Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who studies faeries. She journeys to the far north in order to study the faerie folk and work on her Encaeclopedia of Faeries. This to be fairly isolated journey, which suits Emily’s introverted lifestyle well. However, when her colleague Wendell Bambleby shows up, Emily’s quiet and peaceful research trip turns into anything but!

I enjoyed this book greatly. I’m completely enamored with the title and find it so clever. The book is set up in a journal format, with Emily narrating her daily entries in the first person. Admittedly, I’m not much of a fantasy reader, and wish I had more background knowledge of the fae folk going in. However, I did learn a lot as I read on and the footnotes were helpful. I want to take a moment to note my awe of Heather Fawcett. The world she created and the fairy knowledge and customs she wove through the story are so comprehensive and complex. She’s a greatly talented writer and I love the voice she gave to Emily’s character.

This book is perfect for anyone interested in fantasy, academia, and coziness. This is the first book in a series and I’m excited to read about more of Emily and Wendell’s adventures and see who else they encounter!

A sincere thank you to Penguin Random House/Del Rey and netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

For fans of fantasy and detailed imagery.

I was so excited for this book, and in the beginning I loved it, I was so excited to see Emily embark on this journey to complete her book and get it published, I love books that are about authors or books, so this was why I was so excited for it, and I was looking for a fantasy read and this seemed like the perfect description.

However, most of the writing felt long and overdrawn, everything was detailed, I get most encyclopedia's are this way and it was her way of recording everything that happened. I feel like I was overwhelmed with every detail and afraid of not understanding anything, I am fairly new to fantasy and faeries, so I was excited that this might be an adventure and something creative in the way I get to learn the basics of fantasy, hence the encyclopedia, however this wasn't it. The plot was there and I loved how Emily had to win over the rest of the citizens, but it was just confusing because the descriptive writing and the conflict were in the same paragraphs. It was basically a narration.

I may have to give this book a second chance and I was really excited to discover a fantasy world, but this was not what I expected at all, as I keep mentioning.

If you love world building (for the setting) and fantasy/magic?, this is right up your alley, however for said reasons, I did not like this one, and will see if I give it a second chance. It was just overwhelming for me since it was extensive and lengthy. The descriptive writing was good (I can't say amazing because I am not a fan of it, from what I have read so far) .

Overall: 3.5 stars, and a possible second chance.

Many Random House and NetGalley for the ARC! This book came out on January 10 2023 and is now available for purchase.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a historical fantasy novel in the vein of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Babel: an Arcane History. It takes place in an alternate version of the early 20th century where faeries are real and scholars devote their lives to studying them. Emily Wilde is one of these scholars, an adjunct professor at Cambridge working on the first ever encyclopaedia of faeries in the hopes it will secure her job. The final chapter of her book takes her to remote Scandinavian village, and her charming yet insufferable (to her mind) colleague Wendall Bambleby follows. The novel is set up as Emily’s field journal, which works well to provide insight into her thoughts and feelings and well as provide the necessary “scholarly” information the reader needs to understand the world.

Historical fantasy has quickly become one of my favorite genres, and Fawcett does a great job building her alternate world. Some of this is done through footnotes referencing fictitious scholarly sources and folktales Emily copies into her journal. However, we also learn about the village, Hrafnsvik, and the people’s culture through Emily’s initially unsuccessful interactions with them. And of course, the fae themselves are glorious. In this world, the fae are divided into two general categories–common and courtly, but also vary widely based on the country and environment they are based in. All the faeries we meet are otherworldly and fascinating, some are absolute sweethearts, and others are downright chilling. I’m so glad this is the first in a series because I can’t wait to explore this world further.

But even the best world would be nothing without engaging characters, and Fawcett excels here as well. Emily is brilliant in her field and meticulous in her research, but she is terrible at interpreting social cues and interacting with people. Wendell is the opposite; he oozes charisma, and though he is equally brilliant, he has no problem falsifying research if it will get him funding. Naturally, the two butt heads a lot, and it’s incredibly fun to watch. Their relationship is very similar to Howl and Sophie’s Howl’s Moving Castle (the book): a ridiculous fop who is more than he appears and an introverted curmudgeon who is done with his bullshit. I loved their friendship/rivalry and seeing it eventually turn into something more.

