Bored out of my MIND. You can’t have stakes this high and keep it cosy, and the attempt at having both clashes badly, rendering Compendium a mess that can’t decide what it wants to be: it doesn’t have the cosy-whimsy-charm of the previous books, and it definitely hasn’t managed to transition or transform into a high-stakes high-tension save-the-realm epic. (Which: nobody wanted that! Literally nobody asked you to suddenly try and turn this into a fate-of-the-realm story. Why couldn’t we just have a novel about Wendell settling in as king and Emily finding her place in the scariest fairy realm?)

But the main problem is how simple and convenient it all is. Why is Emily suddenly saying ‘I somehow knew’ all the time about random magical details she can’t possibly know? Why is every problem and conflict wrapped up neatly in ten minutes or less? Why bother introducing all these mini problems if you’re just going to magic-wand them away? Do you know how hard it is to stay interested when you do that? I’m not even choosing not to care about each new problem, you’re not giving me TIME to care before you’ve fixed it!

Being up close and personal to Fawcett’s Folk is…making it very clear that they’re quite dull, actually. At least the ice fae in book one felt alien and strange; Wendell’s court, despite allegedly being the Courtly Fae of, again, the scariest fae realm to ever fae, are just…humans playing dress-up. And not even interesting dress-up! At LEAST give me fae fashion, for crying out loud, and no, a cloak so soaked in blood it leaves a trail on the floor doesn’t cut it. Dresses made up of water and sunlight and envy! Necklaces studded with mortal dreams instead of jewels! Folk with fur or porcupine quills or wings instead of hair! There’s no strangeness, there’s no beauty, they’re not even scary or monstrous. And don’t get me started on the giant foxes they use instead of horses. HOW DO YOU MAKE GIANT FOXES BORING?

And listen. Listen. I love Emily. Emily is amazing. But chapters and chapters of her being ‘uneasy’ instead of excited and delighted and obsessively trying to Know Everything about the realm she finds herself in is a) disappointing b) exhausting and c) BORING.

I read to 45% and honestly, that was 35% too much. Genuinely made my eyelids heavy.

I want to be clear that I absolutely adore Emily Wilde. Encyclopedia of Faeries was a 5 Star Read for me. I was not quite as taken with Map of the Otherlands, though I still enjoyed it. I enjoyed Compendium of Lost Tales more than Map of the Otherlands but not more than Encyclopedia of Faeries. Overall, I would give the trilogy as a whole 4 Stars.

I found the pacing of Compendium to be rather slow. I didn’t feel the story picked up until about 40% of the way in. After the 40% mark there were moments that were peppered in that peaked my interest but I didn’t feel they always entirely followed through to be as interesting as they could have been.

I’ve found Map and Compendium to be less charming than Encyclopedia. I loved how whimsical and at times cutting the setting and story of Encyclopedia was. I excepted more of that in Map and Compendium but felt they were both lacking in this.

While, I do think overall the trilogy is worth the read; I don’t think either compare to the first novel that I actually feel could have worked just as well as a stand alone with a few minor tweaks.

Emily and Wendell are as dramatic (in their own respective ways as ever) I mean this as a compliment as their dramatics compliment each other and are as endearing as they are entertaining. I also thrill over any new faerie beast or creature that we encounter and there are several moments to be had for that as well.
There is plenty of affection and tender moments shared between Emily and Wendell as well as the return of familiar faces and it makes for a wonderfully cozy read.

What I liked about Encyclopedia so much is that while it had an air of cozy fantasy it still had a depth and some dark edge to it that made perfect sense for a book centered around Faerie. I felt that Compendium could have had more of that edge and I would have appreciated more Faerie lore as well.

I also think that Emily Wilde would make an engrossing and fun tv series and that Emily Bader would make an excellent Emily. I’m also interested to see if Heather Fawcett will release an actual Encyclopedia and or Compendium “written” by Emily. I think that would do a lot to fill in the gaps that I found were missing in the series overall.

