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The Five Crowns of Okrith #5
The Amethyst Kingdom
In the fifth and final novel in the Five Crowns of Okrith romantasy series from bestselling author A.K. Mulford, a young fae warrior is hellbent on winning the Eastern Court crown, but when her fated lover—and hated nemesis—Ersan enters the trials she struggles to balance the competition and the chance at love. The crown is calling her name, but can her head bear the weight when passion sets her heart racing?
Carys Hilgaard has grown tremendously through her years; no longer is she the vapid, prejudicial fae who drowned herself in wine. At least, she wants to believe that’s true. Training has kept her balanced and open-minded—traits of a promising ruler. So, when the time comes for the Eastern Court trials to commence, her mind is set on one objective: win the crown and become the people’s queen. If she doesn’t, it puts the only family she has left—her halfling sister, Morgan, and her niece and two nephews—in danger.
But the gods have different plans. Lord Ersan Almah, her ex-boyfriend and fated mate, has entered the competition, vying for the kingdom himself—and hoping it’s enough to cure his heart after losing Carys. To make matters worse, Adisa Monroe, a devious witch, searches for mind-controlling amethyst seeds and plans to attack the Eastern Court on the night of the full moon, jeopardizing the entire kingdom of Okrith.
When incandescent hearts rekindle for a second chance at destined love, Carys must learn to let her lingering past go in order to protect her kingdom, the people she cares for, and fight for hope…if not, everything could collapse into ashes.
Carys Hilgaard has grown tremendously through her years; no longer is she the vapid, prejudicial fae who drowned herself in wine. At least, she wants to believe that’s true. Training has kept her balanced and open-minded—traits of a promising ruler. So, when the time comes for the Eastern Court trials to commence, her mind is set on one objective: win the crown and become the people’s queen. If she doesn’t, it puts the only family she has left—her halfling sister, Morgan, and her niece and two nephews—in danger.
But the gods have different plans. Lord Ersan Almah, her ex-boyfriend and fated mate, has entered the competition, vying for the kingdom himself—and hoping it’s enough to cure his heart after losing Carys. To make matters worse, Adisa Monroe, a devious witch, searches for mind-controlling amethyst seeds and plans to attack the Eastern Court on the night of the full moon, jeopardizing the entire kingdom of Okrith.
When incandescent hearts rekindle for a second chance at destined love, Carys must learn to let her lingering past go in order to protect her kingdom, the people she cares for, and fight for hope…if not, everything could collapse into ashes.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 14, 2024
About the author
A.K. Mulford
22 books1,737 followersA.K. Mulford is a bestselling fantasy author and former wildlife biologist who swapped rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels.
She/they are inspired to create diverse stories that transport readers to new realms, making them fall in love with fantasy for the first time, or, all over again.
She now lives in New Zealand with her husband and two young human primates, creating lovable fantasy characters and making ridiculous Tiktoks (@akmulfordauthor).
Get the Okrith Novellas FREE at www.akmulford.com
She/they are inspired to create diverse stories that transport readers to new realms, making them fall in love with fantasy for the first time, or, all over again.
She now lives in New Zealand with her husband and two young human primates, creating lovable fantasy characters and making ridiculous Tiktoks (@akmulfordauthor).
Get the Okrith Novellas FREE at www.akmulford.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
April 13, 2024
I really didn’t like Carys for the first half of this book- her constant whining annoyed me but I know enough of Mulford’s work to trust the process- and I’m so glad I did- it was a beautiful story of healing and growth. Great twists and the plot had me hooked from the start. A great end to the series. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy- all views are my own.
May 13, 2024
The Amethyst Kingdom is the final book in the Five Crowns of Okrith series, and I’m sad to see it go! It’s been such a wild, fantastic, and romantic ride, but it ended with Carys’s story, which did not disappoint. She’s been a favorite of mine in the series, and I was super excited that she was the focus of the final book.
Mulford has a knack for creating relatable characters that you want to root for, which is definitely true when it comes to Carys. She shows such tremendous growth over the course of the series and this book in particular as she goes through the trials in hopes of winning the crown. Carys is determined to improve the lives of humans and witches, and she never stops fighting for what she believes in. Of course, her ex entering the same trials against her complicates her plans.
Carys’s journey toward self-acceptance as she battles internal and external obstacles is powerful and moving and a bit emotional. She’s suffered a lot of loss, and she deals with mental health issues. Her grief and depression are relatable and realistic, and it made me feel for her. I like, however, how the author shows that women aren’t defined solely by their physical and mental health.
If you like second-chance romances, you’re in for a treat because Carys has a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance with her ex Sy. I haven’t read many books with a failed fated mates relationship, and I found it pretty unique and compelling. Carys is so angry with Sy, and they have a lot of baggage to unpack, and it’s interesting to see each of their perspectives on what happened with them. They have so much chemistry, and their banter is everything!
This was a wonderful conclusion to the series, and if you read the others, you’ll definitely love this one. It’s action-packed and exciting with an epic quest, battles for power, looming war, and a reuniting of friends (love them) and enemies. It is intense! Plus, that love story, and the friendships, messages, and representation – it’s just chef’s kiss!
If you haven’t read the other books, I highly recommend starting with The High Mountain Court. It’s the first in the series, and it will hook you from the start! Special thanks to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Mulford has a knack for creating relatable characters that you want to root for, which is definitely true when it comes to Carys. She shows such tremendous growth over the course of the series and this book in particular as she goes through the trials in hopes of winning the crown. Carys is determined to improve the lives of humans and witches, and she never stops fighting for what she believes in. Of course, her ex entering the same trials against her complicates her plans.
Carys’s journey toward self-acceptance as she battles internal and external obstacles is powerful and moving and a bit emotional. She’s suffered a lot of loss, and she deals with mental health issues. Her grief and depression are relatable and realistic, and it made me feel for her. I like, however, how the author shows that women aren’t defined solely by their physical and mental health.
If you like second-chance romances, you’re in for a treat because Carys has a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers, second-chance romance with her ex Sy. I haven’t read many books with a failed fated mates relationship, and I found it pretty unique and compelling. Carys is so angry with Sy, and they have a lot of baggage to unpack, and it’s interesting to see each of their perspectives on what happened with them. They have so much chemistry, and their banter is everything!
This was a wonderful conclusion to the series, and if you read the others, you’ll definitely love this one. It’s action-packed and exciting with an epic quest, battles for power, looming war, and a reuniting of friends (love them) and enemies. It is intense! Plus, that love story, and the friendships, messages, and representation – it’s just chef’s kiss!
