I really enjoyed this. Part cozy cottage-core, whimsical faeries part danger. I loved Poe and Shadow and chaotic Wendell and strait-laced Emily. I loved the village, the locals, the folklore, the footnotes. I thought this would be a fantasy romance but it was more of a historical fantasy with romantic elements. I can’t wait to read more of Emily and Wendell’s story.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries has it all - fantasy, folklore, dark academia, magic, and slow burn romance! The story follows Emily Wilde, a socially awkward Cambridge professor and scholar of all things faerie, as she travels to remote Norway to study the region’s highly elusive faeries and write the last chapter of her book.

Her (kind of?) academic rival (who has some secrets of his own and a GREAT sense of humor) unexpectedly joins her and what ensues is a witty, heartwarming, and action-packed tale as they conduct their research and help the townsfolk who are plagued by malevolent faeries.

We get to read the story through Professor Wilde’s journal (I love a good epistolary novel), which is riddled with faerie folklore/stories from around the world. It becomes very easy to fall in love with the cast of characters (the banter is a 10/10) and just when you think you’ve reached the climax of the story, this book has so much more to give!

My only wish is that the romance wasn’t SO slow burn, but I think it’s set up perfectly for the next book in the series, which I cannot wait to read!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for provide me with this digital ARC.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is released January 10th, 2023

4.25 ⭐️

I can not wait for the second book. The bickering between Emily and Wendell is enjoyable. The romance is great. The adventures you go on with Emily as she is gathering evidence of the faerie realm for her encyclopaedia has you on the edge of your seat, plus there are all these twists and turns in the story.
I definitely will be recommending this book!

Emily Wilde is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore and is terrible with people. Small talk and parties are not her forte, not when she can stay with her books, dog, and research. Arriving in Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of making friends or getting to know her academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who easily charms everyone. Emily is close to uncovering the truth about the most elusive of fairies, the Hidden Ones, within the forest outside of town. She is also trying to figure out Wendell Bambleby, and what he wants or could possibly mean to her.

It's never explicitly stated so, but I can't help but wonder if Emily is somewhere on the spectrum. The book takes the form of her journal, and she has not only the formal speech of an 1800s Cambridge professor but will reference journal articles and place footnotes which she explains in further detail. She has no idea why she is so prickly or why most people don't like her, and can't make the intuitive connections for others' emotional states or motivations the way Bambleby can. Her focus is only on her work, on categorizing the fairies and their tales and completing the encyclopedia in the hopes of getting full tenure. Bambleby has that easily, despite his (to Emily, at least) lack of reputable means of obtaining data. He's willing to invite her to an international conference and make introductions, and of course, she attributes this to ulterior motives to undermine or steal her work. She's so driven and single-minded; this is an admirable trait to some extent but does isolate her from others in the village. We can easily see how she had trouble in London.

Bambleby charms others easily but is drawn to Emily and is determined to help her, even without the upcoming conference. He knows full well how dangerous the Tall Ones are, and how insidious ensorcelment can be. While she has the intention of gathering more information about the fae, she does help people in the village and is shocked that they want to help her in turn. Even the most learned of people can be trapped and need help, and she learned that receiving it isn't the worst thing that could happen to her. Emily can still be her gruff self, uncomfortable with crowds and stretching the truth or her scholarly pursuits, but she has opened up to others as well. The ending is a bit ambiguous, so we can imagine the many different futures she can have. I think it's a positive one, and I enjoyed this book.

"Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries" by Heather Fawcett
4.5 stars

If you've ever been playing in the woods with your friend at 10 years old and become equal parts mesmerized and uneasy when they convince you that they're actually a faerie princess and that the kingdom is just through those trees there, this book is for you. Surely this is a formative experience most of us share, no?

This is unlike any book I've ever read, and I'm struggling to articulate exactly how. It has an almost "open world" feeling to it; like I was the one wandering around the forest in 1900s Scandanavia and could just decide to stop and look at something more closely if I wished. Very whimsical and cozy vibes, and I couldn't stop picturing Emily staying in the cottage from "The Holiday" as I read. If you enjoy the outdoors, you will especially appreciate this book; something about it made me feel like I was reading outside, in the best way possible.

