Pages: 315
Published: 10th January 2023
Genre: Fantasy
Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party – or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.
So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.
But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones – the most elusive of all faeries – lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all – her own heart.
From its characters to the writing style, this book is as much of a curiosity as the mythical creatures it lovingly explores. Unfailingly whimsical and with a kind of sardonic playfulness at every turn that brings many a smile to your face, it also gets a bit caught up in its rather elaborate example of a first person narrative, which while endearing, sometimes makes the plot hard to follow.
The author succeeds in creating an atmospheric world of eccentricity, and clearly puts a lot of thought into magical systems and fairy lore, using a range of ideas and inspirations. It is fun to fully immerse yourself in this, and right from the start the novelty of it is quite welcoming, just to emphasise that it is the kind of story best enjoyed while curled up and feeling cosy.
It is often said that academia is a fairly lonesome pursuit that leaves little space for some of the more frivolous aspects of life, and that is definitely true for Emily. She is insular and anti-social, preferring the company of her research subjects and her dog to that of other people; as such possessing next to no conversational skills whatsoever.
That is one of the reasons why her voice is so enjoyable to read. She can hardly be described as engaging due to how she describes her work and her surroundings in a formal, distant manner, but there is a lot of irony in how this is presented and her curmudgeonly ways are quite amusing. This attitude of Emily’s is the book’s biggest spark, paving the way for many of its highlights.
The greatest example of this is in her love/hate relationship with fellow scholar Wendell Bambleby, who so happens to be a member of the faeries himself. The possibility of a romance between the two is frequently teased, with the constant exasperation shown towards each other offset by a mutual respect. Bambleby is entertaining too, with a charismatic swagger about him, and his fondness for Emily’s quirk. Together, they bounce off each other very well.
Although the writing style succeeds in bringing out the characters of Emily and Bambleby, it sadly has a negative effect on the plot. A lot happens in the final part of the book as they delve deeper into the realms of the faeries, but the way it is told is at times indecipherable and hard to make sense of. If only it could have been made clearer what was actually happening amid all the fancy words, it would have made for spectacular reading.
Luckily, there are no such problems with the setting. Hrafnsvik has the feel of a mysterious place from the moment we arrive there, and the people also have their own unique culture about them, seen especially in the way they react when Emily rejects their offers of help. The faeries themselves are reasonably varied, with some the epitome of innocence and others very calculating, though all of them love a negotiation.
Overall, there is a lot of joy to be found in these pages, most notably early on when you cannot help but feel bewitched by the world and the delightful combination of cleverness and social ineptitude that Emily conveys. The influence of Bambleby only enhances this, but as it goes on the plot gets somewhat lost underneath all the academic technobabble, so it does not manage to fire on all possible cylinders.
Heather Fawcett has written novels aimed towards a variety of audiences, from children to adults. Unlike this one, most of her previous books involve dragons in one way or another – these titles include Even The Darkest Stars, Ember And The Ice Dragons, and The Grace Of Wild Things.
With degrees in English Literature and Archaeology, Heather published Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia Of Faeries in January 2023, and the sequel is coming up in 2024. She lives on Vancouver island.
One of the most whimsical book you will find. I had a lot of fun with it, but did struggle at times with the writing style.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐.5
Stephen Reads Books 