Review: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was a bit wary about reading this book based on the description, and it took me a while to finally start it. But once I decided to go ahead and take a chance on it, I am so glad that I did! The story of a prickly and standoffish professor who would rather research faeries for her encyclopedia than interact with humans, the book begins when Emily arrives in the wintry land of Ljosland in order to spend several months in the field studying the local Hidden Ones. Emily soon realizes the research will be more difficult than she first supposed, especially when she is unexpected and abruptly joined by fellow Cambridge professor Wendell Bamleby (whom Emily has long suspected is actually a member of the fae himself). Bamleby sets about endearing himself to the people of the local village while Emily focuses on discovering more about the local faeries, but Emily begins to realize that Bamleby might actually be an asset when Emily is confronted with locals who hold her at arms length, formidable arctic weather, and a changeling, missing villagers, a vengeful faerie queen and a faerie king imprisoned in an ancient tree.
Not long after beginning the book I found myself drawn into Emily's world, where faeries are an accepted--if little understood--fact. The book is told from Emily's point of view, from the scholarly journal where she records notes for what she hopes will be a work of grand scholarship: an encyclopedia of faeries. Emily's voice was extremely well-done, and it was not hard at all to understand her personality and the way she regarded her scholarship and her ability to function alongside her fellow humans. I enjoyed watching her relationship with Wendell grow and develop, as well as Emily's realization that she didn't have to do everything by herself all the time. Emily was endearing and relatable. And Wendell was a wonderful character as well. The author did a great job of creating someone who was intelligent, perhaps a bit foppish, a bit selfish, but also incredibly enchanting (!) and adorable. I found myself rooting for both Emily and Wendell despite their personality flaws, and I enjoyed going on this adventure with them.
My only issue with the book was the perhaps rambling way the plot flowed. There was not a real through-line with Emily's time in Hrafnsvik and the surrounding countryside. I found myself craving a true progression of action, with a clear beginning, middle and end. It seemed that Emily and Wendell found themselves completing many "side-tasks" and I kept wondering what the big final climax and denouement would be. But I also realize that this is the same nature as many folk- and faerie tales, that the author was just following a formula to relate her story to other ancient stories in the same genre. So I can appreciate what was going on here.
All in all, I would recommend this book. It was a fun read that would be great for a winter's day by a cozy fire. I will be looking forward to Book 2!

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