An incredible conclusion to one of my absolute favourite fantasy series!

I adore both Emily and Wendell individually as characters but seeing more of their romance (and have it be a huge part of the plot) made me ecstatically happy. The academic journal format and magical setting for each novel really makes the Emily Wilde series special. Over the three books, we travel across Europe with Emily as she studies faeries and discovers the realities of their world. I love how in each book, Emily sets out with a specific research goal and while it often takes a delightfully (and sometimes dreadful) meandering course with plenty of both infuriating interference and often cryptic guidance from the enchanting cast of side characters.

In Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, the story takes on the format of a faerietale and I was charmed by how all the tales wove together.
The perfect end to such a dearly loved series that I will no doubt be revisiting many times over in the years to come.

This trilogy has quickly become a favourite of mine.
I love everything about it. Emily and Wendell’s relationship is well thought out and the cast of characters is amazing. I did read this series along with the audio and it was impeccable. Something about the narrator and Wendell’s voice was perfect.
If you are looking for a PG romance but with all the aww moments, this one has it all. And the world building, the plot, the characters were all wonderful.
This series is firmly on my reread list.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eArc of a book I was always going to buy! It made my day!

I absolutely adored this book (and the whole series)!
The footnotes and journal style added to the light academia feel. The characters were loveable and real/relatable despite the fantasy genre and setting. The idea of tales and stories being embedded in faerie lore was well done and really cool.
The amount of research and worldbuilding was incredible!
I want it to keep going and going!!

4.5🌟

Absolutely adored the final book in this series and I'm so happy I got to dive back into the world with Emily and Wendell
They remain one of my top favourite characters with their banter and adventures

Heather Fawcett I'm begging you to give me more Emily and Wendell, I'm not ready to say goodbye

⭐4.5/5

Another fun & whimsical ride with Wendell and Emily; this time more fairy then academia - meaning we are fully ingrossed in the world of fairy, we are no longer impartial objective outsiders studying and learning; and that was fun! This third book tied this world together <3

🔸romance
🔸grumpy x sunshine
🔸fairy world / world building / gothic & whimsical vibes
🔸personal growth
🔸found family
🔸folklore and academia / fantasy
🔸rich world-building

I don't usually read a lot of academia but this series gave cosy fantasy & romance with just the right amount of investigative thinking and plotting with immersive world-building.

x

Thank you to Netgalley & Hachette for the opportunity to read this book. This was my highest anticipated book of 2025 and I was honoured to be lucky enough to read it before publication. I gave this read a 5/5 star!

This was an enjoyable end to the Emily Wilde series, I found myself both trying to read as quickly as possible but also wanting to soak up every last page knowing it was the end. Poe has my heart and soul, I love when an author is able to make the reader adore characters and yearn to meet them again: every-time we got to see Poe again I was excited! It was like coming home to a dear friend. This book just felt like coming home, all the characters from previous books making reappearances was so lovely.

When I really love a book sometimes I forget to read it for the plot, more so for the vibe it gives me. This is one of those books, I feel like I don’t do much critical thinking when I enjoy a book this much because I’m more so focused on the feeling and characters. I did love the storyline and will keep this spoiler free but this book overall gave me so many emotions! I love Emily & Wendell but most of all this book felt like a love letter to Emily and Shadow. I felt so emotional about the love that they have shared together through Emily’s exploration and fieldwork. And the ending!! Was so lovely and bittersweet for multiple seasons. I just wanted to hug this book close to me and these wonderful stories from the perspective of a dedicated academic that loves her craft & exploration of knowledge. I will forever recommend this book series to everyone I know who reads fantasy!

a great third book in the emily wilde series. perfect for a cozy fantasy series you can read right before bed

I again absolutely loved the storytelling of Heather Fawcett.

In this book we follow Emily and Wendell as they confronting a deadly curse left by Wendell's murderous stepmother, requiring both his magical abilities and her extensive knowledge of faerie stories to lift it.

Themes of
- found family
- personal growth
- adventures

With every book Emily becomes more emotionally open while still be herself. Again, I love the way these books are written in a journal entry style and I am here for more. Its cosy with still high stakes, the is as always romance and magic and I love love love!

I love Wendell and Emily so much. I have seen many reviews saying that the enjoyment vs this book and the others was different because it’s turned from Emily learning and venturing into Fairy versus now living inside it. Losing its academia charm.

