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kiwij96's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A couple of things: books need to stop being advertised as romantasy when the only "romantic" event was the FMC saying she liked the MMC's hair, and the MMC professing his love for the FMC out of absolutely nowhere. Considering that even in the book summary, it says "she'll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all - her heart", Emily Wilde barely unlocks her personality.
I genuinely do not know what the plot was supposed to be: academic fantasy; romantasy; general fantasy. Because it began as a light fae academia, and slowly but surely descended into chaos by page 200. Somehow it ended up in Cruel Prince territory with absurd professions of love, an act of self mutilation, and fae royalty. Also the events of the last 100 pages were so erratic and at times out-of-character for the FMC, it didn't suit the story at all.
The events of the story happened at odd paces, with weird and vague descriptions on how conclusions were being made, and also events just being too conveniently solved. For this reason I don't thing the diary entry style of chaptering did it any favours.
This would have worked so much better as a rivals to friends type relationship in an academic setting for sure. There was no chemistry between the characters for a romance to be justified in 315 pages personally.
That said though, it was a great concept and I would probably read again (just in case it was a result of reading it out of season with this having a more winter vibe), and I liked the idea of the academic research into different fae cultures. I am hoping the sequel explores this in more depth. The worldbuilding was fantastic, the writing was mostly descriptive and was easy to read at a nice pace. Just kinda lost the plot a bit towards the end there. Could definitely have been more academic.
I genuinely do not know what the plot was supposed to be: academic fantasy; romantasy; general fantasy. Because it began as a light fae academia, and slowly but surely descended into chaos by page 200. Somehow it ended up in Cruel Prince territory with absurd professions of love, an act of self mutilation, and fae royalty. Also the events of the last 100 pages were so erratic and at times out-of-character for the FMC, it didn't suit the story at all.
The events of the story happened at odd paces, with weird and vague descriptions on how conclusions were being made, and also events just being too conveniently solved. For this reason I don't thing the diary entry style of chaptering did it any favours.
This would have worked so much better as a rivals to friends type relationship in an academic setting for sure. There was no chemistry between the characters for a romance to be justified in 315 pages personally.
That said though, it was a great concept and I would probably read again (just in case it was a result of reading it out of season with this having a more winter vibe), and I liked the idea of the academic research into different fae cultures. I am hoping the sequel explores this in more depth. The worldbuilding was fantastic, the writing was mostly descriptive and was easy to read at a nice pace. Just kinda lost the plot a bit towards the end there. Could definitely have been more academic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Self harm, and Blood
bree_h_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was so fun and delightful and casual. It was just such a pleasant read, the more relaxed tone emphasising that.
The plot was consistent and largely casual. Things were happening, but not wild displays of action. The characters would learn things, do things, advance the plot, but in more casual feeling ways. It suited the story’s feel very well.
The character also all felt very dynamic and real. Each one felt unique and different. This variety of character also leant to interesting relationships. I especially appreciated the variety of women in the book and how unique each one felt. Though my favourite character was Shadow, easily the best character and goodest boy. The interest of the characters and their dynamics also really leant to the book’s subtle romance. It snuck up on me and when it did, I was delighted.
I especially liked the world building and how fey lore was handled in the book. Everything drew me in and kept me fascinated. It was also delightful when I recognised some of the lore and I liked learning more. The faerie lore was just so interesting and I’m looking forward to read more of the series.
I only have a few more notes for what I enjoyed. Which are the amazing performance of the narrators, the framing device of the story being told in Emily’s journal, and the casual approach to queerness. Overall a great read, I definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Violence
day23dreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm and Violence
dinipandareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My first re-read of 2024 couldn't have gone better because this was an absolute delight! I remember enjoying it well enough when I first read it last year but I also recall feeling slightly disappointed by the ending. Those same thoughts do not hold on re-read and I'm happy to say that I loved it so much more this time. It could be because I was listening to it on audiobook and annotated the heck out of it too which made me feel more immersed in the story.
