Fantasy Buddy Reads discussion

This is a Buddy Read for Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett starting on November 1, 2023.


Happy Reading!

Thank you!

I am at like 71% and this does not meet my definition of cozy lol (view spoiler)[multiple kidnappings, toddler kidnapped and replaced with an "evil" changeling, bad fae, an evil fae king imprisoned in a tree that somehow managed to infect Emily, etc. What is the main purpose of the book? They just rescued the boy that had been swapped with the changeling which should cut back on the number of people the bad fae steal but there is a lot of book left. Is it just a series of Emily's adventures and how her relationship with Wendall develops? I don't see how they have time for Wendall to get revenge on his stepmother unless it is super rushed. I was doing a bunch of stuff around the house today so it helped me pass the time, but I just sat down a bit ago and realized a whole lot of nothing has happened so far and I am not sure if I am liking or hating this book.... (hide spoiler)]

OMGGGGG partway through 2nd December (view spoiler)[SHE JUST CUT HER FINGER OFF! I was like Wendall is going to wake up and they will work together to solve the problem with the enchantment while allowing her to keep all of her fingers but NOPE! And of course her dumbass is heading back to the white tree alone. I can't with Emily, she is an extremely annoying character.

Also this is so not cozy! (hide spoiler)]

I stayed up so I could finish this tonight and start a new book tomorrow. (view spoiler)[I was not a fan, the precis describes Emily as a genius, I thought she was a dumbass and annoyed me quite a lot. I am unlikely to read book 2 next year, you guys can tell me how it goes lol (hide spoiler)]

Oh no! Not cozy! Not fair! Not sure whether to laugh at that or not, will be here soon.

I'm only 1/4 in--3 hours--through 29th October. I like the premise... not sure exactly what era this is, Victorian? Georgian? Not Regency. Leaning early Victorian, though I didn't catch a year.

I like the protagonist--socially awkward scholar who doesn't fit any of the nice niches society wants to plug women into. Very easy for me to identify with. (view spoiler)[I also enjoy the faery aspect, and the whole fish-out-of-water of a desk-scholar trying to rough it for SCIENCE. And poking everyone the wrong way. Barnaby is also interesting--is this going to be a faery romance kind of story? Or is his interest in Emily and scholarly pursuits something Other?

The scene with the changeling was disturbing. It seems this town has had more than its share of torment at the hands of the local Fae... (hide spoiler)]

Hit that 71% Mark! Seems I'm enjoying it more than you are, Ann-Marie... I'd probably still think of this as cozy for me, partly for the reasons you don't like it, I think... (view spoiler)[The sort of meandering story with the focus on scholarship, even with the dark overtones... I see the focus of the story as Emily's scholarship and study of the village, and the disappearances going on... I don't see Barnaby's story being tied up in this one, but maybe the village can be set to rights...

Emily reminds me a bit of Steris, and I'm thinking she must be on the spectrum too... (hide spoiler)]


And hit the December 2 mark... LOL your comment--(view spoiler)[yup, I'm definitely enjoying this more than you, Ann-Marie... I can't really blame her for not thinking--not even an issue of wanting to do everything herself, but simply of not even thinking of involving other people... and not out of some sort of bravado, but just out of getting caught up in curiosity...

I'm thinking it was her middle finger that she cut off? She said "third finger" which would be middle, right? That's one way to leave a message behind too... (hide spoiler)]

Nirkatze wrote: "Hit that 71% Mark! Seems I'm enjoying it more than you are, Ann-Marie... I'd probably still think of this as cozy for me, partly for the reasons you don't like it, I think... The sort of meandering..."

I prefer the characters in my cozy books to have the same number of body parts at the end of the book that they started the book with lol It does makes sense that you are enjoying it more than I did, our views on cozy definitely do not line-up!

Yeah, my definition of cozy doesn't have to be crisis free... just... not make me stress, be an easily digestible read, and have parts that make me think cozy thoughts or go oooh! I also think I have a much higher bar for turmoil in a book than most people... been having that conversation with Mel in another thread.

I liked the premise and the scholarship aspects--that was enough to make it cozy for me... until that Dec 2.