Emily Wildes Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book.
Following the events of Book Two, we find ourselves in the beautiful but brutal lands of the Silva Lupi, where turmoil is rife without a monarch. Emily, Wendell and their faerie army arrive to take back Wendell’s throne, only to discover that his stepmother has cursed the land. Cue Emily and her deduction skills!
We get to see slightly more of Professor Rose and Ariadne, as well as Ljosland friends in this book, but the settings were the biggest positive for me- lush flora and a touch of whimsy surrounding the Folk. I was hopeful for more romance, but this really is a cosy/academic fantasy- not a romance story. I also enjoyed the trademark footnotes.
Slightly more action than the first two books and highly enjoyable!

‘Compendium of Lost Tales’ picks up right where Emily Wilde’s adventures left off in book two: our favourite curmudgeonly dryadologist is joining fae prince Wendell in his home kingdom at last.

Wendell has promised to show Emily all the delights of his strange realm, but all is not well in his faerie kingdom. His stepmother is poisoning the land – and it is up to Wendell and Emily to stop her. I won’t elaborate much further because ~spoilers~ but let me say: YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT.

We’ve got FOREST ROT. We’ve got POSSESSED FAE. We’ve got creaking hordes of SPOOKY TREES.

Honestly, if you’re a fan of Ghibli films, ‘House of Hollow’, or ‘What Moves the Dead’, you’re going to have a fantastic time. Heather Fawcett leaned into the darkness in this one and I am HERE FOR IT.

What really had me punching the air was Fawcett’s dedication to folklore and the self-aware relationship Emily has with it. (Think Diana Wynne Jones’ ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’ or Terry Pratchett's ‘Witches Abroad’).

With the return of old characters and the introduction of some new ones, I can’t express enough how much I want to see this trilogy adapted into Ghibli films. They’re just the right balance of whimsical, cosy and terrifying.

Thank you so much NetGalley and HachetteAus for the e-ARC. I had a rollicking time with it!

I have loved this cozy fantasy trilogy by Heather Fawcett, it’s such an enchanting blend of faerie folklore and academia. It has a unique charm in the way Emily experiences the faerie culture and writes her academic journals. It’s refreshing to have a female protagonist who doesn’t all of a sudden become the best fighter or produces the most magic in the world but who is observant and uses her brain to tackle the problems she comes across.
As with the rest of the series, the descriptions of Faerie are vivid, and the world-building is rich, painting a landscape that feels alive and hauntingly beautiful. It’s a whimsical world where faeries are as fascinating as they are dangerous.
Emily and Wendell are, as always, a joy to follow. Their relationship, built on banter, mutual respect, and an unspoken tenderness, continues to deepen in this instalment. Their dynamic is one of the series greatest strengths, combining humour, warmth, and just enough romance to make readers swoon.
Special mention must go to the supporting cast whose antics add a touch of levity even in the darkest moments. These characters, along with new allies and foes, ensure the story never lacks intrigue or heart.
While this third book may not reach the highs of the first instalment, it remains a cozy, heartfelt read that fans of faeries, folklore, and fantasy will adore.

I've read all 3 of the Emily Wilde books this month, and this series is a solid 4 stars overall for me. The first book being my favourite, this one (whilst I still loved and enjoyed) was the least of the 3 for me!
I still absolutely love the style of diary entries and academic extracts about whatever creature, and it is perfect for this kind of cozy. Emily and Wendell were great, and I loved seeing more of their relationship in this book.
The only slight (very minor!) issue that I had was that the pacing felt a bit off where it was low and dragged out at times, but, the ending 30% was great.

Overall, a great 3rd book and a solid 4 star series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
~
It was absolutely WONDERFUL to return to the world of Faerie alongside our beloved Emily and Wendell. As was evident in the first two books, the enchanting prose really lures you in and keeps you engaged, even when the pace of the narrative slows down. The characters — both old and new — were unique, likeable, and continued to grow. I found myself laughing one moment and breathing through a panic attack the next (I won’t spoil anything, but I was STRESSED). Emily and Wendell absolutely own my heart. They have become one of my favourite fictional couples!
~
Out of the three books, this one was probably my least favourite. I found it somewhat slow and dragged out at times, and it lacked that third book intensity I’m used to when ending a trilogy. With that being said, this was a cosy fantasy that explores the DARK side of faeries, even loveable characters like Wendell, without straying too far from lightheartedness. One thing I’ve always loved about these books is that faeries are described quite similarly to real life faerie folklore, as though we’re reading a real life report on faeries. Overall, though, I definitely recommend this series if you’re a fan of faeries, folklore and fantasy with a sprinkle of romance.
~
RELEASE DATE: Jan 14 2025

4.5 Stars

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of the eARC - this is my honest review*

This was a wonderful completion to the trilogy (?). It was satisfying in terms of story, emotional development, character development, and left me feeling happy with where we left off.

