tl;dr
Research and ingenuity once again prevail in a very satisfying conclusion to the trilogy featuring more fae lore, and plenty of familiar faces from previous books.

Thoughts
I fell in love with the first book in the series, the second one brought me much delight, and now the third one has absolutely stuck the landing on the trilogy. I admit, I worry in a series when the final book is lined up to be "the big fight," because we tend to lose a lot of the joy and interpersonal little moments that made the previous books so much fun. Lost Tales neatly avoids this by having the characters skip the "epic battle" altogether. No sweeping armies racing down hilltops to clash, or bloodied fields strewn with corpses. The deposed queen plays a much more subtle game, and it's once again up to Emily's ingenuity and research skills to save the day. The series that started out as academia remains academia to the very end, and it is extremely effective. There's even more lore to dig into, and you can feel the pressure as the clock ticks down to the unknown.

Sadly, we still do lose some of the fun Emily/Wendell moments, as the two of them are separated much more often over the course of this story. It's largely made up for by the ever-growing supporting cast, with the return of characters from the first two books, and the introduction of several more new faces who are all interesting enough to get their own series. Emily's world has grown, and she has friends and colleagues who love and respect her for who she is. It's a touching contrast from her isolated lifestyle in the first book.

Spoiler: For those worried about Shadow, he does not die in this book.

I absolutely love this for highlighting Wilde's original Tales in Ireland! I am so thrilled to own all of these books. I look forward to more of her writing.

In the third book in Heather Fawcett's engaging fantasy series, Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, esteemed Cambridge University dryadology professor and researcher Emily Wilde has published her Faerie Encyclopaedia and her Map of the Otherlands and is embarking on the most dangerous adventure in her life. Now engaged to her former academic rival, the dashing Wendell Bambleby, Emily joins him in risking everything to restore Wendell to his rightful position as king of his fairy realm--and establishing herself as his queen.

The couple's playful but deeply sincere relationship is still in evidence, but it tends to take a back seat to the action in this book. Almost everything in the fairy realm is not what it appears to be, and Wendell's enemies are plentiful, including supporters of the late queen, who met her end in a previous book. I have to say that I preferred the first two books, where there was a good balance between the mortal world and the fairy realm. Emily does spend some time with friends from her former life, but Wendell stays mostly in the realm, which makes the story a little less entertaining for me. I did enjoy the intricate descriptions of each venue and each character or group of characters they encounter, thanks to the author's boundless creativity. Even the animal characters are memorable.

I'm not sure whether this is the last book in the series, but I appreciate all three books as enthralling and imaginative. I recommend that they be read in order.

My thanks to Ballantine/Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an provide an honest review of this book.

"I wonder if I could order the mountains in my realm to depart? We have hills enough - what more does one need?"

🐈‍⬛ Animal companions
🧚 Faerie worlds
🐈‍⬛ Family drama
🧚 Medium stakes and high vibes

It was a satisfying end to an amazing trilogy - I’m feeling warm and fuzzy but also 🥺 because I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters. I love, love, LOVE that we got to see a lot more of the animal companions this book. Olga is a mood and Snowball is dangerously precious. I know it wouldn't make sense for Poe to have showed his silly face more than he did, seeing as they're in a different world, but I totally wouldn't have minded because he owns my heart.

The books starts off right where we left off, which is something I always really like especially when the previous book ends on a point where I just want to keep reading. It kept the fairytale vibes while having a lot of action packed into it as well. The main reason why I rated it 4 ⭐️ and not 5 ⭐️ as I did with the second book, was probably because of the lack of real communication between Wendell and Emily. Wendell wasn’t really her team as much this book and looking back I was missing some of the snarky ass banter that usually comes with it. It was still there, but I am greedy and wanted more!

Throughout the book Emily kept feeling something was off, but wasn't able to figure out what the issue really was. I didn't mind her not immediately figuring everything out (it's quite in line with the rest of the books imo), though this time around it did mean that the conflict never really ended - even when there was a wee moment of happiness. I'm not sure I understand how the end resolution Emily came up with at the end of the book was supposed to be better than Wendell's, but overall it was a really good story and kept me on the edge of my seat yet again.

