<i>”The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs—and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible”</i>

I adored this book. It felt like sitting by the fire on a cold winter night with a mug of tea and a fluffy blanket. I actually went and made myself a cup of tea to drink while I was reading.

<i>“You are not so terrible, ‘Em. You merely need friends who are dragons like you.”</i>

Emily is amazing. I love her so much. She is professional, focused on her work, and is not so great with people. She arrives to a harsh northern region to find the Hidden Ones, faeries that have been rumored about, but have not been formally recorded. Immediately, her lack of people skills turns the town against her. Then her colleague, Bambleby, comes along (not that she wants him there) and shakes things up.

This story is cozy, with sprinkles of horror. It’s even humorous at parts. There were several times that this book made me smile and laugh.

<i>”I was delighted to sit in a corner with my food and a book and speak to no one.”</i>

I’m glad to know this won’t be a stand-alone because I want more of Emily and Bambleby. I look forward to the next installment.

If you are trying to decide whether or not to read this book, you should just read it. Definitely recommend.

This free arc was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank-you Heather Fawcett, netgalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine, and Del Rey for this opportunity to read and review this book.

rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

holy wow! this book! definitely a new favourite and a MUST READ! it gave me fairytale/ folktale vibes and the writing is very beautiful, lyrical, and enchanting!

i recommend it if you like fantasy, ya, faerie books, and academia

full review⬇️
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5233789144

I'm not sure why I opted for this book as I'm not particularly fond of fae stories as depicted today, especially the ones that pit bad fae against really bad fae, usually with a bad boy fae prince who is a total dick, despite his hotness, until the heroine gets him in the end.

I eyed the book in my queue, and kept skipping over it, sure it would follow that pattern, until I picked it up the other night when I couldn't sleep. Turned out I loved its vivid descriptions as our crabby, trudging heroine grimly goes to the cold north country for research. And to get away from her charming but chaotic sometimes-friend and fellow academic Wendell. Who turns up uninvited, bringing extra mouths to feed, and a whirlwind of chaos.

Things start happening, and it was such fun to discover Emily's introduction to not only the weird world of the fae, but this world. I loved the characters, the writing, the atmosphere. It was such fun to read!

The fact that this book was almost a 5 star read for me comes as a complete surprise. When I started it [after a weird roundabout beginning with trying to find the audiobook, hunkering down for a 12 week wait, and then 7 days later having it come in <--THAT was disorientating for sure LOL], I was not impressed. It is a very slow start and I was just about to quit because fantasy is already not my jam, when it picked up and then WHAM, away it went and when I started to listen again today [for my 2 hour increment], I found I just could not put it down and just kept going until all of the sudden I was done and now I really want book 2. ;-)

Emily Wilde is NOT your typical MC, but this isn't your typical book about the Fae, so it fits that the MC wouldn't be typical either. And other than the slow start, it is a really good, fun, odd, interesting read. If you love books about the Fae and Faeries and magic and odd, then you will love this.

I AM glad I waited for the audiobook; this was one that was so much better [for me] in audiobook form. The narrator was excellent [and one I will be looking for in other reads] and she really made the story come alive and I enjoyed it even more because of that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Heather Fawcett, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Del Rey for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Clever story and interesting twist on living in a world with faeries.

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge scholar who is cataloging the various types of Faeries and is planning on publishing an encyclopaedia for educational pursuits. She has just arrived at the remote village of Hrafnsvik, Ljosland in a last attempt to locate the Hidden Ones for a final chapter in her book. Emily needs to interview the people of the village and note down the local stories of their interactions with the various faeries and see if she can glean any leads. But while Emily is very scholarly, she isn't very good with people. She has made progress making friends with a brownie that she has named Poe.

Emily has barely gotten unpacked when she is surprised by the arrival of her fellow professor Wendell Brambleby and his students. Wendell has a proposition, he will help Emily finish her research on the encylopaedia, if she will co-write a paper with him to present at the next scholars conference. Wendell has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle since he might have forged a bit...okay, most of the facts in his last paper and he fears that his funding might dry up. Putting Emily and her pristine reputation on a paper with him will help elevate Wendell back into the good graces of the patrons.

