Potentially a new favourite book, this whimsical fantasy swept me off my feet!

Set in Scandinavia in the early 1900’s, the story follows Emily, a faerie academic, on a research trip to write an encyclopaedia of faeries.

The cast of characters was excellent! I am always a fan of reverse grumpy/sunshine trope & Wendell is a wonderful little ray of optimism/arrogance. Emily is the kind of good humoured grumpy that just works, especially combined with her lack of social skills & naïveté.

I loved the faeries in this! Rather than the typical “fae” we’ve seen in recent years, a lot of the faeries remind me of faeries from childhood books (basically in my mind they’re the Flower Fairies), which was both delightfully nostalgic & refreshing.

The book started off quite slow, however by the end I was left wanting more! Can’t wait for the next instalment!

Thank you to Orbit UK & Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was an enjoyable, and somehow cosy, fantasy read!

Emily Wilde is writing an encyclopaedia of faeries, and her quest to ensure it’s as complete - and therefore significant in the scientific community - as possible has led her to the village of Hrafnsvik in the desolate North. No one has ever proven faeries exist here, but Emily is determined to have new data to present to her colleagues. When her esteemed colleague Wendell Bambleby (who she isn’t sure is entirely human) invites himself to join her fieldwork, Emily is confused and somewhat put out. However the Hrafnsvik and its surrounds hold surprises that neither of them could ever have anticipated.

I absolutely adored this book. Emily is so awkwardly endearing, and Wendell is delightful - despite being a bit full of himself. I found the characters well rounded and believable, the setting authentic, and the story different; I loved that the book was about her fieldwork in a world where the study of faeries is a legitimate academic field. This was such an easy, cosy read that I can see myself coming back to in the future, and I’m absolutely thrilled that it’s getting a sequel!

Overall, this was a deeply enjoyable fantasy novel and I cannot wait to see where the series will go in the future.

This story follows Emily, a young woman who is determined to compose a complete encyclopaedia of fae in the world. There’s been limited research into them, specifically the more dominant fae, and the more remote ones. Emily travels to a far corner of the world which is cold and dark and very out of hee comfort zone to uncover her book content. She’s alone but determined and wants to make sure she can uncover some new truths and secrets.

The problem with Emily’s plan is that she’s come to a situation she knows very little about. The stakes in this book are mostly centred around her own survival in a place very different from home and also inhabited by magical creatures which she only knows local legend and lore about. However, there might be a little helper on her side, a colleague that seems to be in the mix with the fae and in the know a bit.

The story weaves around a little and there are a few elements I was surprised by such as the more whimsical sections, but I also think some of the end is a little obvious (not in a bad way, just predictable). Overall 3.5*s

2.5 stars

Unfortunately this novel advertised as an adult fantasy felt more like a children's story being told at a very slow pace with no specific explanation or guidance as to what faeries are or their powers. We are told of the types and that Emily is on an expedition to finalise her encyclopaedia but I felt I needed more from the beginning of this book. I almost dnf at the 20% mark but wanted to give it more time to develop. The slow pace, lack of plot and boring main character had me not wanting to continue on. Wendell, although annoying at times, gave me the most entertainment and without him in the story I think I would have completely stopped reading. It was also nice to read a book that mentions different types of faeries as some fantasies just focus on the ones closest looking to humans or tall fae but I'm sorry to say that in my opinion those were the only positives. It only got exciting and more fast paced at the 83% mark and I feel from a fantasy romance and an adult one at that as it was advertised I expected more and it to have more plot or even actual romance in it. The romance element just felt like it was put in as a last minute addition and I didn't feel like Emily and Wendell had any chemistry at all especially with the way the MC describes him and how obnoxious he was during most of the book.

It just wasn't for me on this occasion but it hasn't put me off reading more from Heather Fawcett just yet as it was beautifully and lyrically written at times.

From the publisher: “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 encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby.

But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her own heart.”

 

Emily is grumpy and introverted, an academic who hasn’t got time for people, who would rather sit at the back of a tavern and read whilst others are enjoying themselves. But this is not a book of torrid lust, more a story of academic endeavour, magical history and a growing passion romance.

This one reads a little like the old TV series Northern Exposure but set not in Alaska but in Scandinavia, with a magical backstory. Like that TV series there’s even an engaging group of locals whose customs seem rather odd, even in a land where Faeries live. Along the way there’s folk stories and traditions that Emily records in order to add to her theses.

