Emily does show some growth, but her suddenly caring about the people in this town feels insincere as it only comes after they all help her in her time of need. Emily is a scholar who struggles when it comes to socialising, unless the topic surrounds faeries as she’s dedicated her life thus far to studying them. It was never clear why Emily was rivals with Wendell Bambleby, and he was helpful to her throughout the book and did little things to make her time in this isolated town easier.

This book is utterly charming, although it certainly has dark elements so be aware of that, but the writing is so good. 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.

Emily Wilde is a character in where you’re not quite sure what to think about her in the beginning and by the end of the book, you absolutely love her. We also get to travel to some fae realms to solve a mystery that did get a little dark - so please use caution. com}: A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series. I saw the autism-like coding, too, and it came across as very unintentional, and honestly, it irritated me. The faerie kidnapping elements are terrifying and I shivered constantly during the latter half (admittedly I am easy to scare, especially when I'm reading at night).

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? She is incredibly smart and while her social skills may be lacking, her ability to enter the world of and deal with the Fae is like no other.While out there, she is, to her disgruntlement, joined by her annoyingly charming and handsome friend and academic rival, Wendell Bambleby. She also notices some odd things in the village, indications of humans that have been bewitched by the fae.

Emily is writing the first encyclopaedia of faeries and she is in the a village in the far north finishing her book. 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. especially when compared to Emily) The only thing I can't comprehend is why he would love Emily at all.Chilling, packed with lore, and a slow burn, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett is the type of book I’ve been looking for. Combining fantasy, mystery, history, and romance elements, this is a one-of-a-kind story, unlike anything I've read concerning faerie so far. There’s plenty of fae shenanigans and in fact the story takes a very dramatic turn which I certainly didn’t foresee. I loved the cosy village scenes, and the discovery of new fairies, and the pauses for Wendell shenanigans and the adventurous twist at the end.

If the diary format had been fully realised, this could quite easily be handwaved away as being stuck inside Emily's head and only getting her view. However Emily does care about people in her own way and she makes a lot of steps to help some of the locals that have been negatively impacted by interactions with the fae. But in general, and mainly because Emily didn’t see it as an option, I just never really found myself getting behind the idea, or excited about it in any way. But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart. And while, yes, this feels like absolutely the sort of attitude an English scholar in 1909 would have, why, when you’re doing queernorm, gender equalitarian past, did you have to leave that in?Their back-and-forth dry wit mixed with sweet friendship and prickly colleague mannerisms got me straight to the heart. I don’t know how much more gushing I can provide to tempt you to pick this up but if you enjoy scholarly style stories told in journal format by a slightly prickly professor with a love for anything fae set during the 1900s and with a mystery running through its core, not to mention a sprinkling of romance, delicious banter and chemistry and an adorable dog. Fawcett crafts several fine mysteries, mines plenty of faerie folklore, and blends equal parts girl detective, academic warrior, and Emma Thompson channeling-Austen into this smart and sparkling fantasy. The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings…Emily is an Amelia Peabody in snowshoes, and readers will be utterly charmed. There’s plenty of tricksy behaviour and the author manages to instill darkness and threat with changelings and other fae who are yet more dangerous.