If you haven’t read the other books, I highly recommend starting with The High Mountain Court. It’s the first in the series, and it will hook you from the start! Special thanks to Harper Voyager for sending me a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
April 16, 2024
I LOVE THIS SERIES IM SO SAD ITS OVER BUT ALSO SO HAPPY
this was a fun conclusion! I loved the seed twist at the end (; the romance in this book was giving second chance and hate to love. Also fated mates of course. One thing that surprised me in this book but that I LOVED is there’s chronic illness rep, the main character has extremely painful periods. A lot of her other symptoms reminded me of PCOS though it’s not said. I also suffer from painful periods and found that scene extremely relatable
this was a fun conclusion! I loved the seed twist at the end (; the romance in this book was giving second chance and hate to love. Also fated mates of course. One thing that surprised me in this book but that I LOVED is there’s chronic illness rep, the main character has extremely painful periods. A lot of her other symptoms reminded me of PCOS though it’s not said. I also suffer from painful periods and found that scene extremely relatable
June 2, 2024
Cozy, adventurous, and heartwarming. This was a great conclusion for an amazing series! I really enjoyed this. I loved jumping back in with some amazing characters and seeing how the series wrapped up. The world-building and character development in this and throughout the series was superb! I love the mental health representation in this and throughout the series. I also love the diversity of the characters.
April 29, 2024
3.5 stars
While this wasn’t my favorite of the series, I still enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed, since this is the last book in this series, that it didn’t feel any different from the other four books. I thought the themes on healing and how multiple things can be true at once were really well done. Carys did annoy me the first half of the book, but by the end she had grown on me. While the stakes were high, it didn’t seem like there was a huge sense of urgency…which is weird. The ending conflict was good and the final battle was well done. Idk this was just missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
While this wasn’t my favorite of the series, I still enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed, since this is the last book in this series, that it didn’t feel any different from the other four books. I thought the themes on healing and how multiple things can be true at once were really well done. Carys did annoy me the first half of the book, but by the end she had grown on me. While the stakes were high, it didn’t seem like there was a huge sense of urgency…which is weird. The ending conflict was good and the final battle was well done. Idk this was just missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 25, 2024
Maybe 2.5 stars? I did read this in the midst of a slump so that might be affecting my feelings and thoughts for this book. I’m also still feeling slumpy so who knows what I’m really feeeeeling.
I do stand by my thought that this is probably the weakest installment in this series.
As the final book in a series I was expecting this to be a heavy hitter and super intense and it just was not. The plot felt super rushed and as it being a fantasy romance I didn’t think there was any chemistry between the main characters at all. The ending climax was very anticlimactic and the end had me feeling like that’s it?
Overall this is just a solidly okay series. Definitely not the most amazing or ground breaking but also not horrible. I do think AK Mulford does a great job at writing complex characters but with how short they books are, I don’t think we get enough time with them to really get into those complexities.
I’m terms of enjoyment, book 1 The High Mountain Court does seem to be the best plot wise and was the most interesting to me. I did prefer books 2-4 for their characters tho.
I do stand by my thought that this is probably the weakest installment in this series.
As the final book in a series I was expecting this to be a heavy hitter and super intense and it just was not. The plot felt super rushed and as it being a fantasy romance I didn’t think there was any chemistry between the main characters at all. The ending climax was very anticlimactic and the end had me feeling like that’s it?
Overall this is just a solidly okay series. Definitely not the most amazing or ground breaking but also not horrible. I do think AK Mulford does a great job at writing complex characters but with how short they books are, I don’t think we get enough time with them to really get into those complexities.
I’m terms of enjoyment, book 1 The High Mountain Court does seem to be the best plot wise and was the most interesting to me. I did prefer books 2-4 for their characters tho.
June 23, 2024
I finished reading this book wayyyyy late so if I have things misunderstood I’m sorry. This is my interpretation of the book/series and if I get things wrong please tell me! I don’t want to discourage people from reading this series but I want them to know that they maybe aren’t the reading level that this is for.
Spoiler warning
I don’t usually write reviews but as I read each of these books I get more and more confused on their ratings. Maybe I’m above the target audience for this series but it definitely gives ‘I’m 13 staying up late reading a 16 year olds fan fiction’ with no other purpose than to consume. No thoughts were provoked and sadly I found everything to be so utterly predictable. I’m not writing to spread hate on the author they produced 5 books that worked together and I will say I absolutely devoured them and I genuinely loved some of parts but as the series went the more issues I had with them. So let’s get on to some points that I want to discuss.
They quite literally throw away the plot. They did it in the Witches Blade and they did it again here. Carys had only been talking about it for four whole books, that was her purpose and now suddenly because two people said she’d hate it she was just like you’re right??? Aneryn being Queen is great don’t get me wrong but I think Carys throwing that future out entirely within a chapter was disappointing.
I want to talk about her depressive spiral in the middle of the book…one that needs a big fat trigger warning somewhere, I had to pause multiple times before just skipping over it. Her mental breakdown is valid (everyone’s mental health is valid) but I feel like Carys’s back story was so half baked and it made relating to her feelings so hard. She isolated herself during the competition by avoiding everyone. Her poor me with Aneryn was infuriating, Aneryn isn’t obligated to coddle her friends or not. Also why was she such a horrible person growing up? Sure she’s mimicking her father but literally anyone at any given point-Sy especially-could have told her to knock it off and it could have given her perspective. We didn’t get to see her transition out of this hateful character into her loving self. We saw she be classist and demeaning to everyone around her and then suddenly she’s confessing to her dad that she hates what she’s become? Why was there nothing to bridge that gap? Yes we knew a little about her inner turmoil was being so lonely but there was no character development of her reflecting on why she was the way that she was or why she hated being this person.
Aneryn was predictable and I don’t know if it’s because the foreshadowing was so in the face with the fire storm comment or because there was just no way a staple character wasn’t going to come out and save the day. I feel like they explain the magic that each witch type has but they never explain how magic works ever. They mentioned Aneryn tunneling down into her well but that was the first and last we heard of it. I was also under the impression that witches could only See, Heal, Feed(?), and Animate, not bring down firestorms but maybe I missed something, please tell me if I did. Glad Aneryn lived, no clue how she did, but I wanted so badly to see her and Cary’s actually interact again.
I. Hate. Miscommunication. Tropes. They brought it up at least five times. Just tell her the first time. Ersan was a bit of a half baked character as well, I liked him but I felt he just appeared and was a pushover of a character. I’m not wasting too much time on him.
