I received a free digital copy through NetGalley for an honest opinion.

If you love fairie lore with a hint of romance this is for you. The book is basically the main character being sucked in to the thing she studies folk lore and tales. The banter is fun and witty, the characters are well developed, and the main character although a little dry at some points is loveable and creates a fun reading experience with what is happening around her. If you are not in love with fairie world this is not for you. If you ever wondered what would happen if a Hallmark movie added more fairies to their agenda this is for you (although it does have a tad bit of gore). Overall, great read and can't wait to read book 2!

I loved, loved, loved this book. I can't remember the last time I felt so enchanted by a story. Enchanted is the best possible term for it. This book is hilarious, it is heartwarming, and more than a little swoonworthy. The world building is phenomenal and I can't wait to read book 2. This is a must read for everyone who loves fantasy in 2023.

The year is 1909 and Emily Wilde is a reclusive academic and Cambridge professor working on completing the final chapter of her Encyclopedia of Faeries after ten years of hard work. This brings her to a small, cold village in the far north to learn more about a species of faeries known as the ‘hidden folk.’ Swiftly joined by her biggest annoyance and only friend, Wendell Bartleby, they partner together to complete the work quickly with mutual benefits so they can present together at a conference in a few months time. Wilde finds that this small village is a magical place indeed.

I absolutely loved this! Such an enchanting, delightful read. I’m a big fan of epistolary literature and loved seeing it in the historical fantasy genre. Emily and Wendell are great characters that I will be thinking about for a long time and I’m beyond happy that there is going to be a second book. They had some excellent and hilarious banter. Wendell is definitely going to be up there with my fictional favorites. The story itself, as told by Emily’s journal entries, was truly whimsical and I loved reading about a world that closely resembled our own. The world-building was impressive and I liked the idea that the Folk (aka Fae) lived in pockets of the world amongst humans. This is the definition of a great fairy tale and reminded me of being swept away by fantasy reads as a kid. Absolutely recommend to all fans of fae fantasy.

4.5 ⭐️

I liked that this was formatted as though you were reading Emily's field notes from her research studies. It worked well as a first-person narrative and the information and history of the different faeries was woven into it seamlessly. Emily is sometimes a difficult character to like because she gets so caught up in her own head she doesn't even realize who invested she has become in the villagers' lives. She comments more than once that she only helped out because it was important for her research, but it's well established that she does really care about the people she is helping. That made it a nice moment when she realizes that fact - it also showed that maybe she's not quite as emotionally obtuse as she seems. My favorite parts were the one where she was dealing directly with the faeries and changeling. I could have read an entire book just about her helping everyone deal with their Folk-related problems. I did get frustrated with her when she insisted on doing things alone rather than asking for help - I'd like to think she's learned her lesson after the whole freeing the crazy king fiasco, but I have a feeling she didn't. The parts with Bambleby added some good comic relief but I'm not sure I 100% trusted him at the end - even after he helped save Emily multiple times. I'm really curious where this story will head in future books.

This book wasn’t on my radar at all, somehow. Horror of horrors, since, spoiling myself here, I loved this book! Instead, it ended up on my TBR list only because I saw that it was likely going to be the December Adult Fairyloot book, and I wanted to get an idea of what it was all about ahead of time. So I read this about a month ago, but saved my review for closer to the publishing date. And here we are, ready and willing to give a rave review for this book!

When Emily Wilde arrives at the remote, northern town of Hrafnsvik, she is there for one purpose and one purpose only: studying the local Fae for inclusion in her in-progress encyclopaedia. While she is an excellent scholar, she is less skilled at ingratiating herself with the locals and quickly finds herself on the outs with most everyone in the village. Even more infuriating is the arrival of her charming academic rival who quickly attaches himself to her work and seems to soon have the entire town besotted with him. As the two work together, Emily begins to uncover clues of larger, nefarious curse that is plaguing Hrafnsvik…as well as clues that her rival may be more than he seems.

We have again one of those situations where I stumbled upon a book completely by chance and am now terrified of how many other lovely titles I’m missing out on! Alas, such is the life of an avid reader, I guess. Whatever way it made it onto my TBR pile, I’m sure glad it did. This book was pretty much everything I like about fantasy. It has a quasi historical setting, a buttoned-up, bookish leading lady who seems to always get herself into trouble, an adorable animal companion, a charming love interest with a subdued romantic subplot, and an interesting, but not overly embellished (side-eying Sarah J. Maas here) Fae world.

