Emily Wildes Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
Publish Date: Jan 14th 2025

The Emily Wilde series, including ‘Emily Wildes Compendium of Lost Tales’, written by Heather Fawcett, are in my opinion, the perfect cosy fantasy/academia reads.

In ‘Compendium of Lost Tales’, the third book in this series, we are reacquainted with our charming heroes, Emily and Wendell (and let’s not forget the furry sidekicks Shadow and Orga) as they work to find their place in Faerie. The two battle prejudice and curses alike, with the help of friends we have met along the way, and of course, Emily’s scholarly ways.

My imagination has run rampart as I have read these books, and that is a testament to the authors enchanting world building. I find myself savouring these books, because who wouldn’t want to be hanging out with Emily as she solves her fae related problems with a good book, a good dog and a good man by her side.

For me personally, I found this book lacked a bit of the awe and excitement from Emily as she explores, as well as banter between herself and Wendell, which we experienced in the first two books of the series. Saying that however, this book is a bit more fast paced, has a bit more danger, and it has Wendell’s letters to Emily, all of which I enjoyed.
I do not know if this is the final book of the series, but I hope we do get to see these characters again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Australia & New Zealand for the opportunity to read this ARC.

In this third instalment, we rejoin Emily and Wendell as they return to his Faerie kingdom to reclaim his throne and restore the lands. The basis for this portion of their adventure is that events in Faerie are based on tales previously told, and so Emily finds herself on a quest to track down sections of lost tales and interpret them correctly.

If you enjoyed book one and two, then you will find that book three stays true to that same recipe of cozy fantasy, light academia and two characters who are just as likely to find themselves lost down a tangent of thought.

Wendell has become more affectionate as the series has progressed and this was a nice development.

Even though I loved book one, I didn't find myself enjoying book two or three quite as much. For this instalment in particular I struggled to pick it up and continue reading it. I don't know if it's that my mood was not quite right or that this form of story telling with the journaling was not for me.

I did find that Emily was a lot more introspective in this book in particular, and a lot less confident in her knowledge and it may be that facet that had me enjoying this book less than the other two. I also felt that there was less dialogue despite there now being more characters involved in the story. Or maybe it was that there were longer periods of less dialogue and rambling thoughts. However, the dialogue that was included was a reward in itself, especially between Wendell and Em.

Thankyou to Hachette Australia & New Zealand and Orbit books for a review copy in exchange for my thoughts.

I’m so sad to have finished this book because, as far as I know, this marks the end of the series! Emily has firmly secured her place as one of my all-time favourite protagonists. She’s such a strong, capable character, and this step in her journey is no exception. I’ve never once doubted her ability to face whatever challenges come her way, which is such a refreshing change compared to other female leads. Emily and Wendell make such an amazing team, and I’ll miss them both dearly. Wendell’s love for Emily is so deep and unwavering, and his ability to match her wit and stubbornness while always showing her that he adores her exactly as she is makes their dynamic so special. I just love that about them!

That said, this book didn’t quite have the same magic for me as the first one, and even less so than the second. I found it a bit less engaging overall. Despite the high stakes, I never felt much tension—by this point in the story, it’s clear that Emily can solve almost any problem, so the sense of danger didn’t feel as sharp. I think it’s also partly because of the direction the story has taken, and with Emily and Wendell no longer having the rivalry that made their relationship so captivating in the first book, things felt a bit different.

That being said, if you’re a fan of the series, there’s still plenty to love here! It’s a fun and satisfying conclusion to a series I’m genuinely sad to see end. I could honestly read about Emily and Wendell’s adventures forever.

The final instalment of the Emily Wilde series and I’m bereft this is the end of a wonderfully whimsical series. Say it isn’t so, Heather Fawcett. Picking up from the previous book, Emily and Wendell find the door to Wendall’s realm to reclaim his throne. There’s faerie court intrigue, Emily’s new role as faerie queen and Wendall’s stepmother has cursed the realm.

Alas I think this was the weakest of the trilogy with a bit of an anti-climactic ending as the villain’s 180 felt insincere (we are in faerie after all). The 25% was slow-going, and lacked the banter between classic grouchy, introverted Emily and charming extroverted Wendall that I put it down a few times. But once the adventure picked up, I was hooked. I chuckled so many times with the dry humour of Wendall’s letters to his ‘dragon-breathing’ Em and Em’s journal entries. Cameos from old friends were also a welcome presence to aid Emily in her quest.

With its cosy world-building and captivating characters, this the final magical adventure in a must-read series. I really hope this isn’t the last of Emily and Wendall.

Thanks to Hachette Australia & New Zealand and NetGalley for the ARC.

The third book in the Emily Wilde's series is a cosy read. The vivid descriptions are a highlight of the novel, great for anyone who needs something a little fast paced.

Emily Wilde’s compendium of lost tales
By Heather Fawcett
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The third installment of the Emily Wilde series was an absolute delight! This book had it all: action, growth, and love. It was such a joy to see Wendell really come into his own—watching him step up and shine was a highlight. And of course, Emily—while she made progress in stepping outside of her comfort zone, I couldn’t help but wonder, could she ever truly escape her scholarly ways? Her intellectual nature is such an integral part of who she is!

