Spoiler-Free Review

This is my review for book 3, Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales, in the Emily Wilde trilogy. Click below for my reviews of the first two:

• Book 1: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
• Book 2: Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands

Thanks to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

What’s Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales about?

Dryadology researcher Emily Wilde and her fiancé, the fae prince Wendell Bambleby, endeavor to retake his kingdom in this final installment of the Emily Wilde series.

This was a fitting conclusion to a great trilogy.

In books 1 and 2, we watched the scholarly and blunt Emily explore and record her scientific findings about the faerie world, all while unintentionally befriending locals and falling in love with a fae prince (with whom she has great banter). In this final installment, the fae world is finally front and center, rather than the somewhat menacing and hard-to-find subject of Emily’s research. We had higher stakes and more magic this time around.

We also got some special appearances throughout the story, which added some fun and rounded out the plot heavy elements.

I do think it was missing something on the pacing front. I found myself less engaged overall, especially in the second half. So I wouldn’t say I loved it as much as books 1 and 2, but that’s okay with me. I think it was a fitting end to this story, and Emily was a great main character to follow all the while.

But I love this trilogy, and will continue to recommend it.

Should you read Emily Wilde’s Compendium of Lost Tales?

If you read and enjoyed books 1 and 2, definitely read this conclusion to their story. On the whole, this is a great cozy fantasy (that still has a plot), and I recommend it to fans of the genre.

Mark your calendars: this one releases February 11.