A review by sahanac
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-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 did not expect to adore this book the way that I DID!! I was so pleasantly surprised by everything, the characters, the setting, the world-building, the mythology, the premise - I think it was all executed really well. I will say, as caveat, I listened to the first 95% of the book, and then read the last little bit. It was so wonderfully immersive, and I adored Emily right off the bat. She was a very stuck-in-her-ways, sweet, stubborn, smart, driven character and I really liked seeing the world through her eyes, and how easily she connected with the Fae, but how hard it was for her to connect to other people. I loved that Wendall was her guide to the human world, and she had something to teach him about the Fae realms too. Something I might have mentioned in passing that I really adored was the fact that it felt really anthropological, the way that dryadology and fieldwork were discussed. I'm listening to another book right now about the origins of anthropology, and this one really reminded me of the way it was all discussed in that other book, which definitely helped endear the world to me - it was so close to being recognizable with just a hint of fantasy, which I guess I really adore. It was a lovely book, and I had such a good time reading it. Watching Emily ingratiate herself with the people of the town (which I don't really know how to spell, since I mostly heard it and barely recognized it when I read it) was such a lovely development. I can't wait to read the next one.