Emily Wilde is a dryadologist, a scholar and folklorist specializing on the Fae. She loves doing field research, even in a remote village in an Iceland-like country. So remote that she couldn’t convince any of her grad students to accompany her. She will be the first to study (and publish) the rumored Hidden Ones.
Emily is making progress with the wee ones, but somehow offended the local humans.
And then one of her colleagues shows up. Comedy and enchantments ensue.
Side notes: Queer characters are common, not stigmatized! And there will be at least one sequel. Satisfying romances.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries is the first installment in the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett and her adult debut.

Genius scholar and professor Emily Wilde has gone up north for research she’s conducting about the world’s faerie folklore, while she’s a genius in her craft, she’s not really good with people. So when her charming academic rival arrives, all she wants is to stay away. As Emily's research reaches new levels and brings new information about the faeries' world, she might need his help.

Going into this book I was mainly expecting more of a big romance plot, which was not the case. This book is incredibly rich in plot and mystery. It immersed me in Emily’s world and quest, which I loved. Despite this being written in a second person point of view, I found myself kind of struggling with the English used, not because of any difficult words but the very old English. Again this is a historical book so it’s appropriate. Despite that it just made a better experience.

Let’s talk a little more about the plot and storyline of the book,

As I mentioned before, the book is incredibly rich in the whole academic research and folklore history something I really, really enjoyed. I loved how the heroine explained everything. This book is basically her journal so it’s very but not overly detailed. I also loved the villagers, this book has an amazing found family vibe, they are a small, tight and, very lovely village. They helped make this book even better.

Now for the romance,

I’m writing this because I don’t want anyone to go in like me and think, “this a historical romance about two academic rivals.” Because while it is in the series it’s not in the first book. I have to admit I had forgotten it was a series for most of the book. It was only when the romantic chemistry between the character was almost non-existent that I went to check the Goodreads page and reread the blurb to make sure I hadn’t missed anything, that I realized that it was be a slow burn build-up, or at least I hope.

I don’t know if it was not marketed really…right or if I’m just completely missing their romantic chemistry, because I have to say that they have a fantastic friendship, they are funny together.

Overall I really enjoyed it but I am hoping to see way more romance in the next one.

And before anyone comes to me saying “Sofia, romance isn’t everything”. Sure but as this is marketed as an adult historical & romantic fiction that is what I’m expecting. After all that’s what made me want to read it.

This book was such a treat! Whether it was the wintry world the author created that coincided with the weather I was experiencing, the strong but socially ambivalent female protagonist, or the unique mythical creatures that pop up throughout the story, this book gets a rave review from me.

Set in a fictional Nordic country at the beginning of its winter, dryadologist Emily Wilde is on an expedition to study the Folk (faeries and the like) in hopes of completing her encyclopedic account of mystical creatures.

Professor Wilde, a tenured Cambridge educator, enjoys being in the field – the solitude, the academic challenge, the chance of encountering the unknown. Her weakness, however, is her social ineptitude. So when her gregarious colleague, Wendell Bambleby, unexpectedly joins her expedition, he fills in for what Wilde lacks in social graces.

Together, Wilde and Bambleby come across creatures they’ve never met before, help with a search and rescue, perform an exorcism, and come waaaay closer to their subjects of study than originally intended.

Along the way, Wilde will learn how to let others help her, and she’ll discover a big secret about her co-worker that perhaps she’s suspected all along.

Highly recommend this creative and unique read!

The farther I read, the more I loved. Emily Wilde is determined to find evidence of a group of fae that no other researcher has found. As she settles into her rustic cottage far from comfort and all she knows and feels unwelcome by the townspeople, her arch rival Wendell Bambleby arrives with two assistants in tow. He moves right into the cottage and starts to take over. Emily is determined that it’s her name that will appear on the research paper and this will be the culminating entry in her encyclopaedia of faeries.

I loved every page of this book. In many ways it made me think of Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy beginning with The Bear and the Nightingale. As the Russian fantasy develops and deepens in that series, so does the Scandinavian lore grow and flourish in Heather Fawcett’s fantasy. I have high hopes for the success of this book..

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very cute, whimsical tale of adventures of Emily Wilde on her expedition to learn more about Faeries. She's trying to build a new catalog, learn and explain of stories, and finally see the Hidden Ones - the most elusive fae out there. She stumbles upon issues brought on by these Fae on this island, and due to her interest, and for the sake of educating herself and others, she tries to solve these problems. She has help though, from her colleague. who is on his own mission, and has a big secret that Emily will be nothing but happy to confirm.

