I really enjoyed the first two in this series, so was happy to be approved to read this one. However, this was a DNF for me. I got to around 40% and was quite bored. Nothing had seemed to have happened and I just didn’t reach to pick it up. Such a shame as, as I said, I enjoyed the first two. I think perhaps it should’ve just been a two book series, or even a stand-alone. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers.

Thank you NetGalley & Orbit for the ARC. 3.25⭐

What can I say. I liked it just fine. Now that I've wrapped up this trilogy, it feels like neither sequel really managed to capture the magic that Encyclopaedia of Faeries had for me, which is wild given that this novel is 80% set in a faerie realm this time round. It's essentially the culmination of Emily's life's work. But ultimately, what drew me in for Book 1 was Emily's scholarly pursuits. It was academia for the sake of knowledge and exploring the unknown, to satisfy her curiosity, for her career and passion. Not that there's none of that in here, or that Emily doesn't do any research in this instalment. But the main motivation behind it was to seek an answer in defeating Wendell's scheming stepmother, Arna. And that led me to realize I just simply don't care as much about that particular plot. Emily's too busy helping to fend off the Big Baddie and learning what life as a faerie queen will be like to properly engage in academia. There's a scene I do give credit to where Emily attempts to explain to Wendell's fae uncle about her passion for new discoveries, and I wanted more of that!

On that note, the titular plot of her digging into old lost faerie tales for the life lessons that could help them defeat Queen Arna was ... okay? It felt convenient expecting history to repeat itself beat-for-beat in the tale that Emily unearths, which she uses to guide Wendell's next moves. But convenience is really how this novel feels, right up to the resolution of the Arna problem. It was SO incredibly anticlimactic that this makes Arna a flat antagonist in the end, despite all the viciousness and devastation we're told and shown earlier.

The meh parts aside, it was delightful to come across past characters from the previous books, given that one of the strengths of this trilogy includes Emily making profound human connections. She's come a long way from her social awkwardness and unintentionally perceived rudeness. Shadow, the best boy, also continues to be a highlight, and I love that we get a good amount of him being utilized.

I dare say this almost feels like the most romantic book of the three, despite Emily & Wendell spending the most time apart compared to previous books. Their chemistry, yearning and unwavering devotion to each other is wonderful to read. There's so much swoonworthy words of affection they have for the other. Wendell cares for Emily's happiness so much that he worries about whether she is able to acclimatize or just find joy in taking up residence in his kingdom. And he never gives the impression that his crown, his throne, is more important than her. His thoughtfulness at knowing Emily so well really shines through; he knows just what will cheer her up and bring her comfort. And despite all the insane power and violence he demonstrates here, Wendell still rightfully respects Emily's need for space, and trusts her decisions. He might be exasperated by her actions at times, but never raises his voice or power in anger at her. Excellent husband material.

Meanwhile, Emily doesn't make him choose between her or his kingdom. Even as Wendell wouldn't hesitate to give up his throne for her sake, she's trying her best to be the queen that'll actually help and solidify his rule. And while she's not the type to do a Grand Gesture as a sign of her love, putting her life on the line FOR him absolutely counts for more. There's also something so heartfelt about Emily refusing to doubt Wendell as yet another capricious and cruel faerie, despite all the historical evidence of the Folk's cruelty to mortals. All the other humans warn her about the nigh possibility of having her heart broken, and she also has to experience the condescension of other Folk for being a mortal betrothed to fae royalty. Yet their faith in each other is unshakeable. I've absolutely enjoyed seeing the progression of their romance from Book 1. They're an incredible couple to follow.

Overall, while this trilogy did not end on a high note for me, Emily & Wendell still delivered.

This is absolutely delightful especially for the third in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed the sheer escapism and found it was the perfect icy cold winter read. A wholesome blend of grumpiness, chilling enchantment, thawing and romance.
The historical research element was perfect, and I loved the different theories about faerie. The whole thing was such a pleasure to read. Looking forward to the next instalment.

The third volume in the widely-beloved, cosy fantasy Emily Wilde series. Emily is a dryadologist (an academic who studies faeries, or "folk"), whose matter-of-fact perspective of a whimsical world makes for a brilliant, amusing reading experience.

This time, Emily and Wendell navigate their newfound position as rulers of a realm in Faerie. With help from characters from the previous two volumes, they battle against Wendell's evil stepmother.