Finished, anyway! The story actually took about the arc I thought it might, just not in the way I was expecting--(view spoiler)[I was expecting the village's problems to be wrapped up, and for Emily's journey to get some mileage in the people-interactions department, as well as her book, but wasn't expecting them to intersect quite so much, with the whole village coming together to save her--accepting her for her faults and quirks.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Hi! I'm new to the group and just saw this buddy read as well as an upcoming one for the sequel - I'm not sure how this group works yet, so can I just join the buddy read for the sequel when it comes up? I read the first book sometime this year and would love to read the sequel as a buddy read.

Sure can... anyone is welcome to join any Buddy Read... most of our rules/processes have to do with how to seek buddies and request Buddy Reads, so the mods can manage the threads and bookshelves and maintain a list of upcoming Buddy Reads efficiently...

Information can be found in the threads in the General Info folder, especially the stickied ones at the top (*): https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Starting this soon!

Same...

Most Buddy Reads, we try to start around the start date (range of 1 week early to 2 weeks late), and you can take as long as you want/need to finish, no time limits... that's mostly for the reading competition, for more active & established members tho... we love discussing books so much, that you can also generally pop in at any time, months/years later, and someone will pop in, if you had something to say after reading the book recently...

All that, to preface, that these BRs associated with monthly Book Clubs / Challenge themes are being treated a little different... they're all scheduled for the 1st of the month, but it's expected/understood that they'll just be read at some point during that month...

Which is why some people have read this one already, and some are just now thinking about starting... same with some other threads like Lord of Stariel and Half a Soul...

Hi Nana & Rapunzel! Welcome! Looking forward to hearing what y'all think of the book!

Oh, and you too, Iain. ^^

Started... page 1/opening reminds me of A Natural History of Dragons

Sooo I was kind of slow to start and was so-so with the writing at first. It was technically fine, but I wasn't entirely fully bought in yet. And I was thinking, "oh nooooo, but I really want to like this though..." BUT THEN OCTOBER 28TH (p. 47 onward) HAS ME FULLY INVESTED NOW FOR REASONS that are very predictable for me, ahahahaha. 😂

(view spoiler)[ HELLOOOO BAMBLEBY!! The way Heather writes him, UGH. I'M SWOONING ALREADY.

I LOVE HIS DEMEANOR AND THE WAY HE TALKS TO EM. I love the way Emily describes him too!! (hide spoiler)]

Some nice quotes I like from this chapter:

(view spoiler)[“Dear Emily,” Bambleby said as he tugged a leaf from his hair. The hair was golden and entirely perfect, like the rest of him. “Always one for the unexpected.”

“This place looks as if it’s being tenanted by raccoons,” Bambleby noted, looking about him. His graceful Irish brogue formed a bizarre contrast with the recent din, which still rang in my ears. “And why isn’t the fire lit? Enjoy the cold, do we, Em?”

He frowned at the fireplace. He was such a picture in his splendid blacks (collar upturned), framed against the dusty dishabille of the cottage, that I had to laugh; it was as probable a sight as a prince in a cowshed. I know Bambleby has been in the field, and I suspect he was somewhere else entirely before that, but I only know him set against his oak-panelled Cambridge office, the warm cathedral of the library, the manicured leafiness of the university grounds with their stone fountains and statuary. (hide spoiler)]

I am sooo excited to read more. 🥰

LOL hah, that's a great reason to start getting into the story, Mei! I actually liked the slow start, but yes, give us some nice spice!

Yes!!! 🤣 i'm definitely appreciating the pace more. I hot Nov. 18th and love the different kind of elements Fawcett added here with the footnotes and the (view spoiler)[brief short stories too that rrally add to it. (hide spoiler)]

Also i didn't expect the Oct. 31s reveal at all!! Super excited to see where things go from here and i'm pinching myself for not reading this waaay earlier. But at the same time jt was in time for Cozy November and this buddy read so i'm glad as well. 😂

I'm glad you're enjoying it so much! I was worried I might be alone for the book 2 read coming up next year... ^_^ I also really enjoyed all the scholarly tidbits of articles and stories and footnotes.

I'd say I'm somewhere in the middle... I'm not loving it, but I don't hate it or anything... it's not holding me, I'm not really connecting with the characters much, and some of the more nuances details are just sliding in one ear and out the other...

I know/remember the broad strokes of what's been going on, but it's just a meandering series of events, kinda like Ann-Marie said...

And it seems like Emily had enough knowledge for an encyclopedia without this trip...