On this last point, the story is definitely a slow-burn on its fantastical elements. The plot, of course, is centered on Emily’s research of Fae and the story starts out simply enough with her following these regular steps of study. But the plot takes a few sudden twists and turns towards the middle and final third of the book that truly bring these fantasy Fae elements to the front. I was both surprised and delighted by these twists. There were a couple of choices, particularly towards the end of the book, that definitely took the story in a direction I hadn’t anticipated (or, at least, I hadn’t anticipated just how much the author would commit to these decisions).

But because this book is a slow-burn story, plot-wise, much of its success rests on just how charming Emily Wilde is as a narrator. As I said, I particularly enjoy this type of scholarly, semi-stoic woman protagonist. The unintentional hilarity of this type of narrator’s way of speaking is half the fun, and such is the case here as well. It was all the better when Wendell arrives, and the the whole “fire and ice” dynamic gets going. Their chemistry is immediately charming, and the reader gets to enjoy being on the “in” about Wendell’s obvious feelings for Emily while she remains the obtuse dunderhead she is about human interactions.

Like Wendell, I think “charming” is probably the best word to describe this entire book. I definitely recommend this book for most all fantasy readers, especially those who like subdued but lovely romances and new versions of Fae and Fae courts.

Rating 9: A delight from start to finish, never stumbling in its tone while weaving together a subtle romance and a heartfelt journey of discovering the importance friends and community.

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

If you like Veronica Speedwell, faeries, Naomi Novik books, &/ dry wit, Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is for you. This book is so winning & fun!

The book is written as a set of journal entries by Emily Wilde, an unruffled, supremely intelligent & research-focused woman exploring a region of Scandinavia for Faerie specific to that area.

But when she arrives Emily realizes that the Faerie there are even more dangerous & imminent of a threat than she first supposed.

Very much without her approval Emily’s charming-to-other-people colleague—whom she believes is part Faerie—arrives to confound her. I mean help her with her studies.

Peppered with an occasional footnote, written in language that’s both matter of fact & stunningly sharp, funny, & captivating, this book had my devotion.

While there are romantic elements they are mild but the relationship between leads—watching them navigate life with each other in their cottage & community life etc—is sparkling & all too delightful to watch.

There’s one more minor element of the plot that I think gets shortchanged & wish had been considered more but if I could have stayed inside this book longer I would have.

4.5⭐️. Out 01/10.

I didn’t record CWs while reading. Sorry!

[ID: a white hand holds up the ebook in a greenhouse. An avocado tree & two blue planters are in the background.]

3.5 stars
Loved the setting and the characters grew on me as I continued reading. It was alittle hard to get used to the way it was written (like a journal) making harder to read at times. This format seemed odd when it came to the dialog. Overall, a good story with an interesting idea.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for an eARC of this title.

A lovely cozy fantasy set in 1900s Scandinavia, featuring a socially awkward English dryadology professor, her Irish colleague/academic rival/only friend, a charmingly unfazed hoarhound, and absolutely terrifying folkloric faeries. Told in a diary format (which I didn't hate), Emily Wilde details her research into the last faeries she needs to complete her encyclopedia, Hrafnsvik's Hidden Ones.

When I say I ate this book up. The world is enchanting, the plot is magical, the faeries are the right balance of horrifying and whimsical (leaning more towards horrifying). These are not Sarah J Maas' faeries; they're dangerous and I love them.

The beginning is a little slow, introducing the premise of the diary and the town of Hrafnsvik, Ljosland, but the story gets so good once Wendell shows up. Wendell is the most book Howl character I've ever read that wasn't book Howl. He's delightful and it would have been a different book without him. The pacing is fantastic, the diary format works really well for the story, and every character jumps off the page. Definitely one of my favorites.

Thank you Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is such an enjoyable book! This is basically a grumpy sunshine romance, but set in the early 1900’s, with faeries. I liked that the female main character is awkward around people, thirty years old, and super smart and capable (mostly). It’s so interesting that the MMC is her complete opposite, but still manages to be likable and pairs with her perfectly. I like that because this is supposed to be her observational journal, that the writing feels just a little more matter of fact than books can often be, especially romances. The setting and all the side characters are all very interesting as well. If this is the beginning of a series, then I look forward to more!

This is an enchanting book of faeries that takes place in the world of academia. I loved Emily in her grumpiness and awkwardness around people. She has a passion for faeries, their nature and culture, and books. That resonates with me. The descriptions of the settings are quite vivid and I could really see the story unfolding in my mind. With some adventure and twists added to the mix, this book held my attention nicely. I would definitely read more from this author.

