4.2 Stars
One liner: Entertaining and fun

Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor with exceptional knowledge of Faeries and the Folk. She is writing the world’s first ‘Encyclopaedia of Faeries’ and needs a final chapter about the Hidden Ones. This takes her to a remote small town far in the North. However, her absolute lack of people skills results in alienating the very people she needs to interview.
Then arrives the insufferable Wendell Bambleby, her only friend and academic archrival, intent on ‘helping her’ finish her research. Bambleby has already charmed the townsfolk, but his ‘help’ is not something Emily wants.
They somehow start to work it out until Emily is faced with challenges to tackle the Hidden Ones and find out what Bambleby really wants. However, it means she may have to stop burying her emotions and unlock her heart to allow people inside.
The story comes in Emily’s first-person narrative through a journal.

What I Like:
Emily and Wendell are easy characters to read. I’m sure many introverts can see the real Emily behind her no-nonsense exterior. Wendell, well… he reminded me of Hercule Poirot at times, though the two of them belong to opposite ends (or may not).
The interaction between the lead pair is a treat. Their sassy responses sometimes border on rude, but hey, it is fun. They are comfortable in each other’s presence, which shows in their conversations.
Poe is a delightfully cute character. Shadow is the stark opposite but another good character in the book. Aud and Lijja were the other two characters I like. Wish Thora also had more space in the book.
The setting is atmospheric and vivid without tons of lyrical prose. It helps that Emily isn’t the type to waste her energy on poetic descriptions of the forests, trees, etc. But… (more in the next section).
The last part of the story isn’t what I expected, but it still works well. I like how everything ties up to complete the plot while leaving the subplot open for the sequel.
The HFN ending did make me happy. It stays true to the character arcs, so that’s another advantage. Of course, I have high hopes for the next book. (Dear author, I assume it will be available real soon.)
There’s a bibliography at the end (mine is an electronic copy), which is just as entertaining with snippets of information and personal comments.
I also like the folktales shared in the book even though the ones in the middle are distracting and slow down the plot.

What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The writing isn’t easy to read. We are reading Emily’s journal, but the roundabout writing is irksome at times. Also, it makes the narration painfully slow. The % just doesn’t move. The book has 330+ pages but feels like a 400+ page book because of this.
The romance is non-existent. My expectations were less, given Emily’s character, but I couldn’t get even the minimum. Going into the book for romance will be disappointing. I hope there will be some in the sequel. (And copying a GR friend… no love triangles, please! *shudder*)
That one scene that propels the story forward in the second half feels a little too abrupt. I see why it seems that way. This is Emily’s journal, after all. Yet, I’d prefer it to be smoother.

To summarize, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a fun book about a mousy scholarly girl, faeries, and some magic. The plot is mostly light, but there are a few disturbing scenes that can give you the creeps. Looking forward to the second book. (Did I mention how adorable Wendell is?)
Thank you, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***
P.S: And oh... please, please edit out the word 'gloatingly' from the final copy. I'm trying to be a good girl here and ignoring excessive adverbs, but this, I can't!

I fell in love with the gorgeous cover and the I fell in love with all the rest.
Emily's voice is dry, self-deprectating and I loved her since the first pages. Then I fell in love with Wendell, the locals, the setting, etc etc
Etc etc means I fell in love with everything and I'm very happy this is the first in as series and I can't wait to read the next book.
Highly entertaining, well plotted and riveting.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This book is going straight to my favorites.
I was enchanted from the first page to the last. It had been a while since I read a book in one sitting and I could not put this one down.
I adored the characters, from Emily’s social awkwardness to Wendell’s hilarious quirks and everyone other one. And the banter! Ohmygod the banter between the two main characters had me laughing all along and was definitely my favorite part of the book. I just couldn’t get enough of their interactions.
Emily is fierce, smart and competent, both her struggles with social interactions and her frustrations with Wendell made her funny and endearing.
The enchanting, cozy academic vibe was exactly what I needed and I can’t wait to read more of their adventures!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is an extraordinary book with a lovely fairy-tale atmosphere.

