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Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
147 reviews
kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A couple of things: books need to stop being advertised as romantasy when the only "romantic" event was the FMC saying she liked the MMC's hair, and the MMC professing his love for the FMC out of absolutely nowhere. Considering that even in the book summary, it says "she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her heart", Emily Wilde barely unlocks her personality.
I genuinely do not know what the plot was supposed to be: academic fantasy; romantasy; general fantasy. Because it began as a light fae academia, and slowly but surely descended into chaos by page 200. Somehow it ended up in Cruel Prince territory with absurd professions of love, an act of self mutilation, and fae royalty. Also the events of the last 100 pages were so erratic and at times out-of-character for the FMC, it didn't suit the story at all.
The events of the story happened at odd paces, with weird and vague descriptions on how conclusions were being made, and also events just being too conveniently solved. For this reason I don't thing the diary entry style of chaptering did it any favours.
This would have worked so much better as a rivals to friends type relationship in an academic setting for sure. There was no chemistry between the characters for a romance to be justified in 315 pages personally.
That said though, it was a great concept and I would probably read again (just in case it was a result of reading it out of season with this having a more winter vibe), and I liked the idea of the academic research into different fae cultures. I am hoping the sequel explores this in more depth. The worldbuilding was fantastic, the writing was mostly descriptive and was easy to read at a nice pace. Just kinda lost the plot a bit towards the end there. Could definitely have been more academic.
I genuinely do not know what the plot was supposed to be: academic fantasy; romantasy; general fantasy. Because it began as a light fae academia, and slowly but surely descended into chaos by page 200. Somehow it ended up in Cruel Prince territory with absurd professions of love, an act of self mutilation, and fae royalty. Also the events of the last 100 pages were so erratic and at times out-of-character for the FMC, it didn't suit the story at all.
The events of the story happened at odd paces, with weird and vague descriptions on how conclusions were being made, and also events just being too conveniently solved. For this reason I don't thing the diary entry style of chaptering did it any favours.
This would have worked so much better as a rivals to friends type relationship in an academic setting for sure. There was no chemistry between the characters for a romance to be justified in 315 pages personally.
That said though, it was a great concept and I would probably read again (just in case it was a result of reading it out of season with this having a more winter vibe), and I liked the idea of the academic research into different fae cultures. I am hoping the sequel explores this in more depth. The worldbuilding was fantastic, the writing was mostly descriptive and was easy to read at a nice pace. Just kinda lost the plot a bit towards the end there. Could definitely have been more academic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Kidnapping
Minor: Blood, Bullying, and Self harm
bearwithhat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Grief, and Ableism
Minor: Sexual assault, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
trollmila's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ultimately really liked it and will be picking up the sequel on payday!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Alcohol and Animal death
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Child abuse, and Confinement
risten's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Murder, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
reclusivebookslug's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I gave this a 3-star rating the first time I read this book (on another edition), but my expectations were exceeded while rereading this in preparation for reading the sequel. There is something so relaxing and comforting about the way this book is written. It's very re-readable. I'm glad to have added this to my collection of owned books.
Wendell feels like a combination of Astarion from BG3 and Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (the book) in personality. He's a silly, lazy pretty boy, but also so much more than that beyond the surface. He's so fun to read, expecially in combination with Emily's more serious nature. Poe is also a favorite of mine.
A possible downside to Fawcett's writing style here is that there are not a lot of high-intensity suspenseful moments, but I actually experienced this as a good thing for the most part. Sometimes you want something more chill, and this is perfect for that. This effect I think is the result of a combination of factors including: Fawcett's writing voice, the narrator's somewhat detatched, scholarly personality, and the journal setup (which always implies a safe outcome for the protagonist and means that readers don't experience the events in the moment but after the fact with reflection). All this is not to say that the book is boring at all, it's just a different style and perspective that suits a certain reading mood but may not be everyone's cup of tea.
My only true criticism is that I preferchangelings to be portrayed in a more positive, empathetic light than is done here. Changelings are such an interesting piece of folklore and I love to see them in fiction, but I want to see the typical trope subverted.
Wendell feels like a combination of Astarion from BG3 and Howl from Howl's Moving Castle (the book) in personality. He's a silly, lazy pretty boy, but also so much more than that beyond the surface. He's so fun to read, expecially in combination with Emily's more serious nature. Poe is also a favorite of mine.
A possible downside to Fawcett's writing style here is that there are not a lot of high-intensity suspenseful moments, but I actually experienced this as a good thing for the most part. Sometimes you want something more chill, and this is perfect for that. This effect I think is the result of a combination of factors including: Fawcett's writing voice, the narrator's somewhat detatched, scholarly personality, and the journal setup (which always implies a safe outcome for the protagonist and means that readers don't experience the events in the moment but after the fact with reflection). All this is not to say that the book is boring at all, it's just a different style and perspective that suits a certain reading mood but may not be everyone's cup of tea.
My only true criticism is that I prefer
Content Warnings
Minor: Injury/Injury detail and Child abuse
sas_lk's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I made sure to reign in my expectations before starting this one because I know all too well how popular books tend to disappoint when the expectations are too high. And honestly, this was a lot of fun. At the beginning, Emily irritated me a little bit, but she grew on me after. I loved the villagers, they were so precious.
This book definitely sucked me in, and I found myself wanting to pick it up whenever I was not reading. It was all in all just a solid read, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.
This book definitely sucked me in, and I found myself wanting to pick it up whenever I was not reading. It was all in all just a solid read, and I will definitely be continuing with the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Confinement
chellyfishing's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Animal death
thefatgingerone's review against another edition
I wanted to love the book but the scene of torturing a changeling child really disturbed me. So much of the language used is similar to language that used to be used about disabled children and it’s clearly a metaphor for disabled children but the actions towards the child are disgusting and disturbing. The fact that the protagonist is never called out or faces repercussions for her actions was so upsetting to me. Ruined what would have been a lovely story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Medical trauma, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Abandonment, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, Blood, and Physical abuse
meezan's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Cursing
teabrewer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I cherished the characters and their interactions and felt connected to all of them. I appreciate Emily as character. Her social inadequacy, obsession on certain subjects, dedication to objectivity and fear of rejection all felt truly relatable to me. I loved how the book reminded me of real life field journals I've read before. From the language used in them, to the little details in the footnotes, to her opinions on controversial topics in the scientific community, it just felt real. I can see how the writing style may not be for everyone but it is certainly for me. I loved how she didn't even consider that insisting on paying for things could the reason why the villagers hated her, because neither did I and I've seen other, more socially skilled people catch on it immediately. I did think the romantic side of their relationship was a little neglected, it does make sense from the narrator's perspective but it made me a little less on board for that development when it happened. This is not a a negative necessarily since it felt extremely on character for Emily to treat the situation a she did, as it was for Wendell to treat it as he did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death