I really love Heather Fawcett's captivating writing style and how she manages to write a cozy story that's both witty and thrilling. Wendell is still one of my favourite characters and the absolute absurdity of character was again a joy to read.

I'm so glad this series exists; Heather Fawcett has created such a lovely, delightful world and beloved characters in Emily and Wendell. COMPENDIUM is a very satisfying end to the series, with callbacks to events and characters of the first two books and tying up of loose ends (but not too tight, as that would be asking for trouble in Faerie). The animal companions are particularly excellent here, with Shadow and Orga given ample screen time (as they deserve). As Emily gets more embroiled in Faerie, a theme emerges of the fae being caught in patterns of stories repeating themselves, and only mortals being able to break those patterns, which I felt was the perfect theme to end the series on.

I do enjoy the first two books more, mostly because I preferred the setup of Emily's adventures and the growing romance of those books, versus book 3 where the romance is established and the main plot is a bit more straightforward. But I imagine I'll be giving the whole series several rereads in the future!

I fairly enjoyed this book, I almost can say that with how this book is written that it doesn't need the other two books that came before it. This might sound off putting although I say it in the best way! I really enjoy how Heather writes her books in such a comfy and cozy place from her heart, it makes me feel so drawn to her Emily Wilde books. This book in particular made me really enjoy the ride without having to piece much of anything together. The chit chats of Emily and Windell make me so happy and it goes to show what love really is! I thoroughly liked how Windell and Emily grew into their roles of queen and king of the fairies in their own ways while still making it a better place from the viscous step mother queen, in the right way that is! It simply felt like such a good ending to the series! If anything, I would have liked to see the reoccurrences that Emily had a bit earlier in the book and more banter between the couple!

An absolutely fitting end to a fantastic series. I always love how Emily and Wendall start off with one problem and it offshoots to three other problems that they then need to solve.

We pick up where book two left of and I was surprised by the quick pace to start. We get a lot of information and world-building as Emily sees the world with clear eyes this time around. One thing I love about this series is how steeped in lore and world-building it is, and how Emily's journal entries share it with a clinical eye. I feel so engrossed in the world of the fae throughout this series, especially with the small callbacks and full circles we make to book one.

I will say, I was surprised by how little book two seemed to have impacted book 3 - we see a lot more callbacks to the first instalment, and while I loved that, I wish it had built more on the happenings of book 2 a bit. That being said, this story kept me entertained with the action, the quick thinking on Emily's part, and of course the large cast of characters we now have (Emily's found family growing so much will always make my heart warm).

Something I liked about this one that I felt book 2 was missing was that despite Emily still spending time away from Wendall (I love that he loves and supports an independent woman), we still get interactions between them via letters and memories, and I ate all that up so hard. This was definitely the book where we get the most yearning and outward affection from Wendall and I'm so here for it.

The animal companions had a larger role to play in this instalment too, and I quite enjoyed the love and loyalty they had to their masters - it resulted in a lot of heartwarming and funny moments that had me melting.

All in all this was a fantastic finale to this series. While it felt a bit more structured than the meandering nature of book one, I think it was necessary in order to tie all the loose threads up. In the end, I loved how this series concluded and wish I could read it all again for the first time!

TW: death, murder, injury detail, torture, fire, violence, suicide; mentions kidnapping, trauma,

Plot: 4.5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: 5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Pacing: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5

eARC gifted via NetGalley by Del Rey via Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.

