Warrior Girl Unearthed

Warrior Girl Unearthed

by Angeline Boulley

Henry Holt and Co, 2023. 396 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Sixteen-year-old Perry Firekeeper-Birch was planning on spending a leisurely summer fishing on Sugar Island, but she's forced to join a summer internship program instead after she gets in a fender bender in her aunt's Jeep. Although she's initially bored at work, Perry learns of the Warrior Girl, an ancestor whose bones and knife were stored at a local college instead of being returned to her tribe. Perry learns more about ancestral remains and sacred items that are kept in places they shouldn't be, and determines to do something about it. At the same time, her Anishinaabe community is growing increasingly concerned about the rising number of missing Indigenous women, and Perry's family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation. Perry is determined to get to the bottom of things before the women go missing forever.

Boulley is great at balancing thought-provoking themes with fast pacing and intriguing plotlines. I especially love that her books also fully immerse readers into the Anishinaabe community. This book pulled me in with the number of different mysteries that Perry finds herself involved in, but it's the character of Perry herself who kept me reading, as she learns about outrages committed to her community and slowly learns that passion and a sense of justice isn't all that's required in order to right past wrongs. This book is a great read for those who love mysteries and thrillers, and also for those who love learning more about Indigenous cultures. I highly recommend it!

For those who read Boulley's first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, this book takes place about ten years after the events described in Firekeeper's Daughter (so it's now around 2014). Although you don't have to read Firekeeper's Daughter in order to appreciate or understand Warrior Girl Unearthed, several of the same characters appear in both books.

If you like Warrior Girl Unearthed you might like:

Elatsoe

by Darcie Little Badger

Levine Querido, 2020. 360 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Imagine an America shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe ("Ellie" for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But Ellie is going to do more than pry. she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

by Jenny Ferguson

Heartdrum, 2022. 360 pages. Young Adult Fiction

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She'll be working in her family's ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend, and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian Métis prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists. While King's friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family's business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can't ignore her father forever.

MB

Sin Filtro y Otras Mentiras

Sin Filtro y Otras Mentiras
Por Crystal Maldonado
Holiday House, 2023. 352 páginas. Ficción

Max Monroe, de 21 anos, lo tiene todo- belleza, amigos y una vida esplendorosa llena de aventuras. Con montones de seguidores en Instagram, su existencia perfecta es casi envidiable.

Pero todo es falso.

"Max" es en realidad Kat Sanchez, una adolescente de 17 anos, tranquila y sarcastica, que vive en la mon tona Bakersfield, en California. Su existencia no tiene nada de glamurosa- suburbios, fiestas caseras fallidas, una familia fracturada, un curso escolar de mierda y la incomodidad de lidiar con el amor de su mejor amigo, Hari, que ella no corresponde.

Si bien la vida de Kat dista mucho de ser perfecta, tiene exito como Max- ofrece consejos, comparte hermosas fotos, se relaciona con influencers famosos e incluso se hace amiga de una seguidora llamada Elena. Cuanto mas se acercan Elena y "Max", mediante mensajes de texto, fotos e incluso llamadas, mas siente Kat que debe mantener la fachada.

Pero cuando una de las publicaciones de Max se vuelve ultraviral y la persona a quien Kat ha estado robandole las fotos tiene conocimiento de esta, todo su mundo se derrumba. Kat tiene que encontrar la manera de salir de la enorme red de mentiras que ha tejido, sin herir a las personas a quienes ama.

Pero tal vez sea demasiado tarde.

Si le gusta «TAGueada» le recomendamos:
 

 97 Formas de Decir "Te Quiero"

Por Jordi Sierra I Fabra
Bruño, 2021. 171 páginas. Ficción

Cristóbal no sale de su asombro cuando Daniela, una joven desconocida, le revela que ambos murieron veinte años atrás con la promesa de reencarnarse. Pero más atónito queda aún cuando investiga la terrible y fascinante historia contada por Daniela. Es entonces cuando surge el misterio, y también la esperanza de que un gran amor roto renazca. Aunque todavía queda una última clave por desvelar.