I ADORED the first two books in this series, but I was unfortunately very disappointed with this volume. The cosy vibe that has made the series so renowned was noticeably lacking, while the plot felt rushed, without any real stakes. Perhaps Emily's story has been maxed out and her character too versed in the faerie world, because it just seemed like one of the repetitive fairytales that she and the others ironically study throughout the book.

It reminded me of certain series' that I used to love as a child - The Rainbow Magic Fairy series in particular by Daisy Meadows - where a few exciting books started the series off, and then endless sequels began to be churned out as cash grabs once the originals found success. They always lacked the substance of the originals, and I only read them to provide a pale echo of the enjoyment I had when reading those first volumes.

Heather Fawcett claimed this was only a 3-book series, which would mean this wouldn't follow the formula I mention. But I'm sceptical, as the ending felt like set-up. Perhaps a spin-off series will occur? I am unsure whether I would read one, if there was, due to this book.

It wasn't terrible by any means. Emily and Wendell had their usual banter, and both characters shine as always. But unfortunately, that's all that did. I would have preferred a better grounding in the human world, with more focus on the friendships of the series, and a much tighter plot. The writing felt slightly vague, rather than the well-crafted style of the other two books.

It was still enjoyable, but I can't rate it above 2.5 stars knowing the potential of what it could have been.

I loved the third novel in the Emily Wilde series! My lunch breaks went by way to quickly while reading this, I needed to keep reading! This series and especially this installment are a complete comfort read and super cozy. I prefered this book being even less dark than the first and second books.
Also the Cover is just stunning.

I love delving into the fairy world of Emily Wilde! In this book, we get to spent the most time in Fairy, meeting many new characters and discovering more of the perfectly non-sensical and beautifully dark otherworld. This is, for me, the book's greatest boon, as I thought the story lacking a bit of its usual charm. It might be down to a jumbled version I had to download because the publisher took down the Kindle version from NetGalley - apparently it was faulty. Well, I am nearly positive that a bit of editing can smooth over some of the plot jumps. Nonetheless, Heather Fawcett has created a world that I would always and gladly go back to.

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC through NetGalley prior to publication, so I would like to say thank you for that. I've enjoyed the prior books in the Emily Wilde series and I was highly anticipating the release of the third book, so to be able to have read it prior to it's release was very exciting for me.

Heather Fawcett's writing, particularly in this series, is familiar especially in the pacing of the story. Compendium of Lost Tales is similar to all the books in the series, with it's slow and steady pacing throughout to build the plot, until the last 20-15% of the book where it feels like suddenly everything is happening all at once and you can't really keep track or process what is happening - which I think truly puts you in Emily's mindset because even she comments in her journal entries at these points that everything is happening so quickly and unbelievably. Then the final 10-5% of the book is almost... Calm? Like the wake after a storm where you just get on with life afterwards.

I think I enjoyed this book more than the second installment of the series, though neither hit quite the same as the first book personally. But this time we actually spend most, if not almost all, of our time in Wendell's faerie Kingdom and we're not just learning about the different types of folk through observation with Emily but seeing the day to day lives and such. We see glimpses into Wendell and becoming King, how his Court works.

Wendell Bamblebee, in my opinion, is an underrated "book boyfriend" because he has quite a few lines in this book in particular that - to be frank - make my heart swoon. His devotion to Emily is beautiful and he knows that she may find living in Faerie overwhelming so he goes out of his way to not only adjust his home to welcome her more but also gives her options for respite AWAY from his kingdom - even bringing familiar friends to the cottage he provides her so she may be happy.

The plot was my favourite out of all the plots, but despite it being Wendell's to recover his Kingdom, to find his step-mother and save his land from the rot her curse has brought to it - we actually don't see much from him, his point of view, anything. It's Emily, which is understandable because it's her series, but I would have liked so see more from Wendell. Another journal entry where he's stolen it and wrote about what he got up to while taking court or in a meeting. If Wendell had snook off to try and find information on where his stepmother used to leave to, anything. Instead it kind of came off like Wendell was there, they waltzed up and he became King and then he tagged along while Emily saved the day.

This was my first time actually physically reading one of the books in the series as I'd read the first two books in audio format so getting used to the way this series is written was a little bit difficult at first, but once you do get used to it you find that it blends seamlessly after a while. I often found there were times the story shifted so clearly from a journal entry to simple storytelling, and other times I hadn't noticed until a footnote was added with a reference to dryadology or folklore.

