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Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (Emily Wilde, #1)

Heather Fawcett

Start date: May 1, 2024

Finish date: May 31, 2024

Discussion: Encyclopaedia of Faeries

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Showing 2 of 3 topics — 40 comments total

Encyclopaedia of Faeries

EWEoF: Go forth? How about first?
By John (Taloni) · 8 posts · 88 views

last updated May 21, 2024 05:53PM

EWEoF: The Problem with Pastiche
By Ruth · 15 posts · 76 views

last updated May 17, 2024 04:42AM

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What Members Thought

Mar 10, 2024 Jen rated it it was amazing

This is the 1000th book I have tracked on Goodreads, and I picked SUCH a good one.I loved the main character, I loved the world building, I loved the dog! Excited to read more in this series.

6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 08, 2024 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own

This was so super cozy. I loved pretty much everything about it. It is not necessarily a fast moving story, you have to settle in and just enjoy the coziness.

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2024 Tensy (bookdoyen) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

A lovely cozy fantasy about a shy researcher in Cambridge who is compiling an encyclopedia of faieries. Emily Wilde takes a sabatical to a frozen land known for its hidden faeries to do research for her manuscript. Emily prefers books to people. Her handsome colleague, Wendell, on the other hand, is fabulously talented at ingratiating himself with faculty and the locals in the town. He shows up on her doorstep to help her with the research and the rest of the plot is filled with one disaster aft ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 09, 2024 Melani rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, alternate-earth, fae-and-other-magical-creatures, challenge_tbr

completely delightful. I finished and turned around and bought the sequel. I stayed up late to finish, I enjoyed it so much.

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Nov 26, 2023 Cambria rated it it was amazing

4.5, a great read! Can wait for the next book!

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Mar 11, 2023 Michelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, fantasy, faeries, audio, lgbtq-lesbian, 2023

4.5 Stars

I had so much fun with this one, and it reminded me how much I love naturalist fantasy. I honestly have rarely seen a duo more representative of my personality than Wendell and Emily.

1 like · Like · see review

May 03, 2025 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: fairy-tales, historical-fiction, urban-fantasy, romance

I really enjoyed this book, but felt the ending was a bit unsatisfying.

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Dec 15, 2023 Jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My feelings about this book swung back and forth, but I settled at three stars - I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was ok.

Pros
1. Shadow. I love a magical animal in a story (see: Nettle and Bone) He was the goodest boy.
2. Poe. Poe was a brownie who Emily befriends. He was both charming and utterly bloodthirsty. I loved him, and wished we could have had more of him.
3. The setting. The wintry village setting was adorable and very cozy. I loved the interactions between the villagers a My feelings about this book swung back and forth, but I settled at three stars - I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. It was ok.

Pros
1. Shadow. I love a magical animal in a story (see: Nettle and Bone) He was the goodest boy.
2. Poe. Poe was a brownie who Emily befriends. He was both charming and utterly bloodthirsty. I loved him, and wished we could have had more of him.
3. The setting. The wintry village setting was adorable and very cozy. I loved the interactions between the villagers and our main characters.

Cons
1. Emily. I don't believe Emily was meant to be neurodivergent, due to the lack of indication by the author. She definitely had social anxiety and was introverted. However, she was also rude, and didn't seem to have done any research on the culture of the village whatsoever. Her decision-making was confusing at times. She was also pretty mean to Brambleby for seemingly no reason.

2. The pacing. I did not mind the format of the book (the story is told through journal entries) but there were long stretches where I didn't feel any kind of forward momentum. It was cozy, sure, but I still like to know where the plot is headed.

Neutral
1. Brambleby. He was super charming, good at cleaning, and a whiz with a sewing needle. I liked all those traits. I struggled with understanding why he was in love with Emily, because she treats him with nothing but suspicion. My biggest question about him is a spoiler: (view spoiler)

2. The fairys. The fae in this book are on the dark and violent side. There were times where that clashed with the cozy feel of the book. Be aware that there is plenty of violence, though it isn't super graphic for the most part. There were a few places that made me uncomfortable.

There is actually very little romance in the book, and it's very clean. I have seen people classifying this as a romantasy, but to me it's clearly a cozy fantasy story. The writing is charming, so if you're looking to read something with cozy vibes this might be for you. ...more

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Jun 30, 2025 Heather rated it it was amazing

Delightful! I finished this charming read in record time and was easily lost in its world. I can't wait to read the next installment. Emily Wilde is not your typical heroine, she is logical and pragmatic to a fault. I enjoy how the book blends the feel of a scholarly work on faeries with lively, engaging narrative. ...more

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