You all know how much I love books involving The Fae, or Faeries, or anything remotely similar to that. I wrote a whole recommendation post on them, and I’ve seemingly read about six thousand books that weren’t on that list. Basically, what I’m trying to say is, I really like stories about the Fae. Especially when the fae are tricksy, and not exactly nice — the old-school you don’t want to mess with these fae. Those are my favorite.

NOW THAT WE’VE GOT THAT OUT OF THE WAY — I requested Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries on Netgalley on a complete whim. The cover was cute, and the description sounded like something I’d like. When I got the approval for it, I was mildly surprised (it’s been a hot minute since I’d actually reviewed an arc. Whoops — fully blaming you, reading slump.) , but totally ready to dive into the book. Imagine my surprise at how much I freaking loved this book. I don’t know why I was surprised, as this has all the makings of a book I’d really enjoy. BUT ANYWAY.

I LOVED THIS.

The characters are all amazing, believable and so much fun to read about. My favorite is Wendell Bambleby, who is just about as Howl Pendragon-esque as you could possibly be without actually being Howl. He’s grumpy, lazy, but so, so charming. Willing to help if Emily demands that it needs to be done. Emily herself is curmudgeonly and more interested in scholarship than helping another human being. But despite that, she does spend a great deal if time in this book helping people. I rather liked her for that, even if she did it for altruistic reasons. She still did what she could to make people’s lives better. I also really enjoyed Poe, a tiny fae who Emily befriends rather quickly into the novel. I did wish we saw more of him by the end, but I have a feeling he’ll be in later installments of this series.

I do wish we got more of the romance, but again, I think it’ll get developed in coming books. What we saw was on the sweeter side, which I enjoyed!

The story is interspersed with faerie tales or legends from the local culture. It does read a bit like an actual scholarly book in some ways, but since Emily is writing an encyclopedia of all faerie knowledge, this makes sense. I really had so much fun reading this — I flew through it in a way I haven’t read a book in a while. Please pick this one up when it comes out! Especially if you like the Fae the way I do!

I am Emily and she is me. I absolutely ADORED this book. I had no expectations coming into it and I believe that made it all the more all consuming. A delightful combination of fantasy, history, romance, mystery, and lore… Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries creates a cozy world of fae that I never want to leave. A new favorite. So creative and unique.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC, and Heather Fawcett for the incredible story.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is absolutely everything! I was in desperate need of a delightful, easy, and fun read and this was just what the doctor ordered! Emily is a great and interesting character and I saw a lot of myself in her (that could either be a good or bad thing, you decide!). This was an absolutely adorable and sweet read that I am so glad I came across!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries follows 30 year old faerie expert and professor Emily Wilde and her annoyingly handsome colleague Wendell Bambleby as they set out to make discoveries about the faerie Folk of Ljosland, Norway, so that Emily can complete her lifelong passion project: the world's first encyclopedia of faeries.

This is a world where faeries are as common as trees, and magic is well accepted. The characters are alive and well-rounded. Emily is incredibly socially awkward and self-centered, a typical bookworm and curmudgeonly professor to a T. But she is also endearing and relatable in her awkwardness. Bambleby is infuriating at times, wholly charming, and a great foil to Emily's follies. And who doesn't love a book with a big shaggy dog companion? I hope to see more of Shadow and his mysterious origins in a sequel. Also, the villagers of Ljosland aren't just names among the background; they're fully fleshed out characters.

The premise is really original during a publishing time that is saturated with fairy books. I especially love the academic lens the story takes. I think my only issue with the storytelling is that I don't love that it's written in present journal entries recounting the past. A lot of the big showstopping events are kind of reduced in a passive voice. I also had a hard time really getting into the story until about halfway, because most of the time Emily was just getting acquainted with Ljosland, the people, and the Folk. Other than that, I had a great time reading Emily Wilde's. I think it's a perfect winter read, and I can't wait to see where the next one takes us!

4.5 stars

I loved everything about this book! This was so much different than anything I could have expected and I really enjoyed that.

It’s written like a scientist’s journal, a personal reflection and log of events while Emily is out in the field researching. There are even footnotes that expand on some of the story world aspects (and are hyperlinked in the digital version, which I really appreciated). It truly feels like you are reading diary of a scholar.

