TL;DR: If you are a fan of cosy fantasies with a heaping of slow adventure and a soft romance, then you’ll probably enjoy Emily Wilde! This was just as heartwarming and cosy and wonderful as everyone said it would be and I loved it even more on re-read. 💜 Emily and Wendell are both such amazing characters and I absolutely loved the way this story was told! I surprisingly haven’t read *that* many books about the fae/faeries but this is undoubtedly a new favourite story about them.

My first re-read of 2024 couldn’t have gone better because this was an absolute delight! I remember enjoying it well enough when I first read it last year but I also recall feeling slightly disappointed by the ending. Those same thoughts do not hold on re-read and I’m happy to say that I loved it so much more this time. It could be because I was listening to it on audiobook and annotated the heck out of it too which made me feel more immersed in the story.

Emily Wilde’s isn’t a fast-paced story and neither does it have a concrete plot beyond Emily researching the most elusive Hidden Ones to complete the final chapter in her encyclopaedia of faeries, which she has been working on for most of her adult life. It’s very much a cosy slice-of-life fantasy that moves along at a steady, although not particularly rapid, pace. We’re treated to Emily’s POV through her journal entries and being who she is, it does read very academically and that might not be to everyone’s taste but I thoroughly enjoyed it because of how well it captured her personality.

I found the world-building exquisite. This is a historical fantasy set in a world where faerie studies are a very real thing, and the existence of fae across the world has been chronicled and catalogued and numerous studies have been pursued. I loved the whimsical, enchanting and utterly terrifying nature of faeries. The way the faerie world is explored and dissected through Emily’s journal entries is magnificent and although I have no idea what I will do with all this information, I’m delighted that it’s been imparted! 😂 Aside from everything faerie, I also loved the way Fawcett’s writing brought nature to life. The biting cold of the bitter winter on this tiny island near the Arctic Circle was almost like a character on its own and as much as my tropical ass loves the idea of winter, I don’t reckon I’d survive this, lol.

As wonderful as the setting was though, the best part of this was Emily, Wendell and the villagers who I grew to love so much by the end of this book! Sometimes I wonder if we’re meant to like Emily at all but in all honesty, I loved her and appreciate her character so much. She’s brilliant, curmudgeonly, and incredibly passionate about anything and everything to do with the folk. But the minute it comes to interacting with people she clams up and doesn’t know what to do or say. I can relate so much to that! If there’s anyone who could teach a Masterclass on how to suppress emotions, Emily would be the one. What you see is what you get and I loved that she knew her shortcomings just as well as her strengths! Although she doesn’t try to actively change herself throughout the story, as she realises that people are willing to accept her for who she is, it comes about naturally. I thoroughly enjoyed her academic mind and I especially loved it when Wendell came into the picture!

From Emily’s pov, Wendell is her academic rival and begrudgingly on her part, her only friend. He’s the sunshine to her grump and the exact opposite to her in every way. Where she’s rigid about her research, he orders his minions around and kind of flops about everywhere. Where she’s socially awkward to her core, he’s the light and life of every conversation. He’s an incorrigible flirt and charms his way through everything he does. I adored his character, especially the sharp, witty banter that he has with Emily! There were serious moments that I knew I probably shouldn’t have been laughing but I couldn’t help it because of how they spoke about and to each other. It was always respectful and honest but also incredibly endearing. And I loved that even as he needled her to tears, you could tell that he always did so with a great fondness for his dear dragon, Emily. 😍 I loved them so, so much! His backstory was fascinating and I can’t say more cos major spoilers but let’s just say that I can’t wait to read more about him in the sequel.

I think the only “qualm” I have, though it didn’t affect my rating, is how neatly the ending wrapped up. It happened so quickly and it felt too clean. But as I said, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story!

If you’re also thinking about the audiobook for this, I would highly recommend it because the narrators did a fantastic job with all the character voices, especially Emily’s and Wendell’s!

Have you read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries or is it on your TBR?

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