Adisa Monroe. Predictable. One why would you keep her in the pit in the capital of the Eastern court??????? It’s a horrible idea. Everything was so obviously a trap. Her being captured, her saying not to burn the seeds (I will say I was for burning the seeds before Adisa was captured but when Carys actually did it I was like yeah well that’s bad). Fenrin being “hung” was shocking at first but it was clearly a trap. In what world would her dagger just be there hanging off him? They did everything Adisa wanted, I expected more from characters that have seen so much hardship and war, a little forward thinking.
so naturally it was a 10 page battle (like the other books) then a resolution. Adisa was so easily killed. So glad we got all of the head witches together for them to do basically nothing. And what was the point of showing Morgan’s mom? And if the very obvious way Remy was acting in the Evergreen Heir wasn’t enough of a giveaway surprise she’s pregnant…shocker. That sounds mean but really? They brought up Hales mom for what? She was basically irrelevant to the plot even if she had the dagger at one point. Where was Cole and Bern’s love story? Way to tease and give us nothing, he wasn’t even in the end of the book.
Anyway all that to say if I wanted more depth, more thought provoking, more forward thinking, and more subtly in foreshadowing. Reading this really took me back to the days where I would stay up so late to read a incomplete wattpad fanfiction that had 187 chapters and was never fully finished but I think it’s something I liked about that book is that it took me back.
Spoiler warning
I don’t usually write reviews but as I read each of these books I get more and more confused on their ratings. Maybe I’m above the target audience for this series but it definitely gives ‘I’m 13 staying up late reading a 16 year olds fan fiction’ with no other purpose than to consume. No thoughts were provoked and sadly I found everything to be so utterly predictable. I’m not writing to spread hate on the author they produced 5 books that worked together and I will say I absolutely devoured them and I genuinely loved some of parts but as the series went the more issues I had with them. So let’s get on to some points that I want to discuss.
They quite literally throw away the plot. They did it in the Witches Blade and they did it again here. Carys had only been talking about it for four whole books, that was her purpose and now suddenly because two people said she’d hate it she was just like you’re right??? Aneryn being Queen is great don’t get me wrong but I think Carys throwing that future out entirely within a chapter was disappointing.
I want to talk about her depressive spiral in the middle of the book…one that needs a big fat trigger warning somewhere, I had to pause multiple times before just skipping over it. Her mental breakdown is valid (everyone’s mental health is valid) but I feel like Carys’s back story was so half baked and it made relating to her feelings so hard. She isolated herself during the competition by avoiding everyone. Her poor me with Aneryn was infuriating, Aneryn isn’t obligated to coddle her friends or not. Also why was she such a horrible person growing up? Sure she’s mimicking her father but literally anyone at any given point-Sy especially-could have told her to knock it off and it could have given her perspective. We didn’t get to see her transition out of this hateful character into her loving self. We saw she be classist and demeaning to everyone around her and then suddenly she’s confessing to her dad that she hates what she’s become? Why was there nothing to bridge that gap? Yes we knew a little about her inner turmoil was being so lonely but there was no character development of her reflecting on why she was the way that she was or why she hated being this person.
Aneryn was predictable and I don’t know if it’s because the foreshadowing was so in the face with the fire storm comment or because there was just no way a staple character wasn’t going to come out and save the day. I feel like they explain the magic that each witch type has but they never explain how magic works ever. They mentioned Aneryn tunneling down into her well but that was the first and last we heard of it. I was also under the impression that witches could only See, Heal, Feed(?), and Animate, not bring down firestorms but maybe I missed something, please tell me if I did. Glad Aneryn lived, no clue how she did, but I wanted so badly to see her and Cary’s actually interact again.
I. Hate. Miscommunication. Tropes. They brought it up at least five times. Just tell her the first time. Ersan was a bit of a half baked character as well, I liked him but I felt he just appeared and was a pushover of a character. I’m not wasting too much time on him.
Adisa Monroe. Predictable. One why would you keep her in the pit in the capital of the Eastern court??????? It’s a horrible idea. Everything was so obviously a trap. Her being captured, her saying not to burn the seeds (I will say I was for burning the seeds before Adisa was captured but when Carys actually did it I was like yeah well that’s bad). Fenrin being “hung” was shocking at first but it was clearly a trap. In what world would her dagger just be there hanging off him? They did everything Adisa wanted, I expected more from characters that have seen so much hardship and war, a little forward thinking.
so naturally it was a 10 page battle (like the other books) then a resolution. Adisa was so easily killed. So glad we got all of the head witches together for them to do basically nothing. And what was the point of showing Morgan’s mom? And if the very obvious way Remy was acting in the Evergreen Heir wasn’t enough of a giveaway surprise she’s pregnant…shocker. That sounds mean but really? They brought up Hales mom for what? She was basically irrelevant to the plot even if she had the dagger at one point. Where was Cole and Bern’s love story? Way to tease and give us nothing, he wasn’t even in the end of the book.
Anyway all that to say if I wanted more depth, more thought provoking, more forward thinking, and more subtly in foreshadowing. Reading this really took me back to the days where I would stay up so late to read a incomplete wattpad fanfiction that had 187 chapters and was never fully finished but I think it’s something I liked about that book is that it took me back.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2024
As a super fan of the five crowns of Okrith, I went into The Amethyst Kingdom with big expectations. The fifth and final book needed to maintain the solid story that had been threaded through all the books while immersing me in Carys’ perspective AND to bring all our character’s together for the finale. Thankfully, I found everything I wanted in this book.
The Amethyst Kingdom is centred around the romance of Carys and Ersan, fated mates who had lived their early years together until they were torn apart by lies and deception. Carys is a complicated soul who both loves and hates big. Lovers to enemies and eventually to lovers again, it is a bumpy ride.
While these two duke it out Carys is also trying to win the Eastern crown in a series of trials. As these trials are happening, Adisa is taking control of powerful Fae and Witches ready to unleash her plan to take the five courts for herself and her violet witches. Carys has a lot going on!
One of my favourite elements of The Five Crowns of Okrith series is the main cast of characters, a group of found family who love each other deeply. Within each book our group continues to grow as they take partners. For the majority of The Amethyst Kingdom I was left alone with Carys and Ersan, without this whole group and although I craved them, I still felt satisfied.
The stakes were risen in this final book, as one would expect and I was left holding my breath so many times. There were moments that my worry for the characters was intense, but this made the adventure captivating.
Perhaps the most surprising element of The Amethyst Kingdom was the open and raw exploration of depression which really hit hard witnessing it rise within Carys despite having so many who love her deeply. It nailed the reality of depression where this mental illness is not ‘cured’ by love, joy, abundance and all the things we assume make people happy. Having it written into a fantasy and with such a vibrant character as Carys gives us space to explore it in our own experience.
I am sad to see the ending of this amazing series but am deeply grateful for the characters who captured my heart. Such a diverse representation of endearing characters who felt so real that they became friends. Luckily I can visit with them any time I want to with a re-read.