Emily Wilde's isn't a fast-paced story and neither does it have a concrete plot beyond Emily researching the most elusive Hidden Ones to complete the final chapter in her encyclopaedia of faeries, which she has been working on for most of her adult life. It's very much a cosy slice-of-life fantasy that moves along at a steady, although not particularly rapid, pace. We're treated to Emily's POV through her journal entries and being who she is, it does read very academically and that might not be to everyone's taste but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how well it captured her personality.
I found the world-building exquisite. This is a historical fantasy set in a world where faerie studies are a very real thing and the existence of fae across the world have been chronicled and catalogued and numerous studies have been pursued. It shouldn't surprise you to know that you will come away from this knowing a whole lot more about faeries than you ever did before—at least, that's what happened to me and I loved the whimsical, enchanting and utterly terrifying nature of these creatures. The way the faerie world is explored and dissected through Emily's journal entries is magnificent and although I have no idea what I will do with all this information, I'm delighted that it's been imparted! 😂 Aside from everything faerie, I also loved the way Fawcett's writing brought nature to life. The biting cold of the bitter winter on this tiny island near the Arctic Circle was almost like a character on its own and as much as my tropical ass loves the idea of winter, I don't reckon I'd survive this, lol.
As wonderful as the setting was though, the best part of this was Emily, Wendell and the villagers who I grew to love so much by the end of this book! Sometimes I wonder if we're meant to like Emily at all but in all honesty, I loved her and appreciate her character so much. She's brilliant, curmudgeonly, and incredibly passionate about anything and everything to do with the folk. But the minute it comes to interacting with people she clams up and doesn't know what to do or say. I can relate so much to that! She grew up as a "too smart" young woman with a family that didn't know what to do with her and she had to rely on herself to get anything done. If there's anyone who could teach a Masterclass on how to suppress emotions, Emily would be the one. What you see is what you get with her and I loved that she knew her shortcomings just as well as her strengths! Although she doesn't try to actively change herself throughout the story, as she realises that people are willing to accept her for who she is, it comes about naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed her academic mind and I especially loved it when Wendell came into the picture!
From Emily's pov, Wendell is her academic rival and begrudgingly on her part, her only friend. He's the sunshine to her grump and the exact opposite to her in every way. Where she's rigid about her research, he orders his minions around and kind of flops about everywhere. Where she's socially awkward to her core, he's the light and life of every party and conversation. He's an incorrigible flirt and charms his way through everything he does. I adored his character, especially the sharp, witty banter that he has with Emily! There were serious moments that I knew I probably shouldn't have been laughing but I couldn't help it because of how they spoke about and to each other. It was always respectful and honest but also incredibly endearing. And I loved that even as he needled her to tears, you could tell that he always did so with a great fondness for his dear dragon, Emily. 😍 I loved them so, so much!That said, I do think that the love confession felt a bit sudden considering he was still hooking up with village women throughout the story. That honestly made me feel a bit uncomfortable but I guess, he's fae? And Emily didn't seem to mind, at least she never raised it as an issue. His backstory was fascinating but I can't talk about it cos major spoilers but I can't wait to read more about him in the sequel. I hope that we get more of his POV too because I enjoyed them and in the audiobook, the narrator did a fantastic job of capturing his personality.
I think the only qualm that I have, although it hasn't affected my rating this time around, is how neatly the ending wrapped up. It happened very quickly and it felt too clean considering it has to do with such a powerful faerie. But as I said, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I'm so glad that I decided to re-read this before continuing with the second book because I feel so differently about it compared to last year! If you're also thinking about the audiobook for this, I would highly recommend it because the narrators did a fantastic job with all the character voices, especially Emily's and Wendell's!
Emily Wilde's isn't a fast-paced story and neither does it have a concrete plot beyond Emily researching the most elusive Hidden Ones to complete the final chapter in her encyclopaedia of faeries, which she has been working on for most of her adult life. It's very much a cosy slice-of-life fantasy that moves along at a steady, although not particularly rapid, pace. We're treated to Emily's POV through her journal entries and being who she is, it does read very academically and that might not be to everyone's taste but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how well it captured her personality.
