Fans have been quietly grieving what many believed was the conclusion of one of the most beloved cozy fantasy series in recent memory. But this week, New York Times bestselling author Heather Fawcett shared some very exciting news. The Emily Wilde series is getting a fourth book and, she revealed, a fifth is already in the works.
The new book is titled Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie coming January 2027 and Fawcett confirmed it is a continuation of the series beginning a new story arc for the full cast of beloved characters.
"After dodging many many questions about the future of the Emily Wilde series, I'm so happy to announce that there will be a fourth book, and it's coming out in January [2027]," Fawcett wrote on Instagram. "(And a fifth, which I'm currently writing.)"
She described the new book as "a little darker than the previous installments, but it's still cozy" adding, "It begins a new story arc for Emily, Wendell, Shadow, Ariadne, et al."
Book 3 Compendium of Lost Tales was widely reviewed as a trilogy conclusion with booksellers calling it as "a conclusion to the trilogy" and "a perfect farewell" to Emily and Wendell's story. On Goodreads, Fawcett had previously answered a reader question about the series length with a definitive: "There will be three books in total."
Which is exactly why this week's announcement has sent the fandom into something of a joyful spiral.
heather fawcett announcing a fourth and fifth book in the emily wilde series we are so back pic.twitter.com/yJ606QQOq0
— hannah ⚢ (@ninthfemme) May 20, 2026
Emily Wilde series became an unconventionally beloved cozy fantasy hit
The Emily Wilde series is a light academia fantasy set in a world where faeries referred to as the Folk, are real and studied as an academic discipline called dryadology.
The protagonist Emily Wilde is a Cambridge professor and the world's foremost expert on faerie folklore. She is a woman who would rather spend an evening alone with her field notes and her dog than attend any social event ever conceived. She cannot make small talk and she particularly doesn't like people.
Emily is a genuinely unconventional protagonist for the genre. She is stubbornly herself throughout and the series is narrated through her journal entries, complete with dry academic footnotes.
The three existing books in the series are Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries (2023), Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (2024), and Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales (2025). All three books have been New York Times bestsellers.
The series features the love interest who broke the romantasy mold
A huge part of what makes this series so beloved is the male lead, Wendell Bambleby. Wendell presents as Emily's handsome effortlessly charming academic rival at Cambridge who makes friends with everyone in a village within twenty minutes and somehow always looks beautiful doing it. He is witty, a little (much) vain and delightfully dramatic.
We eventually learn that Wendell is, in fact, an exiled faerie king and the rightful ruler of an Irish faerie kingdom stripped of his throne and on the run from a murderous stepmother who had his siblings killed and ruined his coronation.
What makes Wendell so refreshing is how he subverts the standard fantasy romance hero. He is not brooding or emotionally withholding. He is openly devoted to Emily from quite early on in a patient and frankly soft way that is completely disarming.
The slow-burn romance between the socially-oblivious scholar and the lovesick faerie king has become one of the most beloved dynamics in the genre.
Emily Wilde's History of Dark Faerie is set for January 2027. Fawcett says she will share more details "this summer" and readers can pre-order via their favorite bookstore now.
The fact that a fifth book is already being written means the series is entering a full new arc as Fawcett confirmed for the characters.
For fans who thought they had said goodbye to Emily, Wendell, Shadow and Ariadne, it appears the research trip is not over just yet.
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