The Amethyst Kingdom is centred around the romance of Carys and Ersan, fated mates who had lived their early years together until they were torn apart by lies and deception. Carys is a complicated soul who both loves and hates big. Lovers to enemies and eventually to lovers again, it is a bumpy ride.
While these two duke it out Carys is also trying to win the Eastern crown in a series of trials. As these trials are happening, Adisa is taking control of powerful Fae and Witches ready to unleash her plan to take the five courts for herself and her violet witches. Carys has a lot going on!
One of my favourite elements of The Five Crowns of Okrith series is the main cast of characters, a group of found family who love each other deeply. Within each book our group continues to grow as they take partners. For the majority of The Amethyst Kingdom I was left alone with Carys and Ersan, without this whole group and although I craved them, I still felt satisfied.
The stakes were risen in this final book, as one would expect and I was left holding my breath so many times. There were moments that my worry for the characters was intense, but this made the adventure captivating.
Perhaps the most surprising element of The Amethyst Kingdom was the open and raw exploration of depression which really hit hard witnessing it rise within Carys despite having so many who love her deeply. It nailed the reality of depression where this mental illness is not ‘cured’ by love, joy, abundance and all the things we assume make people happy. Having it written into a fantasy and with such a vibrant character as Carys gives us space to explore it in our own experience.
I am sad to see the ending of this amazing series but am deeply grateful for the characters who captured my heart. Such a diverse representation of endearing characters who felt so real that they became friends. Luckily I can visit with them any time I want to with a re-read.
May 9, 2024
I don't remember the last time I read an entire series in just a few weeks. Of course, it did help that I got an arc for this book via Netgalley while I had just finished the first book in the series, but still. There was not one moment I was dreading starting the next book in this series. There was not one moment I longed to read another book instead. I really enjoyed myself. I'm therefore really happy that HarperVoyager granted my review request for this finale.
It's hard to describe this series and even harder to explain why I am a little sad that this is the last book in the series already. The concept of this series is brilliant. In every book we focus on another couple and yet there is this overarching storyline reaching its conclusion in this book. And although there is a lot of romance in this series, there is also a lot of fantasy, magic, fighting, mythology and world building. I think both fantasy and romance lovers will love this series.
For a little while I was afraid that the author was gonna make the final battle in this novel a little too easy. Everything seemed to be going so well. However, I shouldn't have doubted the author. I think this book had the best and most epic finale out of all five. I've never been so afraid for so many characters. I don't think so many characters have been as close to dead as they've been in this book. And just as easily things could have turned out a lot worse.
I also really loved the romance in this book. It's a second chance romance. A romance that didn't really work the first time and that means that both characters have to put in a lot of effort to make it work this time. When someone has hurt you, when lies have ripped you apart, it's hard to build bridges and to forgive each other. However, both characters learn and grow a lot in this book and with every little step they're moving closer to the other.
I will miss Okrith. If the author ever returns, I will for sure follow!
It's hard to describe this series and even harder to explain why I am a little sad that this is the last book in the series already. The concept of this series is brilliant. In every book we focus on another couple and yet there is this overarching storyline reaching its conclusion in this book. And although there is a lot of romance in this series, there is also a lot of fantasy, magic, fighting, mythology and world building. I think both fantasy and romance lovers will love this series.
For a little while I was afraid that the author was gonna make the final battle in this novel a little too easy. Everything seemed to be going so well. However, I shouldn't have doubted the author. I think this book had the best and most epic finale out of all five. I've never been so afraid for so many characters. I don't think so many characters have been as close to dead as they've been in this book. And just as easily things could have turned out a lot worse.
I also really loved the romance in this book. It's a second chance romance. A romance that didn't really work the first time and that means that both characters have to put in a lot of effort to make it work this time. When someone has hurt you, when lies have ripped you apart, it's hard to build bridges and to forgive each other. However, both characters learn and grow a lot in this book and with every little step they're moving closer to the other.
I will miss Okrith. If the author ever returns, I will for sure follow!
April 29, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and to HarperCollins for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review 🖤
I honestly think I might need a minute to think after finishing this....
What can I say. Final book in the series and I think it's my new favourite of the 5?!
Carys is out on a mission to get the Eastern Crown to save her kingdom when a grumpy, liar of an ex turns up to win the crown for himself. She has to push all past feelings to the side in order to focus on the task at hand.... even if Mr.Smouldering grumpy eyes can't take his eyes on her.
I really enjoyed how this book delved in a bit about fate and whether you can move on from someone you are fated to. Something that other fantasy novels go hard on. It was refreshing to see the FMC struggle with her emotions of whether she can move on from her ex-still fated mate, or if she is genuinely stuck with him. She is obviously a stubborn mule and it was good to see her character develop throughout the novel and see her grow up as a person. From previous books she was a rude fae who hated and dispised the witches and humans/half lings, and to see her mature as a character was just what I needed as the reader.
It was so nice to see Carys as a relatable character. Someone who got tired and overwhelmed and just needed time to breathe. And when she got her period she needed to lie down, relatable.
Carys was someone who I related to in the sense of wanting somewhere to belong, wanting to have that found family. The mental heartbreak she went through when thinking about it was close to the bone for me. Carys as a character was just top tier. I wish I had a Carys.
I cannot reccomend this enough. Please read the whole series, you will not regret it. 🖤
I honestly think I might need a minute to think after finishing this....
What can I say. Final book in the series and I think it's my new favourite of the 5?!
Carys is out on a mission to get the Eastern Crown to save her kingdom when a grumpy, liar of an ex turns up to win the crown for himself. She has to push all past feelings to the side in order to focus on the task at hand.... even if Mr.Smouldering grumpy eyes can't take his eyes on her.
I really enjoyed how this book delved in a bit about fate and whether you can move on from someone you are fated to. Something that other fantasy novels go hard on. It was refreshing to see the FMC struggle with her emotions of whether she can move on from her ex-still fated mate, or if she is genuinely stuck with him. She is obviously a stubborn mule and it was good to see her character develop throughout the novel and see her grow up as a person. From previous books she was a rude fae who hated and dispised the witches and humans/half lings, and to see her mature as a character was just what I needed as the reader.
It was so nice to see Carys as a relatable character. Someone who got tired and overwhelmed and just needed time to breathe. And when she got her period she needed to lie down, relatable.
Carys was someone who I related to in the sense of wanting somewhere to belong, wanting to have that found family. The mental heartbreak she went through when thinking about it was close to the bone for me. Carys as a character was just top tier. I wish I had a Carys.
I cannot reccomend this enough. Please read the whole series, you will not regret it. 🖤
May 8, 2024
"I'm sorry it took me walking through such darkness to see our love with such light."
