One of the reasons that I created No-Deadline-November for myself is because I wanted to catch up on my TBR pile. I get to read a lot of brand-new books before their release. It’s a lot of fun, but recently it’s meant that books that have been out longer have taken a backseat. It was a long while ago now that my cousin told me I needed to read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She’s usually right about these things, so I eventually got around to buying it on my tour of Massachusetts indie bookstores. After that, it sat on my pile of books to be read for months and months. Now that I’ve finally gotten to it, I can say she was right.

Summary:

Professor Emily Wilde is an accomplished scholar of Dryadology. This is what mortals have dubbed the study of the fae since finding out they were real. Emily is in fact one of the foremost experts in the field. Unfortunately, she does not always receive her due credit because of her innate lack of charisma. She’s spent the last several years of her career developing her magnum opus: her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She’s been meticulous with her research and it’s bound to earn her the esteem she has earned.

At this point, her manuscript only needs the finishing touches, which she plans to add while researching in the field. In a remote and frozen part of the globe, there are tales of a faerie race that scholars can only speculate about. Emily plans to be the first to objectively catalog them and their customs. She rents a guest cabin at the closest village and settles in to perfect her work. Now if only she can get her closest friend and potential rival, Wendell Brambleby, to keep his nose out if it.

My Thoughts:

I loved this one. I turned around and bought the second book in the series a couple days after finishing this one. (Shout out to indie bookstore The Purple Couch in North Andover, MA). Having personally always been fascinated by folklore about fae, I could appreciate Emily’s obsession. The journal-entry formatting of the book lets the reader get deep into her head. I enjoyed seeing her base her actions and decisions on her recollections of specific stories and documents. The use of footnotes was especially fun.

The banter was fun as well, most notably between Emily and Wendell. Their opposing-yet-complementary personalities made for some hilarious scenes and great adventures. All the secondary characters were nearly so vivid, and the setting was stunning. You can practically feel the cold prickling your skin while reading.

I’ve seen many readers categorize this series as “cozy fantasy.” It definitely has that vibe to it with the isolated cottage all snowed in. However, there’s somewhat more blood and violence in this one than I typically associate with the subgenre. No matter which corner of fantasy it fits in, I’m eager for more. I’ve already got my copy of book two, and the third book in the series is also on shelves now.

Content Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence and Injuries, Child Loss, Kidnapping, Blood, Animal Death, Child Abuse, Alcohol, Drugging (Magical)

After I Finished Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

As I’ve said, I’m behind on my reviews. I’ve already started and finished another physical book after Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries. (I then started a new book after that.) This wasn’t the only series that’s been out for a while I’ve been taking a long time getting to. A few months ago, the third book of a series released while I still had the first two installments sitting in my pile to be read. I was pretty certain I was going to like it based on its dark humor reputation. So far, I think the series has lived up to its hype.

My next review will be for Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer.