Member Review

“Herein I intend to provide an honest account of my day-today activities in the field as I document an enigmatic species of faerie called “Hidden Ones.” This journal serves two purposes: to aid my recollection when it comes time to formally compile my field notes, and to provide a record for those scholars who come after me should I be captured by the Folk.”

My thanks to Little, Brown Book Group U.K. Orbit for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries’ by Heather Fawcett.

Emily Wilde is the foremost expert on the study of faeries and is currently writing the world's first encylopaedia of faerie lore. She may be a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher, yet Emily Wilde is not very good when it comes to dealing with people.

In October 1909, she begins her latest fieldwork arriving with her canine companion, Shadow, on the Scandinavian island of Ljosland. All Emily is interested in is her research and has no intention of befriending the townspeople of Hrafnsvik. Still, it proves hard for her to ignore their offers of assistance.

Her peace is further disrupted when her dashing yet insufferable academic rival, Wendell Bambleby, turns up on the doorstep with a pair of his graduate students in tow. While her goal is to uncover the secrets of the Hidden Ones - the most elusive of all faeries - she finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want?

This novel was enchanting with its playful take on Edwardian academia. Emily Wilde peppers her journal with scholarly footnotes on the field of dryadology. It feels as though Heather Fawcett had great fun writing this faerie romp. I certainly enjoyed reading it.

Overall, I found ‘Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries’ a delight. It is beautifully written, well paced, and incorporated plenty of Scandinavian lore on elves, trolls, fairies, and other supernatural creatures into its narrative, including cautionary tales about human-Fae interaction. I felt that the romantic elements were well integrated into the plot without overwhelming the fantasy.

The next book in the series, ‘Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands’ will be published in January 2024 and I can hardly wait.