Emily Wilde is a scholar, she examinates folks and tries to write the world's first encyclopaedia about them. Emily can be called smart, weird, and sometimes ignorant and rude. Her work means everything to her, she would sacrifice anything for it. And this is something new in literature. We got a really determined main character who truly does not fit among others and sometimes is awkward. Did I agree with her? Many times not. But it is perfectly fine if we can understand why she acts like that.

The whole story is told in Emily's journal. We can see a date, and learn about her days and some thoughts, but it is an unreliable form of storytelling. I wanted to know more about some parts, and experience her relationships with others. Because of the scientific tone of Emily's notes, we were impoverished from her real filings. This was the cost of the extraordinary way of telling the story.

I liked Wendell Bambleby, he was an interesting character. I admired the author's description of the fairy world and her fantasy. I missed more details, I would appreciate more building of relationships between characters. This is the reason why I give this lovely story 4* stars.

Thank you, Little, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, and NetGalley for this eARC. I hope this book will get many positive reviews!

Move over, dark academia - whimsical academia is definitely a new favourite of mine!

Dryadologist and Cambridge professor Emily Wilde has travelled to Ljosland to complete her encyclopedia of faerie lore with a chapter on the Hidden Ones, the most elusive species of faeries. While Emily is a meticulous researcher, her people skills are rusty and she gets off on the wrong foot with the local hosts. The arrival of her academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who wants to collaborate with Emily and do a joint presentation at an upcoming conference, helps Emily gain acceptance in the village. But the deadline for their research has been shortened, and while Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the elusive Hidden Ones, the pair of researchers face a changeling and find themselves embroiled in solving the disappearance of girls from the local village.

The journal format of the narration set this novel apart from some of my recent reads, and I loved the dynamics between Wendell and Emily, who were complete opposites. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud situations in the novel - I enjoyed both Emily and Wendell's diary entries. The ending felt a bit rushed, but I hope that we will see more of these two protagonists in the future. 4.5 stars from me, rounded up to 5 .

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC, this review is posted voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

This cosy novel is perfect for those January blues! Cosy fantasy novels are my safe space.

This Fae novel teaches us the lore and stories of the fae. I absolutely fell in love with this book. Its very whismical, low-stake and enticing! This book is set up as journal entires which is very unique and different to most novels which i appreciate.

I hope there are more books in this series!!

4/5

thank you to netgalley, the publisher and author for this arc!

4 stars!!

for everyone looking for a cozy fantasy novel set in the early 1900s– look no further. this is IT.

reading this book was like being seated in the most comfortable chair, next to a big hearth, a fire roaring within. a mug of hot chocolate in hand and a serving of cookies within reach. and all that despite the scandinavian winter in which this story unfolds.

meet emily wilde– the smartest person in every room, scholar in faerie and all things folk-related, setting out on a field trip to a small town called hrafnsvik to study the 'hidden ones', folk never studied before. also meet wendell bambleby, fellow scholar, lazy oaf and endless annoyance to emily who suddenly shows up on the doorstep to the cottage she resides in while on her trip.

whilst trying to do what emily came there for –finish the last chapter of her encyclopedia of faeries– they stumble upon mysteries and have to overcome hindrances small and large. and need i mention all this happens while emily suspects wendell IS part of the faerie folk they study?

ANYWAYS, good read, very cozy, fast paced and can be read as a standalone despite being the first book in a series (or at least this is what goodreads tells me). i recommend!

A whimsical and warm story, even in the depts of winter

Emily Wilde is a professor in dryadology on an expedition in the snowy small town Hrafnsvik to study the Hidden Ones. That is the last entry she needs for her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She is off to a rocky start when she can’t really get the prickly townsfolk to accommodate her, but at least she knows her way around Fairies. When one of her peers, Wendell Bambleby, shows up to tell her that she’ll have to cut the expedition short so she can come to a conference with him in February, they now have a time limit in which to conduct their research.

The book is written in a diary format which works great for this story. It is easy to read and quite funny at times. The Beginning feels a bit slow, but once Wendell arrives it all takes off. The bits of folkloric stories that are included are a wonderful addition and it fleshes out the world of the faeries even more.