As delightful as the previous 2 installments in this series. Fawcett has not lost her touch. Some series go downhill as more are released, but Emily Wilde stays strong. Highly recommend to those who have read the first two books. Would not recommend as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

What a wonderful conclusion to an excellent trilogy. I think it's a trilogy? It feels final, and while I am sad that it has to end, I'm also glad it's not getting dragged out until it's a husk of its former self. The whole series has an interest in examining our stories to guide our future. This one especially takes you through not only the folklore of Ireland but through Emily's past adventures. The story is so well plotted, all the pieces coming together are so satisfying! The romance between Emily and Wendell is so sweet. They are willing to do so much for each other, and they're so happy with the other in all their flaws. And I love Shadow, he's one of the best dogs in fiction. No spoilers, but I did nearly cry at the ending because of the damn dog.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6351039115

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/83df62b4-713a-4cb2-8872-960786faa5cf

Check out this review of Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3) on Fable. https://fable.co/review/cbeb487b-9493-4394-8bed-d29f29ba84d3/share

Despite never reading it before, as soon as I started this final installment (to my knowledge, anyway) I felt a total sense of cozy nostalgia– I think everyone’s aware by now about my excessive love for this series (and I’ve heard the audiobooks enough that I automatically heard the voices and cadence of the narrators in my head, even though I was reading this as an eARC).

Compendium of Lost Tales picks up where Map of the Otherlands left off: with the characters entering Where The Trees Have Eyes.

From the beginning, the animal companions have a much larger presence than they’ve had in prior books (Orga, my love!). There’s also a much more traditional plot structure and pacing, with very few divergences. On the one hand I think this might better suit people who found the first book composed of too many vignettes and an unfocused story, on the other hand I felt a stronger sense of lull between major story beats than in prior books. However Fawcett never failed to delight me with all of the little world-building details, so -from vengeful battle snails to adorable butter fairies- I was always entertained.

And I know we all talk about the cozy vibes, the banter, the romance, the academia, and the animal companions in this series-- but man are there also a lot of swordfights, now that I think about it. This volume definitely did not disappoint on that front.

I’d have to say my largest disappointment was the way the story often kept Emily and Wendell apart, since their playful banter is probably my #1 favourite thing. There were also fewer instances to see fae friends from prior novels than I was expecting, and I didn’t really feel like new friends were made to fill that gap.

But there are several satisfying call-backs and full circle moments that I adored (including one that made me shout “aw, snap!” aloud… in the dark… startling my cats…). And though I think I’ll continue to re-read the first book in the series the most (a not uncommon occurrence for me and series anyway), I’ll truly treasure all the joy that this series has brought me and continue to re-read it many times in future.

Out of the three Emily Wilde books we have so far, I think this one was the weakest. I think I prefer these stories when they take place on the borderlands between our world and Faerie. The story and the characters seem on much more stable footing there. Wendell's character changes too much when they're in his realm - he's no longer the silly-yet-endearing counterpart to Emily's firm academic sensibility, but neither does he seem very kingly. He just doesn't seem to fit into his own realm, which made the story less engrossing to me.

Likewise, I spent most of the book missing Emily's curmudgeonly stubbornness (also endearing in its own way). She seemed meek and mousy for most of the book's first half, completely unsure of herself, and generally more silent than I expected her to be. I understand that becoming the queen of a realm that you know only through book study would certainly unmoor even the heartiest of personalities from their pedestal of confidence, but I longed for the Emily of books 1 and 2. I was so pleased when she started to make a comeback, even if it didn't happen until later in the story than I wanted.

I very much liked many of the small touches of whimsy we got in the descriptions of Wendell's realm. There was quite a lot of the darker side of fairy tales woven into its fabric as well, but every so often, there would be little glimpses of something cozy and so distinctly fae that it would tempt me to go out into the forest to see if I could catch sight of them myself. The image that sticks with me the most is the warm glow of hearth fires coming from the knotholes in tree trunks. Pure magic.

While it wasn't my favorite entry in the series - mostly due to the fact that the unique dynamic between the foppish, devil-may-care Wendell and the practical, scholarly Emily felt a bit damaged - I still enjoyed the story and will eagerly gobble up any additional installments. I would give it a 3.5/5, but I'll round it up to 4.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to pre-read this book and share my opinions on it.

A fantastic conclusion to a wonderful series. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales takes place primarily in the Faerie realm, as they try to establish Wendall's rule over his kingdom. It once again straddles the line between cozy and dark academia vibes, and Emily is a delightful protagonist that you love to root for. If you enjoyed the previous two books, then have no fear, this one will be just as enjoyable.

