Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies

I loved this book! The language, the storyline, the way the author turns a phrase, and the notebook format are so enjoyable.

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I loved that the protagonist doesn’t care at all about her looks, her clothes, or anyone’s opinion about her. I loved that she operates on an intellectual level at all times, that she cares more for scholarship than anything else. How refreshing! Even the cover art of this book is great.

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The mountains themselves were lightly ensnowed, though there was no threat of a sequel in that cerulean canopy.

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As far as the plot goes, we are sure where it is going about halfway into the book, but the way we get there (including stimulating fairy lore, ever deepening sub-plots, and an emotional roller coaster) is such a pleasure. I never wanted this book to end.

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I guess a lot of other readers felt the same because she wrote a sequel that was released January of 2024, and the Kindle version of the book is the same price as a new book made of paper (which is I think is very unsportsmanlike)!

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Within the hinterlands of the prospect heaved the great beast of the sea with its patchy pelt of ice floes.

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Beyond, my view was largely obstructed by another, much higher range of mountains, a great convocation of them jutting messily from the green earth brandishing their glacial raiments.

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For as much as I liked this book and look forward to the sequel, I did wonder if it were for Young Adults because it is absolutely chaste.

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At it’s core, it’s a love story, and although everyone is an adult and there are two marriage proposals and months of shacking up with both dudes, there was only a single kiss on the side of a person’s mouth in the entire book. That is weird.

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And the evil wasn’t scary evil - it was just evil enough to be scientifically compelling.

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Shadow padded up to me and put his head on my knee, all forgiven, as it always is with dogs. If I frightened my cat as I had Shadow, she’d ignore me for days, or possibly put a curse on me, but then cats have self-respect.

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This is an excellent book to read to a kid.

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