It does feel like a perfect wintery read full of magic, secret forest doors, snowy blizzards, and heartwarming characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc to read and review!

Where do I even begin with this book? There was something absolutely magical about this story and it wasn’t just because of the faeries. It did take time to build for me, as I at first found Emily hard to relate to. She is written as a little distant and socially awkward so I think that kept her at arms length for me. But as the story went on the main characters (Emily and Wendell) both started to open up and grow. The relationship between them made me laugh as the banter between two opposites usually does. I would say the setting in this book is what really stood out to me. It made me wish I was reading curled up in front of a fire in a tiny cottage in a Scandinavian forest with a cup of hot tea and warm baked goods lol the stories and history of the folk people was also so in depth, it made you forget that none of it was real. I was almost disappointed in how it ended until I saw that there would be a second book. I absolutely can’t wait to see where the relationship between Emily and Wendell goes!

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES ABOUT?
Emily Wilde is a dryadologist. Imagine, if you will, what post-Darwin scientists and naturalists were doing for the study of plants and animals in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries; or what Carter and the rest were doing in Egypt; but dryadologists are studying fairies (oh, in this world, they are as real as the tomb of Tutankhamun—she's not a literary theorist). Humans have been dealing with fairies for centuries, but what we know about them is really limited. Mostly left to legends, tales told around the fire or in an inn—where a third or fourth-hand account is rare and as close to an eyewitness as most people will ever get. Emily and her counterparts throughout the world are seeking to bring that to an end. She has a position at Cambridge but is hoping her current project is the kind of thing that will secure her tenure and allow her to further her research.

Her project is the first comprehensive Encyclopedia of Fairies (hence the title). She could publish what she has now and probably receive scholarly acclaim—and tenure. But she's driven. She's a completist. And, to be honest, she has a little bit of an ego and she wants more than probable acclaim. So she rents a small shack in a Norwegian village for a few months to try to find, interact with, and document the least-understood fairies in the world. The northern Hidden Ones (both the common and regal varieties) are powerful and secretive. They don't interact much with humans—and when they do, it's generally bad for the humans. If Emily can be the first to get any scholarly research done, it will definitely put her on the map.

Sadly, as good as she is at dealing with and understanding Fairy, Emily is bad with humans. She has no people skills, is aware of it, and doesn't care. But in this inhospitable climate, she really needs help to survive—much less to learn a lot about the Hidden Ones.

Thankfully (?), soon after her arrival, a colleague/competitor—and her only friend—gatecrashes her trip and takes up residence in her shack with her. Wendell Bambleby is the very picture of a Victorian gentleman-scholar. He's a charmer, and soon has the villagers eating out of his hand. He's also pampered and demanding (would probably have been considered a bit of a dandy at the time)—and has a really hard time not wrapping his head around things like cooking for himself, working to keep the fire burning, etc. He's decided that he's going to collaborate with Emily (not really caring if she agrees) and that their work in Norway will be the thing to help him reclaim some academic respectability following a scandal.

He may be under a cloud, but Wendell has connections and can open doors for Emily to get her the audience she really needs. So she accepts his proposal to collaborate, assuming she's going to do almost all of the work.

Things ensue. I really can't say more than that.

POE
The first fairy that Emily meets is a young brownie—she ends up referring to him as Poe. It's great to see her in action with him. it shows that she does know what she's doing—we don't just have to take her word for it (not that we have any reason to think she's lying, but it's good to know).

Poe really ends up showing us so much about Emily—and other characters, too. He's ultimately so integral and important to the novel—and in a very real sense, not important to the plot in any way. But through his interactions (both that the reader sees on the page and those that happen "off-screen") with various characters, so much of the plot becomes possible and the reader gains a whole lot of insight. Really, he was well, and cleverly, used by Fawcett. I can't say it better without spending a few hundred spoiler-filled words, but the more I think about him, the more impressed I am by Fawcett.

KNOWING MORE THAN EMILY
Around the time—probably a little before—I figured out that the story of the novel isn't really what you think it is, I figured out a couple of things that Emily is utterly blind to for a very long time.