It is perhaps this aspect of the story that I enjoyed most. As an inveterate scholar, Emily’s narrative is filled with folklore, with stories and examples from history on what to do and not to do when encountering creatures such as oichre sidhe and changelings. The folklore is what initially sold the book to me, which seems based on old traditions, and seems quite plausible in its world-setting.

What may become the book’s most endearing quality however is that all of this is told in a tone that seems to be constantly amused – both by Wendell, who is not what he seems, of course, and by Emily herself, whose exasperation at Wendell and as a consequence of her introverted academic manner was both recognisable and a little too close for comfort for me. The romance between Wendell and Emily is nicely done, and lightly developed, as rivalry and friendship turn into a romance. It’s cute and not too slushy, and actually quite endearing, as Emily becomes the object of another’s affections in the latter part of the novel.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charming book, with folklore to discover and characters you’ll get to love, set in an intriguingly ambiguous landscape. I found it irresistible once I started reading: a lightly romantic story filled with fae folk and lore.

In short, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a book for those not wanting to dwell in the darkness and shadows of Winter, but read something mildly amusing and pleasantly life-affirming. I suggest you add a nice quilt and a hot drink to fully appreciate this one - as I type this in December and in the depths of winter, it might just be what we all need!

This arc was provided by Orbit, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

TW: gore, mutilation, kidnapping, and mention of animal death

It's a wonderful feeling to start the year with, not only a 5 star read, but a book that will remain a favourite for years.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charming and delightful adventure where we follow our scholar, Emily Wilde, as she studies the Hidden Ones in Hrafnsvik for the final chapters of her much awaited encyclopaedia.

She sets out on her own to the icy village with her trustworthy companion named Shadow, and much to her chagrin, her colleague Wendell Blambleby.

What unfolds is an adventure worthy of being passed down as folk tales, the stories children love to hear when they go to sleep so their dreams will be filled with magic and awe.

The narration is told through Emily's POV in her journal as she recounts her time in research. I found it to be captivating and I eagerly flipped the pages to follow her journey.

I didn't like Wendell in the beginning but he surely grew in my affections (I am foremost Team Emily, which Wendell would join). There's not much romance to this story as it has been marketed but I'm sure it will develop in the next books (hopefully there will be more books!).

Overall, this was a refreshing tale and I am sorry to have reached the end. I want to keep reading about Emily, Wendell and Shadow for the rest of my days. Dramatic, but it shows how much I loved this.

Delightful, clever and kickass … odd combination but it definitely works.

Ms Fawcett has hit upon a real gem of a story with Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies. I read a lot of Fantasy, it’s my ‘go to’ genre and I’ve never read anything quite like this before. It feels unique and that alone makes it well worth a read.

On top of that the characters are just perfect, the academic Emily, who doesn’t ‘do’ people and never says the right thing and the charismatic and charming Wendell together make a formidable pair. I can’t wait to read Emily Wilde #2.

I even loved that there is a section ‘called About the Type’ which explains what Font the book is set in - that attention to detail convinces me wholeheartedly that were the researching and delivering of an Encyclopaedia of Faeries left in the hands of Emily Wilde, she would indeed produce the goods, accurately and with great detail.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for this honest review.

Honestly one of the best takes on the fae I’ve read in a while. I loved how mischievous they were, and powerful too, and the almost academic take on them and the folklore that surrounds them.

I really enjoyed the characters too, but I would have liked just a tad more buildup for the romance. But it was cute, so I’ll let that slide.

Overall I really enjoyed it, especially towards the end.

A delight of a book!
I loved it!!!!
The diary format gave Bram Stoker Dracula vibes.
I liked the main character - a people disliking scholar with a laser focus for all things folk.
The story is cozy, yet dark and I loved the academic rivalry and setting.
The descriptions of the faeries and mini stories within the main story were genius.
5 star!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a breath of fresh air, blending real-world problems - awkward colleagues in academia irritating each other while jostling for recognition with a key conference coming, while both being determined that, no, they WON'T fancy each other - with a whole other-worldly aspect involving a newly discovered and powerful variety of fat.

The story takes place in what I think it, based on technology - there are no dates - an early 20th century Europe, with two key differences from our own world. First, it's much less patriarchal - Emily as a single woman is a leading researcher in "dryadology", the study of fae. Secondly, said fae are an established and accepted aspect of the world, much studied if ill-understood. They do not seem to be particularly menacing for the most part, unless you rub them up the wrong way or go off into the wilds to pursue the more exotic sorts... as Emily is won't to do.

