The prose style also strays very quickly away from even vaguely plausibly her writing a diary to something that feels much closer to a more normal 1st person narration voice. All characters, including the faeries, felt like they had hopes, dreams, and reasons for their anger.

Everything about this frost-tipped whimsical fantasy had me waiting for the snow to fall so I could bundle up in a blanket, dreaming about prickly faeries and fresh hot buns. I was really excited about this book and started the eARC from NetGalley but slowly put it to the side. One of the few bits of genuine historical accuracy that remains in the book is the entitlement obvious in Emily’s attitude towards the people who form the basis of her study. Obviously after that scene, I did start to get a bit more invested, mainly because Emily started thinking about it as well as when we get Bambleby’s POV… I adored that chapter btw. For the Fae are ever malicious and tricksters and one or more might have their eyes on Emily herself.However Emily does care about people in her own way and she makes a lot of steps to help some of the locals that have been negatively impacted by interactions with the fae.

Emily’s fascination with faeries is infectious and her devotion to her work draws readers into her unique world, which feels both familiar and unfamiliar, mixing real locations with fictional landscapes.Perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature. Enchanting in every sense of the word, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a delight of snow-laden forests and changelings, folklore and fairy kings, meticulous footnotes and academic rivalry, and adventure.

This is exactly my kind of book–steeped in fairy folklore where the fae are whimsical and clever and full of myths and wickedness and tricks and utterly unreal levels of magic. Warm, witty and whimsical, Heather Fawcett’s adult fantasy novel puts a fresh spin on the faerie trope. Further compounding Emily’s frustration is the arrival of her charismatic colleague and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby.

But I found myself so in love with the voice, the characters, and the story that I really couldn’t find myself caring all that much about its faults. Enter the world of the hidden folk - and discover the most whimsical, enchanting and heart-warming tale you'll read this year, featuring the intrepid Emily Wilde. Emily has traveled all over the world studying various culture's magical beings and the legends and lore surrounding them.

First, the descriptions of different faeries and fae magic were enjoyable and interesting to read about. Overall, I struggled to stay engaged with this one, which is a shame as Emily and Wendell were interesting characters and the story is quite unique. I suppose most children fall in love with faeries at some point, but my fascination was never about magic or the granting of wishes.As someone who grew up surrounded by Cicely Mary Barker’s flower fairy illustrations, I can’t help but be drawn to these books about faeries and folklore. The residents of Hrafnsvik have lived their lives in fear of the Fae, of them taking their children, never to be seen again. I could feel their frustrations, even if I also recognized their very intentional ethical misjudgment. A charmingly whimsical delight, saturated with faerie magic and the equally wonderful magic of humanity…five dazzling, gladdening stars.