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rhi_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Violence and Blood
Minor: Death and Confinement
dragonaion's review against another edition
- 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
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
Moderate: Self harm, Violence, Classism, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Murder
There are scenes that may constitute "child abuse", but the character is not technically a child but a magical creature in the shape of a child, and the "sexual content" includes barely a kiss.itsnotalakeitsanocean's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Confinement, Kidnapping, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Xenophobia
littleflowerfairy's review against another edition
- 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
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries does none of that. Heather Fawcett weaves a beautiful story that combines the typical mystery and mischief of fae, with her own twists and addition that make sense and really feel like something you'd read about in an old book about faerie lore! The way she describes the fae and how they interact with our world is incredible and makes for such beautiful imagery! Though I read this in the height of summer, I almost felt like I could step right into the wintery landscape.
Honestly it took me a bit to get really into the book, the first half felt a little slow, but by the second half I was thoroughly hooked!! I loved the characters, the atmosphere, and the feeling like I was reading through an old journal nearly lost to time. It was seriously such a cozy read to curl up with at the end of the day! I can't wait for the 2nd book!!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Blood, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Cursing
ewalkergrace's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Animal death, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Alcohol
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
jessiereads98's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Medical content, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Murder, and Child abuse
blubonby's review against another edition
- 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
Also Emily totally read to me as being autistic, I’m not sure if the author meant this but I loved it either way as an autistic person.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement
cozyscones's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Body horror
lbelow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, and Confinement