It has the perfect academic feel without reading too grandiose or flowery. And I think it achieves this well because the character’s voice really shines through. The tone, while matter of fact just like Emily, still has so much emotion and heart. I love the format; it’s perfectly fitting and a fantastic narrative choice for this story, making everything feel so real, natural, and believable.

Emily is such an endearing character. I cherished her and was rooting for her the entire time. Her awkwardness in social situations is adorable, bless her heart, as she tries her best to be in everyone’s good graces but always somehow manages to fail without understanding why. I love that the main focus on the protagonist is her intelligence.

Emily’s obsession with the Fae world stems from the fact that she doesn’t feel like she fits in with human society. The Fair Folk have more liberties, are more frivolous, but also follow very formulaic rules and conventions that Emily finds easier to adhere to. Because Emily doesn’t pick up on social queues and nuances particularly well, the Fae’s straightforwardness makes for more comfortable companionship for her.

The setting gives all the cozy feels, taking place mostly in a mountain cabin in the winter. It’s a rural small town in the 1900’s that Emily has traveled to. She slowly (and a tad reluctantly) becomes a part of the community and finds friends/family that give her a sense of belonging.

And my undeniable favorite part… Wendell. Yes, he’s arrogant and pretentious, and yet, I just absolutely love him. He’s grumpy sunshine to perfection. Underneath it all he is genuine, never mean-spirited, true to his nature, and very caring. The chemistry between these two is electric. And the slow-burn yearning is to die for. The cheeky banter always made me smile and fall in love with them together even more.

I highly recommend this book! I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel.

I was completely charmed by Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries! Thank you Random House for the review copy on NetGalley.

This was an out of my comfort zone read as we bookstagrammers like this say but well worth my time and gentle dive into fantasy. Indeed this is the kind of read that reminds me of why it is good to change up my genres once in a while!

I loved that Emily was a researcher, a kind of faerie/folklore ethnographer (sorry, I am a psych research methods prof!) and I enjoyed that aspect of how the story was told. I liked the use of first person as well to bring me into the story.

The weaving in on her story with Wendell as well as well done and enjoyable, I liked that her intellect and ideas were her own and worked into that relationship. The theme of learning about the hidden folk while learning about herself and others in her world was a nice connection as well.

The pacing and writing style were engaging. Though some elements of the romance are a slow burn that worked for the magic of the story and enjoyable banter; academics are slow methodical people after all.

I am sure that this will find a home for many fantasy lovers and is a promising set up for future books!

I have been trying to explore more fantasy books and I really enjoyed this one! The first part is a little dry, slow to start, because while I relate to Emily, her personality makes her a little bland until she warms up to the reader/townspeople. The side characters however are gems. Wendell's POV chapters (sadly only a smattering) are brilliant. Quite a unique blend of fantasy/Victorian mannerisms. Fabulous smart heroine overall would recommend this book

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

After being in a bit of a reading slump, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries was exactly what I needed! A cozy, fun, and easy read, this book is the perfect read for any faerie-lover or academic fan out there. Emily is such a uniquely entertaining character, quirky and oblivious—and way too relatable. 😂 Taking place during a trip to study the faeries in the village Hrafnsvik, Emily is so adorable with her lack of people skills—making the relationships she builds throughout the story all the more heart warming when you see it developing.

With plenty of secrets abound and a precious romance that truly has you rooting for the two characters, Fawcett's folklore infused fantasy will leave you craving more with it's refreshing story and lovable characters.

Thank you to the publisher via netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

HIGHLIGHTS
~rock beats scissors, stories beat enchantments
~listen, chopping wood is hard
~beware the music that plays at night
~pockets are literally magic
~no-nonsense professor catches Feelings, oh no

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries combines a couple of my favourite tropes – books-about-books (the encyclopedia our main character Emily is putting together) and scholars studying the supernatural – so when it popped up on Netgalley, I knew I definitely had to request it. And I ended up loving it even more than I thought I would!

EWEoF actually did not make a good first impression on me, though; I was surprised to discover that the book is narrated in first-person (which I usually don’t enjoy) via Emily’s journal entries, and the setting, though fictional, is a country that feels inspired by rural Iceland, with bits and pieces of other Arctic Circle countries woven in here and there. I have nothing particularly against Iceland, but the cold, rocky, insular place Emily has come to was pretty uninviting for me as a reader – I’m a bit too familiar with that kind of environment!

But it took less than a chapter for me to fall head-over-heels for the wonderful Emily, and I ended up SO GLAD that Fawcett decided to write in first-person – Emily’s voice was what tipped EWEoF from 4.5 to a full 5 stars from me!