Wendell Brambleby oozes charm. He makes friends everywhere he goes and usually always manages to find someone to do his work for him. He is absolutely lazy but Emily has to admit that Brambleby is probably the closest thing to a friend that she has, so she agrees. She will have to wait and see if that is the worse decision she has ever made.

Thoughts:
It is a clever worldbuilding where everyone knows that the different faeries exist but they are still hard to find. They also aren't all adorable. In fact, when Emily arrives in Hrafnsvik, it appears that the more secluded Courtly Fae have started kidnapping people out of the local villages. Now this is something that happens once or twice a generation but recently it has been a bit of a plague with many of their young, and mostly handsome men and women disappearing into the woods.

The writing was very descriptive. I don't know the technical terms but it had a Jane Eyre feel to it. Because of that, it was a bit hard to get into at first, added to that Emily is very socially awkward and hard to make a connection with. It was actually the arrival of Wendell and his acceptance of Emily's view of the world that made her more likeable.   At one point, she wants to weigh the pros and cons before accepting Wendell's offer and asks if Wendell expected her to immediately jump for joy, and his response was along the lines of, if you had, I would have asked what you had done to the real Emily. So these two co-workers are on absolutely opposite sides of the spectrum with Brambleby's gregarious nature yet lazy attitude and sloppy ethics while Emily is all scientific ethics but no social grace. Yet, they understand that they are each the closest thing to a true friend that either of them has. We also find that Emily is convinced that part of Wendell's charming air is the fact that he is probably part-faerie himself. She just isn't so focused on it that she needs to prove it nor does that fact concern her and her feelings for Wendell.

We do see a small change in Emily during her time in the Village as she starts to be accepted by the Villagers. Our scholarly Emily knows all about the good and the bad of the Fae but she never actually steps in to stop the wrongs being done to the humans. They say, you know how to stop this and her first thought is, well, in theory. But Emily comes to realize that she doesn't have to sit back and just watch things happen to the people around her and she slowly begins to help the villagers with the problems created by the Faeries, especially the more dangerous Court fae and she drags a reluctant Wendell into her plans. When one of her new friends gets enchanted and kidnapped by the Winter Court, Emily insists that they try and get her back, while Wendell tries to convince her that it is easier to just pretend to look for her since she is probably lost for good. 

It took me awhile to get into this story, but once Emily starts to accept her place as part of the Village and she tries to outsmart the Court Fae, the story gets more exciting. I was almost disappointed when it ended after it had just gotten so interesting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Del Rey for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this book for an honest review. (Published: 01/10/2023)

“Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries” by Heather Fawcett completely blew my mind! It’s gorgeously written, the characters were well layered and very likable, and it contained more realistic information about faeries than I’ve read in any other book.

The book contains the personal journal of twentysomething Cambridge professor Emily Wilde – expert on the study of faeries. Her journal contains her research and first-hand experiences during her travels to write the world’s first encyclopedia of faerie lore. The story flows seamless between the detailed entries, and I quickly loved Emily’s quirky, antisocial personality and laugh-out-loud hilarious encounters with the townsfolk and Wendell Bambleby - her charming but insufferable Cambridge colleague.

Overall, I can’t wait until the next book in this series is released to see what happens next for Emily and Wendell! If you like fantasy faerie stories with a realistic and dark twist, you’re going to love this book!

Here’s the thing. I will read anything with faeries in it. I will take sexy Dungeons & Dragons style fae, but deep down, the little folkloric monstrosities are what I crave most. I, for one, hoard these books like a dragon, because the books with scarier fae often give me that mix of whimsical romance and beautiful brutality.