The story is not as action-packed as most fantasy I've read, but there's a healthy dose of adventure, particularly in the second half. The strengths of this book are the author's clever turns of phrase and gorgeous descriptions---her writing has a very accessible classic lit style. If you've ever wanted to stop and ask the characters questions about why the magic in a book worked a certain way, you will love how Emily's academic curiosity is infused into this narrative. It's full of footnotes that cite sources for fictional faerie research and textbooks, and legends and folktales she gathers from locals during her studies. I really enjoyed this portrayal of fae and their interactions with mortals. Don't let the cover and the tone fool you, these are not cute and innocent faeries, even the ones that seem "nice". Emily's grounded personality is a great balance to the more fantastical aspects of this, and lends a legitimacy to the story that could almost convince me these things were plausible.

Also, Wendell Bambleby. Enough said.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review of #EmilyWildesEncyclopaediaofFaeries

This book surpassed my expectations! This was no story of cute, Disney-like faeries. These faeries were dark and had teeth, and the story was definitely an adventure. Both Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby (a colleague and a bit of a competitor) both turned out to be far more complex than I expected at the start. The setting, the language, the lore - everything was fresh and mesmerizing. I could not put it down!!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an ARC of this book.

4.5 stars rounded up. I knew that I’d like this as soon as I read that it was about a “curmudgeonly professor”. The book was a bit slow at first, but the dry humor, the endearing characters, and the journal formatting lend to an absolutely lovely cozy fantasy novel. I can’t wait to read the sequel, I can only imagine what shenanigans Emily & Wendell will find themselves in!

Oh my goodness, I could not have loved this more.
This book was full to the brim with loveable and laughable characters, a slew of fantastical goings on, and I already want to re-read it!
This is a cozy and romantic academic fantasy [can I trademark that sub-genre?] that follows a very type-A scholarly women in the 1900s [add historical to the new sub-genre]. Emily Wilde is very much dedicated to her work of discovering and documenting fairies, or faeries as she spells them. She finds herself in the icy lands of…. A small place in Norway that I cannot pronounce let alone spell. Nothing is going to stop her from her work, definitely not the friendly townsfolk who are shocked at best by her countenance [I'm borrowing her posh vocabulary], and mocking at worst.
And who should show up but the sunshine to her "grumpy", her academic rival who is clearly infatuated by her, the ever charismatic Wendell Bambleby *cheers* [and no, I cannot speak or think his name without voicing an obnoxious british accent. Which makes no sense because he's Irish, but let's move on].
Bambleby quickly charms the town but Emily, who grudgingly admits he's her closest [aka only] friend, has never fallen to his charms. The two of them get up to many fantastical shenanigans and this whole town may or may not [no spoilers here] envelop the two of them in their hearts!
I absolutely loved Emily's character. She was capable and smart as hell. I can't wait to follow her in other books and would not mind one bit if she bossed me around my whole life. Honestly, I fell so in love with every character that I'm sad this chapter is at an end!!
Some other things to love about this book: Emily has a couple of creature friends who are just as lovable as any other character, including her dog Shadow [whom I would give my life for], and a small faery named Poe [whom I would give a hundred bearskins to… despite the very thought making my insides sick].
There are several complete fairytales within the pages of Emily's journal. As an avid lover of stories within stories, and storytelling in general, I adored how much stories played a part in this book.
I forgot to mention that this whole book is told to us in journal style. Miss Emily takes very precise notes of her work and study, and goes as far as to include footnotes. The academia vibes are giving everything they've got [am I still making sense?].
Again, I ADORED this book, and I'm so excited to learn more about faeries [a thought I'd never predict I'd have] and of our beloved duo [trio including Shadow] in future books!! **Squeals in delight in a very not-Emily-Wilde way**

I just posted this review to goodreads and will be uploaded a reading vlog to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVHjfi9_-RQ

