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A review by hdcamp
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
dark
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This has all the charm (and darkness and unexpected gore) of a fairy tale, and that's exactly why I loved it. I always enjoy pretending I'm an academic of some kind who gets to do field research for a living, so it was nice to step into Emily's shoes for a while. Reading about her work, about her professional goals, her hopes of having her encyclopaedia published, was all just really lovely. There's something cozy about this kind of life that's wildly appealing, and it shone through in all it's glory. Sometimes that glory includes dealing with other academics, but what are you going to do?
The setting itself was vivid and well crafted. When the book came to an end and Emily and Bambleby made to leave Hranfsvik behind, I felt her nostalgia and sadness with her. But this was a great book to read with a warm drink and a roaring fire - the cold winter weather in this book is visceral, and as someone who enjoys winter, I loved being immersed in the biting chill of Ljosland.* The people and their culture were just as well crafted as their home. The cast of secondary and tertiary characters is decently large, but each of them were distinct and I never had trouble remembering who was who.
From the start I knew that Wendell Bambleby was going to become the love interest (it's tagged as a fantasy romance, I don't think this is a spoiler). If you're interested in slow-burn romances, this takes the cake - the two are mostly just friends through the whole thing, friends who (on Emily's side) frequently comment on the enticing quality of their friend's hair, and how generally beautiful they are. The romance was also remarkably clean, which I really appreciated (there're some references to sex, but the characters barely kiss, much less think about the romance actually happening).
The real hero of this story is Shadow, who was definitely not a normal dog, which I'd suspected, but still Man's Best Friend in the face of all kinds of faerie nonsense. 🥇 What a good boy.
*Someday I will move to a little cabin on an island near the Arctic Circle, and then I will be truly happy.
The setting itself was vivid and well crafted. When the book came to an end and Emily and Bambleby made to leave Hranfsvik behind, I felt her nostalgia and sadness with her. But this was a great book to read with a warm drink and a roaring fire - the cold winter weather in this book is visceral, and as someone who enjoys winter, I loved being immersed in the biting chill of Ljosland.* The people and their culture were just as well crafted as their home. The cast of secondary and tertiary characters is decently large, but each of them were distinct and I never had trouble remembering who was who.
From the start I knew that Wendell Bambleby was going to become the love interest (it's tagged as a fantasy romance, I don't think this is a spoiler). If you're interested in slow-burn romances, this takes the cake - the two are mostly just friends through the whole thing, friends who (on Emily's side) frequently comment on the enticing quality of their friend's hair, and how generally beautiful they are. The romance was also remarkably clean, which I really appreciated (there're some references to sex, but the characters barely kiss, much less think about the romance actually happening).
The real hero of this story is Shadow, who was
*Someday I will move to a little cabin on an island near the Arctic Circle, and then I will be truly happy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Body horror, and Blood
Passing, vague mentions of sex a few times. Only kissing actually takes place, and it is brief.