Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Book One of the Emily Wilde Series

By: Heather Fawcett

Narrated by: Ell Potter, Michael Dodds

Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north in this “incredibly fun journey through fae lands and dark magic” (NPR), the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.

“A darkly gorgeous fantasy that sparkles with snow and magic.”—Sangu Mandanna, author of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, PopSugar, Polygon, The Globe and Mail, She Reads

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, muddle 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.

Book One of the Emily Wilde Series

©2022 Heather Fawcett (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“An incredibly fun journey through fae lands and dark magic”—NPR

“A heartwarming spin on fantasy lore”—POPSUGAR

“The world-building here is exquisite . . . and the characters are just as textured and richly drawn. This is the kind of forlorn, folkloric fantasy that remembers the old, blood-ribboned source material about sacrifices and stolen children, but adds a modern gloss.”—“Sizzling Hot Books for Cold Winter Days,” The New York Times Book Review

Enchanting, whimsical and so much fun

The story was lovely, I did have to slow it down so I could process it all as it’s read a little quickly for my own personal enjoyment.
Witty and imaginative, my first fairie novel as an adult and I enjoyed it very much. Going to listen to it again 🖤

loved it

incredibly refreshing - great story, great characters and shift from the world of “fae” that’s so common to more faerie vibes that are still just as enthralling

An Incredible Stories of Faeries & Falling in love

Fawcett has the ability to write faeries unlike anyone in the current time, they are heavily inspired by very classic folktales/fairytales and leave you feeling weary more then @roused. The story was incredible and the voice performances from Dodds and Potter were incredibly. I hope that we get even more from Dodds in the next book! They brought these characters to life with both charm and awkwardness (respectively).

Fairy tales within a fairy tale

Enjoyable on all levels. Well developed academic main characters. Very detailed scenarios. I have added a hard cover copy to my library.

Clean and clever

This was just a good solid story. Easy to listen to and not filled with smut. You can tell a good story when it doesn’t need to be filled with all of that stuff to be entertaining.

A deep dive into a fantasy world

Great pacing and characters. The description of the frozen setting made it otherworldly but familiar.

Delightful storyline

The characters were so interesting the storyline moved really fast, I loved it. Can’t wait to read the next one.

Loved

Can’t wait for the second book in the Emily Wilde series. Loved the first so much,

Absolutely wonderful

This book was simply enchanting. Loved the characters, the development of the world and the characters within. The subtle romance that is pure and refreshing, leaving room for the more complex story to unfold. I cannot wait for book two!!

Whimsical Storytelling!

So fun! Great characters, evocative writing, witty and brought even more to life by the narrator