really, really loved Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

Fawcett creates an intriguing world that is just slightly different than ours—the only exception being that faeries are common knowledge and there are scholars whose sole purpose is to study them. The book is told through a journal format, which I usually am not a fan of, however, Fawcett really pulled through and told a gripping story. The author of the journal is Emily Wilde, a professor who travels to Ljosland, in Norway, with the purpose of documenting Ljosland's Hidden Ones, the only faerie population yet to be documented. Emily is almost done writing her encyclopedia of fairies—the first of its kind. She is accompanied by her trusty dog companion, Shadow, and eventually by her only friend and also academic rival, Bambleby.

I read through Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries within two days. Nearly 400 pages in two days, which I think shows how immersive Wilde's journey is. I particularly liked the way that the fae were portrayed. They were simple in that they were motivated by specific things (stories, hunger, etc.) and swift to change, but intriguing and also sometimes lovable in their simplicity.

I also loved, LOVED, Bambleby and Emily Wilde's relationship with him. For those going in thinking that this will be a romance, there are some romance aspects, but it is pretty diluted and very wholesome. Expect no spicy scenes. As someone who does enjoy a spicy chapter or two, I was caught off-guard by how much I enjoyed the wholesomeness of their relationship. It has inspired me to read other wholesome romantic novels, which I barely ever do.

And Emily Wilde. She is relatable and complex and also a badass. Throughout the novel, all the decisions she made were understandable and awesome. Not in a warrior-esque way, but in a nonchalant, I-will-do-anything-for-my-academic-pursuit way. Which I have not experienced before, and I loved. At some points, I had to stop because, wow, what a cool lady. No wonder Bambleby likes to refer to her as a dragon.

I could go on with other things that I liked, but for the sake of this review not being its own novel, I will just say READ IT. I would definitely recommend Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia for fans of anything Naomi Novik, for those who like wholesome romance subplots, and for people who want an adult version of the Spiderwick Chronicles. Much much love to this book and Heather Fawcett, and thanks NetGalley and Random House for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so cute! The story is written as a field journal by "dryadologist" Emily Wilde who is spending a few months in a small Scandinavian village to study native fairies for the encyclopedia she's writing. She is interrupted when her academic rival, Wendall Brambley, shows up. Wendall has a LOT of secrets that are slowly unveiled, as does the town itself. At first Emily's fieldwork is pretty typical, but things escalate quickly as she ingratiates herself into the village. The plot gets crazier and crazier, but in the end Emily learns a lot about herself (and Wendall).

Emily is so delightfully ridiculous and oblivious in her long-winded journal entries. I love that she footnotes her own writing! Wendall is awesome, and I was constantly giggling at him. My only frustration with this book was that the romance was a bit unbelievable. While I could see where it was going, the chemistry felt lackluster and I felt like that aspect could have been developed better.

I wish this were a series so I could read more of what happens after the ending, but I was overall pretty satisfied when I finished. I'd almost call this light academia, it's so refreshing to read something that's a little less foreboding than the genre tends to be!

I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own.

4.5☆ I really enjoyed this one! I think I would consider this historical fantasy with lite romance - but I've never read anything like it! I loved the journal-entry-style chapters, so unique.

I liked the MCs a lot. Bambleby gave off big Howl (Howls Moving Castle) energy, and Emily was such an introverted academic - they had great banter! I would've loved more romance, but their interactions were fun and sweet.

While the ending is satisfying for the most part, I'd love a second book.

If you love faeries, folklore, academia, and a little bit of romance, this one is for you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

For fans of The Cruel Prince, The Shadowhunters Chronicles, or The Hazel Wood! The writing was so atmospheric and enchanting, and I felt like the story just jumped off the page. The characters were dark and mysterious, and their interactions with the darker fae magic felt so realistic!

A whimsical, wintry delight that’s like a cup of hot cocoa. It’s cozy, as well as familiar; it brought to mind "Uprooted" and "Spinning Silver" by Naomi Novik. This book, however, has a light, jesting tone.

The beginning is a tad slow. Once the 10% mark is hit, with a theory about a certain character, the intrigue begins. The rest goes by fast.

The academic styling of the novel is an amusing concept, and I liked the footnotes. I have a love-hate relationship with au courant dark academia, and this not-so-dark (at all) book didn’t feel as stodgy.

On my wish list for a sequel (assuming there is a book 2 that follows in this story’s footsteps) would be to have further development in the relationship between Emily and Wendell. Spice is not required (there’s plenty enough of that in today’s adult fantasy books), but more of the friendship/rivalry/romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is an adult fantasy novel following Emily Wilde as she researched faeries for her studies. This book is told through journal entries with footnotes included so it feels very academic.

