Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is a delightful and emotional conclusion to a series that has cemented itself as one of my favorites. 



As much as I loved this book, I do think it’s the weakest of the trilogy, but it still retains much of what I’ve come to love. The pacing meandered during the 30 - 60% mark, but found its footing again in the end. The resolution was satisfying though I would have thoroughly enjoyed a different ending for a certain character.



Emily was clever as always and Wendell continued to make me laugh hysterically. I was kicking my feet and giggling as Emily and Wendell’s relationship progressed, but my god Heather Fawcett had me absolute bawling my eyes out during a certain chapter.



Overall I think this series wrapped up quite nicely, but I wouldn’t complain if we ended up with more books in this world.

I don't want this series to end! I love the relationship between Emily and Wendell and the true sense of partnership that is a breath of fresh air in the genre. This installment is another delight, and I love the Fae world Fawcett has built. It's very rare for me to give five stars to every installment in a series, but this one did it.

I do not want this series to end!

The short review: if you loved the first two in the series, you will also love this one.

The longer review:
I have loved each and every one of the Emily Wilde books and this might be my favorite. Wendell and Emily have my whole heart and I adore their relationship.

Much like the first two books, the love story is only a tiny portion of the story. The focus is on Emily's adventures in Wendell's kingdom.

We see some familiar faces, make some new friends, and are left with an ending that's satisfying, but left open enough there could be more. Please please please let there be more. I wouldn't mind an omnibus featuring Emily's actual books, maps included.

"An Unpredictable Adventure: A Captivating Journey with Fawcett's Brilliant Characters"

This book is exceptional. Each chapter offered a surprising and engaging experience, keeping me thoroughly captivated. Fawcett's two protagonists are both brilliant and witty, which made it easy to immerse myself in their journey. Unlike typical, predictable novels, this book constantly kept me on my toes with its unexpected twists and suspenseful plot. Every page felt like an adventure, and I found all three of her books to be a thoroughly enjoyable and unpredictable experience.

Fans of this series will love this return to the fae world. These books are lovely winter reading, very cozy and the dialogue between Emily and her fae king Wendell crackles. I do wish we caught more of their romance, but their relationship is truly built on friendship and partnership and it's a lovely thing.

The third and final book in this series was a solid and well done one. Unfortunately it did fall a little bit flat for me. It seemed to be missing that certain charm that I loved so much in the first book that made me fall in love with the characters and the story. But I did still enjoy reading it for the most part.

Emily is still a great character. I love her no nonsense approach to everything in her life, especially when she knows what she is doing is dangerous. She still just lifts her chin up and gets on with it. She has shown great strength and has really learned to trust herself as her character has grown throughout the series. In this book she has to not only rescue Wendell from his rash actions, but also grow into being a queen and be a partner for him. I also really enjoy her academic side. I also love to do research and it is really nice to read about a character who enjoys it as well.

Wendell felt a bit like he wasn’t as important in this book. I often felt like he was just part of the background or scenery as Emily worked hard to keep him safe. There was no journal entry by him as there had been in the other books and I kind of missed that. Although there were some letters that were very sweet. There also seemed to be less banter between the two. It was pretty obvious that Wendell is losing his human side and is becoming more Fae as he takes over his role as king. I do love how he continues to dote over Emily and really wants her to be happy and can give her space when she needs it.

This book is set mostly in Wendell’s Fae Kingdom which was both beautiful and very creepy. There are lots of great creatures and interesting fae that roam these woods and it was lovely learning about them. The plot was interesting, although I think Emily had to save Wendell way too many times in this one. The pacing was also a bit slow at the start, though it does pick up towards the end. Everything is wrapped up rather nicely, and I did enjoy some of the cameos from characters that had been in the other books.

This was a solid ending to the series, although it could have used a bit more interaction between Emily and Wendell. If you enjoyed the first two books this is a must read as you will enjoy how everything is brought together and ends well. If you have not read the other books you really do need to start at the beginning.

I have so much love for this series. I adored being in Wendell’s realm and seeing what Emily and Wendell are like not only as a real couple, but as Faerie monarchs. Wendell continues to be my absolute fave and I loved seeing more of his powers in this one. He’s as doting as ever when it comes to Emily, but is still prone to the murderous fits that we know and love.

