While I am very sad that this is the last book in a wonderfully fun trilogy, this book does wrap things up very nicely with one last adventure for Emily and Wendell as they return to Faerie to reclaim Wendell's kingdom from his stepmother who definitely made a mess of it. Emily an d Wendell really complement each other, with Emily using her vast knowledge and cleverness to find a solution to all their problems and Wendell finding the magic, plus protecting Emily at all costs (even if it is a bit extreme sometimes). This is the book where they find out if they can make it work together in a new land also while trying to end the curse that is corrupting that land. Yes, there are heartbreaking bits, but also coziness and wonderous sights to find, as well the the always entertaining antics of Shadow and Orga who also are totally awesome!

There are so many new fanciful and sometimes creepy beings to meet, Snowball and Poe returning and other characters from the previous books. I love the vengeful snails! Emily really shines in this book, despite being a mere mortal, and we have a cozy happy ending with much joy, though I really wish there were more books coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this wonderful book in a fantastic trilogy! Heather Fawcett is a great writer!

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group, Heather Fawcett and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this eARC.

I absolutely adored the first two Emily Wilde books and this one is no different. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is easily one of my favourite reads this year.

The book is once again written from Emily’s POV in the form of her journal entries and this time we follow hers and Wendell’s journey to reclaim Wendell’s Kingdom. Whilst Em wrestles with her insecurities about being a mortal queen in Faerie and adjusting to living in Faerie full time, she must also use her intellect and wit to try and stop the curse placed on the Kingdom by Wendell’s vengeful step mother…

Heather’s superb writing brilliantly captures the awe and wonder of Faerie, with timely reminders that Fae are not governed by the same morals as most humans.

Wendell is his usual charming and flamboyant self, and of course frequently does things to make Em question his good sense:
“He nearly decapitated you,” I exclaimed.
“Yes, but besides that Em.” he said patiently.

I love Emily’s dry wit and humour, her musings and attention to detail in her journal entries. I love how you can feel her excitement through her writing when she discovers something new and interesting for her research. She is a beautiful and pure soul. Wendell is unashamedly himself and you can see how much he adores and respects Emily. Faithful sidekicks Shadow and Orga are of course their usual fantastic selves.

Following their journey through the course of these 3 books has been an absolute joy.

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales is a truly wonderful book, filled with magic, awe, twists and turns and characters that make my heart happy and full. I would highly recommend this book and the entire series to readers everywhere.

This was difficult for me to get through, because it just felt like the same thing all over again compared to the first two books. I kinda preferred the new setting over the previous one, but the writing was still so dry and I just can't manage to enjoy the romance at all and there isn't enough plot to keep me interested.

The perfect conclusion to this trilogy, Emily and Wendell's adventures come to a fitting close as they finally make it into Faerie - to stay.
Heather Fawcett's writing, as usual, is gorgeous. The prose made this feel like slipping into Faerie itself; every character's voice was distinct and the descriptions were deliciously fantasical. Emily's dedication to her research and Wendell's whimsy kept me turning right up to the end.

I was able to read this early via NetGalley - thank you Orbit and Little, Brown!

This is my most anticipated book of 2025 and I adored this. Returning to the world of Emily and Wendell was like sinking into a warm bath: comforting, pleasant and cosy. Emily is one of my favourite fantasy protagonists and returning to her narrative voice was like greeting an old friend. Wendell, meanwhile, is the epitome of excellence and I loved seeing more of the soft, romantic moments between the two as well as more of Wendell’s Fae power. This book’s plot is excellent, weaving fairytale plots with Emily’s academic rigour in researching a mystery.

Definitely an excellent conclusion to this trilogy. Definitely recommend!

Emily Wilde is once against on a whimsical adventure to deeply understanding the Folk while she and Wendell go to reclaim his throne. A story that touches on a lot of the key points of the series - magic, the importance of stories and a good sprinkling of romance throughout the book. I really enjoy their characters but also that of other characters in the story - there are some nice throwbacks to previous books but also new ones such as Delilah and Niamh. This book ends neatly but also allows for the future possibility of further books - 3.5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Book three is just as whimsical as the first two books, only with way more action and high pacing. We are still reading Emily’s story through her journal entries, which immediately brought be back into the story. This book starts at exactly where we ended in the last one. Emily and Wendell head back into Wendell’s realm to take back the crown from Wendell's stepmother. I was obsessed with the descriptions of the fae realm, the magical feeling was written perfectly!

