Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

I love this book perfectly cozy read

I am not finished with this audio book yet but I sure am loving it! The accent of the reader makes it simply come to life!

"If anyone were to claim greater happiness in their careers than I do in poking about sunlit wild woods for fairy footprints I should not believe it."I enjoyed the whimsical nature of the book. I enjoyed the grumpy x sunshine trope, with Emily being the grump & Wendell the sunshine. I had an enjoyable time reading it & I'm excited to start on the next book. I do have some qualms with, The Faerie King. The book was a steady pace & then speeds past the conflict before ending. It felt like I was reading something different & it brought me out of the story a bit.There were a couple scenes of violence I wasn't expecting, it wasn't descriptive. Dare I say, a bit comical.Content: strong language, God's name in vain | death | violence | same sex relationship of a side character | kisses only (+ mentions of one night stands)

Em is planning to do some serious research. She has obtained a cottage to do her field studies. Getting to know the locals is not her best talent. And within this setting the adventure begins. The book is filled with changelings, faerie kings, townspeople of all shapes and sizes and her best friend, Wendell. And, of course, her dog who is particularly special. Book one of a series of three. Worth reading if you enjoy fantasy.

I wanted to 5 star this review so bad based on reviews, but it just can't happen. Now, please understand this author is incredibly talented, writes beautifully, and I loved the story idea, which is why I pushed through- and for Wendall's sake. I really disliked the main character, Emily. I feel like the author thought she was writing a nerdy professor, but the actions of the protagonist( I guess you can call her that even though, to some degree, she is also the bad guy) were so immature, selfish and, at times, mirrored behavior of a sociopath with her lack of feeling toward others. She allows Wendall (a really well-written character) to save her, pine after her, while she girl bosses her way into destruction for herself and others and learns nothing. Emily had zero character development, and she grew better in no way. She will use people and drop them with hardly a thought. I was down with this at first thinking what a beautiful redemption story this was going to be, chipping the literal and figurative ice off her heart, but no. Nothing changed. I know there are others in the series, but while the author is a wonderful writer, I don't trust her enough with these characters to give any more time to a story I feel will have a self-centered ending.