It is easy for me to relate to Emily with her being great at science and a hard worker, but really quite bad with people. The moments where you see her grow as a person and make friends along the way are heartwarming to read. Wendell though, is the complete opposite of her. He sleeps in, lets his assistants do all the work and even makes up some data every once in a while and gets away with it because of his charisma and how he can persuade people to do his bidding.

If you’ve ever been in the academic science field, you might relate a lot to the banter between peers over who’s name is going where on a publication. It is really fun to read, but also makes me glad I’m not in academics anymore. I’m personally just not a fan of Wendell and would have smacked him in the face a thousand times already if I were Emily. If anyone in the academic world would try to falsify records (especially on that scale), they would be discredited for life, but of course he manages to twist thing to his favor. His whole attitude took my enjoyment and my rating down a bit.

This book has a bit of everything and mixes it together very well. Folklore, friendships, love, adventure, academics, mystery, terrors, banter, magic, faeries. It all creates a very cozy atmosphere. I loved being in Emily’s head and look forward to reading more about her.

Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with a review copy via NetGalley.

I don't think I can even begin to express how much I loved this book.

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.

I also really loved the plot. It follows Emily on her research into the various different fairies on the frost bitten island of Hrafnsvik. We see her talk to different fairies, facing down changelings and high Fae all the while investigating the disappearance of girls from the nearby village. It felt very reminiscent of the latter stages of the Witcher 3 game on Skellige with all its windswept barren landscapes and mythological lore. Add in Bamleby and his mysterious past and his complete lack of interest in doing any kind of physical work for the light relief and I can honestly say this was just delightful to read.

Easily one of my favourite reads of the year.

I absolutely loved this. Raced through it, thoroughly enjoying every moment. Loved the characters, the writing style, loved everything about it!

The story:
Emily Wilde is a respected (if, perhaps, under-appreciated) Professor of Dryadology at Cambridge University. She is on the brink of completing what she hopes will become a seminal work in the field — a comprehensive encyclopaedia of all known faerie species. All that is left is a trip to the icy and remote island of Ljosland, to study their Folk for inclusion. Can she be the first academic to document their elusive courtly fae?

But what Emily has in academic prowess, she lacks in people skills, immediately getting off on the wrong foot with her Ljosland hosts. When Cambridge colleague, the flamboyant and work-shy Wendell Bambleby arrives, she despairs of ever getting her work completed.

But what Emily doesn’t bargain for is getting drawn into the lives of the hardy and close-knit islanders in her search for the Hidden Ones, nor that there is another mystery a bit closer to home…

My thoughts:
You wouldn’t think that taking the study of faeries and translating it to the dry world of academia would work, but somehow it does — and makes for a delightful, engaging and charming read!

“Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries” by Heather Fawcett presents a completely rounded and detailed world, in which faeries are an accepted field of study in the same way as microbiology or astronomy. Written in the first person, mainly by Emily as she keeps her daily journal (she is a diligent academic), we get to know her as a deeply intelligent and driven scholar, but can also laugh at her inept attempts to deal with anything that gets a bit more personal.

The relationship between Emily and Bambleby is a delight, and we learn a lot about Emily through her interactions with him and various inhabitants of the village of Hrafnsvik. And of course, some of the most interesting sections involve the Folk themselves, from brownies to changelings to dangerous enchanters…

The study of dryadology is at once fantastical and extremely familiar… Dealing with academic papers on a daily basis as I do, I particularly enjoyed this passage:

“…remember the trouble you had giving co-author credit to that Welsh shepherd for your paper on faerie mounds? Your peer reviewers wouldn’t let it go to print.”

And the descriptions of the eminent International Conference of Dryadology and Experimental Folklore (ICODEF) rang very true:

“Many of them wore coats, for if there is one thing that unites scholars, it is complaining about the temperature of conference rooms.”

I hope to see more of Emily in future books from the author. Overall, this was a beautifully written, warm-hearted, fantastical but believable novel that kept me reading until far later than I should. Highly recommended and a very early contender for one of my books of the year!

