Emily Wildes Enzyklopädie der Feen

Emily Wilde #1

by Heather Fawcett

Ein herzerwärmender Fantasy-Roman für Fans von Neil Gaiman, Mary Brennan und Holly Black

Die Cambridge-Professorin Emily Wilde ist in vielem Sie ist die führende Expertin für Feen, eine geniale Gelehrte und akribische Forscherin, die die erste Enzyklopädie über Feenkunde verfasst. Allein mit Menschen kommt sie nicht zurecht und zieht die Gesellschaft ihrer Bücher, ihres Hundes Shadow und des Feenvolkes vor. Als sie für ihre Forschung in das verschneite Dorf Hrafnsvik reist, hat Emily nicht vor, sich mit den ruppigen Einwohnern anzufreunden. Ebenso wenig möchte sie Zeit mit ihrem akademischen Rivalen Wendell Bambleby verbringen, der mit seinem unerträglichen Charme die Dorfbewohner um den Finger wickelt, sich in Emilys Arbeit einmischt und sie völlig verwirrt. Doch während Emily den Geheimnissen des verborgenen Feenvolkes auf den Grund geht, kommt sie auch einem anderen Rätsel auf die Wer ist ihr Kollege Wendell Bambleby, und was will er wirklich? Um die Antwort zu ergründen, muss sie erst das größte Geheimnis von allen lüften - ihr eigenes Herz.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fae, Cozy

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2023

About the author

Hello! Welcome to my page.

I'm the author of books for adults and children, including Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The School Between Winter and Fairyland, and more.

I'm only occasionally on Goodreads, so if you want a more reliable way to get in contact with me, I'd recommend using social media (I'm on Instagram and Facebook) or the contact form on my website.

Review policy: I only review books that I love, which is why you'll only see 4 and 5 star reviews here. Because readers often ask me about my favourite books and authors, I'm aiming to use this page as a place to collect all of my recommendations.

Also, I am NOT the author of More Than a Mom: Living a Full And Balanced Life When Your Child Has Special Needs. I've asked Goodreads to remove it from my page several times but it keeps getting re-added. If you have questions about this title, please direct them to the other Heather Fawcett!

Reviews

[megs_bookrack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is the perfect, snuggled-under-a-blanket, Winter read.

A Cozy Fantasy with low-stakes, light romance, enchanting atmosphere and easy-to-love characters. This was exactly what I needed for January!!



This book follows Miss Emily Wilde. Emily is a Cambridge Professor, who specializes in the study of faeries. In fact, when we meet her, Emily is fastidiously researching her latest project, the first ever encyclopaedia of fairy lore.

Emily has traveled all over the world studying various culture's magical beings and the legends and lore surrounding them. She has one destination left, a remote village in the Scandinavian country of Ljosland.



Emily is used to field work, so she's not put off at all by the stark, isolated village life. However, she wasn't aware that it would be so rustic that she would need to chop her own wood to keep warm.



Needless to say, Emily, along with her trusty companion, her dog, Shadow, have a bit of a learning curve to overcome in Ljosland.

As they're settling in, Emily receives a letter from one of her Cambridge colleagues, Wendell Bambleby, that he's planning to join her. He can't be serious? Emily works best alone.



Alas, arriving as unexpectedly as his earlier correspondence, there he is. Wendell Bambleby on her doorstop, two student research aides in tow. Good grief.

As days pass, and Emily's research deepens, she begins to suspect that Bambleby knows more about the fae than he is letting on and there may be an unconventional reason for that. Will Emily's research be a success? Will she figure out the mystery of the Hidden Ones near her cottage?

Most importantly, will she figure out the mystery of the man residing within?



Emily Wilde's was such a lovely, cozy, warm hug of a read. I'll be honest, I teared up at the end. I just didn't want to part from these characters. I'm so happy this is just the start of our journey with Emily.

There's a lot to love about Emily as a character. She's a true academic. Not one for small talk, she struggles a bit interacting with other humans. It's not her favorite thing.



I loved the whole idea of her setting off into the great unknown, Shadow by her side, to complete her research. She is fearless. In fact, her life is in jeopardy more than once over the course of this story, yet she seems to navigate it all so well.

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.



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.

I loved their sort of love-hate relationship. All love on his side, a little less so on hers. I wouldn't say hate, but she definitely rolled her eyes at him more than once.



