About the Book

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Genre: Fantasy

Book Review

This is perfection in book form! This made my list of instant favorites.

Emily Wilde is a misanthropic, introverted researcher working to write the first conclusive encyclopedia of fairies, which of course exist in the world of the book. She and her dog Shadow travel to a tiny village in Norway that’s within the Artic Circle to research the local fae population, much to her colleague Bamblesby’s dismay. Emily enjoys her solitude, but when she manages to insult the village headwoman, she’s grateful for the charming Bamblesby’s arrival to smooth things over with the villagers. Indeed, Emily may need his help, because all her usual rules for dealing with fae and their curses may not be enough here. Bamblesby’s secrets may be the only thing that can save her.

From a friendship with a common fae named Poe to changelings in the village to the legend of the Fairy King trapped in a tree, the further Emily gets immersed into her research, the greater the dangers.

Emily’s dialogue with Bamblesby is a delight. Their dynamic consists of her being grumpy and unable to fall for his charms, and him finding her company completely delightful because of her abrasiveness. They both struggle with basic survival skills, as one of them manages to cut another with an axe while trying to chop wood. Emily’s convinced of Bamblesby’s laziness, as she knows of at least one scholarly paper that he’s faked, but his charm gets him invited everywhere, making him her key to scholarly success. He’s also her only friend.

Here’s a sampling of their dynamic:

“Get inside! You’re bleeding!”
“I will not bleed any less indoors, you utter madwoman.”

“The worst of it was that Bambleby had warned me away from the tree – if I descended into a murderous rage, or turned into a tree myself, he would be very smug about it.”

This was an interesting take on the fairy world, with Emily’s perspective as a researcher providing a new angle. It’s written from Emily’s perspective, as she’s giving the account in her diary, though Bambleby writes a few entries – without permission, of course! Emily also gives us fairy stories throughout the book, as she thinks the stories are the closest thing the fairy world has to rules and laws.

This book deals out the charm in spades. You will not regret reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.