4 books to read if you loved 'Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries'
“One doesn’t need magic if one knows enough stories.”
― Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
When I was little, I had a friend who lived in an old farm house on a sprawling property. In the side yard was a grove of lilac bushes where we hid from her siblings and played fairies. In my mind, those lilac bushes were ever-blooming, always fragrant, and a perfect shade of purple. My friend went through a phase of reading Cecily Mary Barker’s Flower Fairy books, so I did, too. I liked the illustrations, and pretending to be a flower fairy was fun, but I really loved hiding under the lilacs, tucked under shady branches on hot summer days.
I tend to shy away from fae or faerie Romantasy novels like A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I love a cozy, light fantasy romance that feels like stepping into a flower fairy’s world. Cozy, to me, doesn’t mean low stakes—it’s more about nostalgia for the fairytale retellings that I loved as a kid.
When I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett a few years ago, it took me back to the lilac bushes, and today I’m recommending more books for readers who loved Fawcett’s:
folklore and world-building
fairytale magic
historical fantasy
precocious heroine
nature details
Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan. After serving as a combat nurse in WWI, Mouse Dunn returns to her uncle’s estate where he has left a posthumous challenge. In order to inherit Thistlemarsh Hall, Mouse must either restore the building and gardens to their former glory in one month OR get married. Mouse isn’t afraid of hard work, but she quickly realizes this task is impossible unless she gets help from a Faerie. Filled with magical puzzles, literary references, and heartfelt depictions of grief, this light fantasy-romance novel held me rapt. It was a lovely early summer read.
Flowerheart by Catherine Maxwell. I originally placed a hold on this audiobook because the cover gave me Anne of Green Gables vibes, and it does make a great pairing for L.M. Montgomery’s classic, but it’s fantastical, magical, and cozy—like the works of Gail Carson Levine or Tamora Pierce. Best described as cottage-core fantasy, this seemingly sweet story covers dark ground, exploring drug abuse, mental illness, and big questions around justice and power. I loved listening to Morag Sims narrate and highly recommend this to fans of YA fantasy, cozy-but-complex novels, or witchy stories.
A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn. I need to get back into the Veronica Speedwell series. I loved the first few books about lepidopterist and overall adventurous academic Veronica and her reluctant sidekick Stoker. While Emily Wilde is far more reserved and introverted than Veronica, they share a passion for knowledge, a desire to excel in a male-dominated field, and a will-they-won’t-they flirtation with their protagonist counterparts. Raybourn’s series doesn’t contain magic, but Victorian England is, in its own way, a land of fantasy.
An Academic Affair by Jodie McAlister. If you loved the academic rivals trope between Emily and Brambleby, meet your new contemporary romance obsession. Sadie and Jonah have argued over literature since undergrad, but now as adjunct professors in competition for scarce tenured professor jobs, the stakes are much higher. When Sadie snags a full-time position that Jonah needed in order to support his sister, Sadie suggests they get married in order to take advantage of the partner hire contract provision. As a romance novel scholar, Sadie should know better. This premise seemed unrealistic to me at first, but somehow McAlister makes it work.
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve shared a book list in this format. I hope you found a fun comp title or recommendation to send to a friend today!
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