Knowing more than a protagonist can be frustrating—I spend a lot of time yelling at detectives in mystery novels in particular. But sometimes, it can be fun watching them catch up to the reader. Fawcett's able to draw humor from us knowing things that Emily doesn't. It also helps us empathize with both Emily and other characters as we see her work through various situations and conversations.

And then, when Emily catches up with the reader—and reality—it's all the more satisfying. Most/all of what we know that she doesn't really wouldn't be that believable if we learned it when she does. We get to spend many pages urging, "Come on, come on, come on...open your eyes/pay attention/etc." And then, finally, cheer when she does. It's the closest many readers will get to the position of a sportsball fan yelling at their TV to communicate to someone in a stadium miles/states away.

SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES
I did have one significant problem with this book. As part of her research—part of her life, really—Emily specializes in stories about faeries. She shares some of them as part of her journal. It makes sense, they serve both the character and the overall novel. They're truly fitting.

However.

It was like slamming the brakes on. Everything that had been building, all the tension, the momentum, the development, and so on all came to a rapid stop. And then picked up again after the stories. It reminded me of a time in Kevin Hearne's Hammered when everything stopped for some of the characters to tell stories. As fun as those stories were, it really made that novel hard to get through (that series went on for 6 more books, two spin-off series, and a number of novellas and short stories—so the jarring stop was obviously not too catastrophic).

If the transition to them had been smoother—or maybe they had been more spread out. Just something, I probably wouldn't have mentioned them—or I'd have talked about what a great way it was for us to get an understanding of the Northern Fairies without an infodump. Instead, it came across as a stumble—one that the novel recovered from nicely. But in the moment, it really bugged me.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES?
Stick with me for a minute—I could tell from the opening pages that this was a well-composed and well-structured novel full of fantastic world-building. But it took longer for me to move beyond appreciation and admiration for what was being done to really care about it. I did, though, the book started out slowly and picked up momentum as it went—and as it did, I got more and more invested (and my appreciation and admiration increased, too). Somewhere around the mid-point, maybe a little later, I was as invested as is possible and only my notes tell me it took time for that.

I think I just used too many words to say—it's a slow burn of a novel in almost every conceivable way. Not unlike Emily's rented shack—it takes a while for a fire to really start heating the place, but once it has time, it's nice and toasty warm.

There's a lot I'd like to talk about, but I'm not sure how. I can see later installments being easier, but so much of the novel is about beginnings. To really talk about it would be to discuss the last 20% of the novel. And no one wants me to do that.

Just because of my own prejudices, I could spend a few paragraphs on her dog, Shadow, too. As much as he deserves them, I'm going to leave it with "he's a very good boy." I hope to see more of him in the books to come, too.

This book is rich in character, story, world-building (and world-revealing), magic, and subtlety. I'm not sure if you can be rich in subtlety, but Fawcett pulls that off. This is absolutely something I recommend and imagine the next few months are going to be filled with people gushing over this. Readers of this post might as well get in line now to be one of those gushing.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity.

I received this eARC from NetGalley and it’s one of my favorite books that I’ve read in 2022!

First off - I’ve never read a book about the Fae like this one. This is a journal style book that captures the tale of Emily Wilde. She’s grumpy and solely focused on her work. She finds herself out in the field studying the Fae for her upcoming “Encyclopaedia of the Fae.” Her arch nemesis Wendell Brambelby shows up and mayhem ensues. They encounter common and courtly Fae and it’s packed with action.

I loved this style and perspective of an academic studying the Fae. I also particularly liked the banter between Emily and Wendell and I love where the books ends. I particularly like that there will be another book! This is not your typical Faerie book. You just give it a read!

I loved this book SO much that I came across a copy at Books a Million - yes before its official publish date and yes I bought a copy for my home library.

Emily Wilde is a professor and the leading expert on faeries. She is compiling the world's first-ever first encyclopaedia of faeries. She is most herself while researching or in the company of books and doesn't seem to fit in with others.

Emily travels to a remote village to complete her encyclopaedia, where she is joined by a colleague/rival, Wendell Bambleby–much to her displeasure. Wendell is the opposite of Emily in many ways. Where she is unkempt and lacking in fashion, Wendell is stylish and sophisticated. Where Emily has alienated the locals, Wendell makes fast friends. And it's a good thing he does, otherwise these two would be in big trouble!

