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sparklycowboy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Mental illness, Gore, and Violence
smolone13's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ratings:
Goodreads: 4/5
Storygraph: 4/5
My Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
Emily Wilde is a professor who is on her own expedition in Hrafnsvik to find a rare kind of faerie, the Hidden Ones. While on her own expedition her rival/friend joins her, Wendell Bambleby.
My Review:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
My first re-read of 2024 couldn't have gone better because this was an absolute delight! I remember enjoying it well enough when I first read it last year but I also recall feeling slightly disappointed by the ending. Those same thoughts do not hold on re-read and I'm happy to say that I loved it so much more this time. It could be because I was listening to it on audiobook and annotated the heck out of it too which made me feel more immersed in the story.
Emily Wilde's isn't a fast-paced story and neither does it have a concrete plot beyond Emily researching the most elusive Hidden Ones to complete the final chapter in her encyclopaedia of faeries, which she has been working on for most of her adult life. It's very much a cosy slice-of-life fantasy that moves along at a steady, although not particularly rapid, pace. We're treated to Emily's POV through her journal entries and being who she is, it does read very academically and that might not be to everyone's taste but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how well it captured her personality.
I found the world-building exquisite. This is a historical fantasy set in a world where faerie studies are a very real thing and the existence of fae across the world have been chronicled and catalogued and numerous studies have been pursued. It shouldn't surprise you to know that you will come away from this knowing a whole lot more about faeries than you ever did before—at least, that's what happened to me and I loved the whimsical, enchanting and utterly terrifying nature of these creatures. The way the faerie world is explored and dissected through Emily's journal entries is magnificent and although I have no idea what I will do with all this information, I'm delighted that it's been imparted! 😂 Aside from everything faerie, I also loved the way Fawcett's writing brought nature to life. The biting cold of the bitter winter on this tiny island near the Arctic Circle was almost like a character on its own and as much as my tropical ass loves the idea of winter, I don't reckon I'd survive this, lol.
As wonderful as the setting was though, the best part of this was Emily, Wendell and the villagers who I grew to love so much by the end of this book! Sometimes I wonder if we're meant to like Emily at all but in all honesty, I loved her and appreciate her character so much. She's brilliant, curmudgeonly, and incredibly passionate about anything and everything to do with the folk. But the minute it comes to interacting with people she clams up and doesn't know what to do or say. I can relate so much to that! She grew up as a "too smart" young woman with a family that didn't know what to do with her and she had to rely on herself to get anything done. If there's anyone who could teach a Masterclass on how to suppress emotions, Emily would be the one. What you see is what you get with her and I loved that she knew her shortcomings just as well as her strengths! Although she doesn't try to actively change herself throughout the story, as she realises that people are willing to accept her for who she is, it comes about naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed her academic mind and I especially loved it when Wendell came into the picture!
From Emily's pov, Wendell is her academic rival and begrudgingly on her part, her only friend. He's the sunshine to her grump and the exact opposite to her in every way. Where she's rigid about her research, he orders his minions around and kind of flops about everywhere. Where she's socially awkward to her core, he's the light and life of every party and conversation. He's an incorrigible flirt and charms his way through everything he does. I adored his character, especially the sharp, witty banter that he has with Emily! There were serious moments that I knew I probably shouldn't have been laughing but I couldn't help it because of how they spoke about and to each other. It was always respectful and honest but also incredibly endearing. And I loved that even as he needled her to tears, you could tell that he always did so with a great fondness for his dear dragon, Emily. 😍 I loved them so, so much!That said, I do think that the love confession felt a bit sudden considering he was still hooking up with village women throughout the story. That honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable but I guess, he's fae? And Emily didn't seem to mind, at least she never raised it as an issue. His backstory was fascinating but I can't talk about it cos major spoilers but I can't wait to read more about him in the sequel. I hope that we get more of his POV too because I enjoyed them and in the audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job of capturing his personality.
I think the only qualm that I have, although it hasn't affected my rating this time around, is how neatly the ending wrapped up. It happened very quickly and it felt too clean considering it has to do with such a powerful faerie. But as I said, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I'm so glad that I decided to re-read this before continuing with the second book because I feel so differently about it compared to last year! If you're also thinking about the audiobook for this, I would highly recommend it because the narrators did a fantastic job with all the character voices, especially Emily's and Wendell's!
Emily Wilde's isn't a fast-paced story and neither does it have a concrete plot beyond Emily researching the most elusive Hidden Ones to complete the final chapter in her encyclopaedia of faeries, which she has been working on for most of her adult life. It's very much a cosy slice-of-life fantasy that moves along at a steady, although not particularly rapid, pace. We're treated to Emily's POV through her journal entries and being who she is, it does read very academically and that might not be to everyone's taste but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how well it captured her personality.