Rosa en el Asfalto
Por Angie Thomas
Océano Gran Travesía, 2021. 368 páginas. Ficción
 
En Garden Heights, ser niño implica, desde muy temprano, demostrar que eres un hombre. La lealtad a tu pandilla, a tu familia, a tus ideales, es un peso que amenaza con derrumbarte cada día. Maverick Carter lo comprenderá de la manera más angustiosa. Angie Thomas explora la masculinidad y el doloroso tránsito a la edad adulta en la precuela de su éxito de ventas El odio que das. Si hay algo que Maverick Carter sabe es que un hombre de verdad se ocupa de su familia. Como hijo de una antigua leyenda de las pandillas, Mav lo hace de la única forma que sabe: traficando para los King Lords. Con el dinero que consigue puede ayudar a su madre, mientras su padre cumple una condena en la cárcel. La vida no es perfecta, pero gracias a su novia y a su primo, que lo protege, Mav parece tenerlo todo bajo control.

Hasta que se entera de que es padre. De repente, tiene un bebé que depende de él para todo y ya no resulta tan fácil vender droga, terminar sus estudios y criar a un hijo. En ese momento se le ofrece la oportunidad de enderezar su vida, y él sabe que debe aprovecharla. Sin embargo, cuando la sangre de los King Lords corre por tus venas, no es tan fácil renunciar sin más. La lealtad, la venganza y la responsabilidad amenazan con arrollar a Mav, y él tendrá que descubrir por sí mismo lo que significa realmente ser un hombre.

MEB

Labels: Español, MEB, Ficción, Joven Adulto

My Roommate is a Vampire

My Roommate is a Vampire
by Jenna Levine
Berkley, 2023. 352 pages. Romance

True love is at stake in this charming, debut romantic comedy. Cassie Greenberg loves being an artist, but it's a tough way to make a living. On the brink of eviction, she's desperate when she finds a too-good-to-be-true apartment in a beautiful Chicago neighborhood. Cassie knows there has to be a catch--only someone with a secret to hide would rent out a room for that price. Of course, her new roommate Frederick J. Fitzwilliam is far from normal. He sleeps all day, is out at night on business, and talks like he walked out of a regency-romance novel. He also leaves Cassie heart-melting notes around the apartment, cares about her art, and asks about her day. And he doesn't look half bad shirtless, on the rare occasions they're both home and awake. But when Cassie finds bags of blood in the fridge that definitely weren't there earlier, Frederick has to come clean ... Cassie's sexy new roommate is a vampire. And he has a proposition for her. 

If you’re in the mood for a campy paranormal romance this Halloween season, My Roommate is a Vampire is for you. Author Jenna Levine brings together favorite tropes like forced proximity, forbidden romance, and roommates to lovers, in a funny, quirky, slightly spicy package. Pick this one up for a light, upbeat read with a sweet, endearingly clueless male lead and a protagonist with relatable struggles.

If you like My Roommate is a Vampire, you might also like: 

The Dead Romantics
by Ashley Poston
Berkley, 2022. 368 pages. Romance

Florence Day is a ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem-after a terrible break-up, she no longer believes in love. It's as good as dead. When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won't give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father. For ten years, she's run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can't bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it. Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor's front door, too tall and too broad to be her father, and he's just as confused about why he's there as she is. Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she's ever known about love stories.

Witch Please 
by Ann Aguirre
Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2021. 368 pages. Romance

Danica Waterhouse is a fully modern witch. After a messy breakup, she makes a pact with her cousin: they'll keep their hearts protected and have fun, without involving the overly opinionated Waterhouse matriarchs. No need to add criticism on top of heartache! Titus Winnaker has family trouble of his own. After a tragic loss, all he's got is his sister, his bakery-Sugar Daddy's-and a romantic curse that's left him doomed to be alone. Until he meets Danica. The sparks are instant, their attraction irresistible. For him, she's the one. To her, he's forbidden fruit. Can a modern witch find love with an old-fashioned mundane who refuses to settle for anything less than forever?

SGR

The Priory of the Orange Tree

The Priory of the Orange Tree
By Samantha Shannon
Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019. 830 pages. Fantasy

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction--but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

I won't lie--it was the cover of this book that made me want to read it. Who can resist an epic, metallic dragon?! The book is also rather massive and I love reading large tomes. This is a standalone novel but it reads like an epic fantasy. The writing is descriptive, lush, and stylistically complex. The story is told in third person from a large cast of characters. Several of the main characters represent the LBGTQIA+ population. The world is large and well developed despite the fact that there is only one book. The plot is full of court intrigue, magic, strong female characters, and epic battles. Those who liked The Game of Thrones series and Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern series would enjoy diving into this tome of a novel.

JJC


If you like The Priory of the Orange Tree you might also like:

The Foxglove King
By Hannah Whitten
Orbit, 2023. 466 pages. Fantasy

When Lore was thirteen, she escaped a cult in the catacombs beneath the city of Dellaire. And in the ten years since, she's lived by one rule: don't let them find you. Easier said than done, when her death magic ties her to the city. Mortem, the magic born from death, is a high-priced and illicit commodity in Dellaire, and Lore's job running poisons keeps her in food, shelter, and relative security. But when a run goes wrong and Lore's power is revealed, she's taken by the Presque Mort, a group of warrior-monks sanctioned to use Mortem working for the Sainted King. Lore fully expects a pyre, but King August has a different plan. Entire villages on the outskirts of the country have been dying overnight, seemingly at random. Lore can either use her magic to find out what's happening and who in the King's court is responsible, or die. Lore is thrust into the Sainted King's glittering court, where no one can be believed and even fewer can be trusted. Guarded by Gabriel, a duke-turned-monk, and continually running up against Bastian, August's ne'er-do-well heir, Lore tangles in politics, religion, and forbidden romance as she attempts to navigate a debauched and opulent society. But the life she left behind in the catacombs is catching up with her. And even as Lore makes her way through the Sainted court above, they might be drawing closer than she thinks.

All the Seas of the World

By Guy Gavriel Kay

Berkley, 2022. 501 pages. Fantasy

On a dark night along a lonely stretch of coast, a small ship sends two people ashore. Their purpose is assassination. They have been hired by two of the most dangerous men alive to alter the balance of power in the world. If they succeed, the consequences will affect the destinies of empires, and lives both great and small. One of those arriving at that beach is a woman abducted by corsairs as a child and sold into years of servitude. Having escaped, she is trying to chart her own course-and is bent upon revenge. Another is a seafaring merchant who still remembers being exiled as a child with his family from their home, for their faith, a moment that never leaves him. In what follows, through a story both intimate and epic, unforgettable characters are immersed in the fierce and deadly struggles that define their time. All the Seas of the World is a page-turning drama that also offers moving reflections on memory, fate, and the random events that can shape our lives-in the past, and today.

Starling House

Starling House
by Alix E. Harrow
Tor, 2023. 308 pages. Fantasy

Eden, Kentucky, is just another dying, bad-luck mining town, known only for the legend of E. Starling, the reclusive nineteenth-century author and illustrator who wrote The Underland and disappeared. Before she vanished, she built Starling House. But everyone agrees that it's best to let the uncanny house—and its last lonely heir, Arthur Starling—go to rot.

Opal knows better than to mess with haunted houses or brooding men, but an unexpected job offer might be a chance to get her brother out of Eden. Too quickly, though, Starling House starts to feel dangerously like something she's never had: a home. As sinister forces converge on Starling House, Opal and Arthur are going to have to make a dire choice: to dig up the buried secrets of the past and confront their own fears, or let Eden be taken over by literal nightmares.

Starling House is a great read for those who like contemporary novels that read like dark fairy tales. There are definite nods to Beauty and the Beast and Alice in Wonderland, with a bit of something menacing. This is also a haunted house tale, but the touch of magic and romance added by the fairy tale elements tempers the scare factor, while building the ambience and atmosphere of the story. Aside from the atmosphere, I also loved that this book contained two flawed, fiercely independent main characters who have to learn to work together in order to face their literal and personal demons. This is a book you'll want to get lost in.