Have you ever searched for a book that truly reminds you of The Cruel Prince by Holly Black but adult? This is that, but the adults are more gentle, and less angsty, with each other. This story is part whimsical fantasy and part mystery and entirely absorbing.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries features a wonderful anti-social academic on a field research trip to an isolated island in Arctic Norway, where she studies the Folk (both mythical and human). Set in a tight-knit and isolated village by the sea, everything is Planet Hoth cold. The people distrust outsiders at first, but the more Emily situates herself and her nervous academic tendencies, the more they are happy to talk by the fire and drink at the local tavern, spilling secrets of the faeries in the woods.

So within the woods and ice, Emily finds her research subjects. Emily writes that her journal will provide “an honest account” of field notes for a comprehensive guidebook of faerie folk. But when Emily’s academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, arrives in Ljosland, Emily is not pleased.

Absolutely, Emily does not want her disgruntled, immaculately tailored colleague joining her in this nightmarish winter wonderland. But Wendell is the only one that can charm his way through Emily’s grumpy persona. Missing her and worrying about her at Cambridge, Wendell decides to assist Emily on the encyclopedia. She accepts his help, in part because she suspects he may actually be a faerie.

But the more faeries that come up from under the snow, the more a chilling mystery unfolds within the cottages of Ljosland. People are being taken by the high faeries into their enchanting otherworld. Emily and Wendell, academic researchers, transform into a team of Faerie detectives, solving the crimes inflicted by the Folk on the human villagers. I loved every tiny bit of it. Even more mysterious, feelings start boiling beneath frosty academic hearts.

To find the disappearing villagers, Emily and Wendell practice following the habits of the high faeries, who are bound to obey laws. Kind actions given in return for a faerie’s favor maintain the balance between the cruel judgment of the Fae world and the innocence of the human world. There are kelpies, brownies, and whimsical common cottage-dwelling Folk but there are also dangerously elegant high faerie lords, who love stealing the local villagers from their warm cottages.

Nothing annoys me more than faeries that are so beautifully mysterious and so cruel that they feel detached from emotions. I hate this because it robs me of nuanced characterization. This book, luckily, does not fall into that very overdone trap. All characters, including the faeries, felt like they had hopes, dreams, and reasons for their anger. I could feel their frustrations, even if I also recognized their very intentional ethical misjudgment.

Both Emily and Wendell felt like real, achingly imperfect characters. Their back-and-forth dry wit mixed with sweet friendship and prickly colleague mannerisms got me straight to the heart.

“You are not so terrible, Em. You merely need friends who are dragons like you.”

This book is full of perfectly witty lines. Emily, who rarely goes on outside adventures, swings an axe to chop firewood only to fail miserably, to which Wendell responds, “Good God, what a violent process.” Indeed, Wendell. But very entertaining for this reader.

Wendell is wicked, dramatic, and elegantly rude but never harsh or mean in the way I might expect a hate-to-love romantic plotline to be. Both characters have a hard time with emotions in general. For the most part, they hate everyone but each other. The joy of this is the more I read, the more clear it becomes why Wendell spends so much time around Emily.

Because I am neurodivergent, this at-times awkward, sometimes snarly relationship appeals to me more than the ones between people who understand exactly the right way to feel and how. Academic grumps they may be, but these two have a friendship that makes me wish for someone that would battle faerie assassins for me. Like many neurodivergent people, they would rather face murder faeries than their own emotions:

“I know you too well, Em. You could never survive without having someone around to snarl at.”

Everything about this frost-tipped whimsical fantasy had me waiting for the snow to fall so I could bundle up in a blanket, dreaming about prickly faeries and fresh hot buns. Did I mention the delicacies in this book? It is full of chilly delights, including iceberries and star-brewed wine. I mean it when I say this is the perfect book to summon snow for your increasingly warm winter weather.

Chilling, packed with lore, and a slow burn, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is the type of book I’ve been looking for. Their adventure from faerie field research to two professors running like hell from a faerie nightmare kept me on the edge of my seat. Yes, sometimes the annotations (made to feel just like an academic journal) felt a bit too lengthy at times. But I found myself so in love with the voice, the characters, and the story that I really couldn’t find myself caring all that much about its faults.

