dragonaion's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At first I was not taken by the "matter of fact" and neutral approach of the story. I thought the first two chapters were dry and simple, but I can attest that is the author writing the world through the eyes of the main character and is very apropos. By chapter three, I was smitten and devoured every page.
As a lover of fae of all kinds, I was tickled and delighted by the smoothness and almost natural involvement of the fae in the story. None of it was out of place (which is saying something, given the nature of some of the scenes) and it all blended and came into place perfectly. With such expressions of high fantasy, it is hard to mistake some parts as being absurd and not belonging, like suddenly seeing a majestic and shining pegasus in a normal field. This magic, however, was laced in so naturally that it naturally belonged and was wonderful.
As a lover of fae of all kinds, I was tickled and delighted by the smoothness and almost natural involvement of the fae in the story. None of it was out of place (which is saying something, given the nature of some of the scenes) and it all blended and came into place perfectly. With such expressions of high fantasy, it is hard to mistake some parts
Spoiler
like an animal cloak that melts in the heat, but reluctantly gives the wearer what they need
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Violence, Classism, Blood, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Body horror, Child abuse, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Murder
There are scenes that may constitute "child abuse", but the character is not technically a child but a magical creature in the shape of a child, and the "sexual content" includes barely a kiss.littleflowerfairy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I'm going to be honest; in my personal opinion, most popular fae fantasy books don't depict fae accurately. They're hardly ever like how they're depicted in folklore. People tend to just use the term 'fae' to as either a catch-all for any type of mythical creature, or the term for only a very specific, beautiful, human-like species. This may not bother most people, and there's nothing inherently wrong with it, but as a fae enthusiast frequently doing research for my own fae book, it really bothers me when 'fae' is used very loosely.
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries does none of that. Heather Fawcett weaves a beautiful story that combines the typical mystery and mischief of fae, with her own twists and addition that make sense and really feel like something you'd read about in an old book about faerie lore! The way she describes the fae and how they interact with our world is incredible and makes for such beautiful imagery! Though I read this in the height of summer, I almost felt like I could step right into the wintery landscape.
Honestly it took me a bit to get really into the book, the first half felt a little slow, but by the second half I was thoroughly hooked!! I loved the characters, the atmosphere, and the feeling like I was reading through an old journal nearly lost to time. It was seriously such a cozy read to curl up with at the end of the day! I can't wait for the 2nd book!!
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries does none of that. Heather Fawcett weaves a beautiful story that combines the typical mystery and mischief of fae, with her own twists and addition that make sense and really feel like something you'd read about in an old book about faerie lore! The way she describes the fae and how they interact with our world is incredible and makes for such beautiful imagery! Though I read this in the height of summer, I almost felt like I could step right into the wintery landscape.
Honestly it took me a bit to get really into the book, the first half felt a little slow, but by the second half I was thoroughly hooked!! I loved the characters, the atmosphere, and the feeling like I was reading through an old journal nearly lost to time. It was seriously such a cozy read to curl up with at the end of the day! I can't wait for the 2nd book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Confinement, Murder, Violence, Blood, Animal death, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Child abuse, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit and Cursing
lizziaha's review against another edition
lighthearted
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
the only reason that this got docked is my personal dislike of fairytales, which bogged me down a bit in the middle. The romance had me giggling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Abandonment, and Blood
Minor: Child abuse and Gore
faduma's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gore, Kidnapping, Torture, Violence, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
jessiereads98's review
adventurous
funny
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
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. The autistic representation in the main character, Emily Wilde, is really well done. It does not feel clunky or heavy handed or like a caricature. The character is also more than just her autistic traits. I also thought the world building in this book was really well done. The fae and their magic system were compelling while feeling familiar. The exposition fit into the story naturally. Wendell Bambleby is more Emily’s academic nuisance than academic rival. There were things brought up like which seemed like a big deal, but weren’t really explored beyond being mentioned. Although, I suspect those things may be explored more in future books. Overall, this story weaves together romance, community, adventure, and folklore in a way that is fun and interesting.