If you're looking for a whimsical book full of magic, this might be what you're looking for. The book just personally wasn't for me and I ended up being a little disappointed.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5 on here.

Really enjoyed this book! Whimsical and charming, full of folklore and magic.

The way this was written by the author was very unique to me as have not read anything like it and done really well. Written from the MC point of view as journal entries.
Wendell Bambleby is also my fav side character. His personality and banter really shines and liked the MC Emily as well with her social anxiety and preference for her own company over being around others, being at home with her journal and books was relatable and liked how dedicated she was for compiling all the knowledge and understanding of the faeries around the world. Love her dog Shadow as well (always love a good animal companion) and Poe can't forget him! Creepy but cute.

I have always wondered if such things as faeries exist in the world hidden from us mortals and with the folk stories etc, and with what the MC includes in her journal and encyclopedia I felt almost like I was learning about faeries for real and that maybe they could be out there, as some of the stories are things I've heard of before like a ring of toadstools being a door to the fae realm.

Only negative would be that I would have liked the romance built on more felt like it was there under the surface and then was like bam with a where did that come from part (if you've read this book you know what I mean)

Story was enchanting and very well done. Would definitely be a good winter read as a wintery setting, set in Iceland.

Thanks to Publisher and Netgalley for ARC copy

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free ARC in exchange for a review!

I really enjoyed this book! It's written in the form of journal entries which gave me flashbacks to reading the Royal Diaries books or Letters to the Fountain which I enjoyed. The vibe is very cozy, but the book does have bite with the harshness of fae contrasted with the loveliness of Emily, Wendell, Shadow, and their encyclopedia.

My only big issue is that I have no idea when this book is set. At all. There's a "King of Paris", but Wendell references movies, and they have cameras to take photographs, but Emily and Wendell wear cloaks and Emily wears only skirts and dress, and also there is a date inscription of 27/11/09 at the end. 1909?? 2009?? I have literally no clue, which becomes bothersome. I was imagining it in the late 1800s/early 1900s but the movie and photograph references have really stumped me.

The ending also really confused me, but I'm hoping that's 'read the next book' to figure it out and not just bad writing.

All in all, I had a good time, and I especially enjoyed Emily and Wendell's banter and Shadow's secret. Four stars from me.

Rated 4.5

The writing was light and kept me engaged. There were occasions when there were more complicated goings on, but it didn't spoil the story for me. There was a good balance of story telling and conversation with nice descriptions inbetween.

The chapters were fairly long which meant that you got a good chunk of the story before moving on. There was a good flow to it despite being written as though it was a journal (from the point of view of the main character).

I liked the titles of the chapters. They helped with the flow of the story and gave you an idea of the timeline.

The characters were great. The main character was brilliant with her sole focus being on the science behind her adventures. I also enjoyed the villagers and how they eventually got used to the main character's unique personality.

The settings were excellent. I loved being in Iceland and visiting the faerie realm.

Overall an interesting book that I enjoyed reading.

What a beautiful book! I really enjoyed my read through of this one! What a gift to us! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for access to this book

Emily Wilde is good at many things, but dealing with people and the emotions that surely follow, is not one of them. So when she finds herself on a remote Island, she intends to study the elusive 'Hidden folk' that call it home, and she definitely has no intention of warming herself to the people who call this Island home. Bus as usual, fate has other ideas. Emily values her research above all else, but even she can't help but want to lessen the plight that the Fae hold over the people of Hrafnsvik, and before long she will have to decide which she is willing to put first. For the Fae are ever malicious and tricksters and one or more might have their eyes on Emily herself.

I have to say that I adored Emily as a character. She is someone who lacks any kind of social skills, making her seem awkward and haughty at times, and it's not for the lack of things to say, rather the lack of how to put it across without accidentally insulting someone or putting her foot in it. She is incredibly smart and while her social skills may be lacking, her ability to enter the world of and deal with the Fae is like no other. I adored her no nonsense attitude & how she just seems to flit into the world of Fae with an ease few others can claim. She isn't someone who rushes into situations head first, but rather someone who likes to spend the time planning and thinking things through before making any rash decisions, something that fares her well throughout the story. Wendell Bambleby, however, was the complete polar opposite of Emily. Brash, open and ever the people person, he was someone who could enter a room and within minutes have people begging for his attention. Something that irks Emily to no end. He gives off peak 'damsel in distress vibes' and I adored the scenes where they were together, how her managed to get under her skin like no other, but also had a protective streak.

