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bookishflower's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
If any of the following appeal, pick up this book:
- light academia
- Cottagecore
- Fae
- Cosy fantasy
- Atmospheric writing
- Fantasy Romance
- Grumpy x sunshine where she’s the grumpy one
Synopsis:
Taking a field trip to Hrafsvik to continue her study of faeries, Emily is determined to complete her encyclopaedia which could be groundbreaking in the academic study of dryadology.
But Emily’s strong suit is books and research, not people.
And as if her rocky start with the town’s people wasn’t bad enough, her persistently charming and aggravating handsome rival, Wendell Bambleby, decides to arrive.
Working together Emily and Wendell attempt to piece together the secrets of the Hidden Ones, while exploring their partnership and hearts.
This was beautifully written and a perfect winter read to curl up with. It was atmospheric, lyrical and full of whimsy.
I can see how this might not be for everyone as it has very flowery language and a Howl Pendragon type love interest, but I loved that as it felt accurate to Emily’s distinct voice and they complimented each other well.
(This will come as a surprise to no one who knows me, but I love Anne of Green Gables with my whole heart so know I don’t say this lightly, this has a strong Anne and Gilbert dynamic)!
The world building was intricate and reminded me a lot of Margaret Rogerson’s books and the A Natural History of Dragons series.
Emily is also autistic-coded which was really nice to see!
- light academia
- Cottagecore
- Fae
- Cosy fantasy
- Atmospheric writing
- Fantasy Romance
- Grumpy x sunshine where she’s the grumpy one
Synopsis:
Taking a field trip to Hrafsvik to continue her study of faeries, Emily is determined to complete her encyclopaedia which could be groundbreaking in the academic study of dryadology.
But Emily’s strong suit is books and research, not people.
And as if her rocky start with the town’s people wasn’t bad enough, her persistently charming and aggravating handsome rival, Wendell Bambleby, decides to arrive.
Working together Emily and Wendell attempt to piece together the secrets of the Hidden Ones, while exploring their partnership and hearts.
This was beautifully written and a perfect winter read to curl up with. It was atmospheric, lyrical and full of whimsy.
I can see how this might not be for everyone as it has very flowery language and a Howl Pendragon type love interest, but I loved that as it felt accurate to Emily’s distinct voice and they complimented each other well.
(This will come as a surprise to no one who knows me, but I love Anne of Green Gables with my whole heart so know I don’t say this lightly, this has a strong Anne and Gilbert dynamic)!
The world building was intricate and reminded me a lot of Margaret Rogerson’s books and the A Natural History of Dragons series.
Emily is also autistic-coded which was really nice to see!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Violence, Abandonment, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm, Murder, Death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
luckylulureads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Moderate: Self harm and Blood
Minor: Murder, Animal death, Kidnapping, Blood, and Death
wondereads13's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.5
What a fun book! It's rare that the word "fun" be used to describe a book about proper folklore faeries, but I feel this fits the bill. It was a great balance between the malicious and benevolent sides of faeries, and everything that happened in the main plot just felt like what would happen in a story with them. Emily and Wendell are in the running for one of my favorite couples; they might not have the intense chemistry associated with romance today, but their dry, begrudging care for each other is just what I love. I definitely recommend this book; it's perfect for anyone who likes faerie lore, pseudo-academic fantasy, or Howl's Moving Castle. (Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Confinement
Moderate: Vomit
btwnprintedpgs's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Self harm, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Murder and Blood
Minor: Death
meganpbell's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Let this entirely enchanting, slow burn, light academia fantasy whisk you away to an alt-Iceland full of warm-hearted villagers and cold-hearted Fae, changelings and buried kings—and one curmudgeonly professor conducting fieldwork on faerie lore and her charismatic dandy of an academic rival (who may or may not be a Fae in disguise and may or may not have feelings for her). Highly recommend this series-starter for fans of Naomi Novik & Katherine Arden!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an interesting story that goes from the focus on faeries to the development of our main character.
The story of Emily starts of slow. She shows herself as a professional in her diary entries that we get to read. She tries to keep her distance from the people in the town. But as she is in a very remote area, without a lot of extra help, she does need the towns people to survive. When her academic rival appears she has to step up her game. And once she does get more interaction with the towns people she finds it is not so easy to turn her back on the problems the faeries cause them.
Like I said, the story is slow and the diaries start with an air of professionalism. But around the midway mark you can see a change in her entries. They become much more personal, infused with her emotions and it adds so much more dimension to the story.
The faeries really are the backdrop to out introduction of Emily. She is not someone who is much used to other people and isn't nessecarily good at charming people. She prefers to have her nose in a book with her trusted sideick, the dog Shadow, next to her. Interacting with other people is hard and not something she can prepare herself for so she prefers to avoid it.
When Wendell comes into the story she tries to project a form of rivals onto their relationship while it is clear from the beginning that Wendell really doesn't feel the same way. Back in Cambridge they have breakfast and lunch together. But keeping an air of a rivalry between them from her side means that she can keep him at a distance. For those pesky feelings he seems to call up whenever he is near. Plus she thinks he is actally a court faerie who is banished. That probably doesn't help.
And yet Emily has so much to give to others. She's smart, blunt, honest and does have her heart in the right place. As much as the book tries to say she is only out saving the day because of academics I don't think that is true at all.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia might have started out on faeries but it became much more about Emily Wilde.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Kidnapping, Blood, and Self harm
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, and Ableism
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