If you like Starling House you might also like:

Roses and Rot
by Kat Howard
Saga Press, 2016. 307 pages. Fantasy

Sisters Imogen and Marin have both worked hard to overcome their abusive childhood. Their hard work seems to have paid off when they are both accepted to an elite post-grad arts program; Imogen as a writer and Marin as a dancer. Soon enough, though, they realize that there's more to the school than meets the eye; something a bit sinister. Imogen might be living in the escapist fairy tale she's dreamed about as a child, but it's one that will pit her against Marin if she decides to escape her past to find her heart's desire.

 

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman
William Morrow, 2013. 181 pages. Fantasy

It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed—within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three mysterious women living on a farm at the end of the lane, next to a duck pond that they claim is an ocean.

 

The Last Heir to Blackwood Library
by Hester Fox
Graydon House, 2023. 334 pages. Historical Fiction

In post–World War I England, twenty-three-year-old Ivy Radcliffe is surprised to become Lady Hayworth, owner of a sprawling estate called Blackwood Abbey on the Yorkshire moors. The abbey is foreboding, the servants reserved and suspicious. But there is a treasure waiting behind locked doors: a magnificent library. Despite cryptic warnings from the staff, Ivy feels irresistibly drawn to its dusty shelves, where familiar works mingle with strange, esoteric texts. And she senses something else in the library too, a presence that seems to have a will of its own. As events grow more sinister, it will be up to Ivy to uncover the library's mysteries in order to reclaim her own story—before it vanishes forever. This book is darker than Starling House, but it's got some great gothic/haunted house vibes.

MB

Youngblood

 

Youngblood
By Sasha Laurens
Razorbill, 2022. 304 pages. Young Adult Fantasy 

Kat Finn and her mother can barely make ends meet living among humans. Like all vampires, they must drink Hema, an expensive synthetic blood substitute, to survive, as nearly all of humanity has been infected by a virus that's fatal to vampires. Kat isn't looking forward to an immortal life of barely scraping by, but when she learns she's been accepted to the Harcote School, a prestigious prep school that's secretly vampires-only, she knows her fortune is about to change. Taylor Sanger has grown up in the wealthy vampire world, but she's tired of its backward, conservative values--especially when it comes to sexuality, since she's an out-and-proud lesbian. She only has to suffer through a two more years of Harcote before she's free. But when she discovers her new roommate is Kat Finn, she's horrified. Because she and Kat used to be best friends, a long time ago, and it didn't end well.

When Taylor stumbles upon the dead body of a vampire, and Kat makes a shocking discovery in the school's archives, the two realize that there are deep secrets at Harcote--secrets that link them to the most powerful figures in Vampirdom and to the synthetic blood they all rely on.

This book is a classic boarding school mystery, just make it vampiric and sapphic. The queer representation is varied and stunning, with Taylor exploring her gender expression and Kat just now discovering she might not be straight. I also loved the way they addressed issues of classism and discrimination within the framework of a completely new society. The mystery is interesting without being overly dark and stressful, which made it perfect for someone like me who wanted a cozy read but dislikes contemporary fiction as a general rule. I would suggest this book for anyone who enjoys mystery with good banter and a happy ending.

 

If you like Youngblood, you might also like: 

 

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester

By Maya MacGregor

Astra Young Readers, 2022. 352 pages. Young Adult Fiction        

A nonbinary autistic teen realizes they must not only solve a 30-year-old mystery but also face the demons lurking in their past in order to live a satisfying life. Sam Sylvester has long collected stories of half-lived lives—of kids who died before they turned nineteen. Sam was almost one of those kids. Now, as Sam’s own nineteenth birthday approaches, their recent near-death experience haunts them. They’re certain they don’t have much time left. . .. But Sam's life seems to be on the upswing after meeting several new friends and a potential love interest in Shep, their next-door neighbor. Yet the past keeps roaring back—in Sam’s memories and in the form of a thirty-year-old suspicious death that took place in Sam’s new home. Sam can’t resist trying to find out more about the kid who died and who now seems to guide their investigation. When Sam starts receiving threatening notes, they know they’re on the path to uncovering a murderer. But are they digging through the past or digging their own future grave? The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester explores healing in the aftermath of trauma and the fullness of queer joy.

