Reviews with content warning for Violence - Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

140 reviews

bloomingrose92's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the books I give 5 stars and a sparkle for being one of the books that will stick with me forever. I absolutely adore Emily. While she is not canonized as having autism in the book, due to her difficulty expressing her emotions and communicating with others, I often refer to her as "Our Autistic Queen".

I loved how closely the village becomes with her by the end, and how even when thinking of how they have become her family, she is still lost on what degree of physical affection she should give them when bidding farewell. And after she chops of her finger to avoid the enchantment of the winter fairy king, and then goes to him anyway because she just "has to know how the story ends", I found myself screaming "Emily!" at midnight alone in my house. (Talking to yourself at midnight at book is a sign of a very good book.) I also loved the development of Wendall throughout the book. When he was first introduced, I thought he was going to be a dry, doting scholar. But with the name-dropping of him being fae at the beginning of the book, to the characterization of his combination laziness and obsessive-compulsive cleaning and sewing disorder, I fell in love. His charm and Emily's wit make such a beautiful combination, and his proposal was the chef's kiss. I love how well they balance each other out, especially seen in the scenes when he helps her integrate with the village and when she forces him to do proper fieldwork. And while the footnotes were annoying to being with, I liked how they not only added to the validity of Emily's character, but also set up the second book.

All in all, one of the best books I've ever read. I will mourn this series when it is finished, but love it all the while as I wait for more.

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shaylatrumpower's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is one of the most delightful books I've ever read. Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby are the most adorable characters in completely different ways. I love their dynamic and I usually try not to describe things with tropes but they are a pure grumpy/sunshine friendship if I ever came across one. Their banter had me kicking my legs in glee at times.
I enjoyed the plot. While the journal narrative is too precise to be believable as a genuine journal, I found it to be engaging and a perfect fit for the story and the footnotes are a lot of fun. Fawcett obviously put a lot of research into faerie lore. She includes many well known faerie myths while putting her own spin on them and it works well. She does not stray from the darker side of faerie lore either, which I appreciated.
The villagers, while mostly side characters, were well developed. Poe the brownie
This is my top read of 2024 so far.

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gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Very enjoyable! I really liked the curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde, her dog Shadow, the charming Brambleby, and all the villagers in this novel. It was an interesting premise of a faerie bargain story, the way her research of Faeries takes her to the cold village of Hrafnsvik, where she is adding additional research for her encyclopedia on folktale creatures. Except, in this world, everyone knows that the fair folk are real and dangerous.

I would say that this is mostly a lighthearted cozy fantasy with a small bit of romance, but it does have some dark parts, as the faerie are chaotic creatures that have their own morals and rituals.

Also yeah, I loved the main love interest: he’s great, he’s charming, he’s sees Emily for who she is and loves her anyways.

"You don’t have to stay with me."

"I prefer your company, Em."

"Over the company of a tavern filled with a rapt and grateful audience? I’m sure you do."

"Over anyone else’s company."

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eitrlund's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

4.0

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risten's review against another edition

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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

thefatgingerone's review against another edition

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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.

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bree_h_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

This was so fun and delightful and casual. It was just such a pleasant read, the more relaxed tone emphasising that.

The plot was consistent and largely casual. Things were happening, but not wild displays of action. The characters would learn things, do things, advance the plot, but in more casual feeling ways. It suited the story’s feel very well.

The character also all felt very dynamic and real. Each one felt unique and different. This variety of character also leant to interesting relationships. I especially appreciated the variety of women in the book and how unique each one felt. Though my favourite character was Shadow, easily the best character and goodest boy. The interest of the characters and their dynamics also really leant to the book’s subtle romance. It snuck up on me and when it did, I was delighted.

I especially liked the world building and how fey lore was handled in the book. Everything drew me in and kept me fascinated. It was also delightful when I recognised some of the lore and I liked learning more. The faerie lore was just so interesting and I’m looking forward to read more of the series.

I only have a few more notes for what I enjoyed. Which are the amazing performance of the narrators, the framing device of the story being told in Emily’s journal, and the casual approach to queerness. Overall a great read, I definitely recommend it.

Content Warnings