Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries: the cosy and heart-warming Sunday Times Bestseller (Emily Wilde Series)

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A thoroughly charming academic fairy tale, complete with footnotes and a low-key grumpy romance’ Guardian To answer some of my misconceptions from above: this book probably does feels more YA but do not let that stop you from giving it a try. There is a somewhat of a romantic plotline in this book but it is not overwhelming and it is not the main purpose of the story; it more of a side story. But I could see it getting more attention in the following books. And the writing style is supposed to be more journalistic but honestly the book feels like it written just like any other book other than the chapters are dated and sometimes the main character makes a reference to the chapter being an entry in the journal. There are no gaps in the flow of the story but it feels a little too detailed to be a journal—which is fine by me because I can read it like any other story. The characters were very interesting and relatable. I really liked Emily, she is intelligent, brave, hard working and stubborn. I loved Wendell, he is funny, sweet, charming, very handsome, and smart. I loved how sweet and protective he was of Emily. I really liked the side characters as well especially Lijla, Finn, and Margaret. The character development was very good, I enjoyed learning about Emily and Wendell and seeing all sides of them. I do wish that Wendell's character development was explored a bit more. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charminglywhimsical delight, saturated with faerie magic and the equally wonderful magic of humanity. This is going to be one of my regular rereads. Five dazzling, gladdening stars.” —India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world’s first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She’s learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby.

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. I suppose most children fall in love with faeries at some point, but my fascination was never about magic or the granting of wishes. The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs–and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible.”It took me completely by surprise, and I fell head over heels for Emily Wilde. She's such a relatable character, but in an usual way. She's the 'not like other girls' if girls were bookish, grumpy and socially awkward. All Emily wants is to finish her research on faeries in peace, far away from annoying people (ie everyone) and get some peace and quiet with her dog Shadow on a remote island. However, that's never going to happen when her greatest scholarly rival Wendell Bamleby turns up out of the blue. Wendell is everything Emily is not. Foppish, extroverted and a lover of everyone. He enjoys nothing more than showing off. Together the two have the most delicious, tension filled conversations and eye gazes. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Herein I intend to provide an honest account of my day-today activities in the field as I document an enigmatic species of faerie called “Hidden Ones.” This journal serves two purposes: to aid my recollection when it comes time to formally compile my field notes, and to provide a record for those scholars who come after me should I be captured by the Folk.” - ‘Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries’ by Heather Fawcett.

I was shivering, in spite of the uphill trunk-­dragging, and I realized I had neither wood nor matches to warm that dingy place, and perhaps more alarmingly, that I might not know how to light a fire if I did—­I had never done so before. Unfortunately, I happened to glance out the window at that moment and found that it had begun to snow. Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people. Enchanting in every sense of the word. . . This book is real magic' H. G. Parry, author of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

What to expect from Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

I was really close to DNFing this about halfway through and I honestly should have. This was pretty boring and *very* overwritten. I froze, realizing that he was about to kiss me only a second after I knew I was going to kiss him. I leaned forward, but he put a hand on the side of my face, very gently, his fingers brushing the edge of my hair. A little shiver went through me. His thumb was by the corner of my mouth, and it made me think of the time when I had touched him there, when I'd thought he was dying from loss of blood. For a heartbeat, all the other moments we'd shared faded away, leaving behind only the small handful of times we'd been close like this, connected somehow like a bright constellation. He brushed his lips against my cheek, and I felt the warmth sink all the way to my bones, chasing out the ice of the snow king's court.

The pacing. While I don't mind slower paced stories, this one dragged and I was a bit bored at times. There are footnotes though, just a warning, I know not everyone is crazy about those. I felt they worked here though by adding to the vibe of the story. This book was so good! This was a fun and heartwarming fantasy about friendship, family, love and making discoveries. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries follows Emily Wilde who is a professor at Cambridge and she studies faeries. Emily is writing the first encyclopaedia of faeries and she is in the a village in the far north finishing her book. Then her colleague, Wendell arrives in the village and she finds herself in the heart of a surprising mystery.Note: While reading this book with Rebecca, we had a couple of conversations about whether Emily is supposed to be written as neurodivergent. Neither of us believe she is because there was no author’s note or mention of this representation throughout the book or its premise. I sincerely hope that Emily's cold and narrow-minded character was not meant to represent a community of diverse individuals because this representation would have been more harmful than helpful. I consider her to be a neurotypical woman who needed better character development and growth. The villagers- they were interesting and gave some comic relief to the story and a reprieve from Emily's constant vitriol. A woman who has been in love with the fae all her life and is taking us along on her academic research with the encyclopedia she is currently writing about them and her experiences with them? Oh, what more could I possibly ask for friends? Actually the life i wish i could have if i was around in 1909. This is also told epistolary style, with a lot of field notes, but a lot of stories, and some unexpected entries as well. But this was just a book that really worked for me and my reading wheelhouse (and heart). There is a little romance too that is also very sweet and again… the field notes are just so good. We also get to travel to some fae realms to solve a mystery that did get a little dark - so please use caution. Like, there are a lot of cozy vibes and moments and settings (omg did i love the market too) in this, but, again, there are a lot of darker themes and the story takes showing the dark faery side of things! While Emily manages to offend a lot of people throughout her story, there is a whimsical charm to her interactions. Oblivious yet self-aware, Emily doesn’t aspire to be anything more than she is and thankfully, her rival/friend Wendell Bambleby doesn’t expect her to be either. Some plot developments caught me unawares but the author handled the unexpected nicely. It feels nice to be surprised when you aren’t expecting any deviations from the norm.

I also really loved the little community and their slow acceptance of Emily. The support and love of that town was so heartwarming and seeing them come together when someone needed them was beautiful. The setting was unexpected but really great on me and all the traditions and skills involved really made it come to life. Emily and Wendell’s reactions to it were amazing and added such a fun dynamic. The story comes to use through Emily’s (first person) entries in the journal she maintains as a part of her research. Emily has her ups-and-downs over the course of this story and I felt for her every step of the way. She's definitely the type of character you would want to be friends with. I found it so easy to connect with her.

Success!

Well, that almost killed me. I mean that---I froze for a full second, during which our yeti friend nearly skewered me through. I dodged, barely, my head whirling. One day I would like for you to explain to me how you heard of the story of Deirdre and her faerie husband, a long-ago king, which is one of the oldest tales in my realm. Do mortals tell it as we do? When the king's murderous sons schemed to steal his kingdom by starving it into torpor with endless winter, Deirdre collected the tears of his dying people and froze them into a sword, with which he was finally able to slay his children. It is a tale many of my own people have forgotten---I know it only because that poor, witless king is my ancestor. When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it’s too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series. ARC provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy! All quotes used are taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication. Wendell was so fun too. He's handsome, charming and has a natural ease with people that instantly gets under Emily's skin. Everything seems to come so easily for him and if you're struggling, as Emily is with some of the villagers, that can definitely be frustrating. Ljos­land is the most isolated of the Scandinavian countries, an island situated in the wild seas off the Norwegian mainland, its northern coastline brushing the Arctic Circle. I had accounted for the awkwardness of reaching such a place—­the long and uncomfortable voyage north—­yet I was realizing that I had given little consideration to the difficulties I might face in leaving it if something went wrong, particularly once the sea ice closed in.