This book and I? We are an absolute match.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries follows a faerie folklore professor, Emily Wilde, who travels to a remote snowy village in an attempt to learn more about the world's most elusive faeries, the hidden ones. The story is entertaining, the characters are well flushed out, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat.
This could have easily turned into any other fantasy novel, but it didn't. The author had a fresh perspective and I loved the use of journal entries to progress the story.

If you're looking for romance, you won't find much here. However, lets be honest, thats something you can easily find in almost any other book with fae present. Not with Emily, she's an academic. She doesn't just fall into bed with every faerie king who proposes. She needs to be wooed first, and this is a series so perhaps we're dealing with a slow burn. I'm predicting more romance in the second book.

Overall, I highly reccomend this book. Once you get through the first few chapters of world building, you won't be able to out it down.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

This is another example of a book where I sincerely enjoyed the concept and the broad outlines of the characters, but was kneecapped by the handling of the character descriptions and the romance. A kind of random allusion but Tamsyn Muir provides a tongue-in-cheek description of a romance novel in her book Harrow the Ninth that perfectly encapsulates the kind of protagonist that will, without fail, cause me to dislike the story. "[XYZ Princess] is considered a poor prospect on the marriage market because she's TOO skinny, her magic is TOO good, and she wears her thick chestnut hair in an unflattering bun, which is mentioned at least twice per chapter." Emily Wilde falls, squarely and unfortunately, into this category of protagonist, particularly with her myriad insistences that she is NOT pretty and her hair is ALWAYS falling out of its messy bun despite the constant reminders to the reader that those around her consider her beautiful and intelligent. Despite this being an adult novel, I suppose that strikes me as a particularly YA tendency. I wish I could have said I enjoyed the rest of the story, which delighted with the many different varieties of faerie and Emily's status as a brilliant academic but my frustrations with the handling of her character just completely influenced every scene.

Wow, I loved this. We follow Emily Wilde, a Cambridge academic in the field of faeries–yes, faeries have their own field of study in this world, because they’re real–who is trying to put together an encylopaedia. She travels to a remote village in Iceland to study the folk there as the only information about them is mostly anecdotal (which is of course not great for academia); however, she isn’t there very long before her annoying(ly handsome) peer and rival Wendell Bambleby arrives to “help” her research. Of important note: she only refers to him by his last name, he mostly refers to her as “Em” or “Dear Emily”, and yes I did highlight every single instance of it, thank you. Emily also has her suspicions that Wendell is one of the high fae, and these suspicions rise as she’s around him more and more.

This book is marketed as adult, but is definitely in that young-adult-crossover range. And speaking of young adult, Emily Wilde is an excellent choice for The Folk of the Air fans who also like academia (there are footnotes!), as Emily is a lot like Jude–if Jude’s ambitions were academic. There’s even a scene (*SPOILERS*) where Wendell brutally kills a few lesser fae because they hurt Emily. Maybe not the time for me to be grinning like a fool, but that really did not stop me.

I really only have one complaint about this book, which is that I’m not quite sure when it’s supposed to take place. It’s clearly not modern day, and it must take place after 1868 since our characters have access to a type writer, but where exactly in the 1800’s we are is unclear. I can’t complain too much, though, since I’ve read and loved the Kingdom of the Wicked series, and trying to pinpoint a time period on that series is like throwing darts with a blindfold (I truly say this lovingly; I have at least 3 copies of every book in that series).

Overall I found this a delightful read and a fun introduction to a new world. The characters are compelling and imperfect, and I can’t wait to see what they get up to as the series unfolds. There’s no steaminess in this first installment, but I’m holding out hope in the sequel(s). 4.5 stars

Emily WIlde was really interesting, and I enjoyed the rivals to lovers feel. Some of the pacing was a little off but generally. this was a really enjoyable read. The main character was a little hard for me to relate to at first. I loved the lore and different types of fae.

When I read the information about this new novel, I was intrigued by both the "Encyclopedia" and a diary of Emily Wilde's accounts. I think that the author did a fine job melding the two.

