Emily Wilde is the protagonist of the novel and narrates the novel in epistolary format through detailed journal entries. She is an impressive scholar with perpetually messy hair always pulled into a wispy bun. At 22, she became the youngest professor to be hired by Cambridge (she is an adjunct, or not-tenured professor) and, at 30, has since become an expert on faeries and a meticulous researcher working tenaciously to compile the world’s first encyclopedia on faerie lore. She longs to impress the scholars in her field at the impending ICODEF conference and earn a tenured position at Cambridge, which would make research funding easier to come by and solidify her role at the university.  

Emily is an introvert who hates socializing and highly prefers solitude. She is “terrible at reading people, a failing that has landed [her] in [her] fair share of inconveniences” (5). Furthermore, she struggles with humor and often fails to empathize with others due to the diligent objectivity she’s mastered to excel in academia. She often prioritizes her research over the safety of the townspeople, showcasing Apathy and Detachment in Academia. She is naturally inclined to avoid forming lasting relationships with anyone, platonic or romantic.