I absolutely adore this series. The sweet (understated) grumpy/sunshine romance, the banter, Emily’s dedication to academia, the found family and community formed throughout the series, and the way the Faerie world is so aloof and, most of the time, a pretty brutal place.

Though this third installment in the series felt packed full of adventure and action, it maintained its cozy and sweet atmosphere. The stakes were at an all time high for Wendell and Emily but their banter and Wendell’s desire to express his love for Emily despite her not being as vocal about her feelings never ceased. Wendell’s commitment to his kingdom and to Emily never waiver.

The second to last chapter of this book had me sobbing. Heather Fawcett wrote possibly one of the sweetest scenes to ever exist. If you enjoy this series, I think you’ll really enjoy this final book!

I had been very excited for the penultimate book in the emily wilde series and this did not disappoint. While this book was definitely more of a tear jerker than the first two, I was happy with the ending, and surprisingly became very fond of the attentive oaks. After the scene in which the oak is weeping, I had to pause to text my sister because i was crying quiet hard, and she was quite at a loss for what I was talking about as she is not a fantasy reader.

Favorite Quote: Perhaps being too powerful, too unopposed, is a curse in and of itself, leading to boredom and dissipation, and the invention of imaginary enemies whose powers to torment were less limited than those of flesh and blood.

Story Synopsis: Emily Wilde finds herself in Faerie with Wendell after recently deposing Wendell’s stepmother as monarch of his kingdom. Now, Wendell is attempting to rule, while Emily continues to study Faerie — and simultaneously acting as Queen. When a blight overtakes much of the realm very quickly, Emily returns to her books and scholarly work to unravel the mystery of the blight and its connection to the former ruler to save Wendell’s life and the realm.

Why does this book beguile? Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries was Fawcett’s debut novel and a surprise delight for me when I read the ARC in late 2022. I was utterly thrilled to get the ARC for Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands and now Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales. Like all good series, the third book furthers Emily & Wendell’s story, and I love how much time they spend in Wendell’s realm. There are a few throwbacks to the first book, which delighted me. Is Emily done with adventures? I’m not sure - things could go either way.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

I. ABSOLUTELY. LOVED. IT! I was placed in such a blissful reading state for the last couple of days, because I got to be in Emily/Wendell’s world again! I really enjoyed how Fawcett wrote this story, bringing it full circle. I cried at least twice; highlighted beautiful lines of conversation between characters; and laughed at scenes that were portrayed so vividly. I don’t want to give anything away! But I know that I’ll be reading this series over and over again.

One of my draws to this series is its variety of Folk: it is just so diverse and wonderful to learn. The reader is introduced to even more characters in this book, while still encountering loved and memorable characters. I felt a sense of nostalgia reading this book, too, which is what influenced me to buy FairyLoot copies of Book 1 and 2.

Fawcett did an absolutely thorough and balanced piece of work with this third book. It does not feel like it was quickly produced at all. It feels like there was painstaking time put into the story to make it dramatic, while tying so many loose ends effortlessly.

I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can buy it and the audiobook! I received an eARC graciously from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I simply love and adore Emily and Wendell, and gosh I loved this story so incredibly much!!!! I really hope that this isn’t the last that we see of these two, but if it is, then I’m so happy to have had these three wonderful books to enjoy, to go on journeys into faerie realms with them, and to experience their one of a kind romance!

I knew the moment I began this, the third in the Emily Wilde series, I would fall happily into a cozy, well written, story that would take me into the faerie kingdom of Wendle and Emily, while I softly chuckled through their dialogue and wondered at Heather Fawcett's ability to paint a picture of far-off lands with words.
Compendium of Lost Tales did not disappoint. I love Emily's ability to approach situations logically while also doing everything she can to protect the Faerie King with whom she has fallen in love. The romance is sweet, but not spicy. The situations Emily finds herself in are sometimes scary, but they are quickly resolved using her brain and mustering her courage.
I always enjoy the way the story is told through academic journal entries and never seems disjointed or overly encumbered by the footnotes about historical texts. These always seem to add special bits to the story.
Thank you very much for the eARC provided by Del Rey/Ballantine Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was a really good book. It was my favorite of the three books. When I started reading the series, I was not sure how I felt about it, but with every book I read, I enjoy it more and more. As per the other books, this book is written in journal form from Emily’s perspective. I enjoyed that this book followed that same format. I also really enjoy encountering characters from previous books. With this book, I feel like we are really seeing Emily’s growth not only as a character, but also as a leader. I found the story heartwarming, fun, and really enjoyable. I am not sure if this is intended to be the last book in the series, but I hope not because I have really become fond of Emily, Wendell, Poe, Shadow, and all of the other characters in this series. I would recommend this book to any Emily Wilde fan.

I loved the first two books in the Emily Wilde series, and I thought I would love this one too, but I guess the third time isn't always the charm. I struggled to finish this book. Emily seems to have lost some of her confidence and self-assuredness, which is somewhat understandable considering her relationship with Wendell and how the fae react to it, but it seemed a reach compared to her reactions to her previous adventures in the fae kingdoms. This book is longer than the other two, but despite the new characters and adventures, it lagged for the first 2/3 and it seemed as if much didn't happen. There's still much to love here, but I hope if there is a book four that it feels a bit more like the first two books.

In this third volume of the Emily Wilde series Emily and her now-fiancé Wendell return to his realm to seize back his throne. In doing so they have to face a curse placed by his stepmother and the doubts of the fae about their new king and Queen. In my honest opinion these books get better with each new volume and I can’t wait for a fourth!

Another absolute banger from Heather Fawcett. I absolutely adore her characters and this universe. I hope she writes 20 more of these.