This book fell short for me because it centers on Emily and her research and spends less time directly on faeries. While faerie lore and stories are sprinkled throughout, I prefer when the faeries and their world are front and center. I will admit though, that I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

This book is perfect if you're looking for something new, like books about socially awkward people, and (of course) if you like books about faeries.

This review and more available at http://www.cometgrrl.com/book-reviews.

I’ll be publishing the following on my instagram prior to the book’s publication on 1/10:

When I started Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Fairies I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. The book is written in a journal format, mostly from the perspective of the title character and tells of her explorations near the frozen village of Hrafnsvik in 1909. Emily is an introverted British professor who has traveled to the small village to study the fairies that inhabit the nearby mountains and her professional revival, the handsome and extroverted Wendell Bambleby

The plot, writing, and characters are all fascinating and whimsical. Emily and Wendell are a perfect example of opposites attract, and their bickering is adorable. While there isn’t a lot of spice in the novel, their chemistry is undeniable. The moment Wendell arrived in Hrafnsvik, I was enthralled and the book picked up its pace and kept my attention all the way to the end.

Emily, despite her introverted and sometimes prickly personality, has an endearing quality about her that makes the reader feel invested in her story. As the story progresses, her character develops in such a way that the reader gets to see the heart behind the bookish scholar. Her story in Hrafnsvik is fully wrapped up by the book’s final pages, but there are enough plot points left unresolved that should make additional volumes fun and exciting to read.

This book earned 5 stars from me, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a slightly quirky and whimsical fantasy romance.

I requested this book on the recommendation of a friend who had requested it as well. I didn’t realize that it takes place in the past until I started reading it, but that really didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I found this to be a charming read about two mismatched people who have a common hobby or scholarly pursuit (there’s a reason I used both words, but I can’t spoil why) and eventually find themselves drawn more to each other. This is not really a romance, but there’s definitely some romance in it. This book is a little bit romance, fantasy, cozy, mystery…just a little bit of everything. I admit that I wasn’t too fond of Emily at times, but I loved Wendell even when he was extremely aggravating. This is definitely a unique novel, and those who love fairies will definitely enjoy this. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 4.5/5
One word summary: whimsical! I really loved all the description of the faerie world and customs through academic research POV. Very creative, lush, and vivid! The unpredictable plot & twists are really entertaining.

💬 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Set in the 1900s, this book tells the story of Emily and Wendell, two professors of faeries. Emily is finishing up her encyclopedia and they journeyed to Scandinavian region Ljosland to gather materials for the last entry (an elusive set of faeries). Written in the style of field notes entries, this book chronicles their encounters with Ljosland faerie species.
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What differentiates this book with other faerie centric stories are the characters. Emily is a serious professor, so it's very refreshing to read faerie lore in a (relatively) serious research/academia setting. Wendell, on the other hand, is very charismatic and flamboyant (some people say he reminds them of Howl). Both leads are very likeable and I have thoroughly enjoyed their antics and interactions in this book 😂 there's a good bit of friends to lovers here too ♥️
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I find the plot to be quite unpredictable as well -- in a good way!. It started off mundane (in fact the first 20% is quite slow), but by the end it's anything but mundane. So many twists and turns in this story! There's a couple points in the story where I went 'OMG did that really happen??' 😮
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The only criticisms I have is that the resolution of the final conflict feels a bit anticlimactic compared to the middle parts, although it's because the middle parts are so damn good. Would also like it more if the romance sideplot has a bit more tension.
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I will be waiting for book 2! 🥺

The setting for Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, is a Hrafnsvik, a small town that lies far to the north where cold, snow and ice are ever present. Emily Wilde has travelled to this frigid, wild place to study and classify the local faery folk for inclusion in her important Encyclopaedia of Faeries which she plans to publish in the near future.

Emily’s introverted nature makes it hard for her to connect with the locals. Combing that with the intensely cold environment and the reader is left with an acute sense of isolation for Emily. She struggles with everyday life because the people of Hrafnsvik are not helpful. Cold and hunger may doom her mission before she even gets started.

Then Wendell Bambleby arrives. Emily’s friend and academic rival is the complete opposite of her. Outgoing and charming, he soon has the townsfolk eating out of his hand. The house Emily was renting goes from cold and stark to warm and cozy overnight.

