Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

2023 • 354 pages

Ratings276

Average rating4.1

15

I was (more so) a fan of A Natural History of Dragons so I mostly enjoyed this, though it's not worth the hype it's getting. Love the whimsical, eerie nature of the faeries, Emily's occasionally a vibe and Bambley made me picture a friendlier Astarion. 

It does have its issues though. The “slow burn” rivals to lovers romance is basically nonexistent so when the declaration of love happens it feels really jarring. 

I'm conflicted with people claiming Emily is autistic-coded. As an ND person myself, I can def see that the author chose ND-ish traits and how people can relate to her... but I don't love the perpetuation that ND people are very unsympathetic to the plight of those around them. Tbh I read that more as a flaw in Emily's character because let's be real this book (and I assume the rest of the series) is light on the plot so they needed to give her SOMETHING of an arc. 

What little action there is is summarized in a perfunctory way, draining any tension from the scenes. 

The climax felt very, well anticlimactic unfortunately. 

A fine read if you're looking for something simple and chill. You definitely have to be in the mood for it though, otherwise it'll feel slow and dry. 

October 25, 2024