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A review by mcgbreads
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales by Heather Fawcett
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
ARC review; thanks to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Orbit for the access to this ebook.
As a shock to no one, I loved the hell out of this book. It's not a 5-star book because, as is the case with the rest of the series, they're not perfect to me. They can be slow and they often fall flat in certain aspects, so there's a bit of wasted potential in some corners, but they're an amazing time.
For example, I feel like this one could've been darker and pushed harder to make me suffer a little more as a reader. Also, the last chapter didn't feel substantial or 100% satisfying as an ending to the story of these characters I've grown to love so much. It hurts me that there aren't more books in the series, I'm going to miss them no matter what, but that last chapter was a flat closure.
All that said, I really, really enjoyed this. There was more of the Faerie world, more magic, more lore, and more romance. Also, the stakes felt higher, and it even made me well up a couple of times and cry once. It was such a good time! I just love being in this world and this book was no exception.
I'm so happy to have spent so much time in Wendell's realm, it was delightful and distressing in equal measure. I understood why he loved his world so much and also why Emily needed some time to adjust to it. I was a bit annoyed whenever she left the realm to do other stuff because I immediately missed Wendell, but it made sense that she had to do that. And I guess, in a way, that's very immersive, missing Wendell like Emily does even if she's not overly expressive about it.
It's also a testament to how much I fucking loved him. Heather Fawcett did a great job with his character! I wish she had a spin-off series in store following Wendell's POV or some short stories or something because I love his voice so much. The few times he writes in Emily's journal in previous books and the letters in this one make me want more of him. So much more.
Overall, this had more of the things that I already loved about the series while also having the same issues I found with the rest of the books, but a little toned down. Like, this is probably the fastest-paced book in the series by comparison but it still had a few lulls and pacing issues. So it was consistent but also an improvement, you know?
Right away, I'm not sure if this is a good conclusion as a whole because that last chapter left a lot to be desired, but this book is no less than 4.5 stars. One of my favorite cozy fantasy Faerie series.
As a shock to no one, I loved the hell out of this book. It's not a 5-star book because, as is the case with the rest of the series, they're not perfect to me. They can be slow and they often fall flat in certain aspects, so there's a bit of wasted potential in some corners, but they're an amazing time.
For example, I feel like this one could've been darker and pushed harder to make me suffer a little more as a reader. Also, the last chapter didn't feel substantial or 100% satisfying as an ending to the story of these characters I've grown to love so much. It hurts me that there aren't more books in the series, I'm going to miss them no matter what, but that last chapter was a flat closure.
All that said, I really, really enjoyed this. There was more of the Faerie world, more magic, more lore, and more romance. Also, the stakes felt higher, and it even made me well up a couple of times and cry once. It was such a good time! I just love being in this world and this book was no exception.
I'm so happy to have spent so much time in Wendell's realm, it was delightful and distressing in equal measure. I understood why he loved his world so much and also why Emily needed some time to adjust to it. I was a bit annoyed whenever she left the realm to do other stuff because I immediately missed Wendell, but it made sense that she had to do that. And I guess, in a way, that's very immersive, missing Wendell like Emily does even if she's not overly expressive about it.
It's also a testament to how much I fucking loved him. Heather Fawcett did a great job with his character! I wish she had a spin-off series in store following Wendell's POV or some short stories or something because I love his voice so much. The few times he writes in Emily's journal in previous books and the letters in this one make me want more of him. So much more.
Overall, this had more of the things that I already loved about the series while also having the same issues I found with the rest of the books, but a little toned down. Like, this is probably the fastest-paced book in the series by comparison but it still had a few lulls and pacing issues. So it was consistent but also an improvement, you know?
Right away, I'm not sure if this is a good conclusion as a whole because that last chapter left a lot to be desired, but this book is no less than 4.5 stars. One of my favorite cozy fantasy Faerie series.