REVIEW: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - 4*
My birthday falls just before Christmas, which means at the end of the year, I receive lots of wonderful books from my lovely family and friends. The stack I received was varied; some history, a romance, fantasy, etc. Feeling a little blue, I decided to reach for the book that was described as warm and cosy by its giver (who is warm and cosy herself), which happened to be Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett.
Truth be told to you, person reading; I am not much of a faerie person. I think I have notions of books with fae in as a child which I never just really fell in love with. There are so many creatures I love to read about- as an elder millennial, I was around for the Twilight hype which fed into the ‘dark romance’ era of Kate Cann, Cate Tiernan, Meg Cabot, P.C. and Kristen Cast, and their fabulous ilk with magical creatures and beings up the wazoo. I know and love my magical creatures, but faeries have always been closer to the bottom of that list I’m afraid to say.
Thankfully, I am proud to say that with age I have been granted experience and good friends who know me better than myself. From the first page, I knew I was in for something outside of the fae I expected. The main character, Emily Wilde, is the kind of academic I love to read about; single-minded, slightly awkward, extremely perceptive but misses the obvious. *Chef’s Kiss* She also has a dog named Shadow who is a very good boy. Dogs and dark academia are a top combo.
We follow Dr Wilde on her journey to a lonely, isolated place touching the arctic circle called Ljoland. In order to conclude her research, and consequently her book (the eponymic Encyclopaedia of Faeries), she must be the first in her field to find the Hidden Ones and that means making the trek to a frozen village called Hrafnsvik. No small feat.
I know Hrafnsvik is supposed to seem cold, unwelcoming, and a bad idea- but to me the place seems like a haven. I have long dreamt of log cabins in the snow, rooms which are largely bed, and a log fireplace which burns through the night. The landscape here reflects the faeries it hides. They too are cold, daunting and particularly unwelcoming. Their design seems to be a cross between human and elven, and I enjoyed the way Fawcett crafted their lore.
Emily doesn’t immediately endear herself to the villagers, but does befriend a local fae she named Poe who lives by a hot spring. They are a wonderful addition to the novel, and help to debunk the myth surrounding food in the faerie realm. Thankfully, though to Emily’s distress, her colleague Dr Wendell Bambleby arrives somewhat unannounced, and manages to turn the tide with the village. The pair learn about the faeries which arrive with the winter, and how the Ljolanders put up with more than just snow. Truly, the way Fawcett describes many of the elements in the village wouldn’t be out of place in a horror novel.
The addition of Wendell is where the story really gets started. His arrival brings with it more action, and more understanding of Emily to boot. Their relationship is half enemies to lovers and half ignorance to understanding, which is a nice twist on the classic. Wendell’s character is untethered, appearing quite nonchalant and uncaring until you realise exactly why that is. It’s a great journey of self-exploration and growth, which I think is what leaves the ending so sound.
After plowing through the book in a day, I finished with that warm and solid feeling in my chest that is the sign of a good book. Well, those with relatively happy endings anyway. I felt satisfied and changed by the act of reading, and will carry these characters with me for a while. I’m not going to start the second book Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands for a little while, aiming to finish my pile before buying anything else new, but I am already looking forward to it.
Also, just to say; I know not everyone is a fan of the epistolary format, but I personally enjoy them. I like seeing from the character’s point of view and the tang of emotion that marks the next chapter with events you are yet to read about. I also enjoyed Wendell’s additions, feeling like I understood him all the more for it, and enjoyed the contrast between the pair. I think the epistolary love kicked in when I read Dracula for the first time as a teenager, and I’ve never been let down by another diary or letter format book since. Special shout out to Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell which is a standout in the genre for all of the best reasons.
I would definitely recommend Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries if you like fantasy, cosy books, and well-rounded characters. I’m sure the follow ups will be equally as enjoyable, and look forward to seeing Emily and Wendell again (hopefully, with a little more romance brewing).