I loved the aspect of the curse upon the land, it felt like the stakes were way higher than in the first two books. Of course, Emily would not rest until she figured out a way to solve the problem. The riddles from the lost tales are so fun to read and figure out along with Emily, her figuring out parallels with the story and their situation and the curse was not something I had read before. Since book one we have heard of all the stories of the fae, it seemed fitting that the answer was in them after all.

I really like seeing Emily finally getting out of her shell and I loved seeing characters return from the first book. The banter between Emily and Wendell is still top-notch, though there is some tension between them while adjusting to this new life and environment.

The end of this book could be a really satisfying ending. Emily and Wendell are happy together, though there is a hint of future conflict brewing. So if Heather Fawcett would like, I could totally see another installment in the future. We will see…

This book was a fantastic end to the Emily Wilde trilogy. Book 3 sees a return of Emily and Wendell’s adventures, this time to claim Wendell’s throne in faerie.

This book was perhaps the most whimsical and magical of the series, with charming and witty humour. The majority of the book is set in faerie, which makes it feel a lot like an adult version of the Folk of the Air series. The faerie kingdom is pure chaos which is at times bizarre but fun. Wendell’s character growth is evident, his devotion to Emily and their relationship is endearing. I really enjoyed his character in this more than the others. I loved that we got to see characters from the other two books, with more of Shadow and Orga’s fun animal hijinx. Emily’s narration is beautifully and expertly written.

I would say the footnotes don’t seem particularly necessary but are in keeping with the academic journal theme in the book. There were times when I think the narrative slowed a little. I liked that the finale brought the ensemble of side characters together. Overall a fantastic book and my favourite of the series.

What a wonderful ending to the story this book is. Heather Fawcett manages once again to write a wonder of a book that concludes the trilogy wonderfully.

Emily and Wendell are characters that will stick with you and make you want to come back to the story to start it all over again and go through their journey once more. The world and side characters truly make you dive into the story and stay there, pulling you into the world and enthralling you with the story.

Heather Fawcett once again manages to write a book that is worth the five stars it is given. A perfect ending to a five star trilogy.

Firstly, thank you sooo much to @netgalley for giving me an arc of the most anticipated book for me in exchange for an honest review

I loved this series so much and I’m extremely sad that it’s over but I felt like this was a good end to the cozy adventures of Emily and Wendell.

This series holds a special place in my heart and I am just still so happy to have been able to read an arc of it. This one was probably my least favourite of the three books but I still enjoyed it and glad that I got to see Emily and Wendell in the land of the fae!

I hope you all enjoy this one when it comes out next year!

I'm sure this book is just as wonderful as the previous two but unfortunately this arc kept crashing when I attempted to read it

Well I loved the first book sooo much! I loved the second book so much too. This one (the third book) left me overwhelmed! It's more than just "good", it's a masterpiece!

a truly magical world that i love diving back into each and every time. it also helps that the covers are absolutely gorgeous!!!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This book was brilliant, it wrapped up this lovely little winter sunshine series perfectly. I do think this one was the most "high stakes" fast paced of the three as the levels of peril the characters face was certainly ramped up. However it did still have that cosy, folklore vibe to it that we come to expect from Emily Wilde books.

The two main things I loved were A) getting to explore Wendall's realm, and B) the whole cast of side characters who've featured in this series making some sort of appearance.

I am especially a massive fan of Taran and Callum and would ADORE to read a prequel about Callum's early days in faerie. (In fact this is my direct message to Orbit and/or Heather Fawcett: I am not above begging for this book to be written!!)

Overall, what a fantastic conclusion, I would read so many more books set in this world, it's utterly wonderful.

The moment I realised I’d finished this book, I burst into tears. This series has had such a profound impact on me these last few years, and I cannot believe that it’s over. This conclusion to the beauty that is Emily Wilde was perfect from the start!

It starts exactly where book two ended, and takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions throughout. Most of the action is set in Faerie, which offers a very different set of circumstances for Emily to manoeuvre around. Yet, this only made it more exciting, especially to read the conclusion to Wendell’s tale. This book felt like a warm reunion at times, with call backs to the first book and everything coming together.

Once again, I was impressed by Emily’s mind. She’s so quick and intelligent, and I’ve always admired how confident she is when theorising. In a way, this book felt like an ode to the importance of research and critical analysis, with the emphasis on faerie stories. Emily uses both of these to reach the plot’s resolution.

I’d easily read a thousand tales of Emily and Wendell’s adventures. They’re the best romantic couple around, mainly because they’re each so respectful and proud of the other. Wendell was the same charming and fussy faerie, but he’d clearly grown maturer. Similarly, Emily was far more comfortable with affection and connections with people. Their dynamic is one of the best things I’ve read in fantasy, and it’s just so lovely to have such an emotionally intelligent couple.

This series will always be apart of me. I didn’t want it to end!

Thank you to the publisher for this e-arc. All thoughts are my own.

Out 11th Feb 2025.

I had a 'drop everything and read' moment when I was approved to review this, and it didn't disappoint. Emily and Wendell are two of my favourite book characters and I loved returning to Faerie with them. This was just as magical and comforting as the first two books.

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales is filled with the wonder of stories and retellings with contradictory and fanciful variations as unexpected as Faerie itself.

When Emily and Wendell finally return to Wendell's lost kingdom, they don't expect recapturing his throne to be straightforward. But even Emily's careful research cannot prepare her for the twists that await them, not just in the form of vengeful family members, but also questions of where she fits into this new, unpredictable world. Can a mortal scholar ever hope to be accepted as a faerie queen?

With deadly curses, the return of old friends (and foes) and the always brilliant footnotes, this novel cements Fawcett's crown as a queen of Faerie.

A wonderful finale to the trilogy. I loved the first book the most but Emily and Wendell are my comfort characters now. One criticism I have with this installment is that everything seemed rather...easily overcome

This definitely follows on from the other two- it’s still very cute and engaging, and it’s a nice easy read. It was ideal for a beach, which is what I wanted it for.
Unfortunately I think it’s a little too much of the same- it’s really too similar to the other two, with not much new. It also all feels a little too easy for her- any challenge seems very superficial, and easily resolved, including several that should be much more significant.
I’d like to still have faith in the series and that the next will be better again though! And it’s still very charming and worth reading as that type of book.

I really enjoyed the final installment of the Emily Wilde series! Heather Fawcett does such an amazing job capturing an academic tone in her books without leaving them feeling pretentious or stuffy. I especially love her use of footnotes (they really add to the worldbuilding!), and that she takes the time to describe in gross detail the various cute, if unnerving, creatures that Emily encounters along her way. It was especially nice to see some familiar faces from the previous books, and as always, the dynamic between Emily and Wendell was incredibly sweet (and funny).

When it comes to characterisation, Emily is also such a great example of the power of "show not tell." In this book especially, you get to see how much she cares about those around her. However, her emotions are, as ever, described in a roundabout way. It's a testament to Heather Fawcett's abilities as an author that, having already read the first two books in the series, the reader is able to recognise Emily's feelings towards others even as she tries to brush over them herself.

That said, the stakes in this book definitely felt higher than in the previous two. It's still a cosy fantasy read, but I was definitely stressed at certain points!

Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
4.5 stars

Yet another book from Fawcett that’s absolutely beautifully written. It’s hard not to love Emily Wilde and I have thoroughly enjoyed the previous 2 books, so book 3 was no exception.

There is something about the Emily Wilde books that is cute and cozy, yet thrilling and exciting at the same time. It’s a skill Fawcett obviously holds and is very good at creating not only brilliant books but also inserting us into the pages of those books.

As always, the descriptions are phenomenal. I can’t believe the extent that Fawcett goes, with such detailed descriptions with hints of realism too. It is truly beautiful and its what keeps me coming back for more. I am definitely intrigued to see what Fawcett will create outside of Emily’s adventures.

I loved joining Emily and Wendall on their newest journey, and Wendall has the funny/intriguing characteristic that makes him relatable but also enjoyable. Both Emily and Wendall together make for brilliant writing.

There's no doubt in my mind that this books is a good read for any reader, no matter what your favourite genre is, there is something about this books that pulls you in and keeps you in a chokehold. Phenomenal