The Bibliophile's Bookshelf

Title: Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales

Series: Emily Wilde #3

Author: Heather Fawcett

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Rating: 4.25 stars

Review:

Emily Wilde has spent her life dedicated to studying faeries and has accomplished many things. Now her most dangerous academic project studying the faerie realm- as their queen- is approaching. Along with Wendell, former rival and current fiancé, the two are thrust into the dangerous faerie realm as they fight for Wendell’s long-lost kingdom. Emily has loved faerie all her life, but she is feeling unsuited to being their queen. There is little time to settle in before Wendell’s stepmother puts a deadly curse on the land. It will take all of Wendell’s magic and Emily’s knowledge to solve this mystery before they lose everything they love.

I was super excited to come back to this world! I don’t often read a book without reading the first books all in a row, but I felt like I had read the first two books recently enough to be able to swing it. I was able to make it through without too much trouble, but I think I am excited to read all three books back-to-back in the future.

Emily didn’t seem like Emily this book. I have always loved Emily and her unique voice, and I felt like it had changed this book. She was more anxious and nervous in this book, which is understandable, but it didn’t feel like her. It didn’t start feeling like Emily until the end of the book.

Oh, Wendell. He is so in love with Emily, and it is so endearing! There is a part of me that feels like that was all he really was in this book. He was so focused on Emily and doing stuff for Emily, with some very minor exceptions, and I felt like he was a little lost. I still loved him, and their relationship, but felt like he was reduced.

The animals! I feel like I have talked more about Shadow than any other character. I love this little dog! And Orga! She is a unique and special cat. I don’t have a cat in real life, nor do I have a special affinity for them, but I really loved her. She displayed the typical cat temperament but had unwavering loyalty and was willing to seek vengeance on anyone who hurt Wendell. There was a moment at the end of the book where they discussed how Shadow was aging, and it had me a little emotional (similar to all the characters in the scene) because my dogs are getting older, too.

I loved seeing all of the old characters come back. Lilja, Margaret, Farris, and Ariadne were all there, with Lilja and Margaret holding a little more of a space than the other two. We also got more of Farris’ past, which is uniquely connected to Emily’s. There was also the introduction of some new characters including Taran and Deliah. I really enjoyed all of the characters, and I grew to really enjoy Taran.

The storyline was nice and there was some action scenes and emotional scenes. We didn’t get a chapter from Wendell’s point of view, but we did get some of his letters peppered throughout. We also got to see Emily really emotional in one part, which I enjoyed because it made her seem more complex.

My biggest complaint is there wasn’t a wedding! I am hopeless and really wanted a romantic wedding. I’m glad they are married, but I wanted something more than what I got.

I had the same problem in this book, as I did in the previous two. I love this series, but the Fay are seriously confusing. I don’t think I understood a lot of what was happening, but I was happy to be swept along.

Overall, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales was a wonderful conclusion, though I hope for more Wendell and Emily in the future. There was action and emotion, with old and new characters reuniting. Some of the characters felt different in this book, but I loved how the series ended.