I found myself laughing out loud at times, swooning on the next page, and then feeling stressed and worried about my favorite characters in the blink of an eye. The pacing kept me on my toes, and the emotional rollercoaster was a thrilling ride from start to finish.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! This book was an absolute treat.

.

This book gives cottagecore vibes and is perfect for those that love faeries in historical fiction. I read the first two books earlier this year and personally didn’t love them (I thought it was just my mood back in April), unfortunately, this also wasn’t for me. This book is still interesting and beautifully done, I just couldn’t fall in love with it.

A perfectly whimsical conclusion to the light academia series about a scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves. Emily Wilde has spent her entire life studying fairies but now she must embark on her most dangerous academic project yet: studying the inner workings of the faerie realm as its queen. Along with her former academic rival now finance she is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigue of the courts.

Here she finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures with which to document and avoid for survival. Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life but she feels just as out of place here as she did in the mortal world. With a deadly curse placed upon the land it will take all her fiancé’s magic and her knowledge of stories to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.

It would seem our awkward professor feels just as out of touch in the faerie lands as she does the mortal world which is equally endearing as it is understanding. If one were to find themselves whisked away to become a fair queen it would be a dream come true and a waking nightmare attempting to navigate court politics and faerie tricks.

A book so endlessly enchanting and vividly descriptive that you’ll walk away half ensorcelled as if you truly had walked unknowingly through a faerie door. If only there was a way to stay there without the story ending but even so it was a perfectly enchanting ending.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚 (𝐎𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐭) 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞'𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐰𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐭

I absolutely adored the first two Emily Wilde books so was excited to read this one. This book jumps straight into the action with Emily and Wendell heading to his castle to take back the throne. In fact I had to go over the last book to remind myself of the storyline.
However from this action packed start the story slows down a lot in the middle with a lot of courtly intrigue and weeding out of traitors still loyal to the previous queen (Wendell's stepmother) and a curse affecting Wendell's kingdom.
Without spoiling some major plot points some of the major events in the book seem to be glossed over fairly quickly including working out who the traitor is as once they are discovered nothing much happens to them.
I also felt the same about a certain characters death as the incident seemed to be resolved fairly quickly which left it seeming not very heartfelt.
The ending too was a little underwhelming.
Overall I quite enjoyed this book but it felt more like a middle book than the end of a series

sooooooooo, does the series end here or is there a fourth book coming?

I really enjoy this series, the world they exist in, and this book is no exception to that. However, I think this book mayyyyyy be my 'least favourite' out of the 3! (book 2 is my favourite and I devoured that one!)

It is very action packed and more tense compared to the previous two in the series, and at times, felt a bit off? As in maybe a bit harder to follow since it's mostly in the faerie realm compared to the real world? I can't fully explain how I felt, maybe because I read this one digitally compared to physically for the other two, I felt as if this one was much more fast paced and less "cosy fantasy". It felt as if some things were missing too, for e.g., more communication between Emily and Wendell about her transition to a queen? What I'm saying is that some of the plot points felt a bit unresolved and I think this does leave the door open for a possible 4th book.

If this is the end of the series, it is still a fitting ending, and wrapped up decently well. Though I do wish there was an epilogue if this is the end.. As I've said, I would've preferred a bit more communication to finish it off, but still pretty satisfied! I think readers of this series will generally enjoy this book and seeing where the story goes and wraps up.

Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Aus/NZ for the arc!

3.5 / 5

Sadly I think that this might be my least favourite in the series. Wendall just seems so immature in comparison to the previous books and there just wasn't any chemistry between Emily and Wendall. I felt that there was more chemistry between Emily and Shadow (the dog/grim). The story also felt a bit nonsensical but I guess that's to be expected from a story set in Fairie.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette for the eARC and because it's taken almost 3 weeks but my window is finally fixed, I have given an honest review

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the third instalment in the spellbinding series. After absolutely devouring the first two books, I was eager to get my hands on the third, and it did not disappoint. I absolutely love the way Heather Fawcett writes, creating such a cosy tale that is compulsively readable.

Sigh.

I need to take some time to recover from coming to the end of yet another Heather Fawcett novel. She has embroidered an incredible world of faerie, academia and adventure. The characters are well fleshed out and I may have had glassy eyes reading about Shadow.

The character Emily reminded me of other great characters like Don Tillman (The Rosie Project) and Elizabeth Zott (Lessons in Chemistry) that stay with you well after you have finished the book. I much prefer a fantasy world because you never know what is going to happen when you open that door or find unusual eyes watching you!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this earlier than the print date for an honest review. I’m excited to add the print copy to my personal and school library. Yes, this will be highly recommended by me.

I absolutely love Emily and Wendall! This is such a great third book, I love that we get more and more Fae as we go on!

This wasn’t my favorite in this series but it was enjoyable and still had the cosy vibes of the first two.