About the Book

"In the early 1900s, a curmudgeonly professor journeys to a small town to study faerie folklore, where she discovers dark fae magic, friendship, and love. Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on dryadology, the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world's first encylopedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party--much less get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog Shadow, and the Fair Folk to that of friends or lovers. So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hransvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: the dashing and insufferably handsome Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, get in the middle of her research, and utterly confound and frustrate Emily. 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 Synopsis

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

Review Quotes

"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

"Emily herself is delightful, brilliant but flawed, and often darkly funny. Her frustration with her feckless but charming colleague Wendell Bambleby is the perfect spark, and the romance is light but hits surprisingly hard when it chooses to."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)

"A book so vividly, endlessly enchanting . . . It pushed the real world aside in the way of all truly great fantasy novels, and I'm jealous of everyone who gets to read it for the first time."--Melissa Albert, The New York Times bestselling author of the Hazel Wood series

"Forget dark academia: Give me instead this kind of winter-sunshined, sharp-tongued, and footnoted academia, full of field trips and grumpy romance and malevolent faeries. Emily Wilde is a narrator I won't forget in a hurry, and this book was an invigorating balm for my heart and mind."--Freya Marske, author of A Marvellous Light

"A whimsical and enchanting romp that had me quite literally laughing out loud on every page. I enjoyed every word of this gorgeously written fairy tale featuring a grumpy heroine and an utterly charming love interest who constantly surprised me. A new favorite!"--Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight

"Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries charmed me more than any faerie king ever could . . . This book is an absolute delight."--Megan Bannen, author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy

"Enchanting in every sense of the word, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a delight of snow-laden forests and changelings, folklore and faerie kings, meticulous footnotes and academic rivalry and adventure. This book is real magic."--H. G. Parry, author of The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep

"Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a charmingly whimsical delight, saturated with faerie magic and the equally wonderful magic of humanity. This is going to be one of my regular rereads. Five dazzling, gladdening stars."--India Holton, author of The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels

"Fawcett grabs readers' attention by drawing them into the folklore as well as the surrounding world. A great read for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Erin Morgenstern."--Library Journal (starred review)

"The full cast of characters, well-developed faerie lore, and pervasive sense of cold add depth to the delightful proceedings, which include scholarship, yes, but also danger and a hint of romance."--Booklist (starred review)

"Follow the lights into the woods and dance with the fae under Emily's careful guidance--just be sure not to get carried away."--BookPage

About the Author

Heather Fawcett is the author of the middle-grade novels Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Language of Ghosts, and The School Between Winter and Fairyland, as well as the young adult series Even the Darkest Stars. She has a master's degree in English literature and has worked as an archaeologist, photographer, technical writer, and backstage assistant for a Shakespearean theater festival. She lives on Vancouver Island.