This series is not my favorite genre, but for some reason, it’s been a fun read for me. I think this might be the last book, but I guess we’ll see. Anyway, this latest has Emily and Wordell back in Faerie to take back his kingdom, but of course, not everything goes smoothly. This is like the other books in that it is whimsical, well-written, engaging, and fun, and I hope there will be more in the series. Fans of the first two books will enjoy this latest, and maybe series ender, and if you’re new, it’s best to start at the beginning. Recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

This is the first series I've felt really invested in since my YA days - I was so excited for this! Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I'm not a big fantasy reader so I think what I like about this series is that it's pretty grounded in reality and academia/science, but with faeries. This installment takes place primarily in the faerie realm and started with more political drama, which I'm less into, but still features Emily researching to find a solution to a curse on the kingdom. I was happy to see some old friends from the previous books and more Orga and Shadow, but I felt like there wasn't a well-developed new cast of secondary characters here. And without spoilers - we don't get to see part of the climax because Emily isn't there?

4 stars only because of how much I liked the previous two books so I'm probably holding this to extra high standards, but if you like the series you'll like this and if you haven't started this series you should :)

I adore Emily and Wendell, and their relationship gives this conclusion to the Emily Wilde series all the stars. I appreciated the backdrop of Faerie to Emily's adventures, and her character development throughout the series culminates really nicely in this third installment with how she is able to be more comfortable being herself, find her people, and embrace her found family. Fawcett has some wonderful phrases that made me smile a lot throughout this book, even as I was sad to see this story come to a close. So there you go: A lovely finale to this cozy fantasy trilogy.

This was the third installment and a satisfying return to the adventures of Emily, Wendell, Shadow and crew. I’m not sure if this is the final chapter, but I hope not because I could read about these cozy academic shenanigans endlessly. There were some characters I felt were definitely missing some screen time, but we did get to know more of our favorites. I’m so glad for the character growth for Emily and her relationship, but I will say a bit of the aforementioned mentioned academic endeavors suffered a bit because of it. The pacing of this book was more calm and linear than the others, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your preferred reading style. That being said, I’m not sure I have recently read a series that leaves you wanting more while also wrapping up each so book nicely. This series will definitely be one of the few that I will read over and over again.

Thank you Ballantine/Del Rey Publishing for providing an arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good ending to the series. I very much enjoyed it, though, not as much as the first two.

I absolutely love Wendell. He is a great switch up from the dark and moody male leads we've been seeing copy and pasted lately. He is still incredible powerful, but in nearly every other aspect is unique.

This one did fall into the same pattern as the first two, with having something like two climaxes. Which actually doesn't bother me, but does sort of take out the 'all is lost' feeling for the first climatic event.

<spoiler>The ending, magical fix with Shadow, was a bit cheesy... but hey, I am not mad about it. I would have been heartbroken of something horribly had happened to him. So I will take the silly potion rather than them killing the dog!</spoiler>

This is one of the few series that I do plan to collect the physical books to.

A perfect installment of the Emily Wilde series! The banter, the romance, the wittiness. I loved it all! If you liked the previous books this one will sweep you away.

nother delightful and moving installment to the Emily Wilde series.

I have loved Emily, Wendell, Shadow, and their various companions since the first book. They have journeyed with me through some dark times and given me comfort and a cozy place to escape. Book three adds more depth to the relationships, setting, and motivations that have been introduced in previous books. We see some old friends and explore some important questions at the hair of the story--who is Emily, exactly? A scholar? A Queen of Faerie? And in marrying Wendell, is she marrying the man she loves or the King of Where the Trees Have Eyes?

As always, Emily's research and knowledge of faerie guide us and the other characters as, once again, things go awry and our lovable curmudgeonly future monarch must find a way to put them right. I love Emily's voice and narration and think we could all learn something from her unique approach.

Curl up by the fireplace with your cocoa and a cozy blanket and get ready to welcome yourself home.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the third book in the Emily Wilde series and is, unfortunately, my least favorite of the three. That’s not to say that it’s a bad book, so much as I didn’t feel like the Emily previously established in the other two books is the Emily we were given in book three.

The Emily in the first two books was full of dry humor and curiosity, and while she was always wary of the folk, she never felt overtly fearful to the point that she couldn’t save herself. It didn’t really feel that way here; she seemed timid and socially anxious rather than socially awkward for a good portion of the book, which felt like it undercut her previous development and adventuring.

Furthermore, her relationship with Wendell felt more like a prop rather than a point of interest, with very little needling or banter. And she spent too much time wondering when his capricious faerie nature would turn against her instead of simply trusting him and their relationship as she always had before.

I’m still excited for the next book, if there is one, but this dampened some of my enthusiasm for the series.

Thank you to Del Rey and Random House, and to NetGalley for an arc of Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales in exchange for an honest review.

"Hand you the right storybook, and you are capable of anything."

I don't know if there's been any confirmation that this will be the final book? So I will hold on to hope that there will be more stories and adventures from Emily, Wendell and my favorite Shadow.

What do I say that hasn't already been said? This series is beyond fascinating! And magical. And oh, so beautifully written! I love going on adventures with Emily and her inquisitorial, no-nonsense brain full of Faerie facts and myths and stories. I am transported every time and I don't ever want to leave.

I do have one objection with this instalment. I didn't get enough of Wendell?! But I love seeing how down bad he is for our dear Emily. He's so smitten it's beyond adorable!

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales was the perfect read for Christmas Eve! Atmospheric, lovely, and adventurous with a dash of beheading and a smidge of bloodthirstiness.