Overall, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopadiea of Faeries is a great addition to the historical fantasy genre with a fascinating take on faeries. It’s perfect for fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell while also appealing to those looking for a more cozy read like Howl’s Moving Castle. I can’t wait for the next book!

The Encyclopedia of Faeries is a clever fun fantasy book that left me wanting more.

Emily Wilde is an adjunct professor from Cambridge who is writing the definitive encyclopedia of Faeries. She has one more group to observe for her opus to be complete. So off she and her dog Shadow go to the rural and inhospitable village of Hrafnsvik Ljosland to observe “ The Hidden Ones” Being an intellectual and a socially awkward person does not endear her to the local villagers. Then Dr. Wendell Bambleby, Emily’s fellow professor and self identified best friend arrives. He shakes things up as only a self-involved but loveable man can. Then the Hidden Ones appear and well, let it be said that there are reasons why the stories always say to beware of Faeries..

This was a clever and fun fantasy novel that really took me out of the present and gave me a fun world to explore, and best of all it appears to be the 1st in a series. I look forward to the next adventure of Emily, Wendell and Shadow.

Thanks to Netgalley Random House Ballantine and the author for the chance to read and review this book.

5/5

This cosy light academia (with a hint of romance) is not your usual faerie tale. Told as notes in an academic journal, the story unfolds in the early 1900s, as Emily (a dryadologist) and her colleague Wendell journey to Scandinavia to study a race of faeries called the Hidden Ones — it’s a very telling name.

Emily takes her work very seriously and doesn’t like when others interfere. Enter her casual, smooth-talking colleague, Wendell, who is known to fudge some of his work. Their top notch banter is sprinkled in between their studies, making their “will they or won’t they” relationship all the sweeter.

Despite this being more of a low stakes read, there are moments that have you on the edge of your seat. For the sake of spoilers, I’ll leave it there.

The side characters were charming, although some took a bit longer to warm up to. I call them side characters, but they’re very much detrimental to the resolution of the conflict.

All in all, it was a well-written story with a great plot, loveable characters, and beautiful small-town scenery.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for the review copy!

A Romantic Adventure Among the Fairies

Professor Emily Wilde, a dyradologist, has come to a remote island off the coast of Norway to study the Hidden Folk as part of the preparation of her encyclopedia on the fairies. Emily is a well respected researcher, but she finds people difficult. She is happiest alone with her dog Shadow and a good book.

The remoteness of island should keep people at bay, but shortly she is joined by her only friend and academic rival, Professor Wendell Bambleby. Wendell is everything Emily is not and soon he has the villagers enjoying his company. However, Emily and Wendell are there for serious research and as they pursue their objective rather frightening things begin to happen.

This is a delightful book. It takes place in 1909 and the author has done an excellent job making Emily’s diary entries true to the period. Emily and Wendell are good foils for each other. He annoys her, but she can’t help responding to him. Their banter is amusing and gives the story a light tone.

The book is a good combination of fantasy, romance, and mystery with scholarly overtones provided by the footnotes Emily appends to her diary entries. Emily is a very self contained character while Wendell is much more outgoing even chaotic. They make an interesting pair. I thought it was an excellent combination. Since this is the first book in a series, I’m looking forward to meeting them again in a new adventure.

If you enjoy romance, and fantasy with some mystery in a historical setting, you’ll love this book.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

3.5 stars. This book takes an academic approach to faeries in the form of Cambridge Professor Emily Wilde’s journals. She reminds me a lot of Temperance Brennan from Bones if she were an expert of dryadology rather than forensic anthropology.

It took me a bit to get fully immersed because the writing is rather matter-of-fact at the beginning, but it becomes more narrative as Emily spends more time amongst the people and faeries of the village she’s studying, and particularly after the arrival of her charming academic rival. Speaking of…

WENDELL IS THE MY FAVORITE! You must read the audiobook just for the few chapters he narrates. They are hilarious perfection!