I really enjoyed the cold, barren setting with the backdrop of the magical faerie realms as well. There were quite a few whimsical scenes that I thought were done really well.

Additionally, I liked how Fawcett chose to format this. It reads like you are reading Emily's journal entries. It felt intimate and real-time with her adventures.

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.



Overall, I think this is a fantastic start to a series. I am definitely attached to these characters and look forward to reading more about them in the future.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Del Rey, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I had a lot of fun with this one and definitely recommend it to fans of Cozy Fantasy and stories involving the Fae!

[EmmaSkies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really close to DNFing this about halfway through and I honestly should have. This was pretty boring and *very* overwritten.

"Bambelby and I entertained ourselves at the cottage by coaxing a recalcitrant Shadow into his new raiment, which was patterned with flowers and equipped with a jaunty hood. The dog hung his head in abject embarrassment until his tormentors deigned to relieve him of this woolen pillory, and he spent the next hour pointedly ignoring me."

Imagine 300 pages of that. It...gets old. The plot moves at a glacial pace for a book that's only 300 pages long and I didn't care enough about the main characters for them to carry me along. Although shoutout to the best character in the book by far, Poe.

I also found the male main character to be completely insufferable. He's selfish, self-centered, and lazy where the female main character is driven and ambitious. This is all intentional in his character and I get that, I just didn't care for it. He shows some level of initiative toward the climax of the book but never enough for me to actually care about him or believe that he's capable of fully caring about anyone else. He pokes fun at the FMC for traits which I read as marking her as clearly autistic-coded (largely in not understanding the common social cues and rituals of those around her) and especially early in the book it gave me the distinct impression of laughing *at* her rather than *with* her. Curious if anyone else had a similar feeling? [Edit: I've spoken with someone else who DNFd the book for this exact reason so I'm glad to see I'm not alone in this.]

So it was boring, dry, overwritten, and I didn't like the characters. I gave it at a low 3 rating right now because I'm not sure it's low enough to warrant something in the 2 range, but I did not have a very good time with this and I'm glad it's over. Bummer.
Edit 1/22/23: updating my rating because it's definitely in the 2 range

[lexi (aka newlynova) · Rating 4 out of 5]

when he forces grad students to wait on him hand and foot because he has never done a task on his own in his life 🥰🙂‍↔️

when he fabricates academic research in order to swindle grant money for unrelated personal projects ♥️🥴

when he has probably, at some point, committed morally fraudulent acts of violence for sport 🤧😩

and wendell, for the record, is only my third or fourth favorite thing about this book. he is the worst. i do, unfortunately, love him.

this is a silly goofy insufferably pretentious fae buddy cop movie about a (nd coded) woman who hates people and loves research and her colleague who hates work and loves springing up in her life like a weed. antics occur. please enjoy.

11/2025 reread: even more fun the second time tbh. still a very big fan of whatever strong flavor of book this is & excited to finally get into the rest of the trilogy ~

[Cindy Pham · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the year because of how unexpectedly fun and charming this was. I loved the two lead characters and their dynamic, and always looked forward to my commute just so I could read more.

[Ashleigh (a frolic through fiction) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did but I found myself genuinely cackling with delight throughout :’)

[Rachel Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

the cutest most wholesome cosy book to ever exist (I loved it)

re-read: I still stand by what I said ^. definitely one of my comfort reads. I will hopefully re-read this many times 🧚🏻‍♀️📖✨

[chan ☆]

i've had a few teeth pulled and lemme tell ya, being in my dentist's chair was more fun than this

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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.”

Professor Emily Wilde devoted her life to study the Folk and she genuinely cannot understand why someone wouldn't. The mysterious magic, the fickle friendships, the wily ways - it's all so fascinating.

“If anyone were to claim greater happiness in their careers than I do in poking about sunlit wildwoods for faerie footprints, I should not believe it.”

Of course being a female in a male-dominated field already puts her on the wrong foot with most collogues, and considering she absolutely hates small talk that doesn't involve the Folk...let's just say that there's not much opportunity to get on the right foot.

In her latest endeavor, she wants to study the mythical Hidden Ones, rumored to live in the outskirts of Hrafnsvik. Most of her collogues do not believe they exist but she persists.

“I wish to know the unknowable. To see what no mortal has seen. To peel back the carpeting of the world and tumble into the stars.”

Unfortunately, Wendell Bambleby - her annoyingly peppy and pampered collogue - decides to join her. Time will tell whether it be the scary fairies or his inane cheerfulness that does her in first...