Basically, I would have preferred for the second and third books to have the same edge and unpredictability that the first book had. As a whole, Emily Wilde is still utterly enchanting and a series worth reading. I do think there are mixed reviews because I know many readers actually preferred Map of the Otherlands to Encyclopedia, so please take this review with a grain of salt as maybe the other two books are just not as much to my personal taste. However, Emily is sure to appeal to a variety of readers!

Lastly, Shadow is forever the best boy.

Sa-woon. Last book in the trilogy. Simply fantastic.
Fantasy but scholarly. Whimsical but dark.
I’m sad it’s over and I’ll never get to read them for the first time again. Here’s hoping she will release Emily’s “works” in the future. I’ll miss all the characters, especially Shadow….

4.5 stars

I can’t decide which of the three I liked the best, but they are all the same rating. So maybe I like them all equally!

There was so much more of the relationship between Emily & Wendell in this one, which OF COURSE I loved. And still the same quirky humor that had me laughing out loud. Is this really the last book in the series? Because I don’t want it to be. 😢

this third installment in the emily wilde series features faerie royal court intrigue as em and wendell reclaim the kingdom. as always, i admire heather fawcett’s whimsical vocabulary which brings the atmosphere of the book to life and creates a fun experience!! i just admire how real her faerie academia concept feels at times.

I was head over heels for the letters wendell sends to Emily !!
i absolutely loved the magic of this story!! i hope all the emily wilde fans enjoy this one because we see a new side of the faerie world along with wendell’s sword fighting and em solving mysteries to save the kingdom. wendell is absolutely one of my most favorite book characters ever and i adore the dramatic flair he adds to each book. 🌷
thank you for the arc netgalley

Emily and Wendell's adventures continue! This time their quest is for Wendell to reclaim his kingdom from his evil stepmother. Funnily enough, Shadow and Orga were my favorite parts this time around, the best dog and cat ever. This is in the same vein as the first two books. Some people may find comfort in the sameness but I can't help but want this author to mix things up a little, especially since the stories themselves are getting farther from what their titles (Emily's current project) promise. How I would have loved for the lost tales to be front and center! Instead we get one story thrown at us repeatedly while Emily works to save Wendell and his kingdom. Plus, Wendell and Emily are apart for much of the story. I want to see much more of their actual relationship!

Now to be clear, I still really enjoyed this and I fully plan on reading as many Emily Wilde books as are written. It just didn't work quite as well as the first book. Hopefully next time we'll get to see what it looks like for them to rule the kingdom and how Emily gets on with being a queen.


Characters: Emily is 31 year old white dryadology adjunct professor. She has a dog named Shadow who is a Black Hound/Grim (type of Fae pet) and blind in one eye. Wendell is a 29 year old white dryadology professor and Fae king. He has a fae cat named Orga. This is set in 1910.

Content notes: suicide and resurrection, blood magic, murder, attempted murder, physical assault, wraiths, lacerations, broken bones (secondary character), land corruption, aging pet dog (he’s fine, aside from arthritis), past execution of MMC’s older siblings and father and banishment by stepmother, past death of MMC's mother, story of fae queen who died by suicide, story of faerie who died from bee stings, past murder of FMC's grandfather by the Folk (left his wife for a Fae woman), past death of secondary character’s wife, past abduction of secondary character's sister as a child, blind secondary character, FMC missing finger on left hand, off page sex, alcohol, ableist language, hyperbolic language around suicide

Thank you NetGalley and Del Ray Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was introduced to the author's writing and the Emily Wilde series just back in November and found myself loving them all.
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is a beautifully written third book in this series (and I think the last?) about her journey as a dryadologist from just a scholar to the future queen of a faerie realm, and a dangerous faerie realm at that. The author uses fabulous word choice that had me pulling out a dictionary and filing away words I want to use in my daily life. The story is written in a manner that made me want to savor the story instead of plow through it. I felt that the character development in this book was exactly what I hoped for. Shadow and his story felt like such a perfect bow to add and I am thrilled it was included.
Overall, I love this book and appreciate how well the series connects and uses stories.