Speaking of the footnotes, they did become particularly distracting in this read just due to formatting as an ARC. For some reason, this book could not be opened when transferred over to my Kindle so I had to read it on my phone via the Netgalley shelf app and the footnotes would often be broken up between the text and dialogue, which made it distracting and difficult to read as sometimes I'd have to flip between pages to find the second half of the footnote.

I fully foresaw this book being a 5 star rating throughout much of the book, I was so excited for it, the plot was going where I thought it was and then.... It just started to fall flat in the last? 10-15% of the book. I understand what it tells us, it's the end - they're not completely saying goodbye to Cambridge and it's just meant to serve as a goodbye to us, it's almost like we're back to the start, etc but I feel like we could have ended on the hype that was saving the Kingdom, Wendell coming back, Stepmother being in a minor exile, etc. It was a good ending, but so open-ended that it was almost not concrete enough for me to feel satisfied with it, if that makes sense.

no words can express how i adore this series (and this will my new brainrot atp).
anyways, the characters from books 1 and 2 have a freaking reunion, and i cried how i miss these characters from the past books 🥹
also, now i know why it is titled as compendium of lost tales 🤭
and as usual, these emily and wendell scenes in here got me screaming, kicking, and giggling my feet 💖

An enchanting journey with a fantastically Fairie conclusion.

I was so happy to be able to read an advanced copy of this story. Emily and Wendell’s story has enthralled me and captured a special place in my heart. The trilogy itself is so well written and paced and every character shines.

I was sad that this book was the conclusion, as I wanted to follow the characters adventures forever, but that said it was ended in such a satisfying way that felt perfect for Emily, Wendell and all those we come to love.

The book is so immersive, filled with wonderful scenery and well described characters. They all have depth and personality the story wouldn’t be the same without a single one of them.

The mix of cosy academia with the wonder of Fairie was everything I needed in my life and I now with I was a Dryadologist with my very own Wendell…. And Shadow of course.

Thank you Heather Fawcett for taking me back to the enchanting days of being a child staring at fairy gardens and flowers and forests hoping to befriend the little folk.

An absolute brilliant third instalment in the Emily Wilde books.
I loved the first two in the series , so was delighted to receive the digital proof of Compendium of Lost Tales.
Picking up pretty much where the second book ended, we rejoined Emily and Wendell’s journey to reclaim his kingdom.
At times sad, funny and mysterious, I was hooked from page one. I love the romance between Emily and Wendell and the added complications of a cursed kingdom and a vengeful Queen, made the story fast paced and mysterious.
Cannot recommend this series enough.

In my review for Emily Wilde #2, I made a point that mixed with all that charm, Fawcett actually depicts Faefolk as scary creatures not bound by human standards of morality, logic and reason. This is what raises stakes for every adventure she takes and it's essentially what raises the stakes for romance. Wendell may be the most lovable, humorous, sunshine of a romance hero to curmudgeon Emily, but he is a faelord; one of the royal ones and they are the most terrifying.
This actually comes to play in this novel as Emily follows Wendell to support him in claiming his kingdom and becoming the new queen of Silva Lupi. And she constantly feels out of the place, because... she is.
Naturally, it doesn't go smoothly because the old queen couldn't leave without a fight, so the realm is cursed. Emily takes upon herself to find the solution because, as every dryadologists knows, the stories about faeries are based on truth.

This novel is the lightest, the coziest in trilogy for two reasons. First, because romance, found family and friendship is at the forefront of this novel. Emily and Wendell still have the same banter and chemistry and despite multiple concerns from her friends and her own experiences she is simply unshaken when it comes to Wendell. She has doubts about herself in that world, but not really about Wendell. Sure, logically it seems like she decided to put some legitimate concerns aside, but this novel is simply not about that. And Wendell is as smitten as he's always been, but I missed his fussy, drama queen-ing as he would run after Emily. In this novel, he was mostly left to rule only to be saved in a very dramatic fashion by his wife. I am going to miss them as a couple.