The difference between the two researchers is so extreme that it becomes charming. The phrase “opposites attract” is colorfully and precisely depicted. The romance is understated and perfect.

Just when one thinks the story is about the relationship between Emily and Wendell, the author throws in complications. Malicious faeries harassing the locals in various ways become ever more threatening. When they ask the scholars for help, Wendell is not interested. But Emily believes helping these people will also help her in her search for knowledge.

Exploring faerie worlds to help the village folk proves to be academically enriching but it also proves to be mortally dangerous. For Emily and Wendell, these adventures will require every bit of knowledge they have acquired throughout their years of faery research. I was enchanted by Emily, Wendell and the people of Hrafnsvik. I was captivated by the story of their adventures and thrilled with how they conquered the evil faery folk. This is book one of the Emily Wilde series, but rest assured, this is a complete story with a satisfying ending.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book. My review is my honest opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy. This was a delightful book to read. I fell in love with the characters of Emily and Wendell. The writing flowed and the weaving of stories within this greater story was quite effective and didn't detract from the main story. I will be recommending this to all my friends and will be eagerly awaiting the next book.

Delightful, charming, and packed with heaps of whimsy, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is my exact favorite type of faerie story.

This epistolary novel follows professor and scholar Emily Wilde as she studies the Hidden Ones of Ljosland, an elusive and thinly documented species of faerie. She is eventually joined by her colleague Wendell Bambleby, her exact opposite in many ways (and also maybe a faerie himself), and with their combined knowledge of dryadology, they uncover mysteries about the fae that will revolutionize their field.

This book checks all of my boxes. I love a darkly whimsical story about fae, full of riddles, schemes, and tricks that cunning mortals have to find their way out of. Emily is a fabulous protagonist - she's a little curmudgeonly, but she clearly loves her field of study and she's incredibly competent at dealing with faeries, whether they be brownie or nobility. Wendell is her perfect foil, and they shouldn't work well together, but they truly make an excellent team. Their dynamic is very reminiscent of Howl and Sophie from the novel Howl's Moving Castle, and if you know anything about me then you'll have correctly assumed I completely lost my mind over it. We're talking giggling, screenshotting, and highlighting entire passages. Absolutely manic behavior, honestly.

So yeah, I loved this book to bits. If you're a fan of the aforementioned Howl's Moving Castle, or Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales series, I highly recommend it!

This was a such delightful read! It was a lovely fantasy novel that combines all the things that I love the most about the genre: an enchanting atmosphere with an intriguing academic aproach, combined with great characters, so much humor and a very adorable romance and found family. Emily was such a great main character, I absolutely loved her and have so much in common with her: her grumpy and introverted nature, and how she is seen as a cold-hearted by most. And Wendell is an absolutely jewel, He reminds so much of Howl from Howl's moving castle and that I think, should be the greatest compliment ever. I just loved them both so much!!
I adored Fawcett's writing style here, it was very easy to follow yet still very unique. I can't wait to be back in this universe and see what adventures these beloved characters are set to next!

I loved this from the first chapter and all the way through. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is fun, cozy, and at times delightfully spooky. It carries the perfect blend of adventure and wit and manages to fit in perfectly with traditional Celtic fairy tale traditions while spinning its own fresh story. This one is definitely a new favorite for me. While it definitely works as a standalone, I can't wait for more!

First of all, the cover is beautiful.
This is a fantastic novel filled with an epic adventure, snarky attitudes, and humor tossed in the mix. I loved the characters. It was such a fun book to read if you enjoy academia fae fantasy fiction.
It had its slow moments but that’s to be expected. All in all a fun and informative read.

I’m new to the world of faeries and this fantasy story was very informative. I had no idea there were so many types. I loved the clean and wholesome romance, the historical nature, and the likeable array of characters. The Nordic setting was idyllic and I highly recommend this well thought out and academic book on faeries.

An absolute delight.

At first, I thought this was going to be a DNF, but then I read past the first three pages and fell in love.

This will not, however, be a book for everyone. If you enjoy fae with wings and much growling and purring, this will probably not be the faery book for you. But if you enjoyed the insidious and deadly nature of the fae in An Enchantment of Ravens, love slow burn, witty banter between of a curmudgeonly professor and her one friend whom she suspects is a fae of some sort slumming as a scholar, and can feel the icy prickles of The Bird and the Nightingale wending between the cracks in your house at night, then this is definitely the book for you.