Around the same 70% everyone talked about, I think?... late november, almost december, iirc...

I’ve been reading this one in fits and starts, at home after work, after I finish whatever other book I start every morning instead… sometimes I do that when the narrator is too quiet/breathy, but this time I just did it to listen when I’m paying a bit closer attention…

Still not a cozy story, this is a hill I will die on lol

I agree... for me, a cozy story needs either some good found family moments, or lovable MCs/hijinks...

I feel like I'm enjoying the dynamics and the characters maybe it's because i just finished reading Howl's Moving Castle straight to this that it's still a nice vibe for me. 😂 i know there's nothing violent there but yeah haha.

I am really loving Emily and Bambleby, but can see how the way it's playing out that might not appeal though. Like i said the writing style took a bit for me to get into too haha.

November 20th: i was so happy we got some (view spoiler)[Bambleby POV 🥹 i really adored this chapter and getting a bit of his voice too. I'm curious if he'll show up again in the book or the sequel! (hide spoiler)]

Okay I do feel like I spoke a bit too soon now that i hit Nov. 26th and Dec. 2nd and am totally eating my words in some regard. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I really didn't expect (view spoiler)[a marriage proposal. The pacing here really threw me off 😂 The romance buildup was nice and relatively slow for me but at a rate that seemed reasonable so this was sort of left field for me. I actually didn't think we'd get more on romance until book two. And for it too also then be followed by Emily cutting off her finger was like WTF . (hide spoiler)] So i can totally understand your comments now Ann-Marie. 🤣🤣🤣 (Also, Nirkatze, i too find it amusing how the (view spoiler)[kidnapping stuff didn’t bother me as much when it came to taking me out of cozy vibes with the rest of the events) (hide spoiler)] and I am also still a fan of her as a character too.

LOL Everyone gets all upset about one (view spoiler)[finger!

The wedding issue--that didn't surprise me so much, since the culture of the time was like... let's get married and see if we like each other. So I don't feel like their relationship actually has to reach that level of comfort for them to be getting married--I think Bambleby even pitched it as kind of a business partnership with benefits. I'm hoping the romance will continue, maybe with some post or pre-marriage uneasiness.... (hide spoiler)]

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL Everyone gets all upset about one "

More like



https://media.tenor.com/G5WURmZH5q0AA...

Timelord Iain wrote: "More like



https://media.tenor.com/G5WURmZH5q0AA..."

lol

I finished last night!!! It's still a 4 star read for me. 😂The first 2/3 was pretty much in line with what I was expecting in terms of pacing and events and tone, and then BAM the last 1/3 was like WHOA, things sure are happening!

But in the end, I agree with Nirkatze here that it's juuuust cozy enough for me too. 🤣 Nirkatze wrote: "Yeah, my definition of cozy doesn't have to be crisis free... just... not make me stress, be an easily digestible read, and have parts that make me think cozy thoughts or go oooh! I also think I ha..."

I think again what helped for me was that I'm a huuuuge fan of epistolary romance and have definitely read books that were purely in the letter-writing format + while I didn't completely jive with it at first, the journal entry style completely clicked for me as soon as Bambleby arrived. 😂 I'm a broken record about him, but I guess I just fell in love immediately! 🤣

Nirkatze wrote: "LOL Everyone gets all upset about one... [spoilers removed]
Re: the paragraph here: (view spoiler)[Definitely can see that too with Bambleby x Emily!! And I feel like I almost ate my words/predicted things would continue in the second book too since the fae king stuff literally made it impossible for the romance to continue in the last third. 🤣 I felt like it was kinda crazy that I happened to have the back-to-back "omg I commented just before a big thing happened that would directly touch on my comment" TWICE!!! 😂

I absolutely feel like the romance will continue! Ugh, I adore pining Bambleby so so much. He truly is, unsurprisingly, once again, one of my favorite things here. 😂 I'm super incredibly interested in how their dynamic will evolve with their arranged marriage. (hide spoiler)]

I'm definitely going to join for book 2!! Really loved how things ended here and I feel like I have a lot to digest/unwrap with the stories and articles since I feel like sometimes I just read them, and then continued with the rest of the current events without properly taking in what Fawcett is trying to tell us. Especially since I just wanted to know what was going to happen next at certain points. 🤣