Given this is a world without air travel, mobile phones or the Internet, such voyages tend to involve a good deal of tiresome travel by steamship, dog-sled and horse (think heroic age of Arctic exploration, perhaps) so they are also best with a fair amount of danger and trouble. For the enterprising academic, this can though be ameliorated by the judicious employment of students to do the legwork - though this is something Emily prefers to avoid.

As the story opens, we meet her aboard ship, heading for a remote island off the Norwegian coast where she hopes to complete the fieldwork for her planned Encyclopaedia. However she's about to run into problems caused both by her lack of practicality and her tendency to misread people...

I just admired Emily, A spiky, awkward woman, she likes nothing better than to spend an evening revising a draft article - rather than networking bin the inn with the villagers. Consequently she's continually wrong-footed in little matters like being overcharged for provisions, understanding who has the info she needs, and having enough firewood chopped to keep her borrowed shack warm in the Arctic winter.

On the other hand she knows her subject inside out, and she absolutely does not cut corners, make up research or nick other people's ideas, unlike her rather more indolent colleague Wendell Bambleby who turns up, unwelcome, midway into the story, accompanies by a flock of students to carry his bags, and commences taking over her research.

The tension between the two is delightful. Emily loathes Wendell, but he clearly has a bit of a thing for her and, as the story proceeds, we may begin to wonder of that isn't mutual - if disguised by the loathing. There are all kinds of seething tensions going on here as the two colleagues struggle to understand the plight of the villagers, preyed on by a particularly nasty sort of fae, without offending either and making things worse.

They do get worse, though, and Emily rapidly gets in deeper and deeper than an academic ought with her research subject. Can scientific objectivity, the violent passions of the fae, and Wendell's need for academic recognition all coexist? Or will Emily have to give up more than she can bear after she inadvertently puts on a shadow ring?

Funny, entrancing, intricate and sharp, this was a great read and Emily herself is a think destined to a wonderful central character in what I hope will be a long-running series. I would recommend.

✨🧚🏻‍♀️🍄 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies 🍄🧚🏻‍♀️✨

4.5 ⭐️ A cozy, historical light academia book filled with the fantastical

This was such a comforting book, the print equivalent of a snuggle by the fire and it made for a really enjoyable read. The banterous work rivals/friends to lovers slow burn between Emily and Wendell was so cute and really brought a smile to my face- I can’t wait to continue reading about their endeavours in book 2!

I loved the format if this and the way that we are reading Emily’s journal, ultimately her encyclopaedia of fairies. As a main character I liked Emily, she has the qualities of all my favourite historical fiction heroines who rebel against the societal norms in some way and the version of the 19th century that she lived in was interesting and well written.

A feral scholar and her conceited academic-rival/best friend have just become my new favorite characters!

Emily Wilde is a lot of things: One of the foremost scholars in her research of faeries, the author of the only encyclopedia on faeries and one of the youngest professors in Cambridge. She is also incredibly antisocial. So when she arrives in the northern village of Hrafnsvik to conduct research on the local faeries, she is met with a lot of unwelcoming villagers and little progress. To make matters worse, her academic rival - and, if you ask him, best friend - Wendell arrives on the scene to save Emily from herself and get involved in her research. Together, the two encounter a lot of malevolent fae and get involved in a mystery involving missing townsfolk.

Emily was a, albeit grumpy, very relatable main character to follow. The book is written like her diary / travel log, which was an interesting narrative choice and gave a lot of insight into Emily as a character. I really enjoyed the prose which reflects Emily's mental state throughout the story, like when she tries to be objective as an academic, but her personal feelings slip through. While being awkward and even somewhat rude, Emily was also incredibly brave and had a real thirst for knowledge, which got her in some sticky situations.

Emily's colleague, Wendell, was an absolute delight. If you like Howl Pendragon from Howl's Moving Castle, you will for sure like Wendell. He is conceited to a ridiculous extent but, despite that, cares deeply about Emily. While the romance is a subplot, it was still one of my favorite parts of the book.

