Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries: the Sunday Times Bestseller

Product Information

Like, the whole thing about Emily being chosen to marry the fae king came so suddenly and without build-up, and it was the exact same when it came to her rescue. Bambelby and I entertained ourselves at the cottage by coaxing a recalcitrant Shadow into his new raiment, which was patterned with flowers and equipped with a jaunty hood. It’s written as if we are reading pages of Emily’s diaries with little scenes taken from the current events, which sounds like it could be jarring, actually the whole style of writing should make us feel disconnected from the story and the characters, but in fact it had the complete opposite effect. I mean it when I say this is the perfect book to summon snow for your increasingly warm winter weather. The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs—and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible.

I feel like I was really mislead by the descriptions I have seen for this book and the comparisons to some other books that happen to be some of my favorites. However, I did have a fun time buddy reading it with wonderful Rebecca: we laughed really hard at each other's reactions and at the absurdity of this book, and we vented a lot about Emily. The characters are wonderfully good-humoured and forgiving, even when things aren’t going their way, and the dialogue is peppered with a wittiness that sets a smile upon your face that refuses to budge. I’ve seen some really good reviews of it around and it definitely felt like the sort of read I really want at the moment – bit of fantasy, bit of romance (you kind of have to squint) and it’s also a historical novel as well. But for all her academic achievements, Emily has never been good at people, preferring the company of her dog, Shadow, and the strange Fair Folk to other humans.I’ve seen this book around the book community and remained undecided about whether to read it or not. Something about this book reminded me of the feel of A Discovery of Witches which coming from me is very much not a compliment. A genius scholar and foremost expert on faeries, Emily Wilde is writing the world’s first encyclopedia of faerie lore.

From its characters to the writing style, this book is as much of a curiosity as the mythical creatures it lovingly explores. The story mainly features Emily and Wendell Bambleby, another professor from Cambridge who invites himself along on her expedition and who she is frustratedly annoyed at because she’s sure he’s trying to take credit for her work. But it is really hard to stack all this up against the litany of various gripes that are evident throughout. All characters, including the faeries, felt like they had hopes, dreams, and reasons for their anger.Absolutely, Emily does not want her disgruntled, immaculately tailored colleague joining her in this nightmarish winter wonderland. There are simply plenty of other books out there willing to provide cosy historical fantasy romances, and many of those just do a better job of it. Because it feels a difficult thing, especially at the start, to sympathise with her while watching her behaviour.