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.

Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is a masterful blend of cozy fantasy and high-stakes intrigue that left me utterly enchanted. Emily’s journey as a reluctant Queen of Faerie, alongside the ever-dashing Wendell, is both heartwarming and thrilling, filled with clever twists, magical lore, and moments of genuine emotional depth. The dynamic between Emily and Wendell is a highlight, with their wit and devotion adding warmth to the book’s rich, atmospheric storytelling. Fawcett skillfully weaves together threads from the previous books, creating a satisfying sense of closure while keeping the sense of wonder alive. From Emily’s scholarly approach to the treacherous beauty of Faerie to the poignant moments with the attentive oaks, this story is a delightful reminder of why I fell in love with the series. If this is the final chapter, it’s a farewell I’ll treasure—but I’ll hold out hope for more adventures in this magical world.

Having loved the first two books in Heather Fawcett's "Emily Wilde" series, I was thrilled to dive into Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (Emily Wilde, #3)—and it did not disappoint! Fawcett masterfully weaves a story that feels both enchanting and effortless to read. It has love, adventure, suspense, and at the heart of it, is Emily's constant scholarly pursuit. If you're a fan of the series, this is a must-read. It's another enchanting chapter in Emily's journey that left me eager for more. Highly recommended!

I had a lot of hopes for this one, and my first reaction was a little bit of a let down. Part of it is having to give up these characters, because I adore them so.

Wendell is ready to take his throne, with Emily as his queen. Emily is... less sure. She may know the faie and some of their ways, but living in their world is something she's entirely unprepared for. Especially as she observes Wendell and how effortless everything is for him.
When his stepmother leaves a curse on the land, Emily does what she does best - goes and studies every story she can find for similarities. She finds one tale - King Macan's Bees - that seems to match their situation exactly. Only, the story will end with either Wendell's death, or his corruption. Either way, Emily is not going to let Wendell be sacrificed. She's going to find a different ending to the story. Or maybe write her own.

With Shadow as her companion and protector, she sets off to change the ending, using every faerie connection she can find.

I think part of the let down for me was that Emily was on her own for so much of this. She'd leave Wendell (to his displeasure, for he could barely stand a day away from her) and refuse to dwell on how much she missed him. Some fans might appreciate Emily's tenacity and determination, I found myself missing their partnership. Emily always has a few tricks up her sleeve, and a well thought out plan, and her ability to weather the ways of the folk are much greater than she gives herself credit for.

"He laughed, and the forest around us seemed to brighten"

I love the way nature, especially in his kingdom, reacts to Wendell. It can be ominous when it picks up on his moods, but I love how it normally brightens in his presence. He is such a bright, lovely character, and this just makes me love him more.

While I'm sorry to see Emily's adventure come to a close, I know Heather Fawcett will be bringing us a new world to explore, and I can't wait!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the EARC for review.
I was so excited to read this finale book to this series as I have absolutely loved the last two books and absolutely adore Wendell and Emily.
It mostly hit the mark for me as I loved watching where Emily and Wendells' relationship goes and develop as they try to adapt to their new situation, and of course, as usual, something goes wrong. Emily uses her scholarly pursuit to solve it.
That's what I love about her character she never changes who she is or her love for knowledge but instead slowly opens up and learns to care for those around her knowledge.

I loved everything about this book, but somehow, not as much as the previous two. I think it suffers a bit because I feel like there's not as much banter in this one. Their relationship is still my favorite, but I don't know some parts in the middle felt slow to me. However, overall, this was definitely a worthy conclusion to the Emily Wilde series, and I'm so happy to have read it. I highly recommend this series as a whole!

If you have not read the Emily Wilde books, this is the 3rd installment in the trilogy. Go away if you don't want the first two books spoiled!

Emily and Wendell finally venture into his realm so that Wendell may take is throne back and become the proper King. While Emily has been enthusiastically prepared to join him, her friends have some reservations about her being a human living in Faerie.

I absolutely loved this book (as expected). However, I could understand if people might be disappointed at the low stakes and easy resolution of problems and conflict. If this were any other series I might feel the same way. However, I think this is meant to be a more low stakes cozy fantasy series where even the more harrowing parts of the story are not meant to inflict emotional damage. That being the case, I was easily swept away in this conclusion to one of my favorite series.

Thank you to the publisher for sending an early complimentary of this book through netgalley. All the opinions in the review are my own.

This review is currently posted to Goodreads

This was the perfect conclusion to a very cozy and lovely trilogy. Definitely recommend! I just think Heather's writing style is so perfect. I will definitely continue reading everything she writes.

After loving the first two books, I went into this with sky high expectations and while I liked it, I didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. It’s still entertaining and I love the characters, but it was missing some of the whimsy and fun found in the other two books.

The pacing was a bit uneven. The first part was particularly slow, and for a third book in a series, there was an excessive amount of information dumping. The footnotes weren’t as well-integrated and felt more like citations of books rather than the humorous ones I’ve come to expect. The book felt a bit repetitive, as a significant portion of it revolves around Emily’s introspective moments and her use of similar wording in her journal entries. Additionally, there’s a considerable amount of filler content that describes her library studies, various academic styles, different professors and colleges, food and tea, clothing, and other details.

The action picks up but the last 20% contains a new sub plot that felt a bit ridiculous to me and relies on lack of communication which isn’t my fav. Wendell was relegated to a minor character for a significant portion of the book, which further hindered the development of the story. Without the dynamic between Emily and Wendell, Emily’s character becomes somewhat tedious—a fussy academic lacking the necessary balance and comic relief provided by Wendell.

It’s still one I’d recommend, even though I didn’t love it as much as the first two books. I did enjoy seeing all the characters again and learning more about Wendell’s kingdom. I’m not certain whether there are additional books planned for this series, but if it end with this book, I believe it concludes on a satisfying note.

Thanks Random House - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the DRC!

If Heather Fawcett is writing it, I will always read it. This is another stunning installment in the Emily Wilde series and I only wish I could read at least a dozen more books of E
Emily and Wendell’s adventures.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is the perfect third installment for this series (and I'm hoping not the last?)
I absolutely love Emily and Wendell, they are complete opposites but they work so well together, especially as the rulers of a Fairie realm.
I don't think that I will ever be tired of reading books about these two, and I will recommend these books to every customer that will listen.

The third installment in the Emily Wilde series does not disappoint. If you haven't read the first two in the series, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands, this review will contain spoilers for those books. (seriously, read the books in order). In this volume, Emily and her fiance, Wendell, having at last overthrown his stepmother and ascended to the throne in Faerie, settle down to the business of being King and Queen. There is, as in the first two, the same delightful humor as Emily is enthralled by the academic study of all things Faerie, while horrified as the wardrobe her new role requires. Wendell's ascendency is met with both excitement and a bit of raised eyebrows at some of his "common" ancestry, which also provides some comic relief - as well as a subtle commentary on prejudice. Emily is also concerned, watching for changes in her beloved- she's well aware of his flaws (see volume one in particular) but is concerned about the changes becoming a king may have on him, as so many faerie kings become corrupted by their power. However, the largest and most immediate threat is that the evil former queen has thrown one last play, she has somehow cursed the land, a curse which threatens to destroy all of Wendell's kingdom. The result is a fun read, and while we suspect that all will be well (this is more a romance, which means a HAE is expected), it does not lack suspense. Recommended. I was given an advance ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

I was glad that I reread book 2 before starting this, because this one picks up right where that one left off. What a great ending to the series! Emily Wilde is truly a character of all time, and this book is definitely about HER. I know that some people will feel that Wendell was underutilized, but it’s not called Wendell Bambleby’s Compendium of Lost Tales, and this ultimately didn’t bother me too much.. I’m aware that this its the end of the series, but I would always be happy to end up back in this world again if the opportunity presented itself.