I found the world-building exquisite. This is a historical fantasy set in a world where faerie studies are a very real thing and the existence of fae across the world have been chronicled and catalogued and numerous studies have been pursued. It shouldn't surprise you to know that you will come away from this knowing a whole lot more about faeries than you ever did before—at least, that's what happened to me and I loved the whimsical, enchanting and utterly terrifying nature of these creatures. The way the faerie world is explored and dissected through Emily's journal entries is magnificent and although I have no idea what I will do with all this information, I'm delighted that it's been imparted! 😂 Aside from everything faerie, I also loved the way Fawcett's writing brought nature to life. The biting cold of the bitter winter on this tiny island near the Arctic Circle was almost like a character on its own and as much as my tropical ass loves the idea of winter, I don't reckon I'd survive this, lol.
As wonderful as the setting was though, the best part of this was Emily, Wendell and the villagers who I grew to love so much by the end of this book! Sometimes I wonder if we're meant to like Emily at all but in all honesty, I loved her and appreciate her character so much. She's brilliant, curmudgeonly, and incredibly passionate about anything and everything to do with the folk. But the minute it comes to interacting with people she clams up and doesn't know what to do or say. I can relate so much to that! She grew up as a "too smart" young woman with a family that didn't know what to do with her and she had to rely on herself to get anything done. If there's anyone who could teach a Masterclass on how to suppress emotions, Emily would be the one. What you see is what you get with her and I loved that she knew her shortcomings just as well as her strengths! Although she doesn't try to actively change herself throughout the story, as she realises that people are willing to accept her for who she is, it comes about naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed her academic mind and I especially loved it when Wendell came into the picture!
From Emily's pov, Wendell is her academic rival and begrudgingly on her part, her only friend. He's the sunshine to her grump and the exact opposite to her in every way. Where she's rigid about her research, he orders his minions around and kind of flops about everywhere. Where she's socially awkward to her core, he's the light and life of every party and conversation. He's an incorrigible flirt and charms his way through everything he does. I adored his character, especially the sharp, witty banter that he has with Emily! There were serious moments that I knew I probably shouldn't have been laughing but I couldn't help it because of how they spoke about and to each other. It was always respectful and honest but also incredibly endearing. And I loved that even as he needled her to tears, you could tell that he always did so with a great fondness for his dear dragon, Emily. 😍 I loved them so, so much!
I think the only qualm that I have, although it hasn't affected my rating this time around, is how neatly the ending wrapped up. It happened very quickly and it felt too clean considering it has to do with such a powerful faerie. But as I said, it didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I'm so glad that I decided to re-read this before continuing with the second book because I feel so differently about it compared to last year! If you're also thinking about the audiobook for this, I would highly recommend it because the narrators did a fantastic job with all the character voices, especially Emily's and Wendell's!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
vjlp22_reader's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Kidnapping
acesolaris's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
theintrovertsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder
eni_se's review against another edition
3.0
I flew through this book. It's an easy read. And yet here I am giving you a trigger warning:
TW: finger mutilation
Wtf, Fawcett, this was supposed to be a feel-good, whimsical book with low stakes! And the finger being violently and unexpectedly cut off was really not even necessary for the plot! It happened for the stupidest reason. Literally not much would have changed.
This leads me to another issue I had with this book: the protagonist is very mousy and bland. While I love an academic or scientist protagonist, Emily Wilde was honestly as bland as UK food. Fitting, as she is British. The love interest Bamleby was much more engaging. It doesn't help that we get the story from her journal entries, and she writes as blandly as you would expect for someone with the personality of a filing cabinet the size of a mouse. It's not like she's cute in her reactions, or even relatable or understandable; she's not weird enough, or autistic enough, or anything that justifies her as the protagonist. She shines the best when she's interacting with faeries, as it's her area of expertise, or well... until she also makes amateur decisions that put the entire village at risk.
