created a strong and unique character. Her story took some unexpected turns as it weaved through different faerie lore. The play between Emily’s focused, standoffish personality and Bambleby’s social, lazy attitude was hilarious. I was often in stitches as the two of them faced off.


Fawcett’s faeries are not the floaty, air-headed nymphs of most modern media faeries. Her faeries may not always make sense to humans but they are manipulative and vicious. These faeries are dangerous and that made them all the more interesting.

Even if faeries aren’t usually your thing, you might like Fawcett’s faeries. Really, the story is so well told and funny that pretty much everyone should be able to enjoy it. I already can’t wait for the next book. I think I’ll go read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries again while I wait.

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Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was absolutely delightful. I love the diary style. I loved the prose. I loved Emily's wit and humor, and I loved the depictions of the fae, as they closely resembled historical lore rather than the "humanlike" fae we see frequently in recent fantasy novels. I will be anxiously awaiting the subsequent books in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

AS CAWPILE:
Characters: 9 | Atmosphere: 9 | Writing: 7 | Plot: 6 | Intrigue: 8 | Logic: 8 | Enjoyment: 8
Total: 7.86 / 4 Stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. While marketed as a romance, and it is important to the story, it didn't overshadow the plot or Emily's plans. I appreciated the character development, and the slow burn of the enemies to lovers was a lot of fun. The rules around fae and the way that scholarly people versus people who directly interact with fae differed felt realistic even in a fantasy setting. There were moments when I was a bit lost as to what was going on, but despite those moments, I still had a lot of fun reading this one.

This was good and bad. I did enjoy it but don’t know if I’d recommend. It was very wordy and almost felt like the author had a thesaurus open next to their writing to use. The writing style was different and I’m sure others would like it but I didn’t like the “journal style”. I hated Wendell and never really felt he liked her. I liked the way the kingdom is presented and I like the main character (minus her unrealistic vocab)

The title, I think, is self-explanatory, the book being the journal entries of Cambridge professor Emily Wilde as she conducts research for her encyclopaedia of, well, faeries. Along the way, she's accompanied by her faithful canine companion, Shadow, and her mercurial, very un-scholarly colleague, Wendell Bambleby... who she strongly suspects is a faerie himself. Which, naturally, impresses her not a whit. The world-building, shown mostly through Emily's notes and academic digressions, is comprehensive, if occasionally dry and didactic — which certainly fits Emily's personality, but it sometimes slows the plot. Emily's unemotional, even cold, approach to anything outside her work can make her hard to like sometimes, and she actually shows to best advantage on the rare occasions when someone else takes up her journal and we see her through their eyes, in all her no-nonsense, ever-practical glory. If you enjoyed Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, this is in a similar vein... but much shorter and much simpler.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What do you get when you take one grumpy, socially awkward academic, plunk her down into a small, isolated Scandinavian village, and set her to studying the local fae? Throw in her suave, charming, lazy professional nemesis (and only friend), a barely-liveable cottage, local folklore, a changeling child and his distraught parents, and increasingly sinister encounters with the high fae, and you get <i>Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries.</i>

Written as Emily’s field journal, the book pokes gentle fun at the world of academia and academic publications. (There are even footnotes!) Initially, her academic study takes almost all of Emily’s attention and focus, and she approaches both fae and villagers with scholarly detachment. But as time goes on and she learns more about the local high fae’s impacts upon the village, she becomes increasingly involved emotionally, until she herself is thoroughly enmeshed in the situation.

I loved practically everything about the novel, but especially the characters. Emily is almost certainly on the autism spectrum, and prefers solitude. At least she thinks she does! It becomes clear that her distance is in part a defense mechanism. I loved seeing her relationships with the villagers and to Wendell evolve through the course of the novel; it’s not that she becomes less prickly, but that she begins to acknowledge the warmer heart underneath her prickles. And her academic and field skills are impressive—at least when it comes to dealing with the fae. (Chopping wood, not so much.)

Wendell is also a delight. There’s a lot more to him than surface appearances, and I can’t talk about any of it without spoilers, but trust me, you’ll grow to appreciate him. (I have just spent 15 minutes trying to say something about why I love this character and his thorny relationship with Emily without letting any cats out of bags, and I give up. All I can say is, it’s delightful, it’s full of surprises, and even thinking about it makes me smile.)

If I had to describe the theme of this novel, it’s probably along the lines of “there’s more to [anything] than meets the eye.” This is true of nearly all the characters; it’s true of the village; it’s true of the fae generally and the fae of this island in particular. One after another, secrets are uncovered and hidden facets or motives are revealed. Emily is singlemindedly determined to find and study the local winter fae, and eventually, to set things to rights; her discoveries lead her into serious trouble. And despite her difficulty in “reading” the villagers, she is quite observant when it comes to Wendell. He, in turn, is perhaps the one person who truly sees and appreciates Emily for who she is.

Heather Fawcett weaves everything together with vivid descriptions that make the scenes come alive, punctuated with wry humor. Her pacing and worldbuilding are both excellent, and drew me in so deeply that I couldn’t wait to see how things turned out, even while I didn’t want the book to end. I’m already looking forward to the next one; I hope it won’t be too long in coming!

I absolutely loved this book! It was so beautifully written and Emily is such a refreshing character. I loved all the “townsfolk “ too. A great cast of characters and a story that I can’t wait to read more about!

#heatherfawcett #emilywildesencyclopaediaoffaeries
#bookstagram #fanatsybook #wvbooknerd #wvreads

This is an interesting book and I think will garner a variety of responses from readers. For the most part I would classify it as cozy fantasy- slow paced, descriptive, slice of life following a prickly academic woman researching fairies and the annoyingly charming colleague that gets on her nerves. But it also has moments of startling violence that can feel at odds with the rest of the narrative.

I could see some people loving it, but I think some readers will find it boring and too-slow. I'm not sure how to feel about it. I enjoyed a lot of it- when it leaned into the cozy fantasy vibes it was delivering something I wanted. But then I thought it was too long with a plot that became too convoluted and involved, not to mention darker than what I want from this sort of book. I read plenty of darker fantasy, but the tone of the book felt discordant at times. I would recommend it for people who enjoy this kind of slower, cozy, academic fantasy and take an interest in faerie mythology. Because that's really what this was about. I liked it, but didn't love it the way some people seem to.

I really enjoyed this book! The book took some...turns...that I was not expecting, but it always kept me on my toes. Emily Wilde is a strong, independent, blunt heroine, who always seems to be marching into danger without nary a thought to her safety - it's all about her work. She was just so well-written and relatable, even when she wasn't.

In general, I loved the multi-faceted characters, the wintry setting, and the writing in general. I thought it was interesting to have faerie stories scattered throughout, and the faerie lore was fascinating.

I can't wait to read more about Emily Wilde!

This book made me want to bite something in the absolutely best way. A potent central dynamic, a strong sense of character voice, and a grasp of what make fae compelling had me genuinely on my knees because of this book. I had the best time reading it, and I cannot WAIT to experience the sequel!!

This book was a magical treat! It started off very different from any fantasy I have read before, and to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to think at first. However, it didn't take long to suck me right into the faerie world filled with mean little spirits who were the opposite of the faeries I believed in as a child. New adventures arose at every turn and I couldn't help but cheer on the relentless and fearless Emily. This book is just a magical treasure waiting to be devoured.

4.5

I could read about Emily and Bambleby all day! It is funny, and it has the right combination of day-to-day life and research with the townspeople and action to keep the reader interested. I liked the way it was written and liked Emily's voice throughout. I do wish there had been just a little bit more world-building, but I do like what we got to see from the faeries.

The relationship between Emily and Bambleby has been one of my favorites in recent memory. Extremely slow and drawn out, but it was all worth it for that moment with Bambleby. The townspeople were loveable once you got to know them. I will also mention how much I loved Shadow, and a particular faerie Emily encounters.

I cannot wait to see what other adventures our characters have!