The Bewitching Hour

By Ashley Poston  

Hyperion, 2023. 341 pages. Young Adult Fantasy 

Tara Maclay isn't thrilled to be starting her senior year of high school in a new town. But if she can just keep her head down, then maybe she can make it through this year in Hellborne, Vermont without the town living up to its name. Of course, her plan falls apart immediately, as dead students start turning up around her, and she's suddenly voted Most Likely To Have Murdered Them by the rest of the senior class. Oh, and the fellow new girl Tara's crushing on? Turns out to be a witch-hunter... So maybe it's not the worst thing that Tara's magic is majorly malfunctioning. As the body count rises, Tara has to overcome her fears, reconnect with her magic, and cast herself in a more central role to save the town - even if it means putting her new relationship at risk.

Cemetery Boys

By Aiden Thomas      

Swoon Reads, 2020. 344 pages. Young Adult Fantasy 

   

Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him.
When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

KJ

Vampires of El Norte

Vampires of El Norte 

By Isabel Cañas

Berkley, 2023. 371 pages. Fiction. 

As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters--her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead. Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago. Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind. When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion--and Nena's rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago--is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh. And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.  

For fans of gothic historical settings with ominous threats surrounded in a blanket of a cozy romance, this book is for you. Despite its title, vampires pose a secondary threat to Nena and Nestor. The plot centers mainly around themes of reconnection and the struggle for togetherness during turbulent and dangerous times. Isabel Cañas is able to beautifully draw parallels between real-life horrors and the monsters we only hear about in legends. 

If you like Vampires of El Norte, you might also like: 

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires 

By Grady Hendrix 

Quirk Books, 2020. 404 pages. Fiction.

 

A supernatural thriller set in South Carolina in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious stranger who turns out to be a real monster. 

Midnight is the Darkest Hour 

By Ashley Winstead 

Sourcebooks Landmark, 2023. 385 pages. Fiction. 

In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar--and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil. A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we've come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world. 

Mexican Gothic 

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia 

Del Rey, 2020. 301 pages. Fiction. 

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noem̕ Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. Noem̕ is an unlikely rescuer: She's a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she's also tough and smart, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin's new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noem̕; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi's dreams with visions of blood and doom. Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family's youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noem̕, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family's past. As Noem̕ digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness, and may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

LA

Emily Wilde's Enclyclopaedia of Faeries

 Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries

by Heather Fawcett

Del Rey, 2023. 317 pages. Science Fiction

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 encyclopaedia 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.

This was a delightful and sometimes eerily scary read.  Faeries are not to be messed with unless you know what you are doing. And such a person is Emily Wilde. The story is in first person with footnotes just like those in any field study; they are little gems of information that will help the reader understand the import of the study. I can’t help but switch into “Emily speak” in describing this book. She has such a strong voice and is incurably flawed and clueless while being exceptionally intelligent. The world building is compelling. The faeries and locales are lushly described and begin to feel almost lyrical, like the Fae magic is taking over the story. It is so much fun!

If you like Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, you might also like:

 A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent

by Marie Brennan

Tor, 2013. 334 pages. Science Fiction

Isabella, Lady Trent, known as the world's preeminent dragon naturalist, writes her memoir detailing how she sought true love and happiness despite her lamentable eccentricities; and of her thrilling expedition to the perilous mountains of Vystrana, where she made the first of many historic dragon discoveries that would change the world forever.

A Discovery of Witches

by Deborah Harkness

Viking, 2011. 579 pages. Science Fiction

Witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop discovers an enchanted manuscript, attracting the attention of 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont. The orphaned daughter of two powerful witches, Bishop prefers intellect, but relies on magic when her discovery of a palimpsest documenting the origin of supernatural species releases an assortment of undead who threaten, stalk, and harass her.

The Starless Sea

by Erin Morgenstern

Doubleday, 2019. 498 pages. Science Fiction

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a rare book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues--a bee, a key, and a sword--that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to a subterranean library, hidden far below the surface of the earth ... Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a beautiful barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly-soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose--in both the rare book and in his own life.