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!

Exceptionally satisfying ending — though I’ll admit that upon finishing, I immediately went back to reread the first two books just to spend some more time with the characters before saying goodbye. Highly recommended!

I was smiling and giggling like a little girl while reading this. This was such a fun entry in the Emily Wilde series. In fact, I think this was the silliest entry in the series and while there was still a good amount of academic exploration, there was quite a bit of humor as well. There were quite a few fun new settings and characters that make this one feel fresh. I just adore this series! It’s a fun lighthearted fantasy with plenty of adventure written through a scholarly lens. I’m sad to say goodbye to Emily and Wendell, but I am glad it was done through this lovely book!

Thank you to Random House - Ballatine & NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I thought this was an enjoyable end to this story but it was a little slow and some past characters kind of just tossed in. I still really enjoyed it but would have preferred a more decisive ending. Again, worth the read and happy I got a chance to receive a ARC of this one.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales follows Emily and Wendell as the pair reclaim Wendell’s throne. The story is largely about Emily both working to break a curse left on the kingdom by the previous ruler and coming to terms with the way Wendell, now fully residing in faerie, is changing, becoming far more fae and less like the man she has come to know. While I found this book to be a good end to the story of Emily and Wendell, I did feel that it was missing some of the charm that made me love the first book. Furthermore, this book had some meandering plot threads that ended up sidelined or brushed aside that detracted from the overall reading experience.

As expected for the series, the relationship between Emily and Wendell really is the driving force of the narrative. The pair are sweet to read about, as, even as Wendell is becoming more outlandish and losing some of the touchstones of humanity that we have seen in previous books, his devotion to Emily is apparent. Where these scenes are given the time to shine, the book is a wonderful read. Moreover, the book sets up really interesting dynamics as Wendell changes from being, well, Wendell, into being a fae king: he understands Emily less at times and expresses a lot of anxiety when not at her side. His use of magic—changing the world to suit his needs, or using it to tap down political enemies—begins to scare her. At the same time, other characters question Emily, forcing her to question whether or not Wendell is going to remain the man she loves. This is a SUPER interesting plot, and one I really liked as a way to introduce conflict into a relationship. Unfortunately, I did not feel that these ideas were fully explored in the novel. At some point, Emily simply accepts a level of violence from Wendell that she’s not fully comfortable with, and while she works to undo his actions, he seems to give in to appease her and not became he fully agrees with her position. As interesting as I thought this plot was, I just wish we could have seen a more satisfying ending to it. While I found this point an overall positive of the book, I do feel that it could have been far better if resolved in a more interesting way.

Furthermore, a charm of the series is its cast of really interesting side characters. While this book does feature a few fun side characters and brings back a few from the previous book, there is a fair amount of time devoted to fae side characters who, I felt, were much less interesting to read about.

This book also attempts to have the highest stakes of the series, but, as with earlier installments, tends to solve problems very soon after they are set up. I struggled to feel that there was tension in even what should be high-stakes moments as it feels quite clear that Emily will manage to find some book or put together a few stories the reader has not heard before and simply solve the problem. This is pretty expected after previous books so the reader probably knows what they’re getting into for this, but I would have loved to see just a bit more tension in the final book.

In the end, I’m giving this book 3.5 stars, rounded down as some of the charm between Wendell and Emily was missing in this installment. It is a solid conclusion to the series and, if you enjoyed the first two books, you are likely to enjoy this one as well.

What a lovely way to end Emily's story. This time, instead of ferreting out faerie realms through hidden doors in far-flung villages, Emily's walking into Wendell's kingdom as de facto queen, bringing her cozy brand of eccentric academia with her. Lost Tales is a bit of a slow starter, but by the time Emily has locked herself away in Trinity Library against the wishes of a curmudgeonly librarian to scour folklore and legends searching for a cure for a curse ailing the fae and forests of her new home, the pages started flying by.

Its satisfying watching Emily reason her way through obstacles, and even more satisfying watching Heather Fawcett make sure that we the readers grasp just how impressive that ability makes Emily. That is to say, Wendell is entirely devoted to Emily--virtues and idiosyncrasies, both--and so why shouldn't we be as well? Its a neat trick of Fawcett's that gives real warmth to a character who might otherwise read as inelegant and ill at ease with others.

4 stars, and if Emily ever decides to work her way through that entire room of journals Wendell so memorably gifted her Beauty-and-the-Beast-style, I would absolutely join her on those adventures too.


--Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Del Rey for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own..--

As someone who's followed these books as they came out, I really wanted to love this book. Instead, it seemed to fall entirely flat for me. I don't know if it's the difference in format, as this book is entirely in journal entries, unlike its predecessors. But the first 50% of the book was an absolute struggle for me to get through. It picked up after this, but it felt bogged down in cameos from characters in earlier books that mostly did not add to the story (view spoiler). I think setting the majority of the story in Wendell's realm made it feel nonsensical overall, and I didn't quite find myself invested at any point because I knew that the majority of efforts could only have so much effect under the laws of the fae. Maybe this is my wake-up call that cozy fantasy isn't for me.

I'm glad to have seen it through, thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for giving me access to an eARC in exchange for an honest review.