Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett is an absolutely charming tale selected for the January LibraryReads list. The start of a new series, this novel features a young, ambitious researcher named Emily Wilde who heads to Hrafnsvik, Ljosland, a place of snow and winter, in her quest to learn more about fairies and both common and courtly fae. Wilde believes “one doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories” and she is hard at work (very singularly focused) on completing her encyclopedia. The villagers have a mixed reaction to Emily until she is joined by a colleague named Wendell Bambleby. They make a formidable team although, much like the duo of Miss Scarlet and the Duke on PBS, the two often exasperate each other in an amusing fashion. Emily’s vast knowledge and Wendell’s unique skills combine to rescue some local people who have been captured by the fairies and that leads to even more adventures with the villagers. Events and observations are recorded in Emily’s research journal and Fawcett does an excellent job of world-building and sharing various myths and legends. The best part, however, is observing Emily’s fits and starts at “fitting in” and caring about those in the real world. Her future escapades promise to be very entertaining. EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES received a starred review for Library Journal and is recommended for “readers of cozy fantasies” by Kirkus.