SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett




I was so thrilled to be contacted by Penguin Randomhouse to review Encyclopedia of Faeries.  Such a sweet, cozy new series.


Synopsis:


A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love, in this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.


Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.


Thoughts:

What a delightful book! I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, and honestly about half way through I almost gave up. The book is a bit slow paced at the beginning, so grab yourself a nice cup of tea, a comfy blanket and settle in.

This story is written like a journal, and you get Emily's version of her travels, and her stay at Hrafnsvik. Each chapter starting off with the date, and then a recount of what happened to her each day. She leaves footnotes, that further explain in greater detail about history, lore, or any other bit of information about dryadology. 

Emily is so relatable. She is shy, introverted, quirky, with some obvious social anxiety going on.  Girl...I relate! She is oblivious to those around her and what they may be thinking. She makes lots of social mistakes when she arrives at Hrafnsvik, some due to her own awkwardness and some due to a bit of culture shock.  She has her ways with the faeries down well...it's structured and there are clear rules. Give gifts, be careful of bargains, and always keep that coin in your hand to avoid fairy enchantments. It became clear her study of faeries really suited her.

Wendell was adorable as well, and I could tell right off the bat he was smitten with her. He just shows up because he missed their "banter" in the office. He was much more at ease socially, and seemed bring certain strengths Emily's situation. I love how he just brushes off Emily's gruffness, and accepts her in all her quirkiness.

Overall, this story was the sweetest fantasy story I've read in a long time. If you're looking for a fun, clean read with a side of a sweet clean little romance be sure to grab this book.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries was published January 10, 2023, and is available on Amazon and Bookshop.

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Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book free for review.  This however does not affect my opinions, as I do not leave a review for each book I receive. There are links to Amazon, clicking these links won't cost you anything but any purchase helps support this blog.  Thanks!

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