<I have become what I am because I wish to know the unknowable. To see what no mortal has seen, to–how does Lebel put it? To peel back the carpeting of the world and tumble into the stars.>

I guess I can see that some readers might find Emily a bit unlikeable at first – she’s a very no-nonsense kind of person, socially awkward, much more interested in rational thinking than emotions. Although the term is never used, as someone on the spectrum, she very much read as autistic to me – which feels a bit like an Easter egg given the speculation that the myths about changelings refer to autistic people back before autism was recognised or understood; a kind of nod from Fawcett to readers with an interest in faerie lore. (Although there’s no suggestion that Emily is a changeling herself – I don’t mean to imply that she might secretly be a faerie!) Regardless, Emily is incredibly intelligent, quick-thinking, detail-orientated, passionate about her passions (the study of faeries), and refreshingly…honest? Blunt? Self-aware? The kind of character I love to read about, and the kind of person I’d dearly enjoy being friends with in real life!

But even if you don’t like Emily right away – if hers sounds like a personality type you’re not interested in – there’s also the fact that she’s often unintentionally hilarious; that she has a surprising number of secrets that gradually reveal themselves as the story goes on; and that she has a streak of…compassion doesn’t seem like quite the right word, but when the possibility of helping others appears, she always takes it (which in turn leads to several great plot developments). And of course, there’s the undeniably adorable romantic plotline, where we get to watch this ‘curmudgeonly professor’ develop Feelings which she very much Does Not Appreciate.

What’s not to love?

Emily is only one of the many things that makes EWEoF so damn great: most of the credit has to go to Fawcett’s writing, which is simply fantastic. Fawcett has nailed that trick of addictive prose, dancing at the exact, perfect midpoint between overcomplicated and too simple, too much detail and not enough, neither drowning us in description nor denying it to us when it’s needed. It’s neat and quick and addictive, the kind of writing you can relax into; the kind that pulls you along without asking you to work hard to keep up. It makes EWEoF fun, so that there’s always a streak of light-heartedness running through the book, even when events turn, ahem, somewhat grim.

I usually prefer prose that is nearly purple with intricacy and description, but Fawcett’s is easy-to-read, hard-to-put-down, and incredibly moreish. I have no complaints!

The worldbuilding was everything I wanted; Fawcett draws from the folklore of Western Europe to establish her Fae, but the whole point of Emily’s Encyclopedia is that the Fae are different in different places, and I loved getting glimpses of, and hearing trivia about, the various kinds of faerie Emily has encountered in the past. I especially liked Emily’s encyclopedic knowledge of stories – not just general knowledge about the Fae of a given place, but the tales in which they feature. More than once, her memory for these stories proves vital, and I thought Fawcett did a good job at a) making these stories feel exactly like the ‘real’ ones I’ve read and heard, and b) showcasing Emily’s knowledge without overwhelming the reader. (Although personally, I loved getting to read the handful Emily included in her journal!)

<“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories.”>

Hearing about the various theories scholars in Emily’s world hold about what exactly the Fae are and what their realm is like was also really interesting (and sometimes very funny), but as with all her worldbuilding, Fawcett doesn’t drown us in intricate detail. We’re given just enough to understand and follow along, and while I’m not opposed to much heavier amounts of worldbuilding, this was the perfect approach for this particular book.

I’m really impressed with how well Fawcett balanced the different aspects of EWEoF; the ‘official’ plot, the romance, the various mysteries and secrets, the character development, the side-quests…none of them overwhelmed the rest; everything had exactly as much space as it needed. The pacing in particular is marvellous, moving just fast enough that it becomes extremely difficult to extricate yourself from the story – it just sweeps you along with it! – but not too quickly for the reader to enjoy and appreciate each new reveal or development. It’s not often I compliment a book on its pacing, but it’s easy to see how this same story could have gotten bogged down and been much slower, or skimmed along too quickly, in the hands of a lesser writer.

Look, I think it says all that needs saying that I was SO RELIEVED to discover this is the start of a series (when I received my copy, it had a different description that led me to believe it was a standalone) because I am not at all ready to say goodbye to Emily, Wendell, and Shadow! I absolutely loved EWEoF – every single thing about it, or did you not notice that this review contains no critiques whatsoever? – and can’t wait to see what kind of adventures await them in future books!

Seriously, this is one book you should go into 2023 ready to pounce on!

Really fun read in a world where faeries and other "mythical" creatures exist for real and are studied. Very excited for the next book.