The story itself opens with Emily and her dog, Shadow, arriving in a Northern Norway isle to study the local "Fair Folk". She lacks virtually any people skills, and soon inadvertently insults a member of this small Ljosland community. Renting a small cabin in a hostile environment with nearly no access to food or heat, jettisons Emily into a domain unlike any other she has known. She proves to be clever and fluid enough in the Fae language
to makes friends with one of the fair folk who for small gifts/tasks supplies her with fragrant un burned bread. She spends her days exploring and mapping her surroundings, content in her solidarity and often cold in her cabin.
Soon though, the arrival of her Cambridge colleague Wendell Brambleby and two of his interns interrupt all of her quiet study. Her only ambition has been to create the world's only Encyclopedia of Faeries and she see's this intrusion as a way to horn in on her research and to take some of the credit for himself.

Arrogant and full self importance Brambleby appears to be giving his research a cursory glance. He has a much more casual approach and has no problem making friends and encouraging locals to supply them with cut firewood and food. He's like the pied piper of Ljosland. He invites the locals to tell their Fae tales and spends countless nights enjoying the fare of the local hangout the Pub.

As the story continues, Emily becomes more at ease with the community and Brambleby himself. She even makes a couple of friends. Brambleby and Emily both find common ground and develop a sense of who the other is and their friendship grows to a light romance.

Her knowledge of Fae tales gives her the ability to rescue some people of the community and ingratiates her to the town and when she needs help they return the favor.

This story is clever, the side characters are unique and well thought out. In my opinion the beginning is a tad bit slow but that makes a counter to the whirlwind that is Brambleby.

I would love to read the next book and see just where Brambleby and Emily go from there.

I am grateful to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the ARC. These opinions are unsolicited and entirely my own.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a cute and clever twist on fae fantasy, bringing a "scientific" eye to the story of a traveling academic visiting a small, remote town in pursuit of knowledge. She certainly learns plenty - about the fae, but also about friendship, love, and herself.

This book is told entirely through Emily's journal entries (with occasional contributions from her companion Wendell), and she brings a unique and engaging perspective to the narration of her travels. While she endeavors to keep an academic tone, her personality slips through, as do stories of her more personal entanglements with the townsfolk of Hrafnsvik and with Wendell. It was lovely to watch her grow in this respect, and welcome more people into her life - and her heart.

That said, this book fell a little flat for me at times. Emily is reserved and private (which is an odd thing to say about a narrative character, but it feels correct), and while the narrative is certainly consistent in that respect, I found that the result was a lack of deep emotion throughout the book. This made it hard for me to really connect with her or understand her true feelings about what was happening. On a related note, it was the lack of emotion that made me unsure how to feel about Emily's relationship with Wendell. While the end hints at the start of a romance, I never entirely bought her affection for him, and even his feelings, which were much more clearly stated, felt a little unconvincing. I think the book as a whole would have benefitted from the excitement of more romantic content - or maybe some more pining - and I would have liked to see this element played up more, and with more clarity.

All in all, a cute and quirky story, but not always the most engaging.

3.5/5

4⭐️

Emily Wilde in a dryadologist studying fairies in Hrafnsvik, Ljosland, and is looking to find their “Hidden Ones.” Emily is no stranger to the Folk, and had dedicated her life to studying them. When her coworker, Wendell Bambleby, surprises her by showing up at her new temporary home, Emily fears that he may try to take credit for her research. Emily keeps a field notebook to document her observations and the trouble she and Bambleby find themselves in.

I really enjoyed this field notebook style of writing, and I feel like I was able to understand Emily best because it was written as if she were writing entries. The fairy lore was really fun and different from a lot of the fairy books I’ve read. The relationship between Emily and Bambleby seemed to have come out of nowhere, but I guess they had been friends and coworkers for some time. Overall, this is a fun book and I especially love the wintery setting.

<b> “Ask for my true name, and I’ll give it to you.”

“Why on earth would you do that?” I demanded, yanking my hand back.