I’m going to call this a light academia cottagecore fairytale. It’s a fun, atmospheric winter fantasy with just the right amount of cozy magical adventure, and I am looking forward to the next book!

A story filled with folklore, fae mythology and magic, adventure, dry humor, character and relationship depth, growth, adventures and surprises at every turn.

Though I read it a few weeks ago, I still have the vibe and story imprinted on my brain. It has that cozy, cottage, read by the fire, rich fairy tale feeling.

Tropes:

-Fantasy Romance (light academia style)
-Fae lore and folklore
-Grumpy / Sunshine
-Cozy magical vibes
-Are you hurt? I'll 💀them"
-Close proximity

Everything, from the daily mundane things, to the visits to the tavern, the locals, the folklore, the stories inside stories, the mystery of the bigger plot encompassing them all, the tentative relationships they formed, their chemistry, the questions, had me spellbound.

I liked Emily from the get-go. She charms from the very first page with her wit, intelligence, strength, courage, boldness and personal vulnerability. She takes us into a journey filled with mist, whispers of magic and fae lore and tells us her story with all the truth, mystery and discoveries as she meets them, in journal form. The moments when her thoughts got derailed and take a romantic turn - definitely not appropriate for an academic work, made me gasp and giggle and yell "finally! So I'm not the only one feeling the tension here!"

The slow burn (if we can even call that) is so subtle yet intense, delightful and fun its even more precious and rewarding. A nice, smart grumpy sunshine duo in a storybook setting.

It's perfect. I need this to be a preface for any other fae book ever written out there. I need it in true encyclopedia format. I need all the special editions.
Just the right book to get cozy with at the end of these long winter days, for me it was like a balm for the soul. Easy 5 stars and a must read for everyone!

"I am an explorer, Wendell. I might call myself a scientist, but that is the heart of it. I wish to know the unknowable. To see what no mortal has seen. ... To peel back the carpeting of the world and tumble into the stars. "

Stories, after all, are so fundamental to their world; One cannot hope to understand the Folk without understanding their stories.

For a heartbeat, all the other moments we've shared faded away, leaving behind only the small handful of times we'd been close like this, connected somehow like a bright constellation."

Thank you to the publisher Random House/Del Rey and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this gem early.

I'm a big fan of strong-willed scholarly women and the adventures they embark upon, so I fairly leapt at the opportunity to read and review this book! It was a little slow going at first for me, but soon I was drawn into the story of Emily's research and her relationships with the villagers, her loyal dog, and her colleague. I don't want to give too much away, but if you like Veronica Speedwell and Amelia Peabody I think you'll like Emily as well.

Thank you to Del Ray Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A scholar on faeries, Emily Wilde travels into the Hrafnsvik to complete her tome, the Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Not a people person, she unintentionally ticks off some of the townsfolk and has a rough start to her research. Following the arrival of Wendell, her colleague, things become complicated, and issues arise in the community. It’s now up to them to set things right.

I nearly put this book down, but around 15% of the way in, the story really picked up for me. I found the personality differences in the characters to add a fun dichotomy to situations and ultimately, loved Wendell’s understanding of how Emily approaches the world. Delivering this as a series of journal entries was a great method of delivery and kept me intrigued as time passed. The mystery that arises really drew my attention, and I appreciated seeing the community come together for the greater good.

All in all, this was an engaging read that approached faeries in a unique way (at least in comparison to what I normally read) and included some adventure and mystery that had me reading into the wee hours of the morning.

Special thanks to Del Rey books and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts in this review are honest and my own.

Spoiler-free teaser:

I read most of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries while curled up on my couch under a hand-woven blanket, alternately nibbling gingerbread cookies and drinking tea while knitting fuzzy slippers for myself as a (YouTube) fireplace crackled against images of falling snow in the background and none of it made me feel as enchanted and cozy and transported as this book.

