Book review: Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

The Emily Wilde series are wildly (pun intended) popular adult fantasy books. They're cosy, they're fantastical, and they have some of the most stunning cover designs in the industry today. And the latest addition to the series is by far the best one yet.  

About Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett

Following the events of the last book – Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands – Emily and Wendell are finally returning to Wendell's kingdom together so he can take his rightful place on the throne. But although Emily poisoned Wendell's evil stepmother in her previous adventures and the old Queen is no longer reigning, she didn't die. Instead, she's using the last of her powers to take revenge and leech the poison that is consuming her body into the heart of the kingdom. 

It's up to Emily and Wendel to not only find out where Queen Arna is hiding, but also how they can stop her from destroying everything and everyone in the kingdom...

My review

You know when everyone's talking about – and loving – the same book, but you don't quite get the hype? That was Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Fairies for me. I loved the concept of someone in academia specialising in faerie lore; set in a world where they're very real... and dangerous. But the grumpy sunshine trope (with protagonist Emily being the "grumpy" and her academic rival and faerie-in-hiding Wendell being the "sunshine" part of the equation) didn't work for me. It made Emily feel one-dimensional and unreasonable in her actions and feelings, and distracted from the otherwise very unique and fascinating world-building.  

But, lured in by the beautiful design of these novels and fabulously fantastical concept (not to mention, the very cool titles) I picked up the second book. This time, I knew much better what I was getting myself into and I enjoyed the story a little more as I focused mainly on the plot and expansion to the world, and less so on the main characters. And now the third one has been published – and this was, in my opinion, the best one yet. 

We know the concept, the characters, and the world, and this third instalment weaves storytelling and fairytales of old into its pages in an incredibly exciting and engaging way. Because Emily has to use all her academic prowess to uncover and decode old fairytales that hold clues to what's happening in Wendell's kingdom – and the secret to how they can defeat the old Queen once and for all.

It's a tantalisingly gripping journey as evil spreads quickly through the land and it seems like the worst that could possibly happen has. This book feels a lot more dangerous than the previous ones (despite the many other treacherous characters and places Emily encountered on her adventures so far), really keeping readers on the edge. 

And, yet, there's also joy to be found as we're reunited with favourite characters from the past and meet some wonderful new friends along the way (Niamh was a particularly delightful addition to the already eclectic cast of characters). Also, Wendell's cat Orga and Emily's hound Shadow are each utterly brilliant in their own way; I'd happily read a novella or spin-off featuring just these two greats.

With Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, author Heather Fawcett has really found her stride with the characters and world of her popular book series. Emily comes across less frosty and more genuine, while Wendell has the faith of his world resting on his shoulders, grounding him and showing more facets to his personality as well. This more balanced approach really works for the characters and makes them a great team as they work to defeat the evil Queen.

Add to that magic of storytelling and fairytales that the pages are absolutely steeped in, and you've got a novel that's really proven itself a worthy addition to the cosy fantasy genre. 

Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett is published today by Orbit and you can now buy your copy from your favourite local book shop!


Disclaimer: This book was gifted to me, but this has not impacted this honest review.