I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett Series: Emily Wilde #1
Published by Del Rey on January 10 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A magical story full of humor and heart, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries will charm even the most jaded of readers.
After reading so many glowing reviews of this book, I was thrilled to discover that everyone is right! Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was a delight from start to finish, an upbeat breath of fresh air after some recent dark and heavy reads. Heather Fawcett’s writing has such a cozy feel to it, and I was immediately smitten with the characters, especially Emily and Wendell.
The story is told in journal format and written by Cambridge professor Emily Wilde, who is writing a definitive encyclopedia of faeries and their lore. As part of her research, she’s visiting places around the world where faeries have been spotted, and when the story begins, she’s traveled to a small Scandinavian town called Hrafnsvik, enticed by rumors of the Hidden Ones. Despite the freezing temperatures, Emily is thrilled to be the first scholar to investigate faerie sightings in the area, and so she settles into a local cottage with her trusty dog Shadow to begin her work.
But it isn’t long before a surprise visitor arrives: her frustratingly annoying (but extremely handsome) friend and Cambridge associate Wendell Bambleby, with two teaching assistants in tow. At first, Emily is irritated that Bambleby has followed her here, but she grudgingly agrees to let him help her with her research. But interacting with the fae is never easy or safe, as Emily and Wendell are about to discover.
There isn’t anything terribly original about the plot, and in fact the plot itself isn’t that complex. But trust me, the reason to read this book is for the characters, who practically leap off the pages. Emily is a delightfully messy woman. She’s a brilliant scholar with an insatiable appetite for learning, but she struggles to connect with people on a social level. She’s much more at ease with her dog, and even with the various types of fae creatures she meets along the way, than the local village folk. She’s self-deprecating and modest, her hair is always falling out of its bun, and she certainly does not have any feelings for Wendell, despite his impeccable style and perfect, wavy hair. Wendell is her exact opposite, a man who is most comfortable in front of a crowd of people, telling outlandish stories or attracting the attention of every woman in the place. Together these two reminded me of characters in an old 1940s movie, constantly bickering and exchanging witty banter. The dialog is laugh-out-loud funny, and even as Emily is pushing Wendell away, you know they will eventually get together. Because yes, this is a slow burn romance, sweet and satisfying.
Emily has suspected for some time that Wendell “isn’t quite human,” and that adds a wonderful layer to the story. I also suspected that Emily’s dog Shadow is more than meets the eye, and I was right! Once these fascinating details are revealed, the story becomes even more engaging and hard to put down.
Fawcett includes footnotes in Emily’s journal (sparingly), which I found fascinating. The bits of faerie lore scattered throughout the story made it feel like a real journal, since Emily is literally creating the world’s very first encyclopedia of faeries. She mentions things like how to spot a faerie door (look for “out of place” occurrences in nature like a ring of mushrooms or a tree that looks different from all the surrounding trees) or the difference between common Folk and courtly Folk, or tricks to protect yourself against enchantment like turning your clothes inside out. Emily is particularly interested in the stories of the Folk, and I loved the way the she comes to understand the fae by paying close attention to these stories.
The fae we do meet are quite varied, from a cute brownie named Poe that Emily befriends early on, to the terrifying courtly fae who can enchant humans and force them to do whatever they want. Despite the lighthearted tone of the story, there is an underlying sense of danger lurking just below the surface, and like most readers, I find these darker versions of the fae to be much more interesting. Emily throws herself into dangerous situations without thinking first, as she’s determined to learn everything she can about them for her book.
Emily and Wendell have several thrilling adventures together, including trying to save a couple of local girls who have gone missing, and trying to rid one couple’s home of an evil changeling. At the same time, Wendell’s goal is to speak at the prestigious International Conference of Dryadology and Experimental Folklore in Paris, only a few months away, and he wants Emily to go with him. This timeline gives the story a sense of urgency, as Emily is determined to spend as much time in Hrafnsvik as she can in order to finish her Encyclopaedia.