The Emily Wilde series has one of my favourite faerie worlds. The way the inner workings of the fae are portrayed and the sheer scale of detail to everything is incredible. To start the opening line was five stars and I loved it, anything involving the beloved animal companions and banter between our main characters brought a smile to my lips.
This final story is full of peril with a deadly curse, there’s adventure, sword fights and Emily using her knowledge and wit a plenty. The pacing was still cozy despite all this, as there were plenty of lulls, with characters just spending time together and world-building. At times I felt the pacing was off due to this but overall I enjoyed this very much, maybe didn’t enjoy as much as the others just because I’m mad it’s ending. If you want amazing faerie realms, romance, adventure, mystery and academic vibes then this series is a must! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

I LOVE this series. Thank you so much for letting me ARc read books 1-3. This one hit the spot just as well as the others. I love the classical faerie lore used and the variety of other cultures lores. This book is perfect to read and cozy up on a fall evening.

3.2 Stars
One Liner: Oh, Emily!

Emily and Wendell (with some reinforcements) enter his kingdom to stake claim to the throne. Of course, it’s not easy. Emily, with all her scholarly interest in the fae world, doesn’t feel comfortable being a queen. However, she has no time to deal with this. Wendell’s stepmother has placed a curse on the kingdom. They need to use all her knowledge and Wendell’s powers to break the curse and save the kingdom.
The story comes in Emily’s first-person (through her journal writings).

My Thoughts:
Well, I’ve been excited to read this since I finished book #2. Sadly, the results are mixed.
The book takes off where the second one ends (though it took me some time to remember that part). Anyway, I soon got into the setting and the mood. The stakes were high this time, and I was ready for a lot of danger and action.
Somehow, the pacing was decent for the first 10% and then became slower than a snail. Since the previous two were also slow, I was sort of used to it. It does get better in the last quarter.
There’s some action here and there with Wendell showcasing his swordsmanship. However, it is not as much as I hoped for.
But… my major disappointment comes from the execution of the premise. The stepmother’s curse, fighting her, etc., should have been more gripping and engaging. Instead, we get a mild version (the whole book has YA vibes) with more focus on scholarly research than actual implementation. Balancing both elements might have helped. The action, when it takes place, is short and over in a few paragraphs. Easy peasy and convenient!
Instead of having so many developments and rushing through them with easy solutions, there should have been one or two tension-filled dark scenes with details.
For a book with such high stakes, the approach is more of a cozy fantasy. This was supposed to be the last of the trilogy, but I feel there will be more books. Even the open-ish ending (also lukewarm) gives the same feeling.
What with Emily and Wendell being a couple, we don’t get much banter either. Also, they don’t spend time together much. The only highlight of this is Wendell’s letters to Emily. Those were adorable.
Shadow and Orga were cool (Orga was a lot more fun). Poe had a tiny role but shined in it. Snowball had more space and brought some laughs. Not sure about say about Deilah’s character either. What was the purpose? It would make sense if there was another book with her having some role. She couldn’t have been only for comic relief surely?

To summarize, Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales wasn’t as good as the previous books but managed to be a decent read. I like it okay but man, I wanted so much more! Might as well give us book four next.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group (Del Rey), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

5 stars. Lovely book, as usual with any Emily Wilde stories by Heather Fawcett. Such a marvelous and delectable prose that feels like a warm hug of coziness during the winter months.

Faerie expert Emily Wilde and academic colleague/fiancée Wendell Bambleby are at it again and this time the pair are in desperate need to lift a deadly curse on Wendell's kingdom, placed there by his evil stepmother. Can these two find the cure to save the land as well as the happiness this mortal and faerie deserve before it is too late?

Ok, so my journey with Emily Wilde is long-winded and complex. The first installment was promising but was a bit meh. The second was more promising, as the world-building was already done (which I think contributed to the slow pacing of the first), but this last one... AHHHHHH! This is what I wanted Emily Wilde to be, and I totally loved it. I am an Emily and Wendell stan forever, and I am just in love with their dynamic. This was all I wanted and more. And I'm thrilled that the ending seems to be open. Like the door hasn't shut completely on the two so please give us more??? Highly recommend and am happy to have this in our collection!

This has been one of my all-time favorite series. I gave all three books 5 stars. Emily Wilde‘s Compendium of Lost Tales was highly anticipated for me and did not disappoint.. I eagerly await the audiobook.

E-ARC generously provided by Del Rey/Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

4 stars. Strangely comforting yet harrowing, Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is the most romantic entry of the series to date and serves as a solid, slightly open ending for Emily and Wendell's adventures.