As the title suggests, Emily is focused on Fae stories in this one and they play a large role in the conflict with Wendell’s stepmother. There’s a lot of action, more traveling between realms, and plenty of appearances from our beloved (and some not so beloved) side characters. The story feels finished but also not in a way, so I’m going to hold out hope that Heather will return to this series one day.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series and this is still one of my favorite cozy fantasy series but this latest entry fell a bit flat for me. Still enjoyable and still fun but just not as good as the first two.

The book starts with Emily and Wendell returning to the realm of the faerie so Wendell can take up his crown and the two can finally get married. Of course a curse, courtly intrigue and even murder await their return and Emily must save the day once again. She relates all the goings on in her trusty journal and we are reintroduced to characters from the first book who aid Emily on her quests. There were definitely some surprises I didn't see coming although of course everything worked out in the end.

I'm not sure if this is the final book in the series because everything wrapped up pretty neatly at the end but I would definitely read more of Emily's adventures.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

Thanks to Random House Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a perfect ending to Emily & Wendell’s story. This trilogy started out strong and finished strong. We got to meet new people, and see old friends again. The animal companions played their roles beautifully and some moments made me tear up. Wendell’s love for his realm and for Emily really shone in this.

I’m sad to be leaving this world but I’m so glad I read these books. I adore Emily and Wendell and this book was the perfect send off. It was quite fast-paced with a lot of action but I think it worked quite well with the storyline.

Overall, this was a lovely final book in a trilogy, and I found it to be a satisfying ending to a wonderful series.

The Emily Wilde series is an absolute delight. The worldbuilding brings up a nostalgia for folklore & fairytales that I didn't realize I was missing. I will treasure this series for as long as Heather Fawcett continues to write it, and I will be recommending it to anyone who loves fantasy, romance, & clever heroines!

This installment of the Emily Wilde series was the culmination of Emily and Wendell wresting control of his homeland away from his "evil stepmother". It focused on them finding a way back in to Wendell's Fae kingdom in Ireland and him taking over as the Silva Lupi Fairy King. For some reason, this book lacked the spark that the other two books in the series had from the beginning. There was always something about Emily and Wendell that worked well before they officially became a couple. While trying to fight for his kingdom and figure out how to save it from his stepmother's curse Wendell was pulled from the story and we didn't get as much of that back-and-forth banter that is so fun to watch. It was almost as if he was just there on the periphery; too distracted to be a part of the story.

I still loved the book and Emily's unyielding commitment to dryadology and academia in general. She's an absolutely lovely character and I'm glad she go her happy ending.

All good things must come to an end, and sadly, we have to say goodbye to Emily in the final book of this delightfully wonderful series. I've loved traveling with Emily and meeting so many diverse characters along the way. Fawcett's characters are unique and memorable, and I am going to miss them. I enjoyed meeting new characters in Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales as well as reconnecting with old friends and foes! Wendell and Emily are the perfect couple. I've been in love with Wendell from the moment he appeared in this series. He's just as charming, if not more so, in this final book as he's been in the others. He fiercely loves Emily, and that love comes out in the most unpredictable ways! Emily is still very Emily, and I wouldn't want her any other way. If you're just deciding to read this without having read the prior books, you'll be utterly lost...so don't do it. Begin at the beginning. It did take me a little longer to get into this book than it did the others, but once I was about a third of the way through, I was all in. I'm sad that my time with Emily has come to an end, but I'm excited to see how the author charms me with her next books.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Honestly this book was perfect. I have no comments or concerns. Emily’s journey through Faerie and learning her way and learning to trust herself and grow into her way of being queen is so wonderful. Emily and Wendell are so perfect. Emily understanding the faerie stories and understanding that they have to free the queen is so so beautiful and makes me so connected to her.

This series is just so smartly written, and the (presumable) finale provides a satisfying albeit circular ending with callbacks to previous books in the series.

I can’t say enough about the brilliant, rich writing that can invoke laughs or tears. What a treat Emily Wilde is, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t like cozy or academia books.