This book is teetering between a 4.25-4.5 star for me. I truly loved it and there were moments where I thought it might be a solid 5 stars, but I think the only thing preventing me from that is that we have come so far on this journey a little refresher in characters/their backstories would've been a little beneficial to help me feel more connected to them as their stories unfolded.
If you've gotten this far in AK's The Five Crowns of Okrith series, you already know what to expect with The Amethyst Kingdom. This series has had such wonderful world building and magic. AK's writing is so easy to digest. I truly don't know how to explain it, but the way she writes just soothes me and keeps me tuned in. I love all her characters and I'm impressed with the justice she's done each of their stories and how they all tie together in this final installment. There were moments in this book that shocked me, saddened me, and most importantly touched me. I'm going to have to grieve now that this series is over, but I'm so happy with how it's all ended.
This book is teetering between a 4.25-4.5 star for me. I truly loved it and there were moments where I thought it might be a solid 5 stars, but I think the only thing preventing me from that is that we have come so far on this journey a little refresher in characters/their backstories would've been a little beneficial to help me feel more connected to them as their stories unfolded.
If you've gotten this far in AK's The Five Crowns of Okrith series, you already know what to expect with The Amethyst Kingdom. This series has had such wonderful world building and magic. AK's writing is so easy to digest. I truly don't know how to explain it, but the way she writes just soothes me and keeps me tuned in. I love all her characters and I'm impressed with the justice she's done each of their stories and how they all tie together in this final installment. There were moments in this book that shocked me, saddened me, and most importantly touched me. I'm going to have to grieve now that this series is over, but I'm so happy with how it's all ended.
May 28, 2024
The Eastern Kingdom is the last to settle into the new era of peace. But while the kingdom seeks to crown a new ruler, it is also the target of an ancient violet witch's plot for revenge. Carys has been the sword and shield for her friends from book one. Now she is the front-runner for the Eastern crown, all while leading the defense of the city and dodging the marked attention of her Fated. Yes! Dodging!
Carys seeks validation through achievements and when all your friends are now rulers of other kingdoms it seems she should follow their same trajectory. But when she examines how much of her self-worth has been wrapped up in performance and expectations, she finally has the chance to determine what she really wants.
Nothing but happy tears while reading THE AMETHYST KINGDOM knowing it's the final entry in The Five Crowns of Okrith series. It has everything I've come to love about Mulford's writing - intimacy, adventure, and self-determination. Carys steps into her main character energy and gives this world a memorable send-off.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Carys seeks validation through achievements and when all your friends are now rulers of other kingdoms it seems she should follow their same trajectory. But when she examines how much of her self-worth has been wrapped up in performance and expectations, she finally has the chance to determine what she really wants.
Nothing but happy tears while reading THE AMETHYST KINGDOM knowing it's the final entry in The Five Crowns of Okrith series. It has everything I've come to love about Mulford's writing - intimacy, adventure, and self-determination. Carys steps into her main character energy and gives this world a memorable send-off.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Read
June 9, 2024Carys has one objective: Win the Eastern Court crown and become the people's queen to represent everyone. When her fated lover, now nemises, also enters the trials, she struggles to balance her quest for the crown and her past.
I love AK Mulford's writing and creativity. The Five Crowns of Okrith series is such a beautiful, vast world that makes me happy to be in it.
Carys has gone through some wonderful character development throughout the series and this book, and is now determined to improve the lives for both humans and witches. She never sways from this goal, even when her ex, Esran, comes back into the picture to complicate things. I love the chemistry between these two, and the banter between them makes me giddy!
Perfect for fans of:
💜 Found Family
💜 Second Chance
💜 Failed? Fates Mates
💜 Strong FMC
💜 Fate vs Freedom
💜 Trials
💜 Mental Health Conversation
Thank you to Harper Voyager Australia for a review copy of The Amethyst Kingdom! All opinions are my own.
I love AK Mulford's writing and creativity. The Five Crowns of Okrith series is such a beautiful, vast world that makes me happy to be in it.
Carys has gone through some wonderful character development throughout the series and this book, and is now determined to improve the lives for both humans and witches. She never sways from this goal, even when her ex, Esran, comes back into the picture to complicate things. I love the chemistry between these two, and the banter between them makes me giddy!
Perfect for fans of:
💜 Found Family
💜 Second Chance
💜 Failed? Fates Mates
💜 Strong FMC
💜 Fate vs Freedom
💜 Trials
💜 Mental Health Conversation
Thank you to Harper Voyager Australia for a review copy of The Amethyst Kingdom! All opinions are my own.
July 25, 2024
"You are the only direction I know how to turn. You are my rising sun, my guiding star, my entire heart."
✨️Complete Series
✨️Witches
✨️Fae
✨️Humans
✨️Magic
✨️Trials
✨️Fated Mates
✨️Betrayal
✨️Forgiveness
✨️Depression Rep
✨️Second chance romance
This is book 5 in the now completed Five Crowns of Okrith series. This book follows Carys as she goes through the trials to become queen to the Eastern Court.
This book was a fantastic ending to the series. Carys has grown as a character over the entire series, she has to overcome feelings of hurt and betrayal on her journey towards self-acceptance. We get inside her head and discover the depth of her grief and depression. It's relatable and touches on aspects of it that some may not be aware of.
Second chance romances aren't my favourite, but I enjoyed the hurdles this couple overcame, and it ends with a HEA.
A huge thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and feelings are my own
✨️Complete Series
✨️Witches
✨️Fae
✨️Humans
✨️Magic
✨️Trials
✨️Fated Mates
✨️Betrayal
✨️Forgiveness
✨️Depression Rep
✨️Second chance romance
This is book 5 in the now completed Five Crowns of Okrith series. This book follows Carys as she goes through the trials to become queen to the Eastern Court.
This book was a fantastic ending to the series. Carys has grown as a character over the entire series, she has to overcome feelings of hurt and betrayal on her journey towards self-acceptance. We get inside her head and discover the depth of her grief and depression. It's relatable and touches on aspects of it that some may not be aware of.
Second chance romances aren't my favourite, but I enjoyed the hurdles this couple overcame, and it ends with a HEA.
A huge thank you to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of the book in exchange for a review. All thoughts and feelings are my own
June 14, 2024
I was both excited and sad to get this book. Excited to find out where the story ended... sad that it was ending. The 5 Crowns of Okrith series has definitely been a favourite of mine, and The Amethyst Kingdom did not disappoint. Full of jaw dropping revelations, laugh out loud moments, heart stopping susspence, and heart clenching love, loss and honesty, this is a book that kept me engaged from the first word to the last. This series will definitely be one that I will remember for many years to come and will hold a special place in my heart.