I am absolutely HORRIBLE at reading suggested books from friends and family...and so I slept on this one for entirely too long.

When I finally buckled down and read it, oh my goodness. I loved it. With my heart and soul...I really need to trust people more.

One thing that just enchanted me with this book is the scary fairies. I love it when the fair folk are ethereal and deadly, charming and fickle, saviors and hindrances - I like that dichotomy of push and pull for their personalities.

I also loved Emily's personality. She was an academic on a mission, able to pull out obscure fairy lore at a moment's notice and always had a theory about how their world worked. She was so passionate and enthusiastic that it was hard not to be swept up into her world.

And finally, there's Wendell whose flighty behavior and spoiled tendencies balanced perfectly with Emily. He was the perfect character to play opposite to her and it was hilarious watching them interact.

Overall, I cannot wait to continue this series - and I really do hope that Heather Fawcett releases Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia. I feel like that would be amazing!!

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube)]

Couldn't make it to 100 pages... don't get the hype.

[Nataliya · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened? This was supposed to be actually good. You lied to me, book.

Oh, I know! What I read was a faerie changeling of a book, while the actual good book was abducted and is forlornly roaming the depths of Faerie kingdom, and we are never destined to meet. Nothing else explains these shenanigans.

The ingredients were fantastic. But the dish ended up unsalted, overboiled and generally a mush.

Take a remote cold Scandinavian island at the turn of the 20th century in a world where faeries are real yet ephemeral and set a grumpy misanthropic university professor on a search for them. Sounds like a wonderful set-up, doesn’t it? Think of the potential - the stark beauty of nature against the ruthless unforgiving cold, the contrast of the snow and dark tree silhouettes, the pristine remote landscapes contrasting with the suffocating feel of a small close-knit community not used to strangers and hostile to intruders, in too-close of a contact with the otherworldly cruel menace terrorizing them. The strong feeling of time and place and the enchantment of beautiful setting is what the period fantasy is about, and I was ready for it.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. And it was a disappointment, to put mildly.

Instead what we got was the equivalent of a gingerbread village where offering to pay for things is the biggest offense and the biggest revenge is a bit of a burnt toast and angry sheep messing up the chocolate and peppermint candies while our supposedly brilliant protagonist bitches about doing her job and ignores the interesting things happening right in front of her nose, missing proverbial forest for the trees or even metaphorical shrubbery. (Why are you thrilled about a random forest fairy when you have access to fairy royalty AND a changeling child?)

It’s needlessly fluffy and with any potentially sharp edges smoothed out and safely padded. And that’s like getting a burnt toast for breakfast.

Anachronisms upon anachronisms ensue, giving a whiplash feel of the time and absolute lack of the feel of the place. The depth of conflicts is at the level of a young novel, immature and naive, and the resolution of these is beyond lackluster. The romance is plain silly. And the worldbuilding is murky and vague, with no consequences stemming from adding real faeries as part of the reality. That’s just lazy.

And our ridiculous too-stupid-to-live protagonist who’s supposedly charmingly grumpy but actually is a rude oaf with baffling incuriosity about actually interesting things around her — yeah, it seems that the author at some point realized that this youngest professor in Cambridge history is a bit of an idiot and therefore decided to just tell us how great she is without actually bothering to show it:

“Then you told me how you had tricked the boggart into thinking you a long-lost relative of his last master—a feat which had required extensive research into local lore—then bribed him with exotic seashells, for you remembered some obscure story about a boggart whose secret fantasy was to travel the world, boggarts being bound to their crumbling ruins, while I half listened in astonishment.”

Yeah, maybe next time tell me *that* story instead…

Something about this book reminded me of the feel of A Discovery of Witches which coming from me is very much not a compliment.

Boring, frustrating and unsatisfying.

1.5 stars.

————
Buddy read suffering with Nastya.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is if Holly Black wrote a romance between Veronica Speedwell and Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle

[Quirine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This felt like it was 600 pages long and I still couldn’t tell you exactly what happened. This book definitely doesn’t know how to make a point. It’s boring, the character relationships seem unnatural, there’s no growth and the thing that bothered me most of all is how they kept describing every action in this book as ‘scientific research’ while it was anything but 😭 I expected cozy academia vibes but it was just one big dump of random scenes that did not form a coherent plot.