If there is one thing about me, I am absolutely a faerie girlie. I love any kind of fae folklore and try to dress like a goblin daily so I was excited for this book. I know I will be receiving a copy through a subscription service so I thought I would go ahead and try to read the arc as soon as I could. And this book did not disappoint! I really enjoyed this. This book does have an almost dry writing style on purpose that I can see not working for everyone but I loved it.

My only complaint is I wish it would have been even a little more academic in feel. I loved learning about Emily’s research. I am someone who has quite a few of those oversized, tabletop books about Faeries and magical creatures so I am really interested in reading about them in books. I think I am one of the only ones who wishes it would have been more in-depth in the research sections though. This book has a little bit of a story but I would definitely consider to be more of a cozy fantasy book than anything high action. I have really enjoyed this growing popularity in cozy fantasy lately because almost any time I pick one up, I have a really good time. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed Legends and Lattes and The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy.

This book wasn’t a bad book but there were just a couple of things that kept me from latching onto it. I do think that this book will invest other readers and I wish it had worked better for me.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Emily Wilde. She is studying faeries and has found herself in a small village to continue out her work. I liked this idea a lot. Usually we see a lot of scholarly people but they aren’t out in the field and it usually doesn’t have to deal with the fae folk. It makes for an interesting premise. Emily is a very secluded woman who knows what she wants. I liked that about her because she was usually ostracized for having poor social skills, ha. I feel like we could have gotten along because of that.

The other characters were fine but I feel like some were just one dimensional and when I thought they would have more to do with the plot they didn’t.

My biggest issue with the book was the writing style. It’s a great idea to write it like scholarly journal entries but it made it very dull and I found myself not wanting to pick the book up. This may not be an issue for some.

Another issue I had was that many of the exciting parts don’t happen until after the halfway point. If I am already dulled by the writing and the pace is slow it’s just a disasterly combo for my reading mood.

I do think that some of the things she learned about the fae folk were cool but some just felt very short with no continuation. I just wish there had been more.

Overall, this was a decent book. I didn’t dislike it but I didn’t love it either. I’m sure that it will find its readers though because it is very unique.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I didn't like this book as much as I thought I would. I'm not sure if it's because it was told in journal entries or that the story just couldn't keep and hold my attention. I was a little disappointed it didn't live up to what I was hoping to read.

I had hoped to like this book. Sadly, Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries didn't keep my attention. It was all a little too slow for me. I had to add this book to my DNF list. I do hope that others will enjoy and love this book. It just was not for me.

-being told through journal entries made so much sense for this story and did it a real service
-i absolutely loved the inclusion of footnotes
-all the characters had such life to them and were so lovely to see grow in their own ways
-i am not sure what the sequel will entail, as there was not a cliffhanger, but i definitely will be reading it!
-i’m a huge fan of fawcett’s middle grade works and i think this is a fantastic adult debut

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is the unique and captivating story set in the early 1900s of Emily Wilde, professor of Dryadology at Cambridge University, and her adventures studying faeries in the field–in this case, beautiful and stark northern Scandanavia in the winter. This was such an enchanting story, and I loved not only the quirky and independent female protagonist but the whole cast of characters surrounding her. From Brambleby, fellow professor and friend who isn't what he seems, to the charming and hearty villagers in Hrafnsvik, even those who aren't normally drawn to fantasy will love this tale. One thing that sets this book apart from other fairy tales is that it is written in the form of journal entries, giving extra insight into Emily's thoughts and feelings. This is the perfect fantasy book for those, like me, who tend to favor historical fiction–Heather Fawcett does a great job of weaving historical fantasy with just a hint of romance. I'm not sure I've ever read a novel quite like this! Also, if you read A Court of Thorns and Roses and wanted something slightly less steamy and more intellectual, this book is for you. I'm so glad this is a series but am sad we have to wait for the second installment!

Great for: lovers of historical fiction who want to dabble in fantasy, fans of strong yet quirky female protagonists, and readers who enjoy well-crafted world-building
Rating: 4.5 stars (with high expectations for the second installment!)

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC! All views expressed are my own. #netgalley #emilywildesencycolpaediaoffaeries #bookreview

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an academia based story revolving around Emily's studies of faeries and faerie folklore. The story is written in journal format, mostly from Emily's point of view with the occasional entry from Wendell.

I found this book to have a very slow start and don't think it picked up until Wendell joins Emily on her field research. Once they are together, the story becomes more enjoyable and the adventures start to unfold.

The characters were great. I enjoyed that Emily and Wendell seemed to be extremely different. Emily was standoffish, preferring to be by herself, lacking a sense of humor, and truly awkward at times. Wendell was charming, entertaining, and brought some much needed humor and personality to both Emily's life and the story. I enjoyed all of the townsfolk and their unique roles throughout the book.

