Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is the third and supposedly final in Heather Fawcett's series about a scholar studying fairies who becomes mixed up in their magic. The books are written as if fairies are a real scholarly subject and Emily is studying them as one would another culture; footnotes to various fairy stories are even included throughout to add to the seeming reality of the stories. However, fairies can be capricious and dangerous. In this novel Emily has the possibility of becoming the queen of a fairy realm if she marries its heir. She has some hesitation though that despite Wendell's devotion that fairies have been known to tire of their mortal loves. The couple must also overcome a curse put upon the land by Wendell's half fairy/half human stepmother. Fawcett does a great job at creating a strange world that is both beautiful and yet spooky at the same time such as trees that have leaves with eyes and kind brownies with needles for fingers. Beauty can be monstrous and monsters can be kind in the story which also speaks to being aware of ones expectations and prejudices.

I love everything in this series!!! they are perfection and I can't get enough. This was fun, exciting and the perfect amount of romance.

The third (and final?) installment in the Emily Wilde series and it did not disappoint! Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is a delightful addition to this series, picking up right where the 2nd book ends.

This series blends cozy fantasy vibes, historical academia, folklore, adventure, and a touch of romance to create something truly magical. I love the whimsical and richly built world Fawcett has crafted.

I dare you not to fall in love with the characters in this series. Our leading lady, Emily, is fiercely intelligent, yet socially awkward. This story is told through Emily’s entries into her field journals, drawing the reader into this world. I enjoyed getting back to Emily’s meticulous pursuit of academic research and Wendell’s charming antics. Their romance is more of a focus in this story, so there were more tender moments between Emily and Wendell in this book. I enjoyed watching their relationship continue to develop. I also appreciated seeing some familiar faces from previous books, adding a sense of nostalgia.

If you enjoy historical fantasy that leans a little more cozy with charming characters, I highly recommend you give this series a go. While I sincerely hope there ends up being more installments in this series, I cannot wait to see what Heather Fawcett writes next.

I received an eARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adore this series. I did read this one pretty slow but it was honestly because I was trying to avoid finishing the book. I am unsure if this is the last book in the series since there are more things that could be explored but it also ties up the main story line from book one. This is my favorite cozy fantasy series. I love that the key to determining what steps to take is to learn from the history of Faerie via the stories that have been left behind. One of my favorite parts of these books is learning the folklore surrounding the fae folk. I always liked how the tales seemed to give insight into current situations throughout the series and this book is essentially confirming that as a fact. It is a nice "life lesson" that while you must learn from history you can also prevent yourself from repeating it. I will probably re-read this series for years to come as a comfort read. I already want to restart book one and our journey with Emily and Shadow, and Wendell and Olga. Also Shadow and Olga had me cracking up throughout this book.

I’m glad I read this book so I could wrap up the series, but honestly, it was a bit of a slog. The writing style is so creative and often so funny, but it also leaves me feeling somewhat detached from the characters and their adventures. I also thought the story was ending like three times before it actually did, and I had to force myself to finish. If you liked the other two, you’ll like this one!

This was such a delightful ending to such a wonderful series. The third volume of Emily Wilde's finally allows us to se Wendall in all his Fae finery as he returns home and the two have to figure out life beyond the door. The best thing about the series is the dynamic between the two main characters and their banter and relationship just keeps getting better. I loved how Fawcett particularly weaves stories throughout this book as a means of solving some of the problems the characters confront (namely what to do with Wendall's evil mother). Anytime authors give narratives agency of their own and the ability to write ones on ending is a big plus to me, and here Fawcett does it beautifully. If you enjoyed the first 2 books, this will be a fun and satisfying ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4/5 stars.

I just truly love this series. I love Em and Wendell. I love how it's cozy academia. I love how dryadology is a thing. There are footnotes. It's told through Emily's journal...and I just...I love it so much. And Wendell is just adorable with how much he cares for Emily.

A charming and cozy academic fantasy, and a return to form for the Emily Wilde series.

I really love books that make an academic study of something fantastical, and the first book in this series did a brilliant job at that. I was less fond of the second book, which got away from the series’ original intent and devolved a lot into romance and faerie realm nonsense.

This book, though it does take place largely in Faerie and not in Cambridge, refocused its tone and feel back to what made the first book so good, and I was glad to see Emily behaving more like, well, Emily.