September 10, 2024
Sad this series is finished but I enjoyed every second. The characters were dynamic, loved and fierce. I enjoyed their diversity and the many themes these books touched upon that aren’t always spoken about. The heavy ones captured so raw and vulnerable.
June 6, 2024
I think this one was the best of the whole series! Entertaining and glad this series followed so many different characters’ stories.
August 20, 2024
This was definitely my favorite book in the series. I love how this story ended and I love all of these characters so much
February 25, 2024
Couldn’t put this book down! This series is one I wish I had as a kid with all its different kinds of relationships and representation it’s so good too see it’s so accurately represented
Adored Cary’s story she definitely has come along way and found herself in the end
The way the series all came together and how it ended was just awesome!
Thank you A.K Mulford #netgalley and #harpervoyager for this fantastic series
Adored Cary’s story she definitely has come along way and found herself in the end
The way the series all came together and how it ended was just awesome!
Thank you A.K Mulford #netgalley and #harpervoyager for this fantastic series
June 30, 2024
This was my favorite book of the series.
May 31, 2024
Like all of Mulford’s books, the Amethyst Kingdom was a masterpiece. I have enjoyed this world and I’m definitely sad to see its journey come to an end, but I loved how all of the books had a very strong common plot while also moving a different set of characters story along. The culmination of their journeys was exciting, beautiful, and tragic all at once.
As for Carys’s story, I loved the disability inclusion and the mental health inclusion in this story. I feel like they were both really well done and added a deeper layer to the story. Aside from the first book, when we met all of the characters for the first time, I felt the least connected to Carys at the beginning of this book, but through her mental health journey and picking apart the layers of her trauma, I felt like I really knew her at the end. Carys is still probably the main character I enjoyed the least out of the entire series, but that should be considered a compliment to how much I liked the other characters as opposed to a criticism of Carys and her story.
As for Carys’s story, I loved the disability inclusion and the mental health inclusion in this story. I feel like they were both really well done and added a deeper layer to the story. Aside from the first book, when we met all of the characters for the first time, I felt the least connected to Carys at the beginning of this book, but through her mental health journey and picking apart the layers of her trauma, I felt like I really knew her at the end. Carys is still probably the main character I enjoyed the least out of the entire series, but that should be considered a compliment to how much I liked the other characters as opposed to a criticism of Carys and her story.
May 16, 2024
2.5
I felt like this was a bit of a letdown for the end of what was an amazing series.
Pros
I continue to enjoy the inclusiveness of this series and the found family nature of it. I also thought the message of having to heal old wounds, and forgive yourself, was really profound and hit.
I also enjoyed Carys as a character on her own. I love her dynamic with Bri so much. I wish we got to see more of that.
Cons
I feel like we didn’t get enough of the actual like romance and chemistry between the FMC and the MMC. I think the challenge with books that drop you in to what was a former romance and now enemy situation is that we don’t get to see why they actually connect in the first place . And that was my biggest problem with this book was like I didn’t really get why they liked each other. They went too quickly from disliking each other to liking each other.
I also like didn’t love the way the final battle played out. There was just too many elements to it, and I just kinda lost the moment.
In conclusion, I will continue to read any books by this author I really love their take on fantasy and romance fantasy. I especially enjoy the LGBTQ representation in their books. So I would recommend people definitely read this if they have read the other books the series, but it wasn’t my favorite.
I felt like this was a bit of a letdown for the end of what was an amazing series.
Pros
I continue to enjoy the inclusiveness of this series and the found family nature of it. I also thought the message of having to heal old wounds, and forgive yourself, was really profound and hit.
I also enjoyed Carys as a character on her own. I love her dynamic with Bri so much. I wish we got to see more of that.
Cons
I feel like we didn’t get enough of the actual like romance and chemistry between the FMC and the MMC. I think the challenge with books that drop you in to what was a former romance and now enemy situation is that we don’t get to see why they actually connect in the first place . And that was my biggest problem with this book was like I didn’t really get why they liked each other. They went too quickly from disliking each other to liking each other.
I also like didn’t love the way the final battle played out. There was just too many elements to it, and I just kinda lost the moment.
In conclusion, I will continue to read any books by this author I really love their take on fantasy and romance fantasy. I especially enjoy the LGBTQ representation in their books. So I would recommend people definitely read this if they have read the other books the series, but it wasn’t my favorite.
August 8, 2024
While I absolutely loved this series, book Five was definitely my least favorite. I just couldn’t get invested in the characters or the plot like the others and couldn’t wait to just be done to get some answers. I would absolutely still recommend the series, though!
May 5, 2024
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
She hated the very sight of him.
The Amethyst Kingdom is book five in The Five Crowns of Okrith series and brings us the conclusion. As it's the last book, I do not suggest jumping in here, you'd be extremely lost. If you're a reader of the series, then you're probably anticipating the last kingdom crowning their ruler and the violet witch that has been plaguing Okrith through the whole series, getting her comeuppance. As has been the style of this fantasy series with humans, Fae, and witches, each book centers on characters working out a romantic relationship and here we have Lady Carys and Lord Ersan, two Fated mates who were separated when Carys saw his keeping a secret from her as lying and have spent the last couple years apart.
Last we spoke. She hated the way he said it. He made it sound like they were old friends who'd simply lost touch and not Fated mates who were split apart in a brutal breakup by his lies.
This pretty much starts up right where book four left off, The Eastern Court trials to pick who will wear the crown for the Eastern Kingdom are about to start. The trials work to bring Carys and Ersan together, Carys has been in the East working to stabilize their kingdom and is all but their queen already but must go through their tradition. Ersan shows up to compete in the trials, claiming he just wants the crown, even though he is a Lord in the Southern Court. As this was all told from Carys' point-of-view it was extremely hard to get to know Ersan, he's definitely more to the side in the first half. All the reader really knows is that at the bequest of her father, he never told Carys about her halfling (half human, half Fae) sister and refuses to fully explain why he, in Carys' eyes, lied to her. The first half has two of the trials performed and the lingering danger of Monroe, the violet witch, but it felt a little slow going as I knew this was the book to wrap up the whole series and the build up of Monroe finally making an appearance and pretty much zero movement on the romance front, felt glacier moving.
That's who they'd always been to each other---swinging between light and dark, love and hate.
The middle had Monroe getting captured, creating a very anti-climatic feeling but finally movement on the romance front with Carys and Ersan being paired up on the trials and going out on the road together. While they finally spend some time together, Ersan's character still didn't get flushed or felt out to me, as it was a constant Carys being mad that he won't tell her why he lied and him just gritting his teeth and not talking; this was the epitome of if they'd Just Talked/Big Misunderstanding. The reasoning gets more flushed out towards the end as both talk about their past selves when younger and how spoiled and self-centered they were and Carys mental health issues, struggling with depression, get worked into the reasoning but it honestly got dragged out far too long for me.
