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

LOCUS AWARD FINALIST • 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

Don’t miss any of Heather Fawcett’s charming Emily Wilde series:

EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES • EMILY WILDE’S MAP OF THE OTHERLANDS • EMILY WILDE’S COMPENDIUM OF LOST TALES

©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

Ahhh so this is what a cozy adventure looks like

I personally felt like there were fairly low stakes it didn’t make me anxious at all which some books do.
As an ✨Autistic Girlie✨ myself I highly relate to this main character. Also the MMC is giving Howl from Howls moving castle and I absolutely love that.

Fantastic

I love that the main character is awkward and puts her foot in her mouth often (same girl, same). I love that the fair folk are shown in a range and I love that there was a bit of romance, but it wasn't the main component of the story. Will absolutely be listening again!

Enchanting

I loved this story so much. It was enchanting and fun! The narrator/s were fantastic and thoroughly brought me into the story. The author is wonderful and I can’t wait to see where she takes Emily and Wendell next!

Fun Silly Escapism

Loved it. I will get the next one. Great character development. I enjoyed stepping into this world.

Loved it. Heart warming characters. Good story.

Perfectly written stories and characters with expressive voice actors to bring them to life. Can’t wait for the next one in the series.

Delightful!

Loved the story, characters and the narration! Loved all the little stories within the story. Can’t wait for the next in series.

Took me awhile, but then I LOVED it

At first, it was such a different approach that it took me awhile to catch on, but once I did… I loved it.
And I have read about every version of this genre, so give it a go, and several chapters! and I can’t imagine you’ll regret it. The characters keep revealing more about themselves throughout the story which is wonderful. There’s good humor too. I was so disappointed I have to wait for second book. Hard to find these pearls.

Wonderfully magical!!

I loved this story and the narration! Highly recommend to anyone wanting a story about magic and fae that moves away from the current romance stories. This one is 95% plot and 5% romance. 💛🧚🏼‍♀️🧚

So dang sweet!

What a breath of fresh air, someone threw the same old tropes out the window and created such a beautiful little story.

Adorable

This was a very adorable story and had wonderful narration! I had a lot of fun listening.