Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the plot of this book, although it was a bit slow in places, but then too fast in others which could make it a bit difficult to follow. Additionally, I have read a lot of faery books and to me this book didn’t massively stand out as unique. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading this. I loved the characters and the slow-burn romance that was weaved throughout the adventure, along with the politics that created a real depth to the plot.

this book was so cute, fun and whimsical!!! absolutely obsessed and am so so excited to discover there is a sequel eeek!!! i highly recommend this cute lil fantasy!!

I loved this book so much . I JUST LOVE FAERIES. The book was cohesive and well written and the plot was to die for . Emily is so entertaining and i love her to bits

I adored this. It was just beyond whimsical from the first page and truly captured my attention. I loved the way the plot unfolded and particularly enjoyed seeing the character interactions that occurred as the journey continued. Fawcett did an exceptional job at creating a beautiful atmosphere - one that highlighted the magic of faeries but also the darkness they possess. It was so enjoyable going on this journey and uncovering the fae secrets alongside Emily Wilde.

I just didn’t enjoy the journey as much in the second half of the story - I just wasn’t entirely sure that I liked the direction it was going. However, I did think Fawcett’s writing style was enough to keep me engaged and reading. I do not doubt that ‘Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands’ will be just as fun and I can’t wait to read it.

TW: murder, death, abduction, violence, animal cruelty

It is cozy fantasy, and as said before, I'm not the biggest fan of cozy fantasy. It's mostly just too slow for me. I know now that that is just how the genre is, and I might just not be the perfect fit for it. The diary format is fun and refreshing, though!

I was so excited to read this one, one of my friends with similar tastes read it and absolutely loved it which is all the endorsement I need!

I found the beginning of the book dreadfully slow, I didn't care about the characters and I wasn't super into the writing style. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever enjoy this book, I was in such a slump.

BUT! When Bambleby came stumbling into the picture I was instantly hooked. He is just such an amazing, chaotic character who gave this book the life it needed. He facilitated so much of Emily's growth and uncovering each of his secrets made me so happy. His grumpy reluctance to do anything except where his Em is concerned was so endearing, I spent the last 150 pages or so grinning to myself at his foolishness.

I am definitely excited to read the sequel to this soon, I hope we get a smattering more romance and to see more of Bambleby's uniquely hilarious character.

4 Stars

Thank you so much to Orbit and NetGalley for my e-ARC of this book! xx

I thought this was a beautifully cozy historical fantasy, perfect for a winter day at home. Written in diary format this is a slow burn, comforting and the second book stands up to this so I recommended reading that after.

"One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories."

this was charmingly delightful, whimsical and honestly so much fun, all in all just the cozy fantasy i needed rn. it's written in a unique way with academic journal entries that talk about emily's research as well as faerie folklore that focuses heavily on the dark, malevolent nature of the fae. but this does not mean that there aren't any loveable ones in this book (for instance: poe, the brownie, is the cutest thing in the world).

one should know before going into this book that the writing is very academic and thus kind of monotonous/bland (in a way), which might be off-putting to some, but personally didn't take away from the story for me. it's a rather slow-paced light academia but the selling point is definitely the stunning atmopshere, due to the wintery cottagecore vibes and the charm of the small village, which made this a cozy and atmospheric read.

"Perhaps it is always restful to be around someone who does not expect anything from you beyond what is in your nature."

emily and wendell are such a fun pairing, with entertaining banter and just as many softer moments. i really adored their dynamics. wendell especially is such a charismatic and loveable character that gave this book the perfect level of chaos. i need to see more of him in the second book, preferably through more of his POV chapters.

This book took a while for me to get into as felt like much wasn't happening for a long time. I did enjoy the characters and nuildibg relationship of Emily and Wendall. The writing style was an interesting mix of journal entry and first POV style which I enjoyed.

Wasn't expecting Emily to write that letter and set off on her mission in the end because that did not end well. Look forward to seeing how the step mother acts in the next book.

My god, it was my own stupidity that kept me from reading the pinnacle of cozy fantasy for so long... Emily Wilde does not follow most of the current publishing trends, and that's why it's so refreshing in its whimsy.

The eponymous dryadologist Emily Wilde embarks on a multi-month expedition to study the elusive frost faeries of Ljosland, the Hidden Ones, in hopes of completing the first comprehensive encyclopedia about the Fair Folk ever to be printed. This publication could well catapult her into the upper spheres of academia and secure her teaching position in Cambridge, but as brilliant as her work is, Emily's social skills all the more lacking, and so she doesn't mind spending the winter months in relative isolation on a Northern European island.

If only it wasn't for her annoyingly charismatic rival professor Wendell Bambleby, who in past years charmed his way into scholarly society while putting a minimum of effort into the actual research, suddenly showing up on her snowed-in cottage doorstep. Though when he helps her win the local population's support and favour, cranky Emily has to admit that he might also be her only friend - and ally, if it comes to a clash with the local court fae.

So yes, fairies are nothing new, but this mix of very traditional fae lore, superstition and reinvented fairytales really brings the worldbuilding together in a way that suggests a deep understanding of how folk tales works. I would be amiss not to mention the beautiful and often hilarious writing Fawcett dresses her novel in, but her knowledge of the working of legends is what won me over. The journal format of the story is put to great use, and even some passages that must have been difficult to put to paper with the diary in mind were gorgeously executed.

There's no spice (as the kids like to call it), but plenty of academic footnotes. And while the romance is there, it's not the novel's focus. This book is the closest to being an accurate depiction of fictional people working in STEM, besides, I am not even kidding.

