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A review by theamyleblanc
Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
5.0
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is DELIGHTFUL! The cover pulled me in, the title stirred my curiosity, the synopsis had me hooked -- and they all live up to their promise.
I find I'm a bit hit or miss when it comes to faeries and faerie tales. Oftentimes I find the narration too stodgy yet somehow also holier-than-thou preachy. It's a weird, off-putting style that is blessedly absent from this story. The fact that this is told as a series of journal entries during Emily's field work probably helps keep it more personal (as personal as Emily gets).
The characters are lovely, all of them. Emily and Wendell make me smile, I have a fondness for Poe, and I imagine the Ice King a spectacular and fearsome sight to behold. And gods what I wouldn't give to hang out with Shadow for a day! He is the quintessential snuggly protector.
This story is beautifully woven together. It's a faerie story so I didn't try to guess at much of anything, acknowledging the capricious nature of faeries. But having finished it, it's lovely to see the little hints and clues sprinkled throughout. The secondary (almost tertiary) romantic plotline is so sweet and warm and full of hopeful promise, like the first sunny day of spring.
And it seems to have left the door open for another book...
I've already been recommending this to everyone!
This book is DELIGHTFUL! The cover pulled me in, the title stirred my curiosity, the synopsis had me hooked -- and they all live up to their promise.
I find I'm a bit hit or miss when it comes to faeries and faerie tales. Oftentimes I find the narration too stodgy yet somehow also holier-than-thou preachy. It's a weird, off-putting style that is blessedly absent from this story. The fact that this is told as a series of journal entries during Emily's field work probably helps keep it more personal (as personal as Emily gets).
The characters are lovely, all of them. Emily and Wendell make me smile, I have a fondness for Poe, and I imagine the Ice King a spectacular and fearsome sight to behold. And gods what I wouldn't give to hang out with Shadow for a day! He is the quintessential snuggly protector.
This story is beautifully woven together. It's a faerie story so I didn't try to guess at much of anything, acknowledging the capricious nature of faeries. But having finished it, it's lovely to see the little hints and clues sprinkled throughout. The secondary (almost tertiary) romantic plotline is so sweet and warm and full of hopeful promise, like the first sunny day of spring.
And it seems to have left the door open for another book...
I've already been recommending this to everyone!