More book 2 wishes: (view spoiler)[I also hope that we see Poe again! I don't read blurbs, but the title is so interesting to me too! I can only guess that their presentation at the end of the book was successful and they're given a map by someone to study, or maybe Bambleby's already had it in his possession for his quest and Emily finds it. I really look forward to finding out more about his home too. I wonder if we'll have a repeat of the wedding with the fae king in terms of fae customs between Bambleby and Emily, but like in a hopefully much less chaotic manner and a much more cute way. 🤣 (hide spoiler)]

@Ann-Marie: I was very proud of my littlefinger reference :D

Timelord Iain wrote: "@Ann-Marie: I was very proud of my littlefinger reference :D"

Did Nirkatze watch the show? Sad if she doesn't get the reference! Also that scene was just chef's kiss perfection!

I am fine with some crisis in my cozy, every story needs some conflict but I draw the line at (view spoiler)[severed body parts, evil elfs and multiple kidnappings! (hide spoiler)]

@Iain & Ann-Marie--that link is blocked at school, but I'll check when I get home! I will also be disappointed if I don't get the reference, considering I've read the books several times and am rereading book 2, assuming Littlefinger reference is Petyr Baelish.

Ann-Marie dislikes (view spoiler)[severed body parts, evil elves, and kidnappings (hide spoiler)] but loves First Law books... I almost think that First Law is your cozy, Ann-Marie...

@Mei--dittoing your book 2 wishes! I also like how you compare this to epistolary romance--it does have that feel, doesn't it? Both with most of those being Victorian-era-ish, and with all the notes...

I only watched the first 4 seasons... felt like I quit on a high note, right as Dinklage and the baldie left and traveled across the ocean to Denaerys' faction...

Timelord Iain wrote: "I only watched the first 4 seasons... felt like I quit on a high note, right as Dinklage and the baldie left and traveled across the ocean to Denaerys' faction..."

@Iain spoiler for this from the show (view spoiler)[this is the scene where Sansa, Bran & Arya finally confront him for basically causing all of the things and Arya cuts his throat with the knife that he had used to try to kill Bran in S1 and kills him dead!!!! They did it so well, you think Sansa is accusing Arya of a whole list of crimes and then at the last minute she says something like "How do you respond to these charges.....Lord Baelish?" and this is his reaction to that! Like the last season was absolutely awful but i liked how they wrapped up his story for sure! (hide spoiler)]

Nirkatze wrote: "@Iain & Ann-Marie--that link is blocked at school, but I'll check when I get home! I will also be disappointed if I don't get the reference, considering I've read the books several times and am rer..."

The thing is I do not go into First Law expecting cozy so I am not disappointed when it is not there. However when I see a book recommended as cozy on several lists then it better be cozy lol

Hah! Now I can see it. That's great. And I love how Ann-Marie totally identified that scene--that was such a great scene... I'm looking forward to seeing it in print some day--I hope... though since (view spoiler)[Sansa wasn't married off to Bolton in the books, it won't have quite the same effect... I'm betting this is one of the plot points that GRRM included for the showrunners though... the Stark sisters teaming up to take down Petyr Baelish is just too good of a point to skip. (hide spoiler)]

I watched the whole thing, and while I feel the last arc was a let down, I don't hate on it like a lot of folk do... I more blame HBO for only giving them 8 episodes to wrap things up than I do the showrunners... though they really should have started seeding the downfall a lot earlier...

@Ann-Marie, re: First Law--that totally makes sense. I'm just tickled by the thought of First Law being cozy to Ann-Marie... snuggle up with some more Logen stories... enjoy the bloodbath...

Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great. And I love how Ann-Marie totally identified that scene--that was such a great scene... I'm looking forward to seeing it in print some day--I hope... though sinc..."

That sounds like a very Spensa thing to do... view the wrong stories as cozy... like the bit about Satan in Paradise Lost in Cytonic...

Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great. And I love how Ann-Marie totally identified that scene--that was such a great scene... I'm looking forward to seeing it in print some day--I hope... though sinc..."

It isn't HBO's fault, the Double Ds (I listened to a podcast about the show and the guys called the showrunners that lol) just wanted it over so they could move onto other projects and then they shit the bed so bad on the final season they lost those projects! The thing is I don't totally blame them, GRRM said he'd have the books finished and then left them to essentially finish the series as fanfic. From what I understand he told them big picture plans for the ending - the Hodor thing, who ends up on the throne, etc. They came up with who kills the Night King because that character isn't in the books (possibly yet?). And I am STILL bitter that R + L = J ended up meaning absolutely nothing.