I understand that Emily is a scholar writing an encyclopedia. However, the attempt at making this such an intelligent read was a negative for me. The story itself was good but I felt that it was interrupted over and over by having to look up unnecessary words. I felt like the academia of the book should have been referencing Emily's research and her studies of faeries, not the actual written words of the book itself. I expected that I wasn't going to know words related to fairy folklore because they're not real words or uncommon. I didn't expect the book to be so academic I needed a dictionary quite often.

I did enjoy the faerie folklore and the stories about them. They were entertaining and captivating. This fantasy did a wonderful job describing the world(s) and magic of the faeries.

This is book one of a series it wraps up leaving some open endings that set up the reader for book two. This book is best for fantasy lovers who enjoy a very intelligent read, a slow burn start, and faerie folklore stories. This book will be available January 10, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Well this was just so fun and fantastical and I was so excited to see it is the first in a series! Emily Wilde, a Cambridge professor and expert on faeries, heads out for a research expedition in the town of Hrafnsvik. While Emily may be preeminent in her field, she is not great with people and her arrival in the village is close to disastrous. But when her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, shows up a week later and charms the villagers, she is nonplussed - she wants him gone! However, Emily realizes that she needs his help in order to discover the secrets of the Hidden Folk - the last entry she needs for her encyclopedia. Together, Emily and Wendell go on an enchanted adventure in the icy landscape of Hrafnsvik.

Beautiful descriptions of faeries and the landscape, fantastical world building and delightful banter among the characters, this was truly a fun and quick read.

This is a wonderfully enchanting book that describes the adventures of a highly serious, academically focused anti-socialite who slowly starts the journey to understanding the power of allowing others into her life. Readers are introduced to a charming cast of practical, down-to-earth characters who each add their own s[ice to the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this and hope this becomes a series.

Wow! Easily a best seller. Giving this one five stars. If I could give it more I would.

Love the fantasy fairy world the author created for us. Descriptive, beautiful cast of characters Wendell and Emily are favorites). Just incredible.

Full of fantasy, a bit of history, sone mystery, suspense, and my favorite a bit romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random house books for copy of this book for my honest review.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a fantasy told through journal entries. It's a bit slow at the outset. It took me awhile to get used to Emily’s stilted, first-person narrative. She doesn’t want to establish relationships with the local townsfolk since getting to know the fae (the Folk) native to this area is sufficient for her; she’s never been good at dealing with people.

Her academic rival, Wendell Bambleby shows up to “help” Emily with her research. His outgoing personality is the exact opposite of Emily’s. He actively seeks friendships among the locals and through them he learns about their local tales about the Fae. When two young women go missing, Emily and Wendell join forces in their efforts to rescue them from the fae. Together they try to resolve the problem one couple is facing with a faerie-changeling that has moved into their missing son’s room and is wreaking havoc.

But it’s not until the last quarter of the novel that the pace really picks up when Emily decides to take action on behalf of a character she met earlier in the novel. As they say, it takes a village, and in this case it requires the efforts of everyone to help rescue Emily from her final encounter with the fae. All of those villagers that she didn’t want to befriend at the outset of her stay in Hrafnsvik now take it upon themselves to help her as she had helped them. The ending is a bit rushed but it is all in keeping with Emily’s personality. All-on-all, this was an enchanting tale!

I loved it!
The only problem I had was where to file it- it *is* a reference book, but it reads like a fabulous fantasy book.

So I went into this not really knowing what to expect, but I really enjoyed this story!

I really liked the writing style and the way it was written through journal entries.

Emily as a character was everything. She was so clever I thought maybe she was a faerie. I liked her growth and her journey. She became friends with the locals and you could see that she actually had a heart.

Bambleby was comedic relief and the chemistry and banter between him and Em has me laughing out loud at times. They were complete opposites but it worked.

I liked the stories also inserted and the folklore from Ireland. I thought this brought a nice touch to enhance the story.

There are a couple plot twists which one was mentioned and it made sense.

There’s some action but I don’t wanna spoil too much.

If you’re into fairies and folklore, this is the story for you.

I highly recommend!

If you want a historical, academia, fairy fantasy based story, this will be for you. If you want a romance, you will be tragically disappointed. There are romantic feelings and hints of where a relationship COULD be headed, but this is a story about a Scandinavian scholar studying fairies and this book is essentially her diary so to speak. Which is great as a way to really connect with our FMC and to see how her mind works. I do think the book could of been shortened quite a bit and not suffered for it, but regardless it’s still a great read. I would suggest it to those whose vibe this seems to call to.