It was time to kill that witch once and for all.
The later second half ramps up the action when past characters all come back to the Eastern Court and Monroe makes her final move to have violet witches take the crown. It was great to see past characters, there were some battle scenes to deliver action and emotion and while initially Monroe's appearance felt anti-climatc, there was a final scene to deliver the emotions you'd want after reading five books leading up to this battle.
His eyes dipped to her mouth. “Some might call it Fate.”
This would probably be the one where I thought the romance was the weakest, I never felt Ersan showed up enough here, but it had multiple open door scenes in the second half if you're looking for more physical over emotional (I typically need to feel their emotional connection so I can feel the heat in their physical). The first half was pretty slow going with the trials feeling like something they didn't necessarily need to be focusing on when the big villain of the whole series, Monroe, was directly in the picture and in fact, the trials get pretty much forgotten in the end in favor of the final Monroe showdown battle. A must read if you've followed along on this journey for the battle of the Okrith kingdoms but just prepare for slower going until the final showdown.
She hated the very sight of him.
The Amethyst Kingdom is book five in The Five Crowns of Okrith series and brings us the conclusion. As it's the last book, I do not suggest jumping in here, you'd be extremely lost. If you're a reader of the series, then you're probably anticipating the last kingdom crowning their ruler and the violet witch that has been plaguing Okrith through the whole series, getting her comeuppance. As has been the style of this fantasy series with humans, Fae, and witches, each book centers on characters working out a romantic relationship and here we have Lady Carys and Lord Ersan, two Fated mates who were separated when Carys saw his keeping a secret from her as lying and have spent the last couple years apart.
Last we spoke. She hated the way he said it. He made it sound like they were old friends who'd simply lost touch and not Fated mates who were split apart in a brutal breakup by his lies.
This pretty much starts up right where book four left off, The Eastern Court trials to pick who will wear the crown for the Eastern Kingdom are about to start. The trials work to bring Carys and Ersan together, Carys has been in the East working to stabilize their kingdom and is all but their queen already but must go through their tradition. Ersan shows up to compete in the trials, claiming he just wants the crown, even though he is a Lord in the Southern Court. As this was all told from Carys' point-of-view it was extremely hard to get to know Ersan, he's definitely more to the side in the first half. All the reader really knows is that at the bequest of her father, he never told Carys about her halfling (half human, half Fae) sister and refuses to fully explain why he, in Carys' eyes, lied to her. The first half has two of the trials performed and the lingering danger of Monroe, the violet witch, but it felt a little slow going as I knew this was the book to wrap up the whole series and the build up of Monroe finally making an appearance and pretty much zero movement on the romance front, felt glacier moving.
That's who they'd always been to each other---swinging between light and dark, love and hate.
The middle had Monroe getting captured, creating a very anti-climatic feeling but finally movement on the romance front with Carys and Ersan being paired up on the trials and going out on the road together. While they finally spend some time together, Ersan's character still didn't get flushed or felt out to me, as it was a constant Carys being mad that he won't tell her why he lied and him just gritting his teeth and not talking; this was the epitome of if they'd Just Talked/Big Misunderstanding. The reasoning gets more flushed out towards the end as both talk about their past selves when younger and how spoiled and self-centered they were and Carys mental health issues, struggling with depression, get worked into the reasoning but it honestly got dragged out far too long for me.
It was time to kill that witch once and for all.
The later second half ramps up the action when past characters all come back to the Eastern Court and Monroe makes her final move to have violet witches take the crown. It was great to see past characters, there were some battle scenes to deliver action and emotion and while initially Monroe's appearance felt anti-climatc, there was a final scene to deliver the emotions you'd want after reading five books leading up to this battle.
His eyes dipped to her mouth. “Some might call it Fate.”
This would probably be the one where I thought the romance was the weakest, I never felt Ersan showed up enough here, but it had multiple open door scenes in the second half if you're looking for more physical over emotional (I typically need to feel their emotional connection so I can feel the heat in their physical). The first half was pretty slow going with the trials feeling like something they didn't necessarily need to be focusing on when the big villain of the whole series, Monroe, was directly in the picture and in fact, the trials get pretty much forgotten in the end in favor of the final Monroe showdown battle. A must read if you've followed along on this journey for the battle of the Okrith kingdoms but just prepare for slower going until the final showdown.
May 14, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Voyager, and AK Mulford for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.
I'm going to start off by being brutally honest: I didn't like Carys in the previous novels whenever she would show up and I did not like her for the first 40% of the book (I’m currently at 61% and the dislike is starting to dissipate but the first 40-45% was brutal). This made it kind of a hard read and it took me significantly longer to read this installment than it took me to read the other four books put together. There was just something about her character initially that didn't jive well with me at all. I think Carys spent a lot of time and energy being mad at Ersan when he was just trying to do the right thing, in my opinion (spoiler alert: my thoughts were correct and he was truly just trying to do what he thought was right at the time). She should have harbored that anger and directed it toward her dad instead, again IMO (spoiler again: also correct). I also didn't particularly care for how Aneryn was portrayed, but I understand the tension due to how Carys acted in the past and with Fenrin being gone. It was a very abrupt 180 that I don’t think I was appropriately prepared for...? Again it makes sense because of Fenrin and their connection, but the stark contrast to how she was in the second book was kind of jarring because of how I characterized her in my head, which is a personal issue, I know...
I will say that I don't think anything in this series can top Bri and Neelo’s stories but this look at Carys was a good addition to the world of Okrith. I really like how Mulford weaves her stories together, her writing is both effortless and intricate and the duality really makes the stories what they are.
I did like how Ersan and Carys were able to communicate and dive into why Ersan lied to her about Morgan finally (in the last 20%). After Aneryn told Carys how she treated witches, I kind of got a feeling that Ersan lying had to do with that, because she honestly sounded like a terrible person when she was younger (confirmed later in the book).Do I think their conversation could have been had earlier in the story? Yes, because the constant circling back to it and her wanting to talk about it and find out why Ersan lied to her, only to not let him explain himself and just stew in her own misery regarding the situation got tiring. Which was one of the reasons it took so long to read, but around the time Elwyn sends the remaining contestants to find Adisa’s beasts it starts to get interesting. I like the twists that they created for the story and the affected characters.
I didn’t like that the smallest seed turned out to be a baby. I called it after it was revealed that Hale’s mother was a descendant of the Violet witches. I feel like babies are always a safe option, but I liked how the news was delivered to Adisa, the vengeance was sweet and it got a chuckle picturing what the shock on her face would have looked like.