Heather Fawcett seamlessly blends historical and 'academic' elements with folklore. The faeries in this were honestly really unsettling and alien, which I loved!! Less sexy faeries in 2023 and more creepy ones please! I loved how Fawcett highlighted the importance of stories and community, and included little stories-within-the-story that took convential fairytale cues but were still original. I cannot wait for the sequel and recommend it to fans of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and Howl's Moving Castle. 5/5 stars.

*3.5 stars*

I have been convinced for weeks that this was going to be a 5 star read for me. So much so that I saved it for my first read of 2023! While I did enjoy it, it didn’t quite reach those heights for me.

I loved the setting of an isolated Norwegian island, I loved Emily and Wendell and, well, all the characters actually, I loved the idea, but something about it didn’t quite come together in a way that hit the spot for me. It was a little slow in some places and it was missing a bit of atmosphere.

I think this might be the beginning of a new series though, so I’ll absolutely be joining Emily and Wendell for more adventures if it is.

A bit of a slow start made me wonder whether i would like this book but as soon as Wendell arrived the book got more interesting and i enjoyed it a lot more. I really enjoyed the characters, Emily was introverted and socially awkward but didn’t seem to mind. Wendell on the other hand was the complete opposite, outgoing, sarcastic and humorous. They balance each other out very well, once they are together the story starts to take off and Emily wonder what Wendells motives for joining her were. Their rivalry/friendship/banter and the hints of a future relationship were also something I really enjoyed. I liked the way the story was presented through Emily’s field notes and journal, especially when it switched to Wendell’s POV. Overall i did really enjoy the book and will read the next one.

This book is told in such an enthralling and new way. This book follows Emily Wilde a professor at Cambridge who travels north to research for the world first encyclopaedia of faeries, but her research is disrupted when her academic rival Wendell Bambleby also turns up to this remote village. This book has such a cozy atmosphere and is perfect to read in January. The diary format of this book makes it so unique and different to anything I have read about faeries before.

4.5 stars

*I will post my review on to Instagram later this week once posted I will add the link to my review*

Until about 50% I was enjoying Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries. It was one of those, "I am entertained and I see things I like about this book" but wasn't that heart stopping investment. A scholar will always charm my heart. So I felt like I should have been heads over heels for Emily for her commitment to research and feel that same disdain she has for Wendell and his laissez faire attitude about research. And, to be fair, I did, but it was one of those removed enjoyments. The journal style of the book felt nostalgic to me.

And I'll always be a sucker for footnotes. Additionally, while this was described to me as an academic rivals story, while they certainly aren't like collaborators, I feel like it's less so of a rivalry. When I think rivalry I see more than disdain, more than a difference of methods, and more similar to bitter cut throat competition. With that addendum, I did immediately enjoy their banter. But around 50% through Emily Wilde's Encylcopaedia of Faeries, I became entirely invested. It was like all of a sudden I could see not only Emily, but also Wendell more clearly.

This was such a cozy and nice read. It was fun to read, especially as a norwegian. It had just enough mystery and suspense to still make me feel slightly on edge.

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by the publisher. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion of this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.

Of course, is this only my personal opinion of the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

I was very excited about this book, because it sounded like something not very far from my comfort zone but still a bit outside of it.
Sadly, I had some problems with the book, so you won’t find a rating in this review. Maybe I will try reading it in the future again, but I won’t hold myself down to that promise.
It is a more historical fantasy with a dash of romance than romantasy, as I thought. I liked the main female protagonist, but I had a problem with the world-building and couldn’t get into it. I knew that the MC was working on an encyclopedia of faeries, but I still needed more information about the fair folk to understand the plot line. I also couldn’t stand the „love interest“ because, in my opinion, he was so full of himself. Maybe it gets better as you read the book, but I decided to DNF it because I couldn’t grasp the characters and the plot was rather slow.

Conclusion
I think I’ve read the book at the wrong time and maybe I will try it again in the future.

My rating is: I won’t give a rating because I didn’t finish that book

This is a really enjoyable read, I like books with fairies but I really love the dark magical atmosphere of this one. The location and the winter landscape plays a big part in this story and is beautifully, imaginatively and vividly described throughout this story. The characters are all very well written. Emily is a very strong and ambitious leading lady supported by a whole host of characters living in the small village community. This book is definitely the perfect winter read.

Was really intrigued by this one, but in my opinion poorly executed and could have been so much better than it was. The writing felt stilted and unnatural, and made it hard for me to connect with the main character. I think for those who prefer a slower plot/ambience in their fantasy this could be an enjoyable read.