4.5 Stars
Another triumph by Heather Fawcett. I love the style of this book, like her previous two Fawcett utilises a more academic writing style including footnotes to push her narrative along and make it more believable that the FMC is an academic herself but also gives this story a touch of whimsy. The story was engaging and it had a really satisfying conclusion. Would definitely recommend.

This series was enjoyable but had ups and downs for sure. I struggled through book one finding it a bit tedious but I very much enjoyed book two so I was very much looking forward to this book. Overall, I enjoyed the book but found the ending unconventional. What I thought would be the final scenes of the book came earlier on than I expected. I remember checking the percentage read on my ebook because I was thinking it was odd we were already at that part where they take on the big bad. What followed after that scene was a bit strange to me and the ending was sort of lacklustre. I don't want to add anything that will spoil it for others but how she handled what happened was definitely different than I expected or could even understand.

Emily was definitely a character I struggled to get in sync with as she is quite prickly and I found the relationship between her and Wendell hard to get my head around because the romance between the two is so lacking in the story. I wanted to love them together so much more than I did and felt there should have been more scenes that showed why they were willing to go to the ends of the earth for each other. Wendell himself was my favourite and seemed to be the best written of the characters in the book. I felt like I understood his motives the best but there were a few times where the author just leaves him behind and it seems strange that she had.

I am glad to have read the series through to the end but not sure I would go back to read them again someday. They unfortunately didn't make their way into my heart like some series/characters do but it was an enjoyable enough read overall.

I received an early ebook version of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This was the perfect book to end the series. The story was just as great as the first two and it just wrapped everything up nicely

thank you netgalley and little, brown book group uk for the e-arc!!

i really thought at first that this series was a duology but we all knew the ending of the second book that there's a third, anddd here it is!

the novel picks up where map of the otherlands left off, with emily and wendell still in the faerie realm. wendell’s stepmother, the former faerie queen, has disappeared after cursing the land, leaving chaos in her wake. now, emily must rely on her academic expertise to navigate the dangerous politics and magical hazards of the faerie world.

as she records her discoveries in her compendium, emily also wrestles with her growing feelings for wendell, who is still reluctant to fully embrace his destiny as the rightful faerie king. their journey takes them through eerie landscapes, ancient courts, and encounters with fae creatures both mischievous and malevolent. the central mystery revolves around uncovering the lost stories of the faerie world—stories that hold the key to undoing the curse and restoring balance.

while the book is beautifully written, i find it slower than the previous two. the focus on folklore and world-building occasionally takes precedence over action. i felt that the climax, though satisfying, lacked the high-stakes tension i expected. would've appreciated the more introspective and emotional resolution.

emily wilde’s compendium of lost tales is a fitting and enchanting conclusion to the series. It deepens the lore, strengthens character arcs, and provides a thoughtful meditation on the power of storytelling. while it may not have the same level of tension as earlier books, it offers a richly rewarding experience for fans who have followed emily and wendell’s journey from the beginning.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett is a charming and whimsical fantasy that immerses readers in a magical world filled with mythical creatures, hidden secrets, and enchanting adventures. The story follows Emily Wilde, a determined and curious scholar who embarks on a quest to uncover forgotten tales. Fawcett’s writing is rich with magic and wonder, and the characters are delightful and memorable. The book strikes a perfect balance between heartwarming moments and thrilling discoveries, making it a captivating read for fans of fantasy and adventure.

This is such a lovely ending to an academia, cozy fantasy trilogy, that is just a warm hug of a story. Emily is such a brilliant main character, and the faerie lore and magical storytelling makes this series so enjoyable.

The storyline of this series is engaging, written in the style of a journal (with added academic footnotes throughout), and I love Heather Fawcett’s academic approach to a warm love story. Emily is delightful and so dedicated to her career that she sometimes struggles to see what is before her.

The story was a little repetitive over the three books, and what was a novel idea with the added footnotes in the first book, became a little distracting as the series progressed and the story developed. Plus the pacing of this last story felt a little all over the place.

This trilogy and all who dwell within it just have my whole heart!