I wish some of the earlier chapters would have been sacrificed for the later chapters to have a bit more time. It seemed like a lot of it was rushed at the end, which is pretty common with fantasy books in my opinion, but I feel like it was a speed run to the end after it really started to get good, I don't know. I might be being too harsh because I expected a lot more action and less brooding from Carys, but I did enjoy the wrap up in the end.
4/5 final installment to the Okrith series. One star knocked off due to the slow start and the predictability of a couple plot points, but overall, I think that this was a good end to a truly great series. I will definitely be recommending this series to several pals now that it's completed.
Thank you again to NG, Harper Voyager, and AK Mulford for this opportunity.
I'm going to start off by being brutally honest: I didn't like Carys in the previous novels whenever she would show up and I did not like her for the first 40% of the book (I’m currently at 61% and the dislike is starting to dissipate but the first 40-45% was brutal). This made it kind of a hard read and it took me significantly longer to read this installment than it took me to read the other four books put together. There was just something about her character initially that didn't jive well with me at all. I think Carys spent a lot of time and energy being mad at Ersan when he was just trying to do the right thing, in my opinion (spoiler alert: my thoughts were correct and he was truly just trying to do what he thought was right at the time). She should have harbored that anger and directed it toward her dad instead, again IMO (spoiler again: also correct). I also didn't particularly care for how Aneryn was portrayed, but I understand the tension due to how Carys acted in the past and with Fenrin being gone. It was a very abrupt 180 that I don’t think I was appropriately prepared for...? Again it makes sense because of Fenrin and their connection, but the stark contrast to how she was in the second book was kind of jarring because of how I characterized her in my head, which is a personal issue, I know...
I will say that I don't think anything in this series can top Bri and Neelo’s stories but this look at Carys was a good addition to the world of Okrith. I really like how Mulford weaves her stories together, her writing is both effortless and intricate and the duality really makes the stories what they are.
I did like how Ersan and Carys were able to communicate and dive into why Ersan lied to her about Morgan finally (in the last 20%). After Aneryn told Carys how she treated witches, I kind of got a feeling that Ersan lying had to do with that, because she honestly sounded like a terrible person when she was younger (confirmed later in the book).Do I think their conversation could have been had earlier in the story? Yes, because the constant circling back to it and her wanting to talk about it and find out why Ersan lied to her, only to not let him explain himself and just stew in her own misery regarding the situation got tiring. Which was one of the reasons it took so long to read, but around the time Elwyn sends the remaining contestants to find Adisa’s beasts it starts to get interesting. I like the twists that they created for the story and the affected characters.
I didn’t like that the smallest seed turned out to be a baby. I called it after it was revealed that Hale’s mother was a descendant of the Violet witches. I feel like babies are always a safe option, but I liked how the news was delivered to Adisa, the vengeance was sweet and it got a chuckle picturing what the shock on her face would have looked like.
I wish some of the earlier chapters would have been sacrificed for the later chapters to have a bit more time. It seemed like a lot of it was rushed at the end, which is pretty common with fantasy books in my opinion, but I feel like it was a speed run to the end after it really started to get good, I don't know. I might be being too harsh because I expected a lot more action and less brooding from Carys, but I did enjoy the wrap up in the end.
4/5 final installment to the Okrith series. One star knocked off due to the slow start and the predictability of a couple plot points, but overall, I think that this was a good end to a truly great series. I will definitely be recommending this series to several pals now that it's completed.
Thank you again to NG, Harper Voyager, and AK Mulford for this opportunity.
May 14, 2024
{4.25/5}
CW: violence, gore, spice, mental health, reproductive health, death of family, some others.
A huge thank you to Harper Collins/Harper Voyager for the ARC copy! “The Amethyst Kingdom” is out now!
Ooo what a delightfully fantastic end to the series!
With Adisa Monroe’s attempts to overthrow the Southern kingdom thwarted, all eyes turn to the empty Eastern throne. Carys is the crowd favorite to win the crown, but the competition brings opponents she never expected. Demons from her past and evil witches in her present all stand in Carys’ way of claiming the throne, and the warrior has never felt so alone.
I am *so* pleased with how this series ended; I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this last installment. I was a little worried that we’d be in for a rocky ride after book 1’s structure issues, but each book got better and better, and the final story was worth every page.
We’ll start with the main character. Carys is someone we’ve seen bits and pieces of in each story along the way, and she always comes across as a fierce, if understated, friend. This is the book where we really get to see her blossom, and we also get to see why she is the way she is. The author also delivers some very raw, very real insights into both mental health and reproductive health issues in a way that feels understandable, even for readers who may not personally struggle with those things. I’m a little biased on both counts, but it was wonderful to see these topics handled in a way that fits the genre without reducing the significance of either issue.
Aside from Carys’ personal struggles, the writing brings the world of Okrith to life in a way we’ve seen gradually build in each book, finally culminating in this marvelous addition. Between the setting and the storyline, I didn’t want to put this book down. It was engaging, entertaining, and delivered some deliciously heart-wrenching action. The only thing that pulled me out was the repetition of “Adisa Monroe.” It’s probably a stylistic choice, having the villain’s name almost exclusively delivered in full, but when there’s a whole passage about the same villain, it threw me back to book 1’s issues with structure and phrasing. It’s a personal preference, and it’s definitely not a significant problem, but it grated nonetheless.
Nomenclature quirks aside, this was an incredibly enjoyable book. The pacing was pleasant while still retaining that series-wide habit of “there’s less than 100 pages left, let’s see how stressed out we can make you.” The MC, the love interest, and the side characters were all enjoyable to read about and root for without being purely good or purely bad people. The world and its inhabitants left me wanting to see even more because they were so interesting to see, and this ending of the series left me genuinely sad that it’s over. I could easily see myself re-reading the books again in the future, and I’d definitely recommend them to someone who likes fantasy romance.
With that in mind, if you enjoy fae magic, witch magic, found family, incredibly strong warriors with a slew of personal issues, and a realm-wide struggle to not succumb to hidden forces of evil, then this is definitely a series you should check out. While each book can be read as an interconnected standalone, I highly suggest reading them in order to fully understand what’s going on in the world overall. Book 5, “The Amethyst Kingdom” is out now, so you can binge them all back to back if you so choose!
CW: violence, gore, spice, mental health, reproductive health, death of family, some others.
A huge thank you to Harper Collins/Harper Voyager for the ARC copy! “The Amethyst Kingdom” is out now!
Ooo what a delightfully fantastic end to the series!
With Adisa Monroe’s attempts to overthrow the Southern kingdom thwarted, all eyes turn to the empty Eastern throne. Carys is the crowd favorite to win the crown, