Of course this one had to be my first fantasy book of the year. I haven't been this obsessed with a fantasy series in a long time, I've loved every installment so much. This was again really good, and it had the same, now familiar voice that I've come to expect from Emily. I don't want to give too much away, but I loved the setting of this installment. While this is still all-time favourite material for me, though, I would have loved to see a little more of Emily and Wendell together. What I enjoyed most about them was their banter, and I'm a little sad to have seen so little of that here.

“𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩”

i can’t even explain how excited i was to get accepted for this arc read!! after finishing the first two books, i couldn’t wait to dive into this one, and it was absolutely amazing 💞

this book has been such a cosy read, and i honestly couldn’t get enough of it

we reconnect with characters from the previous books, including poe, who plays a massive role in this story. and of course, we’re introduced to some wonderful new characters like orga 🐈‍⬛ and snoball, both of whom added so much charm

the storyline and the adventures were fantastic, but my favourite highlight was how beautifully the faerie kingdom and its different faeries were described 🍄 the worldbuilding is so vivid that you can picture every detail perfectly

the only thing i wish for is more moments between emily and wendell - i absolutely adore them together, and while i’m thrilled they got the happy ending they deserved, i would’ve loved to see more of their relationship in this final installment

overall, such a magical and satisfying conclusion to the series

“𝙞 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 - 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪”

I absolutely adored being back in this whimsical and enchanting fantasy series. The blend of faeries, light academia and romance make for such a cosy read and I completely devoured all the books in this delightful trilogy.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales sets a slower pace than its predecessors, which is by no means a bad thing. I love how the author intricately introduces new elements of the world and allows the reader time to fully immerse themselves.

I absolutely adore Emily and Wendell and each of their personalities really shone during this book. Just like in the previous books, I found their relationship to be equally adorable and amusing.

I am completely in denial that this is the final book and I shall continue to hope for more installments or a perhaps even a spin off.

3 stars

I have to say that although I love this series as a whole, this was the weakest of the three.
I liked the conclusion (fingers crossed for another book... maybe?) And I like that the romance was cranked up a bit, although Emily's still very adverse to pda, but it was cute.
I feel like the plot dragged a little, and that's why I didn't enjoy it as much as the other books. Still, I love the fae Lore and the "power of words and memories" had in the story.
The story, albeit slow at times, was engaging, and overall, I had fun .
It's definitely a series I will reread in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely ending to this series, which I have thoroughly enjoyed bingeing throughout December. Let this serve as motivation to try to pick up more completed series so that I don't have to keep waiting for next installments!

I was less engaged with the plot of this one compared to the first two, the stakes oddly felt lower even though they are arguably the highest they've been. In a way this entire book felt like more of an epilogue after the full story has already been told in books 1 and 2.

However it was still very enjoyable for me, I loved seeing more of the Fairie realm and delving deeper into folklore and stories. Emily is a great (and quite relatable) main character, and the side characters complement her so well. The ending really worked for me (SPOILER: though weirdly I kind of wish Shadow had passed away) and I think the world has lots of potential for spin off stories.

Book One has definitely been my favourite, it was a 5 star read, with Book Two a bit lower and then this one down further to 4 stars. As a whole though I will look back on the entire series very fondly.

Thank you, Netgalley and Litlle, Brown Book Group UK, Orbit, for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The third in the trilogy, the last chapter. I have loved this series intensely. It brought cosy feelings and action at the same time. It kept me turning and turning the pages. Still, the idea of dryadology and faeries is a well-received story on my part.

The story follows Emily Wilde as she and Wendell Bambleby, her faerie fiancé, are thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell's long-lost kingdom. Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures. There is little time to settle in as Wendell's murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing. It is up to Emily's knowledge of Faerie politics and stories to unravel the mystery before they lose everything.

This academic story is a refreshing take on fantasy. Heather's writing is easy to follow and captures the brilliance (and downfalls) of academics very well. The conclusion to the trilogy is a perfect ending to Emily's story. I cannot wait for the next tale Heather dreams up.

I loved the first two books in the Emily Wilde series, so I was thrilled when NetGalley approved my request to read the third book in advance.

Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical at first about the existence of this third installment, as the series was originally planned as a duology.
While the plot of this book could have been condensed into a shorter companion novella, I’m so glad I got to spend more time with Emily, Wendell, and the rest of the characters.

In this final volume, we follow Emily as she navigates her role as a fae queen while working on yet another book filled with tales from fairyland.
The settings and atmosphere, which I’ve always loved about this series, remain enchanting, though I have to admit I preferred them in the first two books. That said, it’s still a delight to return to this magical world.

While this is probably my least favorite of the three, the Emily Wilde series will always be a comforting read for me—one I know I’ll revisit in the future.

A perfect end to the series - I'm so sad. I loved every aspect of it. The stakes were higher, but it only felt natural given the progression of the series. As always, I loved the dynamic between Emily and Wendel - they balance each other out in terms of their very different personalities. I love their relationship and the way Fawcett has built it where Emily was so much more open in her affection - it didn't feel out of place at all. The fae lore in relation to Wendel's kingdom was fascinating - Fawcett is wonderful in the way she details each tidbit.