Emily and Wendell are such a great team. Wendell, the ever positive golden retriever, and Emily, the neuro-spicy, scholarly queen. They complement each other perfectly and delivered enough romance through a surprisingly healthy relationship dynamic to leave me happy whilst not overwhelming the fae court intrigue and academia of the story.

In this story, we follow Emily and Wendell shortly after the end of book 2 in travelling to the fae realm to take back Wendell’s kingdom. It was full of twists and turns and I rarely found myself able to predict where it was going. I loved the return to the winter court, the use of the veil, and the action scenes scattered throughout. It was a cosy, engaging plot that never felt dull - though did begin to feel a bit long and slightly repetitive by the end.

Extra points for Shadow and Orga and unlimited hearts for Wendell being so dreamily devoted to Emily.

I’m going to miss these two. Truly with my whole heart I adore this series, and this trilogy is so much more immaculate with them in it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read the ARC!

Thank you to Hachette for this gift.

A wild ride of adventure and edge of your seat tension. This story went a whole different way as to what I expected - and just kept surprising me!

Once again, we are back with "Emily" and "Wendell" on an adventure of a lifetime, and what may very well end their lives.
Venturing into the dangerous realm of the "Silver Lupi", they are faced with a vengeful Queen and that is just the beginning.

Our author has done an incredible job in keeping the story interesting, believable for this world and with the same tone as the previous books. It truly was an extension of "Emily's" story as if nothing has changed from the very first page of book 1.
I was captivated the whole time and loved the twists throughout.

4 stars.

I absolutely adore this series and everything about it. Emily as a protagonist is a refreshing breath of fresh air and there is always something wonderful about unreliable narrators. I've come to love Wendell deeply, especially the more we get to learn of him and see his devotion to Emily.
Shadow is easily my favourite part of the series, and it is so interesting the way Fawcett includes him as if he were a normal dog. Turns out being an eldritch horror doesn't prevent you from arthritis and as a geriatric pet owner myself, it definitely endeared me more.
The worlds crafted in this series are so rich and full that it is easy to imagine yourself there, as topsy-turvy as any imagining of Faerie is.
The writing is always a fun time, I was unable to put this book, and the previous two down, and I look forward to grabbing a physical copy as soon as it's released.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the much anticipated third (and assumed to be final) instalment in Heather Fawcett’s delightful cozy historical fantasy series.

After her success in finding the elusive door to Faerie and rendering the Queen vulnerable, the ever resourceful dryadologist Emily Wilde is both nervous and smug as she and her fiancé, Wendell Bambleby (aka Prince Liath), along with a motley assortment of allies including Emily’s devoted canine companion Shadow, and Orga the troublesome cat, march into Faerie to reclaim his throne.

There’s plenty of action as Wendell faces a gauntlet of challengers, including his Uncle and sister, along with a plethora of would-be assassins, but the real threat comes from the last vestiges of the former Queen’s power and a lethal curse she has laid on the kingdom. Tension is high as Wendell and Emily scramble to find a solution to an impossible dilemma.

Once again it’s Emily’s keen mind and research skills that provide the answers to the trials the couple face. Recognising a pattern in the stories of Faerie, Emily sets out to write a new ending which sees her call upon friends and enemies alike. Readers will enjoy the appearance of characters from the first and second instalments of the series including Margret, Lilja, Ariadne, and the Hidden King.

Though the mantle of Queen weighs heavily upon her, Emily is as earnest and brave as ever. Faerie is an intimidating place for a human with its mix of wonders and monstrosities and, while Wendell is determined to make her feel like she belongs, Emily needs to make her own peace with her new life.

The dynamic between Emily and Wendell remains largely unchanged, though Emily is perhaps more demonstrative than she has been, and I enjoyed their banter. The strife in Faerie has the potential to divide them but the pair are committed to one another, even beyond the veil.

Though there is potential for Fawcett to continue the series, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales provides an enchanting fairytale conclusion to Emily and Wendell’s story, told with heart, charm and wit. Long live Queen Emily!

Heather Fawcett does it again in the third book of the Emily Wilde series! In my humble opinion, Heather does faeries in the best possible way; dark and eerie but also hilariously quaint and funny at times. I can't help but rave about this series to anyone that will listen and I sincerely hope we get more content from Heather in the future, whether in this world or another. Following characters Emily and Wendell through these books and watching their relationship blossom was a feeling unmatched; all the warm and fuzzies!