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an academic fantasy with historical and romantic elements. The book is essentially Emily's journal entries about her adventures in Hrafnsvik as she settles in the small town and searches for faeries in the surrounding forests. When her colleague and academic rival Wendell Brambleby shows up unannounced at her small cottage in Hrafnsvik, her faerie adventures truly begin. I was so surprised by how much I loved this novel! I will say that it can be slow sometimes but I never grew bored because I enjoyed seeing Emily making friends with the townspeople and visiting her friend in the forest. Emily is very centered on gathering information for her book and I loved learning about the faerie folklore and encounters the townspeople have had. I have read many books with faerie characters but this book gave me a new perspective on them. I also loved Wendell's character. He was very unexpected for me because when Emily describes him at the beginning of the book she makes him seem like a lazy old man. When he showed up at the cottage I was happily surprised to see he was a similar age to Emily and never boring to read about. The romance of this book is a very small subplot but I loved the little bits we got. I also loved our non-human friends Shadow and Poe! While the story starts out on the slower side, Emily and Wendell find themselves in many adventures where they encounter many types of faeries and faerie lands. I am so excited about the next book even though it has not been announced yet. I hope to see more romance, more faerie lands, and hopefully a quest that was hinted about in this story!

Wow. This was an absolute favorite immediately after starting. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a witty, engaging, and subtle romantic read. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for your next favorite story. No spoilers here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for access to this arc.

I love the background of this book. The heroine, Emily Wilde, is good at what she does and is working on what could be the magnum opus of her field – a comprehensive encyclopedia of the fae. She wants to spend one winter in a far north island off the coast of Norway to do the first academic study of the fairy folk of the area which will be the final chapter of the book. Once it’s published, Emily is a shoe-in for a tenured Dryadology position at Cambridge.

Then her glamorous, sorta rival Wendell Bambleby arrives – unasked – and proceeds to charm everyone in the small village while easing himself into the position of taking over Emily’s work and hogging the eventual credits. Things have been getting darker in the village with many of their young people being stolen by the fae and a sullen, horrible changeling being left. Can Em and Wendell figure out what is going on and fix them … without making them worse?

The worldbuilding is extensive in the story but manages to avoid the dreaded info-dumping I loathe. And yet, it also slows the read down. A lot of the information also shows how extensively Em knows her fae lore. But after a while, some of it got to be a bit much – especially in the last part of the book when Em visits another place. Yet this echoes the oral tradition of fairy stories, with intricate details, being told to a spellbound (no pun intended) audience.

Em is a socially awkward heroine after my own heart. She just doesn’t do long conversations with people she doesn’t know well, much less chit chat. One person who does manage these things effortlessly is aristocratic-ish Wendell Bambleby who is younger than Em but who has smoozed his way to a tenured position and lots of funding for field trips across Europe (which allows him to bring along grad students to cook and clean for him) but who is danger of losing his academic reputation due to some shoddy research of late. Em does not want Wendell shoehorning his way into her research or his name on her paper no matter how much this might ease her way or get her invitations to conferences. So of course he arrives, students on hand, and does exactly what Em fears.

Oh, haven’t we just all seen this in real life? The hardworking one whose efforts get co- opted by the charismatic coworker who manages to look busy without actually doing anything. Em, however, is made of stern stuff and ruthlessly rides Wendell when he needs goosing to get out and do a little work. She also manages to undo the damage that her initial social clumsiness landed her in once Wendell huffs and points this out to her, so he does have a few uses.

I loved watching Em heading out to track down whichever fae might be in the area, using scientific methods and her extensive knowledge and experience to do so. She’s intelligent and shown to be capable. Wendell, meanwhile, has his own methods which are explained later and which, for the reasons he’s doing them, make sense. Yes, Wendell is up to something which I wish hadn’t just been dropped or had been taken back up again at the end of the book. I’ll be honest and admit that I like Em because I understand her while Wendell is the type of person who makes me fume.

Along with his nonchalance in gathering information, Wendell has other habits that Em tsks about and which he doesn’t bother to hide from her. Again there are Reasons why he acts as he does but given that the book then tosses in some attempts at making the story a romance, these don’t sit well with me. The whole time Wendell is pushing his suit at Em, I’m muttering to myself “No, Em. It won’t work and you know why.” Thankfully I was pleased with how this plot thread is left.