I love Emily, I relate to her so much, and he has come such a long way since she was introduced to us! I love Wendell, but despite my love for Wendell and how easily he could take centre stage, I love that this is firmly Emily's story, Emily's development, and Emily's research that drives everything. I have now read the third book, and listened to the full audiobook, which, if you haven't listened to it, I would highly recommend, Heather Fawcett reads Emily and Wendell exactly as I heard them in my head and I can't tell if that is down to the author's talent in writing her characters, or the narrator's talent in reading them, probably both.

I have already re-read the first two books in the series multiple times, the Compendium of Lost Tales made me laugh out loud, cry, (Wendell's gift to Emily was just so gorgeous, I can't even write about it without welling up), and give me chills. When I get my thoughts in order, I now need to go back and rewrite my review for book two because I definitely didn't praise it highly enough.

Also, I love Wendell's cloak! My husband has now listened to all of the audiobooks and he has also laughed and cried with me, he remembers different details to me, and we have both been soothed and taken away from our anxieties by this trilogy, I hope Heather allows us back in to Faery and the court of the Silva Lupi some day, I already miss the whimsical, unsettling world like it's home, maybe I strayed longer there than my mortal mind realises.

a wonderful conclusion to emily and wendell's story! the pacing was a bit all over the place but overall still vwry enjoyable obviously. anyone who enjoyed the first two books is bound to have a great time with this book!

Although I did enjoy this book, it was my least favourite book of the series. I still enjoyed the rich faerie lore and storytelling magic that Heather Fawcett weaves so beautifully, but felt that the plot was slower and more scattered than in previous books, especially in the beginning. The world remained as eerie and enchanting as ever, and Wendell’s growth was a highlight, but overall, I found that this story lacked the spark that made the other books so captivating. That said, I still recommend this to longtime fans who will likely appreciate the closure it brings to Emily and Wendell’s journey as well as new readers who are thinking about getting into the series (although you have to read all three). A solid ending, but not the strongest in the trilogy.

Summary: Scholar-turned-queen Emily Wilde must navigate Faerie’s deadly intrigues, break a powerful curse, and embrace her new role alongside Wendell.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book, all thoughts are my own.

4,5/5

“I would never have put you through—that—if I had seen a single alternative. But you are wrong in one thing: I was thinking of you, Em. You were my first thought, as well as my last.”

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group, Orbit, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, how I love these books! The characters, the world, the stories. Heather Fawcett does such a great job of creating a whole world for these faeries. They are quite dark and grim, and I love how we see all of this through Emily’s academic, human eyes.

The relationship between Emily and Wendell is one of the highlights of this book. It is less action-packed, and there is a much bigger focus on the stories that shape the faerie realm and how they can influence and hold power. I really enjoyed meeting some characters from the previous books.

This was a lovely conclusion to the series. My only issue (and this is entirely my fault) is that, as a non-native English speaker, I sometimes have to make an effort to follow everything.

I felt a bit deflated after reading the latest adventures of Emily Wilde. Couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me. It all just felt a bit flat. The plot was flat and illogical leaps in plot hole logic explained away as "faerie logic". The characters were flat with no real development or growth. The high stakes were a bit humdrum. And the constant foreshadowing about Shadow gettin' to be an old dog... eek!! I dunno. It was just missing the magic.

Not wanting to leave this world just yet, I burrowed down and retreated back into the magical world I knew from Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries and Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands and it quickly became obvious what the problem was. The problem was me.

I was only remembering a highlight reel from the earlier books - the main events and characters, not the nuanced world building and detailed fairy lore and conversations expertly breadcrumbed throughout these earlier stories. They payoff big time in Compendium. It was almost like Heather Fawcett had sprinkled faerie dust in my eyes and now I could properly see through the faery magic. There was definitely an "aha!" moment and my eyes were wide open when I started the re-read of Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales.

