Series: Emily Wilde #3
Published by Del Rey on February 11, 2025
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The third installment in the heartwarming and enchanting Emily Wilde series, about a curmudgeonly scholar of folklore and the fae prince she loves.
Emily Wilde has spent her life studying faeries. A renowned dryadologist, she has documented hundreds of species of Folk in her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. Now she is about to embark on her most dangerous academic project studying the inner workings of a faerie realm—as its queen.
Along with her former academic rival—now fiancé—the dashing and mercurial Wendell Bambleby, Emily is immediately thrust into the deadly intrigues of Faerie as the two of them seize the throne of Wendell’s long-lost kingdom, which Emily finds a beautiful nightmare filled with scholarly treasures.
Emily has been obsessed with faerie stories her entire life, but at first she feels as ill-suited to Faerie as she did to the mortal How can an unassuming scholar such as herself pass for a queen? Yet there is little time to settle in, for Wendell’s murderous stepmother has placed a deadly curse upon the land before vanishing without a trace. It will take all of Wendell’s magic—and Emily’s knowledge of stories—to unravel the mystery before they lose everything they hold dear.
Emily Wilde and Wendell Bambleby are off on another adventure in Faerie in Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett. Fawcett’s “Emily Wilde” series is unique in the fantasy genre in that it is written as more of a research journal. A professor in dryadology, Emily Wilde has dedicated her academic life to studying Folk, and now she becomes fully immersed in the realm with Wendell by her side as her fiancé. I hesitate to go deeply into their relationship, as Compendium of Lost Tales is the third book in a series, and I don’t want to spoil anything from previous books. But let’s just say they’re an unlikely match. Wendell, though, believes in Emily and in her abilities—so much so that he asked her to marry him and become his queen.
I loved the first two books from the series. Wendall and Emily have entertaining, humorous conversations and camaraderie. And I appreciate the chapters’ footnotes. While they’re not necessary, they provide a little more insight into Fawcett’s world and how her mind—and Emily’s—works. Honestly, fits Emily. She is a professor, after all. Why would an academic not include footnotes? Instead of a glossary or “References” (even fictitious) at the end of the novel, Fawcett gives footnotes. They demonstrate the depth in Fawcett’s imagination. You can skip them if you want to, but if you’re curious about a certain story? Or a type of Folk? Read them.
Now, let’s get to the actual plot of Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett. This addition to the series has been my least favorite so far. It moved slowly, and I found it to be a bit predictable. While I felt the last two books were about Wendell and Emily, this one focused far more on Emily alone, with Wendell more in the background. Wendell’s stepmother cursed the kingdom before disappearing; to save the realm, she must be found. Fawcett emphasizes throughout the novel how important stories are to the Folk—and the Compendium revolves around one particular tale. One tale, often mistranslated, and one with several possible endings. This story guides Emily and Wendell through their every action to restore the kingdom.
Which is…fine, I suppose. But if you figure out the story, you can almost anticipate how the story progresses. The relationship between Emily and Wendell is sweet and steady, despite the times they disagree. But I almost felt like the ending was…I don’t know, lazy? It all wrapped up, sure, but I found the “intense moments” falling flat and elicited no emotional reaction. They just…happened. Maybe that comes from Emily being a professor and providing mostly facts. But “X stabbed a sword into their chest,” and then you just keep moving forward? Give me more. And I wish there’d been more with the stepmother, though maybe I say that because I don’t remember her role(s) in the last book(s) all that clearly. Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was enjoyable. I loved seeing Emily blossom into herself and her identity. But I wanted more. I hoped for more.