The plot here was a clever extension of the broader narrative, and I loved the sweet story arc for Shadow. I’m hoping the next book in the series focuses back on Emily as Scholar and is rooted primarily in Cambridge, but this book was a great step in the right direction.

Oh, Emily Wilde, this pains me to write.

I loved the first two books in this series. This new one, though, while still good, didn’t have the same spark.

Pacing throughout the first half or so is slow, with lots of unnecessary information dumping and meandering about with filler that didn’t enhance the story or move it forward.

Too much of the story is driven by a failure to communicate between Emily and Wendell, our two main characters. This didn’t sit well for me, partly because I dislike the trope, but mostly because it didn’t fit the characters normal communication style.

All that being said, I still love these two characters and all the magical sparks they bring.

*Thanks to Del Rey for the free eARC, provided via NetGalley!*

***Thank you to Del Rey for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience with the finished hardcover and audio versions of the book, which I purchased.***

I think it’s safe to say that I adored this series. The writing was just so whimsical, and the characters had such distinct and lovable personalities. I loved the field journal format of the story and its focus on all of the faerie research. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales thrust the characters into new, impossible scenarios. I had such a great time seeing how they reacted and worked through the new obstacles thrown at them.

Both Emily and Wendell grew a lot in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales. It was so much fun to watch Wendell come into his own as king. He’s always been such a flighty, but passionate, character, and those characteristics made him such an interesting monarch. He truly cared about his realm and all of the creatures in it. It allowed his more serious side to shine through at times. Emily was still a curmudgeon, but she had grown so much since the first book, especially in relying on those around her. She struggled with fitting in as queen and trying to be someone she was not. She eventually found her footing, though, and learned that just being herself was all she needed to be successful.

I loved the focus on the importance of stories in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales. Emily used the legends of faerie to try to decipher how Wendell could defeat his stepmother without losing himself along the way. The process of the research was fun to read, and I enjoyed getting to piece together the stories alongside the characters. However, I did think there were a couple of times that the logic of the answers felt a bit too easy or abrupt.

All of the research happening in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was also such a great way to broaden the world-building. The series has always done a great job of balancing the whimsical and horrifying aspects of the fae. That continued to be the case in this novel. The creatures and locales were all so fascinating. I particularly adored the animal companions in this story, even more than in the previous installments. I do wish we’d gotten to go on a full tour of Wendell’s realm, though. That felt like such a huge, missed opportunity for fun adventures.

I found the plot of the novel compelling, as well. It even had more than a few surprises that I didn’t expect, including some great connections to the previous stories. I will say, though, that it felt like the story had a bit too many climaxes. One major thing would get resolved only for something else to pop up seemingly out of nowhere. It made for engaging reading but also caused a bit of whiplash, especially in the last third of the book. The story also explored some great themes about governance, learning from the past, being true to oneself, and loving someone for who they are, among others. However, it did so in ways that were quite subtle. The messages never overpowered the plot, but they were integral, nonetheless.

Overall, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was a great conclusion to this trilogy. The depiction of the faerie world is possibly my favorite I’ve ever read, and I just came to love these characters so much. I really want to read more of their adventures one day. If it’s not meant to be, at least I can revisit these three books anytime. I can’t recommend the series enough! Therefore, I rate the book 4.75 out of 5 stars.

This is the final book of the Emily Wilde trilogy, and I couldn't think of a better ending to the series. We once again follow Emily Wilde and Wendell on their misadventures, and its just as heartwarming as its always been. In addition to that, we get to see all of our favorite characters again. Overall it was a very fun adventure.

I had pretty reasonably high expectations going into this new Emily Wilde book given how much I'd enjoyed the other two books in the series. This conclusion was overall good. As an individual book, I wouldn't quite count it as a personal favorite; as part of this series, I'd consider it a solid addition.

The elements that I really enjoyed in the previous novels are still very much present in this book: the charmingly studious way that Emily narrates her tale via journal entries (and let's not forget those footnotes); the allure, danger and trickery of the fae and their world; circumstances that require research and knowledge of the stories to draw on a course of action. All of these things worked in tandem -- along with the appearance of some very familiar faces -- to still make this read work for me on the whole.

