I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather FawcettPublished by Random House Worlds on 2023
Genres: alternate historical fantasy, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology, fantasy
Pages: 336
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: Netgalley
Buy on Bookshop
A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
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, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily's research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones--the most elusive of all faeries--lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, 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.
Perhaps it was the recent ending of Dracula Daily, but Emily’s journal here reminded me strongly of Mina’s journal. They had the same feel to them, so if you like the one, you will most likely enjoy the other. Instead of vampires, however, Emily is dealing with faeries. They are slightly less bloody, but just as dangerous.
What was refreshing about this novel was that the curmudgeonly, misanthropic, intellectual character here is Emily herself, and the gregarious people-pleaser is her colleague and rival, Wendell. Insufferably handsome and charming, Wendell comes along to ride Emily’s coat-tails (again) and to muddle up both her research and her personal equilibrium.
The story itself is a bit meandering, but enjoyable. Emily herself has a great emotional arc throughout the story. I don’t know if there are sequels, but there certainly could be. If you have the time to pick this one up, I’d suggest you give it a try.