/end rant here because I could go on and on about how much I hate them lol

Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great...." It isn't HBO's fault, the Double Ds...

omfg I'm right there with you about how much I hate DDs too. I remember hearing that about expediting Game of Thrones so they could do Star Wars and absolutely loved it when they lost it even when they tried to frame it as something else. LMAO. I was like, "Yeah, screw you guys for being so egotistical thinking Disney wouldn't drop you after that hot mess!!!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Not that Star Wars doesn't have its faults with some of its shows/movies, but that's a totally different rant now hahaha. 😂

Mei ☽︎ wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great...." It isn't HBO's fault, the Double Ds...

omfg I'm right there with you about how much I hate DDs too. I remember hearing t..."

Exactly! And they wanted to do some racist show for HBO like what if the South won the Civil War. Screw those guys lol

Ann-Marie wrote: "Mei ☽︎ wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great...." It isn't HBO's fault, the Double Ds...

omfg I'm right there with you about how much I hate DDs too. I rem..."

That would kind of be an easy show to pitch... all you need to do is search out some alt-history book on the topic... studios love books as movies, these days...

Timelord Iain wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Mei ☽︎ wrote: "Ann-Marie wrote: "Nirkatze wrote: "Hah! Now I can see it. That's great...." It isn't HBO's fault, the Double Ds...

omfg I'm right there with you about how much I h..."

There was significant backlash and the plans were quickly scrapped. I am actually not sure what those guys are up to, their Star Wars project got canned like Mei said and I believe their Netflix contract did as well. So I guess maybe they should have taken HBO's blank check and not made the last season of GoT suck lol

Oof, I didn't know that DD story... that is very suspect. I have a friend who's worked for HBO and other studios though... a lot of the film/tv industry doesn't treat their regular employees very well, so I already had a negative view of the studio in general...

i'm about 70% in and I did not expect the direction this book is going. Loving it though!

Glad you're enjoying it Nana! Can you pinpoint when you were like "whoa! this is going there?" I'm curious! I think I had that around soon after the finger and the tree....

I just started this book (I'm 30% through, at 30th October), so I thought I'd share my thoughts here!

I’m loving the writing: such beautiful descriptions and metaphors that purposefully feel impossible to imagine, which makes things seem otherworldly and magical. It all feels incredibly immersive and engaging. The advanced words chosen lend themselves to the whimsical atmosphere.

(view spoiler)[The interpersonal interactions are so odd and intriguing. Emily herself is something of an oddball (and I love her for it!). She strikes me as either socially awkward or autistic (I find myself armchair diagnosing her, lol); I find her so relatable! Emily's interactions with Bambleby are hilarious. She's such a tsundere and pretends to hate on Bambleby or see him as competition despite finding him attractive, and Bambleby’s straightforward endearment in the face of her annoyance is so refreshing and never fails to make me laugh.

Emily treats the faeries with respect and dignity, just as she would talk to anyone else. She isn’t afraid or repulsed by them even though other people are, and I think this comes from her being able to relate to the faeries more than other real humans, since, like them, she doesn’t fit in. I like this!

I have so many questions!! Emily seems to be super logical and in researcher mode, and these occurrences that should be wildly frightening don’t seem to scare her at all! Is it just that she has experience and is so used to it? Or maybe she is scared underneath? And Bambleby’s a faerie prince?! Although the little brownie fae basically confirmed it, I’m still left wondering. I guess until Emily and Bambleby don’t broach the subject themselves, I won’t feel satisfied. Also, how did Emily meet Shadow? She says she “invented” a story of how they met. Curious!!

The way Auður and the changeling at the farmhouse are described instilled a heart-stopping sense of dread. The eeriness is so wonderfully horrific. And I’m so curious about what the deal with Auður is because we aren’t immediately told what happened to cause this affliction.

I love how mysteries are repeatedly set up at every turn. And it’s not confusing at all; I have all the information I need to understand the story. But rather, I’m left with specific questions that I’m impatient to find answers to. Keeps the pages turning! (hide spoiler)]

I'm excited to read further!!

Nice observations! Emily definitely has the ability to emotionally distance herself from difficult situations.