But this book didn't quite make me feel things the same way that its two predecessors did. For both the first and second novels where we follow Emily and Wendell, there's a sense of faerie intrigue and twisty magics, one foot set in the real world and one in Faerie, and we follow our clever, practical, bookish heroine on her journeys through both to resolve the major conflict that is presenting itself (and getting out of additional scrapes along the way). While this is still technically true of this third novel in the series, perhaps the lack of similar resonance is because there's a heavier emphasis on faerie politics and that sort of intrigue, and we're spending much more time in the faerie lands. These things, and the rather jarring (to me, personally) way that things being may have made it feel just a touch discordant with the rest of the series... or at least specifically my experience with it.

Still, I really like Emily (and Wendell, though he's, at times, a little less endearing in this book - which tracks given how his circumstances have changed too). Following her lead as she navigates new life circumstances was still an enjoyable time, and there were definitely some standout moments that I enjoyed too. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales brings readers a fitting end to Emily's story (though I'm also not entirely sure if it's confirmed that this would be the last in the series, and if it isn't, I likely will still be reading whatever comes next).

[Also, this is a very specific comment, but for any readers who have read The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, there's certainly something about this book that reminded me of it.]

What a truly incredible novel! A fantastic end to this fascinating trilogy, I loved every page. Fans will not be disappointed.

I loved being back with Emily and Wendell! they're the sweetest book couple, I just love their interactions together! The whole series is just so cozy and cute. I think this book was a great end to the series but book 1 is still my favourite.

Thank you Penguin Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am absolutely in love with this series, and this book was no different! A touch of absurdity with the most heartbreakingly beautiful scenes and writing, it was a fitting end to this trilogy, while still leaving a door open for future stories.

Remaining true to all of the characters while still allowing each one room to grow, this book was incredible. It has more adventure than the first two, but still maintains the cozy, character driven storylines.

It's a bit hard to write a review for the last book of a trilogy without giving much away. Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is a lovely addition and conclusion to the series overall. Obviously you won't pick up this book without enjoying the previous. For me, I really liked how the story was written from Emily's POV through her journal entries. She has a very distinct narrative voice that truly carries the series. It matches both her character and the time period that she is from very well. I love the romance between Emily and Wendell-- they make a good pair and complement each others' both strengths and weaknesses. All of this is present in this final novel. The plot was one that matched the world and what was set up thus far.

I recommend the series if you like a Mary Poppins-like narrative voice. I think its also a good series if you enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, though this series is slightly less silly since Emily is much more of a serious character than Alexa.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett is the third book in the Emily Wilde series and I have been so excited to read this! I've loved the series so far and had really high expectations for it. And of course it lived up to them! I loved slipping back into a familiar world with characters I've grown to love so much. This one definitely has a slower pace but it really adds to the cozy vibes. The plot did seem a little bland compared to the previous books but I think the deep character development really made up for it. I also think the open ending was a great fit for Emily and Wendell. I'm definitely going to miss this series! I highly recommend giving it a try if you're a fan of cozy fantasy.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

"Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales" presents a charming exploration of folklore and myth. The narrative thrives on its enchanting descriptions and the whimsy of its premise, inviting readers into a world of forgotten tales and magical encounters. While the book delivers delightful moments, it occasionally struggles with depth and pacing, sometimes feeling more like a collection of vignettes than a cohesive story. Emily Wilde’s adventures are engaging but lack a strong narrative drive, making it a pleasant but ultimately fleeting read. Ideal for those who enjoy light, folklore-centric tales with a whimsical twist.

A fantastically done third installment, this book will answer all of your questions and leave you with a satisfying end that honors the characters we've come to love along the way and ties everything together. In doing this, it maintains the charm and voice of our main character throughout while giving her believable and enjoyable development through her actions and her time with Wendell in Faerie. The tone of our main character's journal entries is what kept me here, and the way Heather Fawcett integrates her character development throughout her journal entries is brilliantly done. This was a very satisfying ending that I am more than glad I preordered. This series as a whole has firmly made its way to my fantasy recommendation list for patrons.

This was a solid third entry and possible conclusion to the series, though my patience with the world of Emily Wilde has been wearing thin since the beginning, and it's beginning to fray through altogether. For me, it's the bare entitlement of Emily and Wendell in all their interactions--with each other but more so with everyone else they encounter--that I have an increasingly hard time dealing with.