Hopes and predictions for the sequel:
1. more footnotes (those were so, so good, I actually want to read the entire finished encyclopedia)
2. more Cambridge
3. more Bambleby

This was a very cosy fantasy read. Tbh, if I was just reading it it probably wouldn’t have held my attention because it’s quite slow (which makes sense as it’s written in a diary style) but the audio really made it for me.
Fantastic voice actors and a quaint and interesting story! I really enjoyed Emily’s scholarly outlook, and how this sometimes meant she didn’t know how to act in social situations, and I ADORED Bambleby- he was spoilt and vain, but also caring and charming and so charismatic. Together they are perfect and I’m looking forward to reading more of their adventures.

perfect read for winter with its snowy setting! it took a while for me to get into the story and writing style but i quickly became attached to emily and the other characters in the story. the setting is enchanting, as well as the fairytale topics. it's a cozy historical fantasy so there isn't a lot of action until the end but i enjoyed it all. the blossoming romance was also sweet though perhaps a little rushed/unrealistic. interested to see what happens next!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc!

I really enjoyed this, it was a new sub-genre of fantasy for me. Cosy fantasy isn’t something I’ve read before and it did take me a while to get into but once it had worked up, I did really enjoy it and I began to really like learning and reading about the faeries in this book.

I’m really excited for the next one!

Synopsis:
Emily Wilde, a Cambridge proffessor, travels to Hfafnsvik to build her Encyclopedia of Fairies. However, she is not a people person.

Wendell Bambleby, Emily's academic rival, loves people. He also loves getting in Emily's way as she's researching and would rather socialise in the tavern than help Emily.

The small town doesn't trust the Hidden Ones, and as Emily begins to unravel the mysteries of fairies, she also has to unravel the mystery of Wendell...

Review:
I loved the cosy, cottagecore fantasy feel to this. The faires being mischievous and cunning was really fun to read. Poe, a fairy Emily befriends, is my favourite character, alongside Shadow, Emily's dog. Both made this book so wholesome.

Whilst I found it hard to read at some points because you are reading from the diary of Emily, I believe this is purposeful. It did, however, sometimes make it a disjointed reading experience as the events were told in retrospect. Emily herself was hard to like. Once again, I am aware this is purposeful as Emily's character doesn't like people.

Nonetheless, I loved Wendell. He is the perfect level of chaos, and it was funny to see Emily get so frustrated by his chaotic nature.

The plot itself was extremely gripping, and I devoured this book in 2 days. I loved that we had lots of small adventures and mysteries going on. It added to the chaos and mischief nature of the fairies.

The sequel, Emily Wildes Map of Otherlands, has recently come out, and I will be picking it up!

Thank you, @netgalley @heather_fawcett and @orbitbooks_uk for the eArc of this book.

I was gifted the physical copy for Christmas from my sister, so thank you, Emily 💕

Reasons why I am ridiculously in love with this book:
1. Emily and Wendell. I can’t think when I’ve read about a more fantastic pairing of characters. Mortal and Fae - a duo which go perfectly together like tea and cake, fish and chips, Chas n Dave…
2. I wish that the job title of Dryadologist really did exist. And I wish that I could be one.
3. The fantastic snowy and wild setting of Ljosland and all the fabulous villagers with their social traditions and beliefs in local folklore.
4. The Fairy Market scene.
5. The enchantments and Emily’s skill at resisting them.
6. Poe, the Brownie.
7. The writing style. I was worried that it might be too wispy and lyrical. But the fact that it was narrated in the words of the no-nonsense Emily made it eminently more readable to me.
8. And lastly, because I already have the second book lined up and ready to read!!
What a great finale to end my reading year with.

This was a rather enjoyable read and was knowledgable, however, it was just too slow moving with little plot to keep me 100% intrigued.

I absolutely loved this book! I think it was really well written and the world building was fantastic. You can tell Fawcett put a lot of thought into the planning of this story and it has been very cleverly executed. My only criticism would be a demand for more Emily and Wendell moments because I adore the two of them

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Orbit UK for providing me an ebook in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is the first instalment in the Emily Wilde series (book 2, Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, will be out in January 2024) in which we follow a professor, Emily Wilde, as she goes to Hrafnsvik to finish writing the world's first Encyclopaedia of faerie lore.

I don't like saying bad things about a book, but since I am reviewing it, I kind of have to: I didn't really like this book and it was not really for me. I chose to request this book because I had seen this book everywhere and people were loving it all over Instagram, but now that I have read it, I don't understand the hype around it.
This book is the academic version of all the faerie books you can see and read, and at first I was fine with that because you get to learn a lot of things about them, but it quickly became a problem for me because the pacing was really slow and we were not truly getting anywhere. The FMC was not really likeable, and since we only have her point of view throughout the story and only a few glimpses at the MMC, Wendell Bambleby, the romance subplot arrived a bit suddenly (one might even say comme un cheveu sur la soupe) and did not really make sense.
That being said, the writing felt a bit complicated for someone whose first language is not English and I had to research a few words to completely understand the story. But, if you are looking for your next winter time fantasy, this one might be for you!

LOVE LOVE LOVE.
This book has made its way into my top 10 reads of the year, everything was perfect; the writhing, the flow of the book; the characters, it was all just 1000% perfection. I’m super excited to read the next one, I immediately ordered myself a copy to sit on my shelf.


*a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Wow!!!!! I requested this out of curiosity, wasn't entirely sure if it would be my type of read but I ended up absolutely loving this book and I'm diving straight into book two now!

I adore Emily and Wendell, two amazing characters and all the side characters were great too! The plot had me intrigued and I'm interested to see what is going to happen in book two.

This is my first Heather Fawcett book which means I'll need to read her previous books asap as well! Definitely recommend this one!