A worthy conclusion to the trilogy. I know this is a bit more niche, but I love this type of academic cozy fantasy. The grounding in actual folklore, as well as the footnotes citing fictional sources of information are so much fun. I would love to live in this alternate history and be a dryadologist.

A satisfying conclusion to a wonderful, cozy series. Emily and Wendell are my absolute favorite literary couple.
Full review to come on Instagram and StoryGraph upon publication.

This marks the ending of a fantastic series. This time, I see Emily's version of loving and being afraid of losing Wendell. As a scholar entrenched in the stories of fairies, she has plenty to fear regarding Wendell taking back his kingdom from his stepmother. There are too many stories of the murderous insanity of fairy monarchs and one that looks too close to their circumstances. Emily has to delve into stories to figure out how to save him. In the meantime, Wendell is delightful in his love and acceptance of Emily. There are human characters who make me wonder if I'm fooled and that Wendell will change into a murderous fairy. In the end, Emily and Wendell are still a cute couple, and I'm sad to read the last of them.

This review is based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for my honest thoughts.

3.75 stars - This was a nice ending to the Emily Wilde trilogy. All our favorite characters make appearances, and we get to see Emily embrace her feelings for Wendell just a little bit more. You can tell she has become more comfortable in acknowledging her feelings and even basking in them at times! Wendell is his usual charming self with over-the-top declarations of love and an abundance of well-intentioned gifts. We also get to see so much of Faerie and Wendell's kingdom. Heather Fawcett really leans into the descriptions of nature in this installment.

I did feel like the stakes felt lessened compared to the first two books which is why this has a slightly lower rating. The pace of these books is always a little slow, but this one dragged on a little bit longer at the beginning because the drama doesn't start until a good way into the book. As the last installment though, I'm glad it didn't veer off the path readers have come to love from this series.

Another great adventure with Emily and Wendell. The pacing felt a little different in this one, but I still really enjoyed every moment immersed in this world with these characters. Though as much as I love the Emily and Wendell, Shadow, is my true favorite and the real hero of the story. He is 10/10 Good Boy and always saving his people when he probably just wants to nap by the fire and eat meat.

The latest adventure of Emily Wilde and her now-fiance Wendell, King of Faerie! Is Emily ready to become the Queen of Wendell's Faerie kingdom? Talk about an insider's view: as a scholar, Emily can barely contain her eagerness. But as a human with a faerie partner-- she's terrified of what will become of her and Wendell. Can Emily's scholarliness and human perspective save the day?

The third Emily Wilde fantasy has Emily and Wendell returning to his fairie kingdom. He is happy to be home and she is intrigued by all the research she could do now that she lived in his kingdom.

However, the deposed queen has left a curse behind her.

Now, Emily and Wendell have to find the deposed queen and Emily has to decide which story is being played out in the here and now. Emily being a dryadologist has a vast knowledge of fairie stories. But the story that seems to be playing out could lead to Wendell's death.

This was another engaging historical fantasy complete with footnotes. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the wide variety of fae creatures involved.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC! This was an amazing continuation to the Emily Wilde series and a rollercoaster of a story. I actually cried near the end during a special moment between characters. While I don't know if this series will continue, I will definitely read whatever comes next.

In a Nutshell: The third book of the Emily Wilde series. Not a standalone. Great characters,. Slow-ish pacing. Too convenient and flat in the plotting. Not as dark as could have been. Recommended in publication order only to those who are keen on completing the series. Not my favourite of the series by far.

(Note: This review might contain minor spoilers from the earlier two Emily Wilde books.)

Plot Preview:
1910. Emily still can’t accept that she might soon be the Queen of Faerie. An accomplished mortal scholar on faeries, she is now working on her biggest research topic – studying the faerie realm with her foe-turned-fiancé Wendell, who is making plans to recapture his rightful position as the King of Faerie. However, the duo soon learn that Wendell’s stepmother, the earlier queen, has placed a curse upon the kingdom. Wendell can use his magic to save his home, but that alone won’t be enough as the consequences are deadly. It is up to Emily to find the perfect story so that she can write a happy ending for her beloved.
Just as in the earlier books, the story comes to us through Emily’s journal entries written in first person.