Second, it's because this novel is the weakest in terms of plot, mostly because everything comes too easy to Emily, so I've never felt like she was really in danger... until she did something terribly reckless I thought we left behind in Hravsnik because we are learning from mistakes. Apparently not.
A lot of it was convenient for an issue Emily has in hand, like Farris' revelation he never thought to share with her in previous book. Or having a boggart in your kingdom just when you need him. Perhaps this is due to this being a final book in planned trilogy, so Fawcett wanted to wrap loose ends, revisit some old characters, have more adorable scenes with Shadow and show what a good boy he is. Orga, Wendell's cat, was the star of the novel and I would read the whole trilogy of Orga's war on Lord Taron, an epic bloody tale that would be.
Even though this one wasn't my favorite, trilogy as whole was such such a delight, feel-good read to me and I love having them on my shelves. :)
Recommended.

i love emily and wendell finally a immortal fae with a full grown adult instead of a teenager i win

very cute and cosy like the first 2 books in the trilogy and well written, enjoyed it thoroughly though pacing was a bit slow.

thank you to netgalley and delrey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5⭐️

This was so delightful and I‘m so sad this series has come to an end. It’s the perfect blend of cozy fantasy, academia, romance and gore. Can we please get some spinoffs? I need more Taran in my life.

We‘re picking up right where we left off with the massive „family feud“ (cough cough) with Wendell‘s stepmother. And now Emily & Wendell have to deal with a vicious Faerie court and a curse cast by stepmommy dearest. Emily tackles this head on with what she does best - academic research. God I love her. Wendell‘s his usual flamboyant self, but always just randomly gets super deadly (esp when Emily’s threatened). It‘s the best kind of whiplash.

I was pleasantly surprised with the twist on the traditional „beating the villain“ plot. I don‘t want to spoil anything, so I can‘t go into detail. Just read it for yourself!

What I love most about this series:
- Wendell and Emily‘s relationship - they‘re so perfect for each other. The relationship was a subplot in books 1 and 2 but has a much more prominent place in this final installment.
- The animal companions. 🐶🐱🦊 I honestly can‘t with the assholery of those characters. 😂
- Speaking of assholery… Taran!!!! He‘s a murderous grumpy cat whose husband is human - I mean… this is the best premise ever for a book! What more do you need?

This was honestly one of the best ARCs I‘ve ever received and I can‘t wait to get this for my bookshelf.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for providing me with a digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for providing me with an ARC 📖 💞. This was perhaps my most anticipated read of 2025, and the fact I got to dive in early was such a treat. 🌿

I fear I cannot adequately convey how much I love these books, nor how I wish I could remain in the world of Emily Wilde forever. If I always had the next instalment to pick up I’d be content. 📄

Utterly magical, incredibly charming and, and totally wholesome, this was another cozy but high stakes masterpiece. I am obsessed with the quiet, brave and brilliant Em—she is one of my favourite FMCs of all time. I am equally obsessed with Wendell and all of his theatrics. The way he is SO smitten with Emily… I could read about them forever, as I’ve mentioned. (I will never get over his use of “my Em” in this book🥹).

The plot in this instalment was consistently well paced and engaging, as it was in the first two, and I really enjoyed spending time with characters we’d come to know (hey Poe 💚). The writing style (beloved footnotes and all) is just my cup of tea (no pun intended), and I love what the author does with Irish folklore. ☘️ ✨

A final applause for Shadow’s subplot in this book. My goodness, did it pull on my heart strings (as I’m sure it did with all pet/dog people!).

To me, this trilogy is perfection. No notes. 🧚🏻‍♀️

Rated 4.5/5

The writing was engaging and transported me back into that world with the rich descriptions. There was a good balance between the description and keeping you on track with what was happening to the characters. There were emotional bits to the story, humorous bits (although I didn't think that there was a much humour in this book as in the previous ones, but there wasn't really the space for it in this book) and of course meeting back up with old friends (and enemies!). A lot happened to the characters which kept me on my toes!

There was a good pace to the book, which meant that whilst you were given a lot of information, the story kept moving well.

There was an interesting flow between the chapters. As it was done in the style of a journal it was stilted in places. I liked that. It made it feel more authentic and added an extra layer to the story. As you got further into the chapter, it flowed well and everything came together nicely.

The chapters were fairly long and split. They were essentially journal entries that were dated, so you knew where you were in the story, although time moved differently in different realms so that wasn't always relevant!

I liked that there was a illustration to indicate that you were about to start on a new chapter/journal entry.

To add to the journal style, there were interesting footnotes added to the bottom of the page. You did have to remember what it was referring too, but it was an interesting feature.

The characters were excellent. I loved the straightforwardness of the main character Emily. I enjoyed how we got to see what she was feeling. She had a very dry sense of humour which made me smile.

The surrounding characters were great. They were well described and added suspense, tension and horror to the book. I loved the different personalities that were on display. There was something for everyone.

Lastly the settings. I loved the rich descriptions of people and places. It took the reader to some wonderful places, both pleasant and not. I was completely drawn into the fabric of the story. Whilst it was a character based story, it was necessary for the amount of description that there was to be given in order to ground the story and to make it make sense. The descriptions were well balanced with what the characters were doing, making for a great read.

Overall a great third book, full of rich descriptions, tension and suspense.

4.5 STARS

I think this might be my favourite of the series! It still had that cozy feel but the stakes felt higher, the pacing was a bit faster and I felt a lot more affection for the characters

There was more romance, I am officially obsessed with Wendell and Emily, and character development. You get to see old faces and new and it sort of felt like everything really came together in the end from all three books. I love how much different Emily and Wendell are but they really balance each other. Wendell is whimsical and flamboyant and I think Emily steadies him when he needs it. Emily is still her curmudgeonly self but she comes out of her shell a lot more because of Wendell. And they both really have an appreciation for each others differences, they don't try to change each other. And I love seeing the sheer amount of affection they have for each other

While I enjoyed this immensely, I rated 4.5 instead of the full 5 for two reasons. For one, I found myself skimming the stories and footnotes because they were a bit much in my opinion, it's not a huge issue I believe some people enjoy them. And second, I didn't like how Emily and Wendell were apart for most of the book. I think these books are mainly beloved for those two and while I loved that there was more romance when they were together, it felt we were missing that spark from Wendell being Wendell and their banter and affection

I really like the contrast between the cozy and light academia vibes with the brutality of the fae. I think this has been a prominent theme in all of the books but seemed a bit more evident in the third due to even more worldbuilding and being directly in Wendell's realm for most of the book. It felt sort of like Howls Moving Castle met The Cruel Prince and I ate it up

Shoutout to Shadow🥹 the goodest boy, Orga the absolute sassiest girl always looking out for Wendell, and of course Poe!

This book is just truly delightful and it has made me want to go back and reread the first two (I know this is the last book but is it really? 🥺)

Oh, what a wondrous and beautiful (yet, also, sometimes terrifying) adventure this book series has been!

The amount of charm these books have is off the charts - each page is practically dripping with charm, humour, and whimsy, and this instalment is no different, as we continue to follow Emily in her scholarly based adventures - this time around exploring kingdoms, securing thrones, getting fitted for faerie regalia, and casually hopping into places that not many humans have hopped before.

The romance between Emily and Wendell has just been an utter joy to read, and that continues here - even when they’re being impossible with each other, it’s from a place of love and understanding and it’s honestly everything. Their banter remains top notch, as do their sweeter moments, as they strive to secure Wendell’s kingdom.

I don’t want to give away too much about the plot as a whole, but I deeply enjoyed it. As always it’s a mixture of light moments that peak into quite dramatic crescendos, which require scholarly knowledge to help solve and put right. I love it. Give me fifteen of them.

The supporting cast of characters were as fabulous as ever, invoking both humour and fear in equal measure.

This book was one of my most anticipated for 2025 and it did not let me down, and has solidified the series, as a whole, as one of my favourites. While this book does mark the current end for the series, I’m sure I speak for many others when I say that I do hope that this isn’t the last we see of this world, and these beloved characters. But if it is, well. What a stunning trilogy it is!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

a wonderfully cosy fantasy once again! I love seeing how wendell and Emily's relationship develops and grows stronger throughout all of the their experiences
the academic side of Emily was super strong in this book and I loved it! it was so fun to see how she focuses on her research and how she sorts through things both rationally and irrationally when she's deep in the lore she's found
shadow was a joy to read as always and I loved that there was a character with my name in the book!
a joy to read, im hoping we get to venture back into the world of Emily and Wendell soon 🥰

One thing I love about fantasy books is world building. I enjoy books which make my mind wander in an unfamiliar land and give my own interpretation of how the author wrote about it.

This book felt a little overwhelming for me because I had to read the installments prior this. Regardless, it made me enjoy the time I spent though I took longer.

I don’t know why I had to discover a treasure by getting a copy of third installment but I am not complaining! I should have discovered this long ago!

This was the perfect conclusion to Emily and Wendell's story. I loved every bit of it- the romance, the world building , the fae lore. I'm so sad to see these characters go, I wish I could read about them forever. Another perfect book from Heather!