Fawcett not only gives us our two main characters, but also a standout cast of side characters that I defy you not to fall in love with. The residents of Hrafnsvik have lived their lives in fear of the Fae, of them taking their children, never to be seen again. They start off a little distrustful of Emily, sure that she will bring the wrath of the Hidden Ones on them, but the more time they spend with her, the more they come to hope that Emily might indeed be their salvation. They are all brilliantly brought to life, each with their own personality, background and each with some kind of Fae related story that is sure to endear them to you as the reader. My favourites being Aud, the village leader who Emily manages to insult within 5 minutes of meeting her and Thora who seemed to understand Emily from the start & was the kind of wise old grandmother figure that you can't help but love.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries is the perfect title for this book because it reads exactly like the title suggests. Fawcett gives us a true deep dive into folk lore, not just from Hrafnsvik but all around the world, thanks in large to how she chose to style the book. It's written as if we are reading pages of Emily's diaries with little scenes taken from the current events, which sounds like it could be jarring, actually the whole style of writing should make us feel disconnected from the story and the characters, but in fact it had the complete opposite effect. Instead of distancing us from the characters and story, I felt like it endeared me to them a little more, especially reading events from Emily's POV and knowing that her version of events didn't exactly go the way everyone else thought. It really is hard to describe, because I've never read a book that was written this way before, but I adored it.

Whilst there wasn't a massive amount of action in this book, Fawcett manages to perfectly blend the folklore and fae knowledge with the mystery surrounding, not only the Hidden folk of Hrafnsvik, but also that of Wendell Bambleby, who was a mystery all of his own. Emily's foray's to try and find the Hidden Folk, lead her on some entertaining and sometimes perilous journeys, and whilst the majority of the story was focused on the Fae and giving us a deep dive into the lore from all around the world, Fawcett still manages to get some action scenes, and edge of your seat danger thrown in there to propel the story along and making sure it never gets too bogged down in the facts. Basically if you're a lover of stories that around about Fae, I cannot recommend this enough. I adored learning, through Emily and her research, all the different stories and theories about the Fae, seeing how they are treated differently throughout the world, feared in some places and worshipped in others, and I just couldn't get enough of the information she gave us.

The romance was the one part of this I didn't love, which I know a lot of you are going to shout at me for! I knew it was coming, I had read all the reviews, but I just didn't feel it, so when that scene happened, you all know the one I'm on about, it almost seemed like it came out of nowhere, especially with Bambleby whoring his way around the town literally days before. (No judgement, just seemed a bit weird for what happened after.) 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. But in general, and mainly because Emily didn't see it as an option, I just never really found myself getting behind the idea, or excited about it in any way. Don't be put off by the romance though because it plays an incredibly small part in the overall story.

In case you didn't guess it I adored this book and that was large in part to Emily's character. She was someone I, who also likes my own company more than others most of the time, could easily relate too and I adored her go get em attitude and just absolute belief in herself and her research. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy, with some low stakes, but plenty of fun and folklore to keep you entertained then I cannot recommend this enough. In fact, even if you're not looking for that you should go pick this book up, it is simply, brilliant!

My Five Word TL:DR Review: I need more of this

This book had me hook, line and sinker within virtually the first few pages. I simply adored it and can’t wait for more. I suspect that this will be firmly on a lot of ‘best of lists’ by the end of the year and in fact, because I managed to squeeze this in at the end of December it made my list for 2022. I don’t know how much more gushing I can provide to tempt you to pick this up but if you enjoy scholarly style stories told in journal format by a slightly prickly professor with a love for anything fae set during the 1900s and with a mystery running through its core, not to mention a sprinkling of romance, delicious banter and chemistry and an adorable dog. Here you go. My work here is complete (nearly anyways).