The latest installment seems to neatly wrap up Emily and Wendell’s arc, and it does a good job of tying off loose ends and pulling threads from the past. If anything, I wish in this book Emily didn’t spend as much time rescuing Wendell - repeatedly in this book, and in Map of the Otherlands too. I'm all for a reverse damsel-in-distress situation, but it would have been nice to have a scenario where Wendell had to fight for Em, versus vice versa.

The 'Emily Wilde' series truly stands apart from the other, many, fae books of our current time. Once again Fawcett focuses on the folklore of the Fae and it's absurdity to create a fun and enticing tale. I will say, the beginning of this book was rough going as it did continue directly on from the last chapter on the 2nd book. I had to play catch up amongst the world building of the realm of the Silva Lupi, which made the first third a little bit of a slog. However, once we got past that and back into the scholarship of it all it felt like coming home. I hope this series continues for as long as Heather Fawcett wants to write.

I love this series! I hope to read more about Emily and Wendell's adventures in the future. This is such a fun universe to learn more about.

"What an inconvenient time to meet my end, given all that I was in the middle of!"

This series continues to delight me to no end, with our pragmatic yet loveable dryadologist main character and her often over-the-top-with-the-theatrics-in-an-endearing-way fiance. With a new curse to overcome and all of the scholarly insight and witty banter we've come to expect, this most recent installment in the series was a delightful read.

Some things I loved:

✨ We finally get to do some exploring within the realm of Where The Trees Have Eyes, and we encounter a variety of common fae, courtly fae, and various other creatures. The world building continues to be wonderful in the series, and the details in this one (which ranged from vengeful snails to oath-upholding loopholes) brought so much life to the realm and to the story.

✨ Wendell and Emily's transition into their new roles is endearing and also enjoyable. Seeing where they each shine and falter and where they complement each other makes for some great character development. I love how much they clearly admire each other, but it never felt over the top for who the characters have established themselves to be.

✨ We learn a lot more about the lore of the Folk, and how important story is when it comes to history and the repetition of events. The ability to change the story, to learn from the past and make a different choice for the future, is an important theme.

✨ The animal characters play a larger role in this installment, and I always love when there are delightful animal characters in books! 

✨ There were some fabulous callbacks to characters from the previous books, which is always enjoyable even when some of those characters were despicable.

I'm not sure if this will be the last in the series, as the ending wrapped up in such a way that it could go be. If it's over, it was a solid conclusion. If it continues, I'll definitely be adding the next book to my collection!

4.5/5
What a delightful end to this trilogy! Even though I would happily read ten more of these, this wrapped things up nicely. This is an ideal cozy read for me because there still are stakes to keep it interesting, but they are generally quickly and easily resolved. The wintry atmosphere, many varieties of creepy fairies, intriguing footnotes, and delightful banter make this such an enjoyable narrative. Also, love interest Wendell has really grown on me and I now love him (the letters, omg!) and his fun dynamic with scholarly Emily. And, of course, Orga the cat and Shadow the dog continue to steal my heart. There's a particularly sweet scene with Shadow near the end that had me tearing up.

In this final book of the series, Emily and Wendell return to his realm to take up their new roles as king and queen. However, his stepmother the former queen is not going to make things easy, so Emily has one last academic mystery to solve before she gets her happily ever after. If you love this series as much as I do, this is not one to miss!

I love this series. Emily and Wendell are some of my favorite fictional characters and fictional couple. The series does feel a bit redundant at times but I don’t care cause I love it so much. Can’t wait for the narration!

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is such a delight! From the very first chapter, I was hooked on the mix of folklore, magic, and adventure. It’s the kind of book that feels like uncovering a hidden treasure—every page brings something unexpected and exciting.

The protagonist is smart, determined, and wonderfully human, which made it so easy to root for her. The way Fawcett weaves together ancient myths with her own imaginative twists is nothing short of brilliant. Some parts are whimsical and charming, while others are dark and eerie, but it all fits together perfectly.

I couldn’t put it down and found myself completely lost in the world she created. If you love books that transport you somewhere magical and leave you thinking about them long after, this one’s for you. Highly recommend giving it a read!