[Jesse (JesseTheReader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would've been a five out of five star read for me had it just remained in the place where Emily is out on the field researching Fae and dealing with Wendell, but it veered off track and sort of ditched the cozy vibes it presented in the first bit. I still really enjoyed it and I'm excited to keep going with this series.

[ELLIAS (elliasreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

soo you're saying if i can get a doctorate degree in all things fairy i can live my best like emily??!?

first read of 2024 and while this was great 3/4 in, the climax for this felt so unfinished i felt like it didn't end properly?? (i know there's a sequel coming out literally this month) but the last 50 pages annoyed me. it could have been so good!!!

anyways, emily is living her best life and living my dream. fairies totally exist btw.

Check out my wrap up here!

3.5 STARS
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[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“If anyone were to claim greater happiness in their careers than I do in poking about sunlit wildwoods for faerie footprints, I should not believe it.”

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!

But i am really and truly begging for a book two.

trigger + content warnings: mention of loss of a loved one in past, mention of suicide very briefly twice, talk of kidnapping + actual kidnapping, violence, blood, gore, vomit, animal violence + death, child abandonment, spider mentions

blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon

[Ali Lockhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grumpy woman who just wants to be left alone goes on a research trip to Fake Iceland and is joined by her uninvited co-worker, a blonde, Irish version of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. Wendell clearly adores Emily, who is fairly oblivious to emotions outside of her own, although even she is alarmed by the town’s contentious relationship with the fae that are constantly being huge pains in the ass. Written as a series of journal entries, the book records Emily and Wendell’s research, attempts at swapping out stolen children, and tavern visits that are met with various degrees of success. There are faerie-napped lesbians; a weird jerk in a tree; a bread-providing man made of needles; excellent sewing skills? And a good reminder that sentiment and practicality are not enemies - sometimes one needs the other to stay on track or, I don’t know, escape a doomed wedding to an ice king.

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 1 out of 5]

learning the hard way that “cozy fantasy’s” are just not for me. it’s very rare that a book with a plot can be boring to me but somehow this book managed that. the plot moved at the pace of a snail which amazes me because it’s only 300 pages. i didn’t get the howls moving castle vibes from the book like everyone claimed and i didn’t find the love interest similar to howl at all either. the chemistry was terrible and this has to be the worst slow burn i’ve ever read. and that’s coming from someone who loves slow burn

[jasmine •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⤷4.5! This was the most fun time I've had in awhile!! The beginning was a teeny bit slow, but once you get into the story, it's so addicting!! I LOVED the journal ideas and seeing Emily's discoveries, the faerie lore was super interesting to me :) Emily's little friend Poe is so adorbs (in my head he's like Dobby LOL). My boy Wendell is so so funny, he made me laugh with every single line <3 His nicknames for her, the lighthearted teasing, and the fact that he sew her cloaks!! 🤭 The small bit of his POV written in her journal was such a charming treat <3 I really enjoyed the rivalry/bantery dynamic, but also the fact that they ARE friends before everything else!! Their love and support for each other was just everything (even if she's a bit oblivious - but it made their romance even more charming)!! The villagers are the cutest - even if they seem standoffish at first!! The found family has my whole heart 😌❤️ If you love cozy vibes, definitely give it a try!!

[“I prefer your company, Em."
He said it as if it were obvious. I snorted again, assuming he was teasing me. "Over the company of a tavern filled with a rapt and grateful audience? I'm sure you do."
"Over anyone else's company." Again, he said it with some amusement, as if wondering what I was doing speculating about something so evident.]

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 2 out of 5]

:(((((((((

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cozy book about sometimes disturbingly violent faeries. I liked this overall, but at times the plot did drag a little slowly. The main character, Emily, could also be painfully unobservant for someone who is very scientifically minded. I am not sure if the author meant to make her seem like she was potentially neurodivergent but that's how she came across to me at times, especially in regards to social situations and her having a special interest in faeries.

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (Semi-Hiatus-attempting return) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and cozy. But it also dragged a lot for me. Full review shortly.


I've had this on my TBR forever - it feels like the perfect read to start March with (tomorrow). Please! I hope I love this because I want all these gorgeous covers for my shelves!

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I wish to know the unknowable… To peel back the carpeting of the world and tumble into the stars.”

I can’t put to words how much I adored this book. A logical professor dealing with a whimsical plot? Sign me up. I loved her banter with Wendell, I loved the folklore, I loved the little frozen town. I loved everything. I don’t have any complaints.