Speaking of, she wins over the people pretty quickly from one chapter to the next for someone who managed to antagonize the entire village in the first hours after arriving to the island where she's set to do some research.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book (up until that traumatic amputation happened out of nowhere), I was also left warning much more from the romance. I was expecting either a little spice in the veins of [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123] - Folk of the Air trilogy, or more swoony, sweet romantic moments. And I got neither. While the banter between the main character and the love interest is really good, they didn't connect deeply enough for me. hey rarely talked about deeper topics, about themselves outside of what we already knew from the get-go; they rarely touched softly, or had heated interactions charged with sexual tension. Nothing.
Honestly, Bambleby was a much more engaging character. I wish we'd gotten the book from his perspective. I love his attitude, friendliness and that he's an excellent tailor. I was half expecting the love interest to be a local from the island, but the sorry we got for him was good as well. Though I can't help feeling like the setting for this story was very interchangeable, there was nothing about the setting being a cold Nordic island that truly affected me much. It could have been set in a tropical town too and it would have been pretty much the same story. So the setting wasn't that well integrated into the story.
The writing is pretty good, some of the scenes had really cool imagery (the frozen lake market, the old white cursed tree) but I wish it was far more atmospheric. It would have helped a lot to elevate this story. The story overall is engaging, fast-paced, but sprinkled with a lot of awkwardness.
I do love me a black shadow puppy. He was the best of the story. And the little forest ice faerie who loves a good fashionable cape is also precious.
I am half tempted to read the second book because of Bambleby, but I'm also thinking I would rather read something else.
TW: finger mutilation
Wtf, Fawcett, this was supposed to be a feel-good, whimsical book with low stakes! And the finger being violently and unexpectedly cut off was really not even necessary for the plot! It happened for the stupidest reason. Literally not much would have changed.
This leads me to another issue I had with this book: the protagonist is very mousy and bland. While I love an academic or scientist protagonist, Emily Wilde was honestly as bland as UK food. Fitting, as she is British. The love interest Bamleby was much more engaging. It doesn't help that we get the story from her journal entries, and she writes as blandly as you would expect for someone with the personality of a filing cabinet the size of a mouse. It's not like she's cute in her reactions, or even relatable or understandable; she's not weird enough, or autistic enough, or anything that justifies her as the protagonist. She shines the best when she's interacting with faeries, as it's her area of expertise, or well... until she also makes amateur decisions that put the entire village at risk.
Speaking of, she wins over the people pretty quickly from one chapter to the next for someone who managed to antagonize the entire village in the first hours after arriving to the island where she's set to do some research.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this book (up until that traumatic amputation happened out of nowhere), I was also left warning much more from the romance. I was expecting either a little spice in the veins of [b:The Cruel Prince|26032825|The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)|Holly Black|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574535986l/26032825._SY75_.jpg|45959123] - Folk of the Air trilogy, or more swoony, sweet romantic moments. And I got neither. While the banter between the main character and the love interest is really good, they didn't connect deeply enough for me. hey rarely talked about deeper topics, about themselves outside of what we already knew from the get-go; they rarely touched softly, or had heated interactions charged with sexual tension. Nothing.
Honestly, Bambleby was a much more engaging character. I wish we'd gotten the book from his perspective. I love his attitude, friendliness and that he's an excellent tailor. I was half expecting the love interest to be a local from the island, but the sorry we got for him was good as well. Though I can't help feeling like the setting for this story was very interchangeable, there was nothing about the setting being a cold Nordic island that truly affected me much. It could have been set in a tropical town too and it would have been pretty much the same story. So the setting wasn't that well integrated into the story.
The writing is pretty good, some of the scenes had really cool imagery (the frozen lake market, the old white cursed tree) but I wish it was far more atmospheric. It would have helped a lot to elevate this story. The story overall is engaging, fast-paced, but sprinkled with a lot of awkwardness.
I do love me a black shadow puppy. He was the best of the story. And the little forest ice faerie who loves a good fashionable cape is also precious.
I am half tempted to read the second book because of Bambleby, but I'm also thinking I would rather read something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
The main character self-amputates a finger with an axe.mattyroh07's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism and Kidnapping
beccam22's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you have read and enjoyed half a soul I think you will enjoy this. Overall very cozy and a fun read.
Content Warnings
Minor: Self harm
There is a scene when the main character cuts off her own finger with an axe but it is brief.