It wasn't flat at all. The plot was twisty turny and full of faeries tricksies. The characters were great - Wendall probably had the most growth from the snobby aristocrat we met in Encyclopaedia of Faeries to a kind, caring and competent ruler, thanks to Emily's grounding of his ego and whims. While Emily continues to dazzle readers with her cleverness and no nonsense attitude of solving faeries puzzles. And huge shout out to Shadow!! And who doesn't love a book when the doggo saves the day! Also already knowing Shadow's fate may have eased some of my anxiety on the re-read.

I'm glad this is only a trilogy (for now... maybe! who knows) as it was nice to have closure this part of Emily + Wendall's story, but I would also love to see more stories set in this world. Some novellas or short stores from the side characters, a diary of Orga's scratching's, an anthology of said Lost Tales, Emily's journal 50 years later. It would be a shame for this wonderful faerie land to fade away and be lost to readers. Guess I'll just have to keep re-reading them.

Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown Book Publishing for the arc.

It took me over a month to read it, partially because I couldn't focus properly on it, partially because it was really slow, especially at the beginning. The first 1/4 was too descriptive, some things did happen but it all felt scattered, lacking overall purpose or direction.
Things picked up around the middle and I was pretty invested to see how the HEA will happened. It seemed rather impossible at times.
One of the things I liked is that we the fairie realm being just as strange and different and monstrous as it was in the beginning of the series, regardless of the fact that Emily chose to be its queen and to live there. It did not suddenly become more acceptable/accepting, it took time and effort and consideration on the part of Wendel.
Another thing that I liked a lot is the whole storytelling aspect, words shaping the reality - it was powerful and fun.
The plot got a bit meandering towards the end again but not too much.
Overall, this is not a perfect series but it's quite enjoyable.

Loved it! We see so many characters again, the twists and turns in this one were really well placed and the writing was phenomenal as always. Recommend to anybody who like the first two and even if you didnt might as well try this one. My favorite of the three

All in all, it is a very good trilogy, but for me the last book did not reach the level of the first two books. I felt a bit that the author didn't really know what she wanted the ending to be. I did not like that the. I was also confused by the fact that the whole plot was based on a short story and everything had to happen as it was in the short story. But I liked the concept, the atmosphere, the characters and the whole book, it's just that certain details made it the least enjoyable read in the series. It was a pleasure to me that I got the opportunity to read this book, because it was a great story, but I loved the other two books more.

I read this book around mid-Jan. I was so excited when I got the DRC in Dec but had to hold back from reading because of work. Emily and Wendell’s bond in this one was stronger than ever before.

For the last installment in the series, Emily and Wendell gear up to fight his evil stepmother (the former fae queen) who has placed a curse on Wendell that also affects his land and people.

With remedies to find, they both set out on another adventurous trek to unearth lores and long lost tales to undo the curse.

In a true Emily Wilde fashion, this story leaned towards academia with Emily and Wendell’s dynamic written with more bickering, love and trust.

Wendell and his family were dramatic as ever. They truly kept up the entertainment side of the story. Lord Taran, Wendell’s uncle, was goading Emily every chance he got. I wish we got to read more of their interactions in the book.

The one thing that drew me towards this series was how true it was to the academia part. I had to remind myself those papers and books referenced in the story were fictional.

I’m sad to see this series end. Emily Wilde’s world was a nerdy journey that I didn’t know I needed until I finished it. This is easily one of those TikTok books I’d recommend with my eyes closed.

Thanks to Orbit and Netgalley for the DRC of the book!!

A fantastic ending to a beautiful trilogy. I can’t express how much I have adored these books - I am sad the trilogy is complete but am grateful to have read them.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is the third novel and the delightful ending to this amazing series by Heather Fawcett, although I am keeping all my fingers crossed for more Emily and Wendell’s adventures!

I really enjoyed this series from the very first book. It’s an atmospheric cozy fantasy with magical folklore, intrigue, wit, and romance and a wonderful cast of characters, especially the protagonist, Emily Wilde, a highly esteemed professor of Folk studies and now their reluctant queen, and the always charming heir to the throne Wendell Bambleby. I have loved Emily and Wendell’s relationship from the very beginning, with their banter, her resolve and scholarly attitude against his easy and striking disposition and the way their rivalry turned into love.