[Rosh (on a medical break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: An entertaining and quirky read that will work well for fantasy readers. Well-carved characters, interesting writing. Gets a bit dark at times.

Story Synopsis:

1909. Thirty-year-old Cambridge Professor Dr. Emily Wilde lives life with a single-minded purpose – she wishes to complete her encyclopaedia of Faerie Folk and does all she can to complete this goal, even if it means suffering the company of other people, the most irritating of whom is her colleague and rival Wendell Bambleby.
When she arrives in the remote village of Hrafnsvik, she has no desire to mingle with its denizens. However, soon she realises that Hrafnsvik is full of Fae mysteries and to unlock them, she needs the support of its residents. When the ever-charming Bambleby also turns up at the village, Emily knows she has to make some tough choices.
The story comes to use through Emily’s (first person) entries in the journal she maintains as a part of her research.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 The story has appealing characters who are detailed out really well. Emily might be tough for some to like, but her introverted nature and her passion for organising and planning her work list made me feel rather close to her. Wendell is beyond description – he starts off as a self-obsessed snoot but his character starts peeling off its layers quite interestingly as the story progresses. Many of the village folk, while in small roles, have equally interesting character arcs. Can’t forget Emily’s pet canine Shadow – he’s adorable!

😍 Emily is a stubborn and demanding social recluse while Wendell is her exact opposite. Yet the two of them have a connection that is tough to resist. I loved their repartee and their easy camaraderie despite resistance from Emily’s side. I hope the next book in the series takes their arc ahead well without becoming clichéd.

😍 There are also plenty of lore characters in the story, not all of whom are commonly seen in this genre. They add a fabulous touch of magic to the proceedings. Mind you, things do get dark at times but not so much as would creep you out.

😍 I appreciate Emily’s journals being used as a narrative device. While this approach leads to some foreshadowing of what happened that day, it also ensures a focussed narration due to Emily’s very nature. There is not much focus on descriptions, but there is enough of it to make the little village come alive in our minds.

😍 As the first of a series, the book ends really well. The important arcs are closed, and yet we have an inclination of where the story might go next. No cliffhangers.

😍 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.

😍 The book is somewhat slow-paced, but the plot was such that I didn’t even feel like speed-reading. Every scene contributes to the story in some way or another.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
😑 There are a couple of folktales in between and at the end. These took away from the tempo of the main plot. (I did love the stories; I just wish they weren’t bang in the middle of the story we were invested in.)

😑 This is a complaint you will hardly ever hear me make. I wanted more of the romance! (Okay, okay, I know this isn’t marketed as a romance, but c’mon! It was like being offered a scrumptious cake but getting only one lick of it. I am hungry for more!)


All in all, despite the somewhat roundabout pacing, I loved the story for its characters and its writing approach. I’m definitely on board for the next in the series. Can’t wait to see where the author leads Emily and Wendell!

4.25 stars.


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.



———————————————
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[Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up) · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 Stars (rounding up bc there is a magic dog)

I feel like this review may ruffle some feathers but we all have to keep it real and this is just my opinion but if you loved this book I am genuinely happy for you but I suggest you keep scrolling bc I am going to go there.

This is easily my most hated read of the year so far. This book drew out all my rage, frustration and annoyance and then some. I feel like I was really mislead by the descriptions I have seen for this book and the comparisons to some other books that happen to be some of my favorites. So thankful to have read this with my bestie, Deema, bc we needed emotional support to get through this book.

Ok so what did I hate about it? Most everything.

The Writing- For starters, it's painfully overwritten, it's pretentious and feels exceedingly obnoxious. The pacing is torture throughout the book with the plot feeling entirely stagnant in favor of pages and pages of verbal posturing. It was just overkill, and had very little substance.