There are lots of characters and events I haven’t even touched on in this review, so rest assured there is plenty more to discover. The feel-good ending is just as satisfying as you might imagine, and Fawcett wraps things up nicely but leaves plenty of room (and a few unresolved plot points) for the next book in the series. I can hardly wait to visit Emily, Wendel and the others again, who ended up feeling more like friends than fictional characters.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Very nice review – now I’m even more interested. Thanks, Tammy!
Thanks Marian! Hopefully you’ll get to read it soon:-)
While I freely admit that the title of this book did not inspire me at all, your review and above all your mention of the “upbeat breath of fresh air” at its core made me pay attention: there is enough darkness and drama in what we usually read, so that a book like this one is exactly what we need to… clean our palate 😉
Thanks for sharing!
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It’s definitely a palate cleanser, in the best possible way:-)
Journal format! This really sounds like an incredible book and totally something I would adore!
I can definitely see you enjoying this!
I’m sure this is a story that can be enjoyed anytime but your mention of reading it after recent dark and heavy reads had me thinking about how we might enjoy these softer stories all that much more based on our previous reading. It’s like that day friends and I ate at The Cheesecake Factory. We had a big meal but I couldn’t pass up the cheesecake at the end. And because they have so many I couldn’t pick just one piece, so I first had an incredibly rich and sweet Godiva chocolate cheesecake before ending it all with a key lime pie cheesecake. And I have to tell you, that key lime pie couldn’t possibly have tasted any better, especially eating just after the sweet and rich Godiva chocolate. So I wonder if there’s a way to plan out our books, just like cheesecake, in ways that’ll increase our enjoyment because of what we read just before? Not sure why, but you’ve got me spun up about this one. 🙂
I love your cheesecake analogy:-) And it makes perfect sense. Also you’ve made me hungry for The Cheesecake Factory:-)
Lighter read with lots of laugh-out-loud banter sounds wonderful.
It really was:-)
Sold. I went right out and put this on hold at the library. I think I’ll love it. Excellent review as always.
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Thanks Anne! Have fun reading it:-)
It seems like you’re a few books ahead of me with all of my January books, LOL! This one is probably next in my queue, so happy to see your five-star rating! (I’ll come back and read what you wrote once I read the books myself…)
I’m sure I won’t be ahead for much longer;-)
Great review! I had to come back and read it now that I finished the book. I think you ranked it a bit higher than I did, but I still really enjoyed it. Things like turning the coats inside out or touching the coin were great details! There were just a few plot points that didn’t seem fully built out to me, but as a whole, really a fun read.
I’m going to be reading this book very soon, but I knew your review was going to nail it whether or not I’ve read it already! Excellent review!
I hope you love it!
This book was just so wonderful and took me by complete surprise! I just loved the character’s voice and the unique way she told the story, lol. Just a perfect blend of fantasy and romance and faerie whimsy.
Yes, I loved Emily’s voice so much:-)
This was so delightful! I’ve been meaning to read Heather Fawcett’s other books for a while and this one has made me want to move those up. Great review!
I’m curious about her other books now too:-)
Oh my goodness, I want to draw hearts around this goodness! I just added it to my Audbile wish list.
Exactly, this is a heart worthy book:-)
It makes me so happy that everyone is loving this book too! It was such a cozy delight with excellent plot!
I know, it made me laugh so much:-)
Glad you liked it as I’m looking forward to getting and reading it. The more I hear about it, the more appealing the story sounds. I look forward to meeting the characters.
I hope you love it too:-)
I totally agree with you!! I finished it two days ago and I have the same opinion!
I have finished the book and I agree with you on all the line! And it was surprising, and even if it should have been expected, to see that really, this is as charming as everyone is saying!
I am not sure how I feel about the story being told via journal, but it sounds like an entertaining faerie story so I am keen to pick it up!
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I wondered if this was an actual story or like that one book about fairies a while back that was more pictures of them? But it sounds like this one is really good! I like stories told in a style like this, journal entries, etc. Glad to hear this was good!
Oh, and I was too late when I finally had time to go back and comment on your last Grady Hendrix review, but it sounds good too. And I went and added the one you said was your favorite, the Southern Guide to Slaying? To my Audible list, I think I’ll give it a try there!
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