Emily’s tales never disappoint! It is the perfect combination of adventure and whimsical coziness. A recommendation for all those who have enjoyed the previous instalments.

i thought this was a great way to end the series (or at least seems like its the end). i liked the reappearance of characters from the first two books and the dynamic between emily and wendell. some of the reasoning felt a bit weird or different to the other books but i did like that this went more of a stories route rather than the more scientific leaning of the earlier books.

3.5 stars
Thank you so much netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc in exchange for an honest review To be completely honest I don't know it it was the writting style or the slower pacing of the story but over halfway through it was starting to feel a little bit dragged out and I wanted to be done with it, however it might also be that l'm not so used to cozy stories like this
Nonetheless, I've fallen in love with this world and how magic everything feels, I can't even begin to describe it. I like to read just so I can be with these characters, and I've also grown so fond of the relationship in this book! Emily and bumbleby are the cutest and made me want to go back and reread the first book

As soon as I saw this on my NetGalley shelf, I knew this had to be my first book of 2025!

In this we follow Emily and Wendell as they adventure through his realm, to reclaim his throne. I really enjoyed the exploration of more of the world and its creatures, which I find so interesting and fun. As usual I loved following Emily’s journey and train of thoughts. I also really enjoyed her dynamic with Wendell, although I was a bit annoyed by him at the end of the book.
The writing was amazing, but I didn’t expect anything less considering the last two books in the series.
I expected just a tad more from the plot, but still enjoyed my time reading this.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange of an honest review.

The first book in the Emily Wilde series was one of my favourite reads of last year, so even though I didn't love the second book as much as the first, I was super excited to see how the third instalment played out.

Unfortunately, it didn't really hit for me. I've been raving about the first book in the series to people by pitching it as "as if Holly Black wrote Spinning Silver", but the Black-esque worldbuilding of Faerie I expected never really appeared. I found myself underwhelmed and vaguely confused with the world, unengaged with any of the new characters, and baffled by all the set-up that wasn't followed by payoff. Characters like the Boggart, Lady East Wind, Delilah, the lady who turns into a crow, even Lord Taran and Callum and surely more I'm forgetting – all of them are introduced as if they'll become a greater part of the story later, and none of them really do, which (for me) meant even the more exciting final third of the book ended up being a bit underwhelming.

Even Wendell's mortal enemy, his step-mother, went out with much more of a whimper than a bang. The conclusion of (spoilers ahead) her rescue could have been done well if it had been tied into the thread from the first book of faeries needing to have an enemy left alive, but that seemed to have been forgotten entirely, overwritten by the story of the bees. And if she hadn't been entirely neutralised by the rescue, even just a little line to rouse suspicion, that might have tied that up in a more interesting way! Idk! Perhaps it was just that I read this over the busy xmas period, or the fact that the arc was poorly formatted, but I really was left v underwhelmed.

HOWEVER. The characters of Emily and Wendell (when he was around, which wasn't often!) were as delightful as ever. Going into this book, I was worried the conclusion would be "actually they decide Faerie isn't right for them after all and they go back to Cambridge", and I'm glad that didn't happen. And I always enjoy a good bit of an out-of-place character being accepted by communities, so the inhabitants of Faerie accepting Emily as their queen did have some emotional impact.

All in all, I'll def still be recommending this series to people – but I might also be gently suggesting that they treat the first book as a standalone.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for the arc.

1.75 stars

The Emily Wilde series is a beautiful blend of cosy fantasy and light academia, but it could’ve and should’ve been a standalone. These books are told through the journals of a leading faerie scholar, and this format just didn’t work anymore for a third book. I think as the author tried to expand the world and draw in readers who want fantasy battles and action sequences, it wasn’t considered that if your whole book consists on telling the readers and not showing them, this will inevitably be a disappointment. I enjoyed the different narrative style up to a point, but this book quickly became repetitive and the limitations of journal-entry narrating showed.

I loved book 1, and I held onto that and was hoping book 2 was suffering from middle book syndrome when it didn’t live up to its predecessor, but I was wrong. I wouldn’t have finished this book if it wasn’t an ARC honestly.

The most enjoyable thing about this series was the opposites-attract-rivals-to-lovers dynamic between Emily and Wendell in book 1. Obviously they get together, it’s great, but ever since they seem to be spending less and less page time together? If it weren’t for *constant* wedding mentions, you would forget they are even together in this book for the most part. As a result there is a Wendell-shaped absence for much of this book, and as he’s my favourite character, I found that disappointing.

Beyond that, the main issues I found in this book were shaky or nonexistent transition between scenes. I spent so much of this book wondering where the characters were and how they got there. In the previous 2 books the characters have made great journeys without this problem so I really don’t know what happened there. I also expected the third instalment to be lighter on the folklore and world building (I do like the way these things are done in this series so I’m not complaining about them being in there) but it was HEAVIER. Just huge info dumps, my issue being that they weren’t delivered through Emily’s lens and used to teach the reader and the character as they were in the other books. This made a huge difference to the reading experience, and I ultimately felt like Emily’s personality (why we love her) was sucked out of 80% of this book.