Spoiler
his fraudulent research
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Minor: Medical content, Gore, Alcohol, Body horror, Murder, and Child abuse
kbairbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this book despite having a little bit of a hard time getting into it at first because of the academic verbiage. Despite said academic verbiage, I felt like the details and descriptions of environments and things and people and customs were quite lovely. I love the small town, Village vibes and the found family aspects, and I also loved what I perceived to be great autism representation. I love how the villagers grew to understand and love Emily, regardless of her difficulties, and struggles with communication. I love that she equally grew to love them in a way she had never anticipated. I also would have loved to see an explicit scene? At least one. I don’t know, but I felt like I missed out on that opportunity lol. I also don’t entirely know what the conclusion of the scene at the castle was near the end, but despite that, I am still pleased with the ending. I really enjoyed this book, and I really enjoyed the characters, and I really enjoyed the connections to the characters as well as between the characters to each other and I’m very excited for book two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Child abuse
raimeyreads's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Death, and Child abuse
Minor: Animal death, Gore, and Animal cruelty
awaterswadesthrough's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Violence
chrisljm's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A lovely soft fantasy that felt so comforting and the perfect read for a snow-filled winter.
It's stemmed in a world we're used to, but with the addition of fae and magic, so while there is world building and new myths to be learned, it still feels familiar. I loved the setting, the adventure, the characters, as well as the hint of romance we got to see. This book was enchanting and I eagerly await the next book in the series.
It's stemmed in a world we're used to, but with the addition of fae and magic, so while there is world building and new myths to be learned, it still feels familiar. I loved the setting, the adventure, the characters, as well as the hint of romance we got to see.
Spoiler
I wasn't convinced about that romance at first, because Bambelby didn't arrive on the scene until well into the start of the story, and I wasn't certain that the romance was between him and Emily until well after that. But the more I learned about them and saw how they interacted with each other, the more I came to adore their relationship and how they contrast each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Animal cruelty, Murder, Death, Child abuse, Self harm, and Torture
Minor: Vomit, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
displacedcactus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
If you've been waiting for a spiritual successor to Marie Brennan's Lady Trent series, here you go. In Emily Wilde, Fawcett gives us a similarly smart, curious, and driven character who is passionate about her chosen field of study. This time around, though, the subject is faeries, not dragons.
Look, I've been a geek about faeries since I was 16, so of course I have some quibbles with a few of the author's choices. However, by and large she sticks to the established lore, with some changes for the following reasons:
-Book takes place in a fictional country (but on earth)
-Faeries are known to be real and many humans have interacted with them
- A bit of artistic license
My biggest complaint is that I don't ship the central romance. I'd rather see those characters remain "frenemies", or have a romantic connection that built slowly over several books, so that it felt earned. Also (major spoilers for the romantic pairing and minor spoilers for events later in the book),
Look, I've been a geek about faeries since I was 16, so of course I have some quibbles with a few of the author's choices. However, by and large she sticks to the established lore, with some changes for the following reasons:
-Book takes place in a fictional country (but on earth)
-Faeries are known to be real and many humans have interacted with them
- A bit of artistic license
My biggest complaint is that I don't ship the central romance. I'd rather see those characters remain "frenemies", or have a romantic connection that built slowly over several books, so that it felt earned. Also (major spoilers for the romantic pairing and minor spoilers for events later in the book),
Spoiler
I get the appeal of "monsterf*cking" content, but I have a real hard time with male love interests who fly into a rage and do major big-time violence when the heroine is threatened. Bambleby's massacre of the bogles who attacked Emily was outsized and scary. Suitable for a faerie, yes, but for a love interest? I'd be afraid about what he'd do to ME when I failed to live up to his romantic expectations in some way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Shadow the dog is a very good boi and is never in any serious peril or danger. There is a scene that involves dealing with a changeling to try to get the stolen child back, and Emily's action towards the faerie child were a little hard to accept. I suspect some readers will lose interest in her as a sympathetic character based on that.