This book is not to be read as a standalone work. It starts right at the deep end, continuing immediately after the events of the second book. As such, it ended up as a big test of my memory, which sadly didn’t come to my assistance. I regret the long gap I had between Books Two and Three because I didn’t remember the nitty-gritties of the earlier plot.

Bookish Yays:
😍 Emily as a character – a rare fictional thirty-one-year-old who acts her age. Though she is as focussed on her scholarly pursuits as ever, she is more open about showing her emotions. I love her character growth over the series.
😍 Wendell – the incorrigible fae king who has so many flaws and is still so appealing. This book shows both his practical and his wild sides.
😍 Most of the remaining characters, comprising a motley mix of human and courtly fae and common fae. The variety is extensive this time. Loved the reappearance of some beloved characters from the earlier two books.
😍 A special Yay to Shadow and Orga for being as awesome as always.
😍 The personal-journal approach to storytelling. Emily’s diary actually feels like a journal and not a novel. While her attention to detail can get tedious as well as a tad spoiler-ish at times, I still appreciate it as the writing is authentic to the source of information.
😍 The relationship between Emily and Wendell, which began as a one-sided attraction, turned into romance, and has now blossomed into love. I like how the relationship is based on their connection as well as their mutual need for and respect for each other. Wendell isn't shown as the ideal suitor just because he is fae. Emily isn't depicted just as the grump to Wendell’s sunshine.
😍 No needless recaps of the plotline of the earlier books. The author clearly remembers that this is part of a series, and she expects readers to enter into this story knowing what happened earlier. Though my memory failed me on this, I still respect this writing choice of maintaining proper continuity.


Bookish Mixed Bags:
😐 The plot is firmly Emily’s this time around. Though Wendell does have a strong role and there are several supporting characters, the story relies mainly on Emily to proceed. This feels a bit too limiting, especially for one reason: almost every decision taken by Emily is based on the titular “lost tales”. So much so that she is like a horse wearing blinders about only stories being able to help them out of the problems. I did like the cleverness of the lost tale itself, but I didn’t understand this narrow-minded over-reliance on the tale. It restricted the plot.
😐 Yet again, there are plenty of footnotes in Emily’s journal. Some of these (especially the lore) are interesting, but after a while, they just feel superfluous. Just as in the second book, I skipped reading the footnotes after a point and had no trouble understanding the main plot. (On an aside, I found it amusing to see Emily herself complaining about footnotes in her research books.)
😐 The pace is quite slow for most of the way, though the tempo jumps up during the few action sequences. The second half has much better pacing.
😐 While this is the most serious of the three books, it is also the lightest in terms of plot. The action scenes, when they do pop up, are gripping. However, they are far and few between, with most of the storyline moving ahead mainly on research and discussions. The potentially most dangerous sequence lasts hardly for a couple of pages.
😐 I missed Wendell’s bantering with Emily. Granted, the relationship has grown and they aren’t in that initial phase anymore. But it would have been nice to see more of those lovely teasing moments between the two.

Bookish Nays:
😒 The only new entrant to the cast is a disappointment. There could have been so much more to that character’s arc, but it was reduced to a discordant one-noted tune.
😒 The plot development is too convenient. Even when there are major confrontation sequences, the challenges pop up only from others’ malevolence, not from Emily’s actions or decisions. All her issues, no matter how troublesome, are resolved on her very first attempt at tackling them.
😒 The final chapter – such a flat and boring ending. Instead of ending on a high, the story ends on a mundane level. The endings of the earlier books were much better.

Basically, I had enjoyed the first two books of the Emily Wilde series, and had been looking forward this third book since a long time. The end result is decently good, but not great. I did like it, but overall, I am disappointed at how it didn’t live up to the earlier two novels.

