I adored this book, and I can seriously see so many of my friends adoring this too. It’s such a unique take on the Fae, for so many reasons, while still sticking to the same core that I’ve seen in so many stories. Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is an almost academic take on the Fae and on the stories surrounding them, and it worked so much better than I ever could have imagined.

The premise of this book circles around Emily and her academic interest in the Fae, wanting to be the first to write a cohesive guide to all the different types of Fae in the world. There are variations based on region, environment, and so much more, and Emily wants to meet them all. The entire story is told through the research journal she keeps while exploring the Hidden Ones, one of the last unexplored types of Fae, and this unique narration style only enhances the academic atmosphere of the book. The world this book is set in already has a large academic community entirely based on researching the Fae and learning more about them, and it’s constantly referenced in Emily’s research journal, through footnotes and references to research others have done before.

This set-up alone was enough to draw me in to the book, but then the characters themselves only drew me in more. Emily is a classic prickly academic, someone so focused on the pursuit of knowledge that she thinks of little else. Even then, something about her curiosity, and her wealth of knowledge when it comes to the Fae, is so endearing, that you begin to look past her walls and appreciate her as a narrator. And while the pursuit of knowledge is always her main goal, she begins to care about some of the people around her as well, and take them into account beyond just their use as study material. And even if Emily isn’t the character for you, Wendell surely is. He almost literally breaks right into the narrative a few chapters in, and shakes everything up in the best of ways. He has the same interests as Emily, but is everything she isn’t: charming, talkative, and not exactly inclined to hard-work. Their dynamic is such a fun one to read, and I adored reading their banter, and seeing them grow even closer over the course of this book was wonderful.

The only thing that I wish I’d known going in was that the book had a sequel, because it would’ve changed my perception of the ending, as I went in expected things to be a bit more wrapped up than they were. However, I’m ecstatic that there’s more to come of Emily and Wendell’s adventures, and I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this when it releases! If you love the Fae, from their wealth of lore and stories to their scheming ways, then this book is definitely one for you! It breathes new life into Faerie stories, and tackles this popular subject in such a new and unique way!