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

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

My Review

I could almost imagine myself a maiden in one of the stories, but stories didn’t leave dirty teacups scattered throughout the cottage, or underline passages in my books—in ink—no matter how many times I ordered them not to.

This book… Amazing isn’t strong enough a word for how I felt about it. I absolutely adore it on a level that I haven’t adored a novel in a long while. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a wonderful story. And it has faeries depicted far more accurately to fae lore, which is something I can’t say for ACOTAR and the like (which is something that I always hated about that series).

Anyway, the lore accurate faerie creatures wasn’t the only thing to love about EWEOF. The characters – particularly the two main ones – are expertly written, and the setting seems so magical. I also loved the way the novel was written – using Emily’s (and occasionally Wendell’s) journal entries. It’s so unique compared to how most books are written, and it was very refreshing.

Now, lemme backtrack a bit. The characters. I loved Emily Wilde so much. She’s so unlike most female protagonists that I usually have the pleasure (or displeasure) of following. And she’s so passionate and driven by her career as well – which is something else that I don’t read very often. (The footnotes were also cute and they further added to the authenticity of the journaling.)

Wendell Brambleby was a fine partner for Emily. Though he is the opposite of her in many ways regarding personality and characterization, he matches well with her. Their banter was also *chef’s kiss*. And their romance was splendid and written extremely well. I wish more books were like this. I’m looking forward to seeing where the sequel takes these characters and their relationship.

“How is it that you know how to befriend wild faerie dogs and ferret out Words of Power, yet you missed one of the fundamental rules of dryadology – namely, not cutting wicked kings out of trees.”

“I’ve learned my lesson, thank you,” I snapped. “Should you end up trapped in one, I won’t let you out.”

“You shall have to. I know you too well, Em. You could never survive without having someone around to snarl at.”

I also want to mention how real and authentic the dialogue between all the characters was. And not just between Emily and Brambleby. All of it felt like it came across very naturally, which is my favorite kind of dialogue to read. I can’t stand it whenever conversations feel stiff or unnatural while reading – it takes me right out of the book.

Another thing that I want to talk about is how the faeries were depicted here. That is, the right way. As I mentioned above, I’ve always hated how books like A Court of Thorns and Roses, as well most of the fae books that have come out since portray faeries. Personally, I’ve always preferred the more traditional representation based on myths and lore. So this was a breath of fresh air amongst the smog.

You screamed, which I appreciated, and Shadow went berserk, also kind but not much more helpful, but fortunately, Lilja has her wits about her and yanked the arrow out.

So yeah, I absolutely loved Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett, and I cannot recommend it enough. This might be my favorite book I’ve read this year, actually. And I’m so looking forward to Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands, which is releasing next month.

If you like books with traditional depictions of fae, historical fantasy, and just well written books in general, definitely check this out. It has an awesome wintery atmosphere, and some cozy vibes.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope that you have a wonderful day/night!

See ya ~Mar

MY LINKS: