As someone who typically doesn't enjoy the epistolary narrative, Emily's academic tone and observations worked really well for me! I loved Emily's aversion to people - or more so, their aversion to her as she fumbled through social etiquette and placed her academic curiosities above decorum at times. Her foil on the page was Bambleby, and the two made a humorous pairing. The intrigue surrounding the Hidden Ones, the wintry setting, and a certain secondary character named Poe made this read an absolute delight.

As much as I enjoyed the book, and I have continued the series since finishing, it doesn't get 5 stars from me because I found the ending to be very rushed after the slow, methodical pacing of the rest of the book. We received summarized closure, and that left me wanting. I also found the part where Emily is

stuck in the faerie court with the mad king

to be quite slow and dragging, and the resolution to the main conflict wasn't as satisfying or impressive as I would have liked. Heather Fawcett's writing can be repetitive at times as well, and I have a theory that it's due to her origins as a writer for children.