There was course a few great moments of whimsy and banter, and I do enjoy this author’s prose. There was just A LOT that didn’t work for me.

After absolutely loving the first two books in this series, this one was high on my list of anticipated reads. Emily is such an enticing character - her dry humour, insatiable curiosity, and knack for finding trouble make her so much fun to follow. And the format, with its mix of diary entries and academic extracts about fantastical things, is just perfect for the series.

That said, it pains me to admit that I didn’t love this book as much as I’d hoped. Some of my thoughts:

- The pacing felt off, especially in the first part. I found myself drifting in and out of the story and struggling to stay engaged.

- I really missed seeing more of Emily’s relationship with Wendell. While I get that Emily is first and foremost an academic, and we’re seeing the story unfold through her diary, I wish there had been more focus on their sweet and understated romance.

- Shadow! He completely stole the show for me. His unconditional love for Emily and his role in the quest were highlights of the book (and maybe the series!). He’s the best boy, and I loved every moment with him 🥹

- It was wonderful seeing some of the side characters from earlier books—it felt like a fitting farewell to the series.

-Speaking of farewells, is this the end of the series? If so, the ending left me feeling a bit “meh.” It didn’t land for me as strongly as I wanted it to.

Overall, while this wasn’t my favourite book in the series, I’m still so glad I got to spend more time with Emily and the world Heather Fawcett has created. And if there’s ever another book, you can bet I’ll be reading it!

3.5/5 ⭐

Disclaimer: I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. So obviously as the third and final instalment in this series you know what to expect by now; Emily and her friends uncover a faerie tale or some scrap of olde lore to enable them to fix any problem that may have arisen in the mortal world or that of Faerie. In this book though I really struggled to care as much as I had in The Encyclopaedia of Faeries or The Map of the Otherworld. There didn't feel to be any big pull to continue reading because no matter what occurred Emily would fix it in a flash. The continued references to fictional sources was getting on my nerves by the end of this series as well. I'm torn as I was such a fan of the first two parts and it's by no means a bad book, just VERY similar to the previous efforts, including bringing back old characters to join in Emily's study group. There were parts I did like - the further commitment of Wendell and Emily (yes I am a soppy romantic at heart), Shadow still being around as a loyal sidekick, the reveal of Emily's grandfather's journal (an amateur dryadologist in his day) and the repercussions of that. But overall it did take me a while to read it as it was the sort of book you can put down and wander away from rather than being on the edge of your seat eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

ARC read courtesy of NetGalley.

I enjoyed all three volumes, but honestly, the conclusion is the best. I was invested throughout, the imagery worked, the characters were charming, the relationships were wonderful. The focus was more on Emily and Wendell, and it served the story well. (Fewer academics and more fairies was honestly, also an improvement.) And finally, the shift from encyclopedia/map to tales as a way to interpret and predict - literary scholarship! - made for so much thematic resonance and lovely moments. I think everyone who liked the first two book will love this one.

Also, I loved getting to spend more time with Orga, and the meeting between Emily and the Fairy King from the north (the dialogue was particularly funny).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title.

Another charming adventure with my favorite light academia characters. This time round we are seeing the trials of becoming a Faerie monarch as a mere mortal.

This book has delivered on everything I wanted from the final installation (although I hope more do come from this universe). Lots of adventure, Faerie law, loveable leads and interesting new personalities.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone!!!

So sad that I will never get to meet Emily, Wendell, Shadow or Poe :/

After I surprisingly enjoyed “Map of the Otherlands”, I was excited for the conclusion of the Emily Wilde series, because I thought we are finally on the same page.

Unfortunately for me, this book hit about as much as the first one, even though the plot itself was not bad. Not bad at all actually.
I had similar issues with the story and how it progressed as well as with the writing.
It was exhausting in some way? Slow in some parts, interesting in others.

What I did enjoy, however, was the relationship between Emily and Wendell. Super cute!
I also loved seeing all of the characters from book one and two making an appearance!
I even have a new favourite character: Lord Taran!

Final thoughts on the Emily Wilde series: I can definitely see the appeal and this is one of those series, where I can understand the higher and also the lower ratings. I will shelf this series as a potential reread, because I feel like we didn’t start off right and I didn’t give these books the mental attention they might need.

Another great installment in this series, I really enjoy the dynamic of Emily and Wendell's relationship, the same spark from the previous books was present but their love for each other grew and it was so lovely to read. This is up there with the cosiest of fantasy reads, and if happily read about their adventures forever. I understand this is the last installment and it rounded things up well but I still felt it was slightly open at the end if Heather Fawcett did decide to revisit them in the future (fingers crossed she does). Would definitely recommend for anyone who likes fantasy, fairies or a little adventure. Great writing as always, and really enjoyable.