I won’t go overboard with descriptions of the story itself serve to say we have a Cambridge Professor who has made it her ambition to pull together the most comprehensive encyclopedia of faeries. Of course this requires extensive research and as the story begins Emily has arrived at the remote village of Hrafnsvik in Scandinavia. The weather is inhospitable and the inhabitants of the small village only slightly warmer (as first appearances go). Of course, Emily is something of a prickly pear herself with more interest in her studies that in people, feelings and polite conversation so she frequently misreads situations and blunders around creating awkward situations as she fails to think of social conventions and basic niceties. Emily soon realises that she’s going to need to curry some favour if she’s to complete her research in time and what do you know, assistance arrives in the form of Wendell Bambleby, a colleague of Emilly’s who is perhaps her polar opposite. Wendell has a languid charm, good looks and a certain form of arrogance that could be irritating I suppose but I found the unexpected friendship between the two worked really well.

So, what did I love about this?

Firstly, I love the period this is told in. The writing lends itself really well and the two central characters, both respected scholars, have a somewhat elaborate way of talking and writing that I just loved. I wouldn’t call this a stickler for historic detail in terms of dialogue and social conventions but for me this has all the charm without being too fussy – which is something I love. And, I will say that the dialogue is just wonderful and amusing.

I’m a complete pushover when it comes to journal style narration. I really liked Emily and it was a pleasure to read her thoughts. She has a no nonsense approach to things, quite often walking into potentially difficult or threatening situations with quiet confidence. I mentioned that she can be prickly but at the same time she doesn’t mean to give offence, it’s simply that she speaks her mind and sometimes others take umbridge and so reading her thoughts, as she jots the days events down, was so refreshing because quite often she’s baffled and trying to work out where she went wrong.

The plot is intriguing. There’s plenty of fae shenanigans and in fact the story takes a very dramatic turn which I certainly didn’t foresee. There’s plenty of tricksy behaviour and the author manages to instill darkness and threat with changelings and other fae who are yet more dangerous.

There is a romance – and not only does it not overwhelm the plot (which could be laid at Emily’s door as she is absolutely determined not to see Wendell in that light at all) but it’s delightful to read.

I really enjoyed Fawcett’s style. This book is utterly charming, although it certainly has dark elements so be aware of that, but the writing is so good. I got a fantastic feel for the place, the people and the fae and it all flowed so well with an easy pacing that made it impossible to stop reading.

I should probably leave it there. I’ve no doubt gushed enough for one review. Lets just this is an absolute gem of a book, Whimsical, witty and absolutely charming.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5 stars

A fantastical romp through the world of The Folk, told through a scholarly lens, brimming with folklore wonder, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is sure to enchant any who come across it!

When I first saw the cover and titles for this book, I immediately thought: this is not a book for me. THEN I saw a tweet about this book having a Howl-Pendragon-esque character who is the main character's academic rival. It sold me immediately (book influencers are just the best).

From the very first chapter, I knew I was going to love it. I hated myself for judging the cover so harshly. The writing was lush and atmospheric and I immediately felt a deep connection to the main character, Emily. I love the way Heather Fawcett managed to write a neurodivergent character with such care and attention. It made me feel seen in so many ways.

The world is interesting and oh so believable. I love that more authors are leaning into the more grotesque and dangerous world of the fairies. The book is steeped in folklore, from our world and from Emily's. Fawcett seamlessly weaves the stories together and creates a cohesive and fleshed out world.

Bambleby is one of my all time favourite characters now. He is so dramatic and emotional and one can clearly see the inspiration behind this character. He is endearing and annoying at the same time and I love him so so much for it. He cares so attentively for Emily and understands her deeply. I loved seeing their connection develop. I do wish that the book had more romance but that's just personal preference.

The one thing that prevented this from being a 5 star read is that I just did not enjoy the conflict towards the end. I felt like the 'captured by the fairy king' storyline to be utterly unnecessary and pulled me out of the story for a bit. It would have worked better for me if that entire chunk was just left out.

All in all, this was the perfect cozy fantasy to read and I am excited to see what Heather Fawcett comes up with next.