Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia Of Faeries

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries

By Heather Fawcett

Genre: Fantasy

Tl;Dr: 5/5

Synopsis: An epistolary story about a professor who travels to an isolated mountain town to study the Fae for her encyclopedia, but she learns about love, friendship, and community along the way

CW: Mild violence

Review: (Minor Spoilers)

5 Star TL;DR: believable and charming characters, a grumpy yet completely endearing MC, and a strong use of the journal format.

I found this book so immersive and charming. Scientific discovery as an ongoing narrative theme was relatable (as a scientist) and stayed relevant throughout without being grating. The other themes of coming to trust and rely on others and the importance of community, grew in intensity over the story. In that way, we were able to watch Emily’s heart soften and the world open up to embrace her. This is a slow paced fantasy, so we mainly get to watch Emily coming around to the idea of making friends and building meaningful relationships, alongside the magical action.

Emily was complicated and nuanced in such a beautiful and honest way. Although it is not confirmed by the author, Emily reads as autistic. I’m not autistic, so I can only speak from my outside perspective, but it felt real and not heavy handed (please let me know if I am way off here!). Because Emily was so realized, I found it easy to relate to her and root for her.

The Fae mythos was well thought out and integrated into the story. I don’t have a background in the Fae, so maybe I missed a few inaccuracies (ie. me not realizing that changelings are often used as a harmful allegory for transness, oof). However, as a package, the light magic system and fae mythos were compelling and fun to read about.

The romance was a big hit! Wendell and Emily are complete opposites, yet they function as perfect complements to each other. I love the level of tenderness that Wendell expresses for her and the resolute and pragmatic honesty that Emily brings in return. I was kicking my feet in delight. But remember, dear reader, I am a silly little goose.

Overall, I would recommend this to everyone, but especially people who like the Fae, light fantasy, or sweet romances.

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You can use any travel method you like, walking, public transport, so on. You can get an uber but their map has failed so you'll have to give directions. You can travel to other countries and count those libraries but you have to be able to completely navigate from your home without assistance. So you can catch a plane but must be able to travel to and from the airport. No limit on how long it takes. If you know which block it's on or which tram line but aren't sure precisely, but you feel sure you'd find it once you got there, count that as a yes (if you're not sure maybe google it now and see if your plan would work). You cannot rely on asking for directions though, this must be all your knowledge

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