I found the world-building exquisite. This is a historical fantasy set in a world where faerie studies are a very real thing and the existence of fae across the world have been chronicled and catalogued and numerous studies have been pursued. It shouldn't surprise you to know that you will come away from this knowing a whole lot more about faeries than you ever did before—at least, that's what happened to me and I loved the whimsical, enchanting and utterly terrifying nature of these creatures. The way the faerie world is explored and dissected through Emily's journal entries is magnificent and although I have no idea what I will do with all this information, I'm delighted that it's been imparted! 😂 Aside from everything faerie, I also loved the way Fawcett's writing brought nature to life. The biting cold of the bitter winter on this tiny island near the Arctic Circle was almost like a character on its own and as much as my tropical ass loves the idea of winter, I don't reckon I'd survive this, lol.
As wonderful as the setting was though, the best part of this was Emily, Wendell and the villagers who I grew to love so much by the end of this book! Sometimes I wonder if we're meant to like Emily at all but in all honesty, I loved her and appreciate her character so much. She's brilliant, curmudgeonly, and incredibly passionate about anything and everything to do with the folk. But the minute it comes to interacting with people she clams up and doesn't know what to do or say. I can relate so much to that! She grew up as a "too smart" young woman with a family that didn't know what to do with her and she had to rely on herself to get anything done. If there's anyone who could teach a Masterclass on how to suppress emotions, Emily would be the one. What you see is what you get with her and I loved that she knew her shortcomings just as well as her strengths! Although she doesn't try to actively change herself throughout the story, as she realises that people are willing to accept her for who she is, it comes about naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed her academic mind and I especially loved it when Wendell came into the picture!
From Emily's pov, Wendell is her academic rival and begrudgingly on her part, her only friend. He's the sunshine to her grump and the exact opposite to her in every way. Where she's rigid about her research, he orders his minions around and kind of flops about everywhere. Where she's socially awkward to her core, he's the light and life of every party and conversation. He's an incorrigible flirt and charms his way through everything he does. I adored his character, especially the sharp, witty banter that he has with Emily! There were serious moments that I knew I probably shouldn't have been laughing but I couldn't help it because of how they spoke about and to each other. It was always respectful and honest but also incredibly endearing. And I loved that even as he needled her to tears, you could tell that he always did so with a great fondness for his dear dragon, Emily. 😍 I loved them so, so much!
I think the only qualm that I have, although it hasn't affected my rating this time around, is how neatly the ending wrapped up. It happened very quickly and it felt too clean considering it has to do with such a powerful faerie. But as I said, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I'm so glad that I decided to re-read this before continuing with the second book because I feel so differently about it compared to last year! If you're also thinking about the audiobook for this, I would highly recommend it because the narrators did a fantastic job with all the character voices, especially Emily's and Wendell's!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
acesolaris's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
crunchycrystals's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
this was so cuteeeeeeee it was so lighthearted incredibly chill i loved the worldbuilding i loved the story so much and the characters were so fun to read about i loved emily being so smart but godawful at any social interaction and her and wendell's relationship dynamic it was so great this book is so fun
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
bexi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Vomit
bzliz's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
5.0
I’m so utterly in love with this book that I’m considering starting it again immediately until I can go get the next one tomorrow. I hesitate to call this a cozy fantasy in spite of what other reviews say, mainly because I have never encountered a cozy fantasy that has real stakes endangering characters. Likewise, faeries have never been my number one fantasy fascination (I’ve always been drawn to witches), but I may seek out more in the future because this so thoroughly enchanted me. Often the romance overtakes other genres but this felt like the perfect dose for me.
Emily is such a rich character who is sometimes hampered by her neurodivergence but in a roundabout way it leads to a wonderful found family. Wendell is endlessly charming and I adore Poe and the villagers. Watching Emily grow to love them all and care for them in her own way (even if it wasn’t her first, second or third thought) made my heart grow three sizes.
Emily is such a rich character who is sometimes hampered by her neurodivergence but in a roundabout way it leads to a wonderful found family. Wendell is endlessly charming and I adore Poe and the villagers. Watching Emily grow to love them all and care for them in her own way (even if it wasn’t her first, second or third thought) made my heart grow three sizes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Grief and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death
bubblybelle's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Violence
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Violence, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Body horror, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Murder, Sexual content, Gore, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, and Torture
teaspoonaddict's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As a student and lover of anthropology, specifically cultural anthropology, this book felt like reading a textbook—in the best way possible. I was enamored with the way that Emily detailed the world around her and opened up to the community with the aid of Wendell by her side. It felt like love, too, was an academic conquest—one that she was succeeding at. While highly academic, the ethnographic nature lent itself to incredibly evocative language that was both beautiful and humorous.
I loved how flawed each character was and how deeply they stuck to their personal morals—especially Wendell. As we begin to realize he too is one of the faeries that Emily is studying, it’s interesting to fall into the mistake of thinking him human and watching his actions prove us wrong. Even then, his charming nature has both the reader and Emily falling deeper in love with him.
At times one could forget that this was in fact a journal, to be quickly reminded whenever the stylistic choice of cutting a word or phrase off in the middle of a sentence appeared. It was incredibly fun—especially Wendell’s perspective. And I deeply look forward to reading the next one!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore and Violence