In talking to people* about my experience reading Emily Wilde, I've been using the word "cozy"... but I'm not sure that's the best word to describe the book itself. Because actually, there's rather a lot of intense and suspenseful magic going on, as academic Emily Wilde investigates tales of children disappeared by the faeries on the invented nordic island of Ljosland along with her colleage Wendell Bambleby. But I think the book does a marvelous job of keeping the reader at a safe distance from the uncanny fright of faerie magic, while still presenting a compelling plot with a dash of romance and heaps of atmosphere. Dark-and-scary-magic-wise, it was the book equivalent of watching a dangerous snowstorm from safe inside your house, rather than standing outside in it with no socks on.

I highly, highly recommend this book to: anyone who wants to feel transported every time they open the pages, to lovers of prickly heroines who don't have to un-prickle by the end, to connoisseurs of well-meaning chaotic heroes with sewing skills, and generally to anyone who, like me, might not always feel like the fantasy genre is for them, but who loves a well-told story.

*everyone I meet

Ok, ever-so-slightly more spoilery thoughts follow:

I was actually surprised by how much I loved this book. Which maybe I shouldn't have been? It's narrated by an introverted academic driven with singular purpose to research and write about stories few other people understand or care about. So clearly nothing for me to identify with there. But I am not the world's most voracious fantasy reader, and sometimes books that want me to engage very directly with the concept of "there's thousands of years of LORE about our topic" can lose me, emotionally. But my goodness, Heather Fawcett is just a magnificent storyteller. Things that should have been mundane or annoying - the backstories of random villagers; the digressions into tales of plot-unrelated faeries; even, eventually, the footnotes - drew me in through the strength of the narrative voice.

That narrative voice is mostly provided by the titular Emily Wilde, an academic who has come to Ljosland to help her complete her also-titular Encyclopaedia of Faeries. In particular, she's looking into tales of malicious courtly fae who have been abducting children from the village of Hrafnsvik at alarming rates. The story is mostly told through her diary entries, and a lot of your mileage with this book is going to vary based on how charmed you are by a narrator who buries their feelings under mannerly prose like this:

The problem with Bambleby, I've always found, is that he manages to inspire a strong inclination towards dislike without the satisfaction of evidence to buttress the sentiment.


I, for one, can never get enough of characters who use formal verbosity to hide their soft inner core of feelings. And I think that's something we often get more with heroes, at least in the romance genre I read most often? This is not a romance (though there's an undercurrent of a solid romantic storyline), but there was something of the romance hero AND the academic in the way Emily wrote, and gosh, I just loved it.

In fact, there was a great deal I loved about Emily. She's incredibly book-smart and has somewhat poor "people skills," and I thought the book avoided several common pitfalls of that kind of characterization very deftly. To start with, just because Emily sometimes struggles to interact casually with people and interpret social situations, doesn't mean she does not or cannot care about them. I love how the book slowly revealed Emily's unique ways of caring about individuals and community well-being, without hitting the reader over the head with those themes. And I also appreciated that while her extensive academic knowledge of her subject (faeries) is often helpful in navigating the danger in which she finds herself, she isn't a genius savant who knows her subject better than the people in the community she's studying. Again, this book doesn't try too hard to serve its themes on a platter, but I did appreciate the thread running through this book of valuing various different kinds of community knowledge, rather than just lionizing clever book smarts.

And then, of course, there's Wendell. Wendell Bambleby is Emily's colleague, sometimes research partner, and eventual love interest, who shows up rather uninvited in Ljosland to "help" her with her research. He is also, as it turns out, a deposed faerie prince looking for a way back into his realm.

I will admit, Wendell was a tough sell for me at first. We see him through Emily's eyes exclusively, and Emily is NOT PLEASED with his appearance on her research trip. A lot of what she dislikes about him overlaps very closely and specifically with things I also dislike (he's initially portrayed as a flighty and lazy scholar who possibly fabricates research and makes a cadre of grad students do his dirty work). So closely did he overlap with several real-life pet peeves, in fact, that I think I spent longer disliking him than the book expected me to. But the thing is, the reader is always keenly aware of the bias of Emily's perspective, so even while I was busy sighing at him along with her, I always had the sense we weren't seeing the full truth of his character.