Emily Wilde-I don't even know where to start with my breakdown of this character bc I have so many issues with her. I do however want to address something right off the bat. I have seen it be suggested that Emily is neurodivergent or possibly has ASD. I soundly reject this idea as it is not mentioned or alluded to anywhere in the text or in the book descriptions. If that were actually the case, I would take serious issue with this entirely cliched and narrow representation of people who live with this condition. As a person who is an active advocate and has a personal attachment in the ASD and neurodivergent community for over a decade, I can tell you that these types of depictions are inaccurate and harmful. I will be proceeding with my breakdown as if she is a neurotypical woman with obvious social anxiety as the text suggests.
Emily is so robotic and self serving this entire book. She goes further than just being antisocial, she is rude, unkind and offensive to those around her. She borders on being a narcissist and everything she does for others is completely transactional. At a later stage in the book, there is an attempt to show her having actual feelings but in actuality it's just another transactional response. The way she dismisses, emotionally abuses, and is entirely ungrateful to Bambleby and his efforts to repeatedly aid her, usually when she gets herself into trouble is so infuriating. HE DESERVES BETTER! Her only redeeming quality is her love for her dog and I can respect her tenacity as an academic but other than that she is just an awful human being. As most of this book is in her first person POV, there is no escaping her endless monologue of totally self serving and snide commentary, we kept hanging in there hoping that she would have this miraculous character breakthrough and sadly it just never happened.

Was there anything I liked? Yes, and the reason why I rounded up.

Bambleby-He was charming, funny and interesting. Even as his nature is to be Fae and therefore cruel, vain and selfish, he was surprisingly caring and thoughtful. (especially when compared to Emily) The only thing I can't comprehend is why he would love Emily at all. I don't get it, she gives him nothing but insults and abuse. It seems so out of pocket. But anytime he was on the page it was like a breath of fresh air and the best part of the book was those few times we got his POV.

Shadow-He is a magic dog, enough said.

The villagers- they were interesting and gave some comic relief to the story and a reprieve from Emily's constant vitriol.

Thank you soo much to my bestie DEEMA! I told her early into reading that I was having trouble with this book and she so sweetly volunteered to read it with me and I am so grateful to have had someone to rant with! (even though I feel kinda bad at the same time bc this was not it!) Seriously, you are the platinum standard of besties and I ADORE YOU!

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature.”



This is as wholesome as you guys made it out to be. Such a cure for the soul. Not only that, but it is also clever, absolutely hilarious, and adorable. It even has its fair share of action. It's also narrated as a diary, which I like, but it always makes me wonder how a person could possibly remember their day-to-day in such detail. Although, Emily Wilde seems more than capable of that. Besides, what I particularly liked in this book are the folktales. I have no idea if they are real stories or not but they are amazing, though they would be even more impressive if the author had come up with them. They are rarely added in books which makes me love them even more whenever I find them.

Moreover, Emily is one of the most badass nerds I've ever read. She reminds me a lot of Evelyn from The Mummy. She likes books, research, and all that, but she is also a dedicated explorer. She likes adventure, discovering anything she can about the faeries, and tends to put herself in dangerous situations. She is also socially awkward, uptight, and prefers books to people. She's basically my spirit animal...except I'm not that smart. What I love most about her is how apathetic and absorbed in her work she can be, although this does not mean she lacks any emotions, only a few morals. It was really funny how she would only help people if it was beneficial to her research.

Furthermore, Wendell Bambleby is such a wonderfully hot mess of a person. He is such a spoiled brat, even though he is probably in his thirties. He is pretty terrible at his job too. He apparently fabricates a lot of his work and prefers to lounge around than do actual field work, but he makes up for it by being charming and unreasonably beautiful. Oh, and making clothes and shoes for Emily! Yeah, he literally makes clothes for her. I'd say that's a fair balance. He is also not the kind of person who would break a sweat for anyone, even if they are in danger unless, of course, that person is Emily. There's a whole lot he would do for her, which is why I love him so much. Also, because he is so unbelievably hilarious and he doesn't even have to try. Every scene with him had me in stitches, especially his contribution to Emily's journaling. That man is a keeper.

Lastly, I love the chemistry between Emily and Wendell. They are the epitome of 'opposites attract' and it fills my heart with joy every time they banter and argue with each other. They also have this rivals-to-lovers/frienemies dynamic that makes their interactions even more delightful. For all his faults, he is a total simp for Emily, who is not as oblivious to his emotions as one would've thought, and the way he goes from lazy kissass to a feral monster/storybook hero whenever she's in danger makes life worth living. I also love the terms of endearment he uses for her which are basically a variation of the word 'crazy'. How adorable is that? As for Emily, while she is apathetic and uninterested in helping others, she becomes a heaping mess if something happens to Wendell. There's still a long way to go when it comes to their relationship and the romance isn't exactly the main focus of the story, but I hope there's a lot more in the second book.