In this third book, Wendell and Emily are ready to take Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, but there are challenges and enemies to face and curses to break, everything faithfully narrated through Emily detailed journals, which also include Wendell adorable love letters to her. Old friends return to help them save the realm, as Emily delves into old stories to also save the man she loves.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is an enchanting, heartwarming, and thrilling story with an ending that both gave me a nice sense of closure, but also left me wishing there was still more to come!

I’ve been highly anticipating this release and I am so happy to say it didn’t disappoint!

This is the third book in the series so I won’t go into too much detail but I absolutely loved being back in this world.

This definitely felt the most fairytale esque of the 3 books and I loved how the tales that Emily was referencing were used to shape the story and intertwined into the narrative.

As always, the dynamic between Emily and Wendell had me giggling and smiling ear to ear, as well as the various Faerie characterisations that we got alot more of in this book.

Overall I loved this conclusion to the series and I’m sad it’s over!

The finale to everyone's favourite cosy romantic fantasy series is here! I enjoyed this one just as much as the second one (and perhaps more than the first?). Emily and Wendell continue to be adorable and I felt like this was a satisfying conclusion to their story.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2025/02/24/review-emily-wildes-compendium-of-lost-tales-emily-wilde-3-by-heather-fawcett/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Love fae? Read this series

It’s as simple as that. If you love stories of the fae and their tricksy behaviour then the Emily Wilde series created by Heather Fawcett is an absolute must read. I’ve loved every minute spent reading these three books and to be totally honest I’m sad to have reached the end of the road. Hopefully the author will come up with some more fae tales to fill the gap left by the conclusion of this series.

With the third and final instalment Fawcett fully immerses us in the fae world. Wendell has returned to his realm to reclaim his throne and Emily accompanies him to become his queen. Of course, nothing can ever be that simple, which is perhaps just as well as there would then be no story to tell. One proviso must I state before you continue. Spoilers for the first two books may lie ahead so bear that in mind before reading on. (Although I do try to avoid spoilers for the most part).

So, Wendell and Emily return to fae, for what should be a relatively simple endeavour that eventually proves anything but. It seems that Wendell’s (wicked) stepmother had one last trick up her sleeve and has placed a dreadful curse upon his long lost kingdom. The only solution is too dire to consider and eventually Emily’s research leads her to conclude that the solution may lie in old stories from the past. With this in mind she sets about to do what she does best – dig around until she uncovers something useful.

I had a lovely time with this final instalment. It was so easy to read, the characters were once again a joy to read about and Fawcett manages to create a magical fantasy world that is as fascinating as it is dangerous.

What I really loved about this.

Well, I confess that Emily and Wendell hold a special place in my heart. They’re a fantastic couple and I love the banter between the two. The author manages to inject their story with romance and humour and the relationship between the two has simply gone from strength to strength.

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I love the writing and the fact that Emily tells the story through her journal. It’s definitely a style that I thoroughly enjoy and she’s managed to bring her two main characters on so well. As you might imagine, Emily has mixed feelings about returning to the land of the fae. Of course, the scholarly side of her is absolutely animated at the thought of all the material that will now be available for her studies but this competes with her more rational nature in that she is aware that this is a world full of danger, she will probably always be walking on a knife edge and on top of this she’s not absolutely convinced about this new version of Wendell – or more to the point the changes that she fears may come about, the losing of some of the ‘human’ traits he’s taken on board. Wendell is totally in love with Emily, I loved the way he tries to get his own way by any means of bribery he can come up with – along with little (or actually quite grand) gestures such as a little getaway, a cottage in the real world easily accessed by a fae door.

There is a return to many of the characters from past stories, both fae and human, and this always adds an extra level of depth to the story. And, we have a fae dog and cat – both fiercely devoted to their respective humans. I loved these two.

On top of this the conclusion is really well handled. Emily’s research plays out perfectly and the eventual finale is tense and satisfying.

I don’t think I have any criticisms at all. Perhaps there was a little less Wendell in this one and maybe the start took a wee while to gather momentum but to be fair I was totally absorbed.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.