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

During an expedition to Hrafnsvik, Ljosland, Cambridge professor Emily Wilde uncovers unknown secrets of the fae world she has spent her whole life studying as she tries to save Hrafnsvik from the Hidden Ones alongside her colleague and frenemy Wendell Bambleby.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an interesting take on the fantasy genre: a low-stakes novel that's not quite so cozy and is a perfect blend of magical realism and Victorian elements. Written entirely from journal entries during Emily's time in Ljosland, the epistolary format works really well for this book as readers are transported in the intricate world-building behind Fawcett's fae world.

Additionally, Emily is such an interesting narrator for this book, and provides a unique POV throughout the book. While Fawcett doesn't say that she's autistic in the book, as an #ActuallyAutistic reviewer, one can notice that there are some of her attributes are similar to other autistic individuals. Regardless of whether Emily is autistic or not, Fawcett does a stellar job with detailing Emily's growth throughout the book as she learns to open herself up to others.

That being said, if you're looking for a low-stakes fantasy novel with fae, cozy aesthetic with dark undertones and a hint of romance, and/or a strong female protagonist (who may be autistic), you would probably enjoy reading Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries.

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evbyrd's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious 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

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takarakei's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

3.75

While this isn't my typical cup of tea when it comes to fantasy, I did enjoy this. It's very cozy, a bit funny, and whimsical.
The romance felt a bit lackluster to me - it's a historical kind of setting so in a way it reads like a historical romance in that aspect, where everything is very internal (also because the book is written in journal entries).

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dragonaion's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring 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

5.0

At first I was not taken by the "matter of fact" and neutral approach of the story. I thought the first two chapters were dry and simple, but I can attest that is the author writing the world through the eyes of the main character and is very apropos. By chapter three, I was smitten and devoured every page.
As a lover of fae of all kinds, I was tickled and delighted by the smoothness and almost natural involvement of the fae in the story. None of it was out of place (which is saying something, given the nature of some of the scenes) and it all blended and came into place perfectly. With such expressions of high fantasy, it is hard to mistake some parts

like an animal cloak that melts in the heat, but reluctantly gives the wearer what they need

as being absurd and not belonging, like suddenly seeing a majestic and shining pegasus in a normal field. This magic, however, was laced in so naturally that it naturally belonged and was wonderful.

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itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.0

If this is your first time reading a book about fairies, you'll probably like it but there are definitely better books out there. That's not to say this book is bad, however.

Pros

The setting was really unexpected, but I really enjoyed it as someone who has spent several holidays in Norway. The author really captured the vibe of a small, insulated Scandinavian town that is distrusting to outsiders.
On a related note, I really liked Lilja and Margaret. They were a very sweet couple and I'm glad they survived
being taken by fairies
. Aud really grew on me as well.
This is definitely a "your mileage may vary" thing, but I liked the use of footnotes to discuss existing academic texts, their authors and their lives.

Cons

The pacing is a bit all over the place. I felt like it was a very slow start to actually get to the plot it wanted to tell, and then went at haphazard paces when it got there.
The romance felt really half-baked. Emily felt like she went from hating Wendell's guts to entertaining the idea she liked him very suddenly. This isn't to say I don't like slow burn romances, but I think Emily and Wendell lack the chemistry to pull it off. I'm sure this will get fixed in the next book but I'm not particularly itching to read it.
I don't really understand what possessed Emily to
chop down the magic tree and free the king. Especially when all signs pointed it to being a very bad idea and she just went "how about I do it anyway?". I think if Emily and Wendell argued over the merits of doing so, with Emily speculating that maybe freeing the king would stop the children from being spoiled, it would have made more sense.

Amusing tangents

As someone with a queer identity, I always find it unintentionally funny when authors use the word "queer" to mean "strange" when describing abstract or inanimate objects. This book is no exception. Get ready for lots of unexpected queer things!
I'm definitely inclined to think Emily is autistic - intentionally or not.

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emilywemily6's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I really enjoyed this book! It was a cozy historical fantasy- which is the perfect recipe. The book felt slow and meandering with no real plot throughout, only numerous subplots that all resolved rather quickly. Whenever I was reading, I was intrigued and couldn’t put it down. When I wasn’t reading, however, I didn’t feel a particular pull to pick it up. The variety of fae was fascinating and I kept thinking it might just be real. I loved the information Emily was able to glean as well as the unanswered questions. I loved Wendell too and appreciated their relationship. A really delightful book!

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