The book ambles along, delving into a lot of description (much of which did need to be there for later use). Em saves the day, over and over, in the village. Competence, I like it. I enjoyed her journal writing – with footnotes! Then suddenly the last fourth of the book changes with Em doing something that I questioned. She has a reason but in doing this action, she seems to toss her good sense out the window and ends up needing to be saved. The way this brings the village together and shows to Em that she is valued is lovely. But I hated to see capable Em reduced less of what I had delighted in. As I mentioned earlier, I like the way the romance is left but the book could have been just left as women’s fiction and I would have been fine with it. Em does improve her social skills – a bit – but hallelujah she will never be and isn’t pushed to be a social butterfly and the villagers are fine with it.

This is another slower pace book and readers need to be aware of it going in or they might be tempted to jump ship. The winter weather is almost another character and can be brutal. The various fae are presented as being nothing more or less than who they are which can be disturbing at times. I did end up liking prickly Em and enjoyed seeing her get her recognition and am looking forward to the next book in the series. B/B-

This cozy fantasy novel was just fantastic. I immediately ordered a paper copy for my shelves! Emily and Wendell and their juxtaposition totally captured my heart. I hope there is an illustrated edition in the works!

Thank you for a copy of this book it was enchanting. I would definitely recommend it to people I know.

Well, this is just freaking delightful. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by @heather_fawcett, releasing this Tuesday from @delreybooks, is the start of a cozy new fantasy series following the exploits of plucky yet curmudgeonly Emily Wilde on her adventures to write the world’s first encyclopedia of the Folk.

Having discovered the Fae are real, the science of dryadology has blossomed, and one of the youngest scientists in this new field of study is Emily Wilde, who has made it her mission to catalogue all the myriad species of Fae in the world. Her latest expedition takes her to the frozen land of Hrafnsvik, in search of the Hidden Ones, a heretofore undiscovered Folk. Preferring the company of her dog, Shadow, and her books, Emily wastes no time in unintentionally alienating the local townsfolk, until her colleague, Wendell Bambleby, arrives more or less unannounced and charms them with his wit and good looks.

Through a series of (mis)adventures, Emily and Bambleby discover the mystery behind the Hidden Ones, rescue a handful of abducted villagers, and Emily finds herself more involved in her investigations into the Folk than she ever thought possible. She also may find that making friends may be easier than she had imagined.

I quite enjoyed this introduction to Emily Wilde and the eclectic cast of characters she has surrounded herself with. Fawcett’s writing is clever, telling the story via Emily’s journal entries, giving us a first person view into how she views the world around her. The descriptions of the Folk are fantastic in all their beauty and brutality; Fawcett keeps to the idea that they can’t always be trusted.

I know I’ll be picking up a copy of this when it’s released on Tuesday and am already looking forward to Emily’s next adventure.

A huge thank you to @netgalley & @delreybooks for an eARC in exchange for a review.

#EmilyWildesEncyclopaediaofFaeries #NetGalley #heatherfawcett #arc #bookreview #book #books #booksragram #bookblog #bookblogger #fantasy #fae #faerie #faeries #fairies #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog

This was a unique book. It's formatted in a series of daily journal entries, complete with additional footnotes. It's a creative idea, but didn't exactly translate to a good read.

The beginning was very slow, and I almost DNF'd until Poe was introduced (he was my favorite character). The writing itself was hard to follow at times due to the wordiness and use of certain obscure words (more than several times, I had to look up the definition of a word, and I normally don't need to do this). I also wasn't a fan of the ending story, which felt very random.

I posted a review on Goodreads on 1/7/2023.

What a lovely, wintery, vaguely violent story. If you are like me and grew up wishing faeries were real and looking for evidence of their existence in every patch of clover and shallow, rocky stream, then this book is for you!

