Genre: Adult Fantasy
Release Date: January 10th, 2023
Pages: 336
Publisher: Del Rey Books
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Publisher’s Synopsis:
“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 this heartwarming and enchanting fantasy.
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.”
My Review:
I loved everything about this book! This was so much different than anything I could have expected and I really enjoyed that.
It’s written like a scientist’s journal, a personal reflection and log of events while Emily is out in the field researching. There are even footnotes that expand on some of the story world aspects (and are hyperlinked in the digital version, which I really appreciated). It truly feels like you are reading the diary of a scholar.
It has the perfect academic feel without reading too grandiose or flowery. And I think it achieves this well because the character’s voice really shines through. The tone, while matter of fact just like Emily, still has so much emotion and heart. I love the format; it’s perfectly fitting and a fantastic narrative choice for this story, making everything feel so real, natural, and believable.
Emily is such an endearing character. I cherished her and was rooting for her the entire time. Her awkwardness in social situations is adorable, bless her heart, as she tries her best to be in everyone’s good graces but always somehow manages to fail without understanding why. I love that the main focus on the protagonist is her intelligence.
Emily’s obsession with the Fae world stems from the fact that she doesn’t feel like she fits in with human society. The Fair Folk have more liberties, are more frivolous, but also follow very formulaic rules and conventions that Emily finds easier to adhere to. Because Emily doesn’t pick up on social queues and nuances particularly well, the Fae’s straightforwardness makes for more comfortable companionship for her.
The setting gives all the cozy feels, taking place mostly in a mountain cabin in the winter. It’s a rural small town in the 1900’s that Emily has traveled to. She slowly (and a tad reluctantly) becomes a part of the community and finds friends/family that give her a sense of belonging.
And my undeniable favorite part… Wendell. Yes, he’s arrogant and pretentious, and yet, I just absolutely love him. He’s grumpy sunshine to perfection. Underneath it all he is genuine, never mean-spirited, true to his nature, and very caring.
The chemistry between these two is electric. And the slow-burn yearning is to die for. The cheeky banter always made me smile and fall in love with them together even more.
I highly recommend this book! I will be eagerly waiting for the sequel.
Disclaimers:
Huge thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for gifting me an early copy of this amazing story! I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This post may contain affiliate links that I may earn a small commission from with no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support 🙂
Have you read this book? Planning to add it to your TBR?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
I love a good book discussion. 🙂
Leave a Reply