I very much have enjoyed the previous 2 Emily Wilde books so I was very excited to finally make it into Wendell’s kingdom in this one. Emily and Wendell arrive and have to deal with the aftermath of Wendell’s stepmother and their usual adventures begin. I loved seeing Wendell in his home and taking his role as king. Emily once again is there to save the day with her knowledge and stories. It was a very enjoyable read but I’m a little disappointed in the abrupt ending but I’m hoping there will be another book!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book!!

The Emily Wilde series has given me some of my very favorite reads of the past couple of years so it was no surprise that "Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales" is also a complete delight!

This time we spend a majority of the time in fairyland (though we do venture out a bit) and it is so nice to get such a sustained view of the realm Where the Trees Have Eyes. It was rewarding to finally get a good look at the place (and people) that Wendell had been trying so hard to get back to.

I really enjoyed seeing the dizzying power of Wendell's sewing magic! It could be so easy to brush off that power (particularly as he is also no slouch when it comes to the sword), but I appreciated that this was made into something truly terrifying. That cloak is so shivery.


The book does a lovely job of making the magical creatures very inhuman and "other." Often this othering of the fey only means that they don't act like people—they are crueler or longer lived or cleverer than regular humans. And in this story we do have some vicious and tricksy fey. However, even more fascinatingly we are clearly shown that these characters have very different perspectives and priorities than the humans do. Best of all, the rules that govern logic, order, and chance in the mundane world don't seem to apply to the fey in the same way. ​I absolutely adored the way this book brought to life the power of story and pattern in fairyland. Emily is racing to find old legends not only to satisfy academic curiosity (though this is a happy side effect), but rather to uncover hints to the future that she and Wendell are facing.


It was such fun to catch up with characters from the previous books. I especially enjoyed Poe and Snowbell as I had been worried that with all the drama of poisoned queens and lost stories these delightful creatures might not make the page. But they were there in all their otherworldly fun! I was surprised to see the Hidden King make an appearance and he reminded me of just how much I need to go read the first book again. I admit that revisiting the past characters only makes me want to see more of these friends, enemies, and frenemies and so I do hope this third book isn't truly the last!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable end to the trilogy. As always, it was fun to follow Emily and Wendell on their adventures in Faerie.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Once again I loved reading about Emily and Wendell's journey! If this was the conclusion of the series it was a very fitting one! I thought the third act was a little slow in pace but it also felt appropriate to the story. I loved getting to hear more about the details of Emily and Wendell's relationship.

Thank you to Netgalley, Heather Fawcett, and Random House for the ARC of this book!

3.5 - I adore Emily and Wendell, but this book didn't quite have the magic of the first two. I adore Wendell and his affable nature, but his instant switch to "touch her and die" rage when anyone threatens Emily is absolute perfection.

Despite loving books 1 and 2 more, this was still a very satisfying ending to their story and will forever recommend this series to everyone.

Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have adored this series since the beginning, and now that it might be over, I feel as though I've lost a friend. Emily Wilde is a strong, smart, and remarkable heroine who repeatedly saves the day with her pencil, notebook, and quick wits. While she is extremely socially awkward, her unapologetic uniquiness sees others constantly being drawn into her orbit. While I loved her and Wendell's stories through this series, it was Emily's character growth in this final book that kept me fully invested. The fast-paced narrative in this book was even more enthralling than the first two, and I highly recommend this series to anyone interested in strong female characters, handsome fairy prince's, and magical storytelling.

I would read a thousand Emily Wilde books. The characters are utter delights, the world is fascinating, and the Fae are my favorite kind (tricksy, dangerous, socially awkward by human standards). There is so much to love here and the third volume is no exception. Diving headlong into the world of Fae and Wendell's own kingdom proves to be a perilous adventure but if anyone could handle it, it would be Professor Emily Wilde.

I loved it.

Excellent. Still love the characters and the story line. Still full of footnotes and fairy stories that it was a joy to read.