While the story does reach an end, the ending seems like it has deliberately left the gates open for another outing. If ever it comes, I wouldn’t say no to another Emily Wilde book. In fact, I hope there is one more book in this series so that I can enjoy it and say goodbye to Emily and Wendell on a better and happier note.

Recommended to those who have read and enjoyed the earlier two novels of this series.

3.25 stars.

My thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine for providing the DRC of “Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

"And what sort of queen would that make me?"
He looked perfectly earnest as he leaned to kiss my cheek.
↳ "Mine."

Alright, why did this final installment make me cry so much? I'm crying again just from trying to pick out quotes for this review 😭

This was a great conclusion to a series that holds a special place in my heart. Emily and Wendell's journey and their adventures together has been so wonderful to see. Wendell is every bit of the dramatic man we met in book one, but his love for Emily absolutely stabs me in the heart. He is so incredibly romantic and thoughtful. Everything he did in this book had tears in my eyes. The amount of thought and time he put into things for Emily was beyond anything I could have imagined.

"But you are wrong in one thing: I was thinking of you, Em. You were my first thought, as well as my last."

Emily is still the incredibly smart, faerie obsessed academic that we all love, but her growth makes me want to jump into this book and hug her. I highly recommend rereading from book one to three if you haven't read the first two in a while (it's what I should have done) but regardless just as impactful. This isn't really a spoiler, but skip over just incase. The way she had gone from always doing things alone in book one, to finally being able to ask others to help her in book three. STAB MY HEART AGAIN. I love you, Emily Wilde. You are more than enough as you are, and I'm so glad she was able to see that in the end.

My only complaints are that although this final installment pulled at my heart often, crying from one moment, to anxious the next. This book somehow felt just a tad too long. I wasn't bored by any means, but at some points I did feel a small drag, which really surprised me because something was always happening, and there wasn't a dull moment. I can't really put my finger on it, but regardless I had a great time.

This was a wonderful read to start off the new year. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy (with stakes!!!) series with a faerie obsessed professor who loves books more than people, the cutest friendships and heartwarming self journey (still crying about certain scenes in here) with a dramatic BUT SO STINKIN THOUGHTFUL golden retriever love interest, this is the series is for you.

ALSO, there is a dog named Shadow, and Shadow deserves the whole dang world and all the faerie kingdoms. That is all. 😭

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for this arc!

Honestly? I’m a little confused at how we’ve made it to book 3 and Emily is still doing whatever Emily wants, without thought to the people in her life. Mainly... her fiancé. It was fine in book 1, and maybe a little in book 2, but why is she still suffering from lack of character growth? She’s agreed to marry someone but doesn’t really want to include that person in her life.

And why does each journal entry remind us of how fast or when she wrote the previous journal entry? We get it, you’re busy, it was scribbled fast.

This is still a lovely read, but in a slower paced, not as whimsical, sort of way. It also feels like it could be the end, but I’ve said that before. I hope it’s not the end as I would like to see her redeemed.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the perfect cozy fantasy read. We get to see Emily and Wendell living in the Faerie Realm and all the adventures that ensue. I live for Wendell and his pining over Emily. This was definitely the most romantic of the 3 and also had the most adventure! This was the perfect way to wrap up the trilogy and I highly recommend reading this.

Heather Fawcett does it again. Emily Wilde is back at it along with Wendell, some old friends, and of course her trusty pet, Shadow.

In this next adventure we find Emily and Wendell having made it back into his realm and being the process of settling into power. We get the same cozy storytelling but with even more adventure and intrigue now that they’re really into the fae realm. Unlike in the previous adventures, Emily really comes into her own within the fairy realm.

Wendell is even more the most incredible and thoughtful man (fae king) for Emily. His ever present “oh, Em” is just so endearing. He is top tier book boyfriend (and a blond!)

And please don’t get me started on Shadow. I finished this book while my own old dog lays snoring beside me. Heather, you better find a way for Shadow to become immortal. I just can’t handle it. Emily’s love and concern for Shadow is the most relatable.

The previous books in the series I read via audiobook. I can’t wait to experience this new one through that medium as well.