Clarity about Wendell doesn't all come in this book (apparently it's a series, GLORY BE), but I did enjoy how slowly the book revealed other sides to him that Emily couldn't initially see. Like his loyalty and his ingenuity and his longing for home and his admiration for Emily's smarts (and enjoyment of her pricklier side). But most of all, I loved the bits of his personality that come from him being part oíche sidhe - "Irish house faerie," as the book explains. Basically, it makes him... really good at sewing and mending and tidying up? It was IMMENSELY charming, but also such a fascinating choice for a character who is being presented, at least to some extent, as a romance hero. While Wendell is clearly very conventionally attractive, I thought this book was uniquely uninterested in reassuring the reader of Wendell's traditionally-coded masculinity. This comes through both in moments where the book refuses to glorify his acts of necessary violence in saving Emily from danger, as well as moments where the book lets his sewing and tidying and creating and fixing garments be an...actual narrative superpower? Without then compensatorily making him flex his biceps or whatever else books sometimes do to reassure readers that cishet men are VERY MANLY, REALLY. Without being showy about it, this book just did not care about that nonsense, and instead let Wendell go about his business redecorating everyone's cloaks and cleaning their kitchens, and I loved it a lot.

Really, I loved almost everything about this book a lot. I do have some caveats: the ending felt a bit rushed (though, again, more books are coming!), and while I liked both Emily and Wendell immensely, I thought their antagonism/friendship moved to romance a bit too quickly. But whatever small flaws this book has, it makes up for IN SPADES with just... gorgeous storytelling and an indescribably good sense of atmosphere. It was one of those books where, every time I picked it up, instead of "now I get to read more words" I found myself thinking "now I get to go back to this place." It's rare that a book have such a sense of tangible placeness to it? Grab your blanket and your gingerbread, this book will create the perfect winter setting while you read on in warmth.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, Heather Fawcett the author, and Netgalley for an ARC of Emily Wildes Encyclopedia of faeries in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved the writing style of this book and thoroughly enjoyed this story! 10/10 would recommend

Thank you to Del Ray Publishing for letting me have an ARC of this book.

This book is a book a found family and friends,

I enjoyed the Sci-Fi/Fantasy aspect of this book. I also loved how it took place on during a historical timeline so I had two of my favorite genres wrapped up into one.

Emily Wilde makes a trip to outside Sweden into Ljosland to study the Hidden Folk for her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. During this time she doesn't expect to come out of her shell and actually meet friends and find a family. I loved the aspect of an Alice in Wonderland kind of feature to the end as she makes her way into the Fae world to save the same town of Ljosland.

I give this book 4 stars. Congrats on your release day, Heather Fawcett.

I have got to say this is the first book that I read that was a very smooth mix between science and fantasy. The book is written like a Scientific Journal something I have not seen in the realm of magic books. The author knows how to spectacularly write however the author describes things in great detail ( yes it is a Scientific Journal) longer than the science needs. It drags some jumps in times without giving resolutions. However, the author also continuously gives great insight to the characters mind and also into other characters minds using very descriptive dialogue. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books that take a new spin on magic and anyone who likes very smart main characters.

I absolutely love that this book is written in a journalistic writing style (WITH FOOTNOTES). I try to go as blind into a book as possible before I start it, but I think I still would have been surprised with the twists and turns I received even if I had read the bio fully. This cozy fantasy gives, and gives and it truly surprised me several times throughout the story. I might have suspected a few of the quests that Emily ventured on, but I did not anticipate a single of the outcomes that erupted!

Our FMC Emily Wilde is finishing her Encyclopaedia of Faerie creatures from around the world and travels to the town of Hrafnsvik to search out one final type of Fae folk to add to her book. We learn at this time that Emily is not quite a “people person” and she does not understand why the townsfolk are limited in their responses to her inquiries about the local faeries. Just as she seems to have upset everyone she’s met, her dashing colleague from Cambridge arrives uninvited to disrupt her work and charismatically befriends everyone in the town. While she is 100% annoyed at Wendell’s appearance, the story only truly develops once he arrives. Next comes quests, adventure, Fae royalty, and beautiful folk stories intertwined.