“Oh, Em,” he said forlornly. “You are the cleverest dolt I have ever met.”</b>

This was a real treat. I'm a sucker for journal-entry narrative and an even bigger sucker for 19th-century-ish academic prose style; Emily Wilde delivers on both counts. Heather Fawcett's worldbuilding is terrific, too, with extensively elaborated "dryadological" (what a great coinage) observations and information, plus bonus footnoted academic squabbles. The author clearly knows her supernatural folklore backward and forward. I loved her imaginary subarctic country and the inhabitants of the village of Hrafnsvik: the village's name alone made me smile every time I read it (don't you pity the poor audiobook narrator?). And, finally, I was pleased to discover that in this quasi-Victorian world queer people seem to be taken for granted and women aren't expected to abstain from sex before marriage. I particularly enjoyed Wendell Bambleby's parade of paramours, who only irritate Emily rather than embarrassing her or being embarrassed themselves.

Which leads me to the characterizations! Emily is, as the book description suggests, a bit lacking in social skills; she's also out of touch with her emotions, and when she does notice her own feelings she shoves them down because she's not got the faintest idea of how to express them. And as for Wendell, charming rogue and brilliant layabout ... it's really not a spoiler to say that there's much more to him than meets the eye. Something I very much appreciated about both characters is that they're not exactly good: Emily is so focused on her scholarship as to fall into solipsism, and Wendell cares for the people he cares for but in general is cheerfully amoral.

Once Emily becomes aware of her feelings for Wendell, or anyway admits them to herself, she suddenly has all sorts of things to say in her journal that aren't, I think, set up quite convincingly. I'm also not sure that the climactic scene at the Faerie king's court is narratively satisfying in the way Emily wants to make it. But honestly these are trivial objections when a book is as imaginative and delightful as this one, and when the characters are so much fun.

This was a lovely novel. Cozy, full of life, and passionate Fae x Academia vibes. Great for older fans of The Cruel Prince, or anyone who is looking for something with Legends & Lattes meets Book of Night energy. I will state: not in love with the love interest, but I am in love with the author's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Rey, and Heather Fawcett for an e-arc of Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first five star read of the year. I absolutely loved this! The formatting fit so well and getting to know Emily through her journal entries was such a joy, along with seeing her notes for her research in her footnotes. It really felt like we were reading her journal. Going on this journey with her to discover this little known race of fae, and as she learns what it’s like to be part of a community was also really magical.

The setting worked so well for this story. In the beginning it seemed so cold and stark, almost uninhabitable despite the village of people living there. But as Emily opens up to those around her, her feelings about the place change. It becomes a place full of life and friendship.

I also loved Wendell and that banter between him and Emily. I loved seeing Emily collect the little breadcrumbs she’s picked up to piece together his backstory. I can’t wait to see where the story continues and what else we get to learn about this magical world. I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment.

This book was so cozy, and I'm glad that I read it. I enjoyed the romance and how it slowly developed but what I liked even more was just all of the faeries and the folk. The lore this author did with the worldbuilding was really wonderful.

Firstly, I’m so glad I had an Ebook copy because I had to look up so many words. As a lowly semi educated American I felt dumb as I read, but absolutely loved it as I learned the use of quite a few new vocabulary words. The style of writing felt scholarly and removed for the most part, which is how Bambleby describes Emily, so I absolutely loved how that all turned out. Writing like a cold blooded dragon. Beautiful.
I also really enjoyed the cultural customs that were represented in the book, however real or unreal they may be, they were incredibly interesting and homey feeling. Emily is lucky Bambelby is such a good friend to help her with the townsfolk.
I’ve not read anything like this and it was incredibly interesting to read from this perspective, where if the Fae were real and let themselves be discovered. it would be amazing to see a mock up of what Emily Wilde had actually collected for her entire encyclopedia as an addition to the series with different Fae from different parts of the world.
I can’t wait to see this book blow up and become a best seller, I’m recommending this book to all my friends and am already ready to devour book 2.

I don't think I can due a legit review for this as I could tell almost immediately that I was not the target audience for this novel. This reads like something I would have been obsessed with back in Middle School, a time of my life I'm trying desperately not to think about lol.

Average rating for writing and narrative presented.