[Snjez · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
The characters. I wouldn't put Emily and Wendell in the 'love' category, but they were interesting characters to read about. I did really like the townsfolk, Emily's dog Shadow and Poe.

The setting. Everything about the village of Hrafnsvik and the little cottage felt cozy and whimsical. Great atmosphere.

What didn't entirely work for me:
The pacing. While I don't mind slower paced stories, this one dragged and I was a bit bored at times.

The plot. For the most part I enjoyed it, but I didn't like the direction the story took in the last 100 pages or so. I didn't see the reasoning behind certain decisions. Everything that happened felt nonsensical and 'unrealistic', including the resolution.

The romance. There wasn't much of it here and I didn't expect it to be, but I don't get why the author thought it would be a good idea for Wendell to sleep with every girl in the village, in the same cottage he shared with Emily, and then propose to her later on, literally out of nowhere..

[Uswah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okayyy... this was such a cute cozy fantasy 🥹🧚‍♀️🍄❄️

I went into this expecting fairies and cottagecore vibes, and that's exactly what I got... but with creepy folklore, magical chaos, and an adorable slow-burn romance 👀🤭💚

Emily is literally the definition of “book smart but socially confused” 😭😂 She'll happily face a dangerous faerie with zero fear but gets stressed over having a normal conversation with people 💀 I loved her so much.

AND WENDELL??? 😩🤭 I totally understand why everyone loves him. He's funny, dramatic, flirty, and lowk gives golden retriever energy. He’s definitely my favorite 🙂‍↕️

The world-building was SO GOOD 🙂‍↕️🌲 The faeries actually felt mysterious and dangerous instead of being all cute and glittery, and I loved all the old folklore rules and magical bargains 🥹🫶

The only reason this isn't a 5-star is that the first half was kinda slow 😭 There was a lot of researching and journal entries before the plot really got going. But once things started happening?? I was INVESTED 🙂‍↕️

Yea, that’s it guys. Love y’all 🫶💚

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⁺˚⋆｡°🍄₊ pre-read ⁺˚⋆｡°🍄₊

Buddy reading this with my beastie Aeman 🙂‍↕️👹 Been hearing a lot of good things about this series, so I forced my beastie 👹 to read it with me 🥰🫶 Anyway, this better deliver because my hopes are quite high 🙂‍↕️💚 (btw, there should be a dark green heart emoji 😔 I need it for this one lol).
Edit: Bestie Haritha is also joining us 🤭🫶

[aarya · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I loved this so much and now I'm mad that I can't find another academia-centric faerie fantasy set in early 1900s Scandinavia. The diary format works so well, especially in tempering my anxiety since Emily had to be alive/relatively healthy to write the diary entry in the first place. 😅 The first 20% is decent as a standoffish Emily settles into a remote village with prickly locals, but then the book gets AMAZING when Wendell shows up. I know the blurb calls him an academic rival, but that's not really accurate. They're friends (while Emily is frequently irked by his presence, she still considers Wendell to be her only friend). I don't want to spoil anything more, but I highly recommend this novel (might bump it up to a 5 stars when I reread the audiobook).

These are not the best comps (struggling to come up with anything, tbh), but this book might appeal to fans of Naomi Novik and Olivia Atwater? I think??? Don't hate me if I'm completely off the mark. 😅 This book is very weird to review because the humor is sly and biting (even when Emily is anti-social and oblivious), but it's definitely not a fantasy rom-com. I don't think it's lighthearted or cozy like Howl's Moving Castle, even if some aspects gave me those vibes (Wendell, in particular, has Intense Howl Energy). The faerie kidnapping elements are terrifying and I shivered constantly during the latter half (admittedly I am easy to scare, especially when I'm reading at night). So... it's just a mix of all emotions. I'm sorry, I'm doing a terrible job describing the tone, but definitely check it out if the blurb intrigues you.

FYI for romance readers: this is a historical fantasy with (very enjoyable) romantic elements, not a romance. The ending feels like a plausible HFN (can't really go into detail without spoilers but you won't be unhappy).

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read a cozy fantasy in forever 🧚‍♀️✨

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries enchants with a cozy atmosphere and scholarly inquiry into the world of the fae. Combining fantasy, mystery, history, and romance elements, this is a one-of-a-kind story, unlike anything I've read concerning faerie so far. Fawcett debuts a delightful academic fantasy to cherish and revel in.

Review is up now on my blog!