This book is a treasure and I loved all of the different side characters as well – including the cute queer couple (one is a LumberJane, just FYI) and Poe!! While this story does not end on a cliffhanger, I’m so excited to see that the author has left it open for continued adventures and I can’t wait to see this journey continue!

Thank you to Del Rey publishing for providing me with an E-ARC via NetGalley.

Equal parts enchanting and cozy Fawcett has woven a tale that I will reach for again and again.

We follow Emily Wilde, the worlds foremost expert on fairies, as she settles into her newest remote research location. The village of Hrafnsvik serves as Emily's jumping off point as she researches "The Hidden Ones" a sector of Fair folk that reside in the frigid Scandanvian wood. Through journal entries and community gatherings you'll get a glimpse into the lives of the curmudgeonly townsfolk and begin to understand what makes the town tick. Just as Emily is finding her bearings she is surprised with the arrival of her annoying and enigmatic colleague. Wendell Bambleby, with all his boisterous charm, insist on helping Emily as she searched for the elusive and dangerous folk. You'll Laugh and cringe as these two unlikely folks try and work together for a common goal.

This is an excellent pick for those who already enjoy a cozy mystery. The story unravels slowly but each sentence feels like a warm cuppa. The snowy village, bitter treks into the wood, and crackling fires make this a feast for your senses. The story does slowly move toward an intriguing conclusion but I think the ideal reader will come for the atmosphere.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for an early look.

I read this book as an Arc from Net Galley and I would have to say that this book sounded interesting from the start and it definitely was. We follow Emily who studies Magical Creatures(now tell me that doesn't sound like an amazing job) as a Dryadologist. This story is written the form of a diary which I found unique. Emily likes to keep to herself, doesn't like talking to people and isn't a fan of others, she only likes the company of her dog, all is well till Wendell comes to town. How well his arrival affect Emily? You will have to read this highly recommend books too find out.

This story is told as journal entries with footnotes. Emily Wilde has been researching and observing the folk throughout the world in their natural environment and documenting her findings. She is compiling her work into an Encyclopedia. Unfortunately she has come to a small icelandic village, and her prickly self-reliant personality has offended the villagers who are supposed to be hosting her. Once her academic colleague arrives and sees the mess she's in, his charisma charms the locals and he tries to work damage control while Emily goes about doing her research.

Please read this if you like Faerie settings, snarky banter, offbeat romance, getting swept away into another world, walking in a winter wonderland, cottage core vibes.

To tell you l loved this book would be an understatement. The list of appropriate adjectives would be, but are not limited to: charming, enchanting, magical, spellbinding, beautiful, sweet heartwarming, humorous, etc. This was a masterpiece. The only way I could have loved it more is if the author put the screws to the characters more, but the fact that she didn't doesn't make the story any less likeable.

I chuckled constantly at the witty and snarky banter between Emily Wilde and her colleague, Wendell Bambleby. Both are superb characters. Emily is so prickly, and Wendell vapid with a predilection for setting things in order.

I adored the townsfolk who are distinctly hospitable and desire so earnestly to welcome the determinedly lonely island that is Emily into their arms. This aspect might be my favorite of the story, which is that community is so important, and community is strength.

I know I'm gushing, but this truly may be my favorite book that I've read this year. This book is perfection

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing book with an interesting set up. I am not usually one for journal type books, although that is what I primarily read as a child. I enjoyed the story itself and the characters.

This is a book that needs to be enjoyed in its physical format, or an altered ebook format that puts the multitude of annontations at the bottom of the page you are reading. Much of my displeasure with this book came from the fact that I was reading an ebook format and had to either skip all annotations or flip back and forth between my ebook (not an easy thing to do) constantly.

I could not get through this book. I forced myself through it. In large part, the problem was that there really was too much faerie in it. I know! The title and description were very clear; so I only have myself to blame.

So to make it a bit more fair, if you are interested in spiky heroines who get in their own way, but are basically good and smart, then you’ll like the book. And if you like stories of faerie, which is not the same as fairy tales. You’ll like this. I was the wrong audience for this book.