A review by angorarabbit
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing 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? Yes

4.0

The tale of The Woodcutter and His Cat (34% of the way in) describes the murder of an animal and can be skipped. Female leaders and same sex relationships are normal and healthy. 
 
Context: This was the fourth out of five books I wanted to read on the Kindle Series Pioneer achievement and one of two that I may continue the series with. I was quite concerned when the first character introduced was Shadow, checking the StoryGraph content warnings and Does the Dog Die give me the reassurance I needed to carry on. 
 
The book is mainly the journal of the main character Emily with occasional tales and a few entries by Wendell. Emily is for the most part an engaging writer and keeps the story at a decent if not blazing pace. Emily herself is charming and Wendell is enchanting, it will be interesting to see how the two get on once they are back on home ground. 
 
I read a few reviews commenting on how Wendell purposefully laughs at an autistic coded Emily that I would like to talk about. While Emily does see herself as socially inept, I’m not sure that counts as autistic or if she is just an introverted academic. In any case, I saw Wendell as not laughing at Emily but being remarkably understanding of her. If anything one could argue Emily is the cruel one, considering Wendell’s background. 
 
I was afraid that this was going to be a enemies to friends romance, but instead it was a heartwarming story of people helping each other through some tough times. I also appreciated how the lead male character asked for help from mainly women and people whom, considering his background, may have seemed to him to be not worth asking. 
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