I was head over heels in love with Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries from the get-go. I don't usually enjoy books written in a journal-entry manner, but I thought it was a perfect fit for this story. Emily grabbed my heart right away, being an awkward, anti-social, scholarly woman. Bambleby was charming and hilarious and frivolous, and his relationship with Emily had me cracking up. (I have never read banter that felt so natural and unforced!) The addition of antiquated words and the slightly more formal writing was the cherry on top to sell the time period of the story while still being cozy and accessible to modern readers.

I also loved the plot and how oddly whimsical it got at times. It was very reminiscent of the faerie world, with strange, unexpected tangents - but it all flowed very smoothly and had good progression and pace. Although the characters don't travel very far per se, there was a definitive adventure vibe.

And the faerie world! Faerie culture! It was so entrancing to read about, especially with the background that faerie studies ('dryadology') was common and uncontested in Emily's world - the mindset that "faeries exist, it's just a matter of how much we know about them." The blunt violence of the faerie culture added maturity and depth to the story.

There is also a lot of subtlety therein. Lots of moments where the character is thinking something, or saying something, and they're not showing it outright quite yet, so the reader has to draw small conclusions and put pieces together. I enjoyed this aspect! It kept me engaged and involved, and was very realistic. There was a lot of beauty hidden in the writing, and that definitely shows Heather Fawcett's skills as an author.

I will be rereading this book in the future, that's for sure! It has become a new favorite, and a new comfort read. It is absolutely perfect for winter, as well! I cannot wait to read more about Emily + Bambleby in the next book!

A quick and charming read with a delightful dynamic between the MCs which reminded me (wonderfully!) at times of Howl and Sophie. I loved the richness of the world, the scholarly framing of the novel, and of course Emily's relatable voice. The Scandinavian setting made it a perfect fireside read, and I would have loved to see even more lore incorporated. Though the story itself is slow-paced, the warmth and characters had me reading quickly.

I hope the reader response to this title encourages publishing to buy more adult fantasies with this vibe- adults deserve touches of whimsy and coziness too.

Thank you to Random House for providing an ARC for review.

Open the Encyclopaedia of Faeries and get carried away into a land full of lore, myths and adventure. I loved how the story just immediately immerses you in a world full of intriguing characters, creatures,and tales of the Faerie folk from around the globe. The story is told through the journal of Emily Wilde, a professor from Cambridge who is doing her final research trip before finishing and publishing her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She is completely focused on her work, and only wants the company of her books and her loyal dog Shadow. Her trip takes her to the cold and snowy country of Ljosland, where she will search for the Hidden Ones, the most elusive of Faeries. To her utter dismay, her annoying and very handsome colleague, Wendell Bambleby shows up to help her out. It's a tale full of snow, adventure, found family, an evil Faerie king and chopping wood.
This was just a lovely story to escape into and I thoroughly enjoyed all the different faerie lore and stories. The banter and growing relationship between Emily and Wendell is wonderful and fits into the story so well. I am excited to read what happens next! A delightful story!!

Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Libro.FM for allowing me to review an ARC copy of this book.

First off, let me say this is now a new favorite. I loved everything about this book from the two seemly very different main characters Emily and her best friend Wendall Bambleby, to the village community, to the fey they interact with. There is a light romance in the story, which is slow burning, and I feel like we might get more of as the series goes one.

If feel like this book is a hit for people who love the Lady Trent series, Veronica Speedwell, and/or the fairytale books by Naomi Novik. I feel like fans of Holly Black's works who are looking for more books about the fey with more grown up characters (all these characters have their Ph.Ds. from Cambridge) would enjoy this series.

I read both the book and audiobook, and the audio readers really set the mood with the accents and character voices. It's mainly from Emily's POV, but we get a few chapters from Bambleby, too. The male Irish narrator really adds to the story.

4.5

Emily Wilde is a professor and an expert on faeries. On her quest to write the world’s first encyclopedia of faerie lore, she runs into her academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who, of course, gets in the way of her research. As Emily seeks to learn the secrets of the faeries, she also wants to learn more about Wendell.

I’m very happy a friend recommended this book because I’m not sure if I’d have picked it up otherwise! I really love faerie books but I don’t often pick up adult novels. However, this was such a treat and had the perfect amount of lore and plot, and even a bit of romance. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about faeries!