Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

A curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town in the far north to study faerie folklore and discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love in the start of a heartwarming and enchanting new fantasy series.

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, get in the middle of 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.

Paperback, 335 pages

Published October 24, 2023

 by Del Rey

3.75/5 stars

I'm always happy to pick up a book by a fellow Canadian, Heather Fawcett has come up with a premise I haven't seen before. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a clever idea and made for a fun read.

It's 1909 and Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor who is far more comfortable with faeries than with people. She heads to Hrafnsvik, a remote, snowbound village in the far north to study the local Hidden Ones for the encyclopaedia she's been compiling. The story unfolds through her field journal, which gives a front-row seat to her observations, her frustrations and her very dry sense of humour. Her plans are thrown off when her academic rival, the charming and maddening Wendell Bambleby turns up uninvited.

I really enjoyed the world building. The faeries aren't the sweet, glittery kind. They're actually kinda strange, unpredictable and even downright scary. The cold, isolated setting adds to the atmosphere nicely.

The characters are easy to like, the townsfolk with their little quirks and the banter between Emily and Wendell was genuinely witty.  The story itself had that folklore feel, which I love.

This is the first book in a series, so far 4 books.  If you enjoy fantasy with a bit of academic flavour, a slow-burn dynamic between its leads, and a heroine who'd rather be left alone with her notes, I recommend giving this a go.

This book was part of my 2026 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge - #37

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett

An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables—with magic and witches!—that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl's imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland.

Grace has never been good at anything except magic—not that anyone believes her. While other children are adopted from the orphanage, nobody wants Grace. So she decides to make a home for herself by running away and offering herself as an apprentice to the witch in the nearby woods. After all, who better to teach Grace to use her magic? Surely the witch can’t be that bad.

But the witch is that bad—she steals souls for spells and gobbles up hearts. So Grace offers a deal: If she can learn all 100½ spells in the witch’s grimoire, the witch will make Grace her apprentice. But if Grace fails, the witch can take her magic. The witch agrees, and soon an unexpected bond develops between them. But the spells are much harder than Grace expected, and when a monster from the witch’s past threatens the home Grace has built, she may have to sacrifice more than her magic to save it.

Inspired by Anne of Green Gables, this is a magical story of found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination.

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published February 14, 2023

 by Balzer + Bray

4.5/5 stars

I first stumbled upon this book on Instagram, it was the cover that totally caught my eye.   Also I love a good retellings or reimagining of stories.  So, when I found out that it was a magical twist on Anne of Green Gables, I just couldn't resist! 

From the very beginning, this book had me hooked with its whimsical and enchanting vibe. Grace, a runaway from an orphanage, ends up seeking refuge with a witch who lives in a cabin deep in the woods.  She not only manages to convince the witch to let her stay, but they even strike a deal where Grace might just become her apprentice. Of course the road to achieve this is filled with adventure.

What follows over the next nine months is a story of friendship, imagination and family. A fun and entertaining read.

This book was part of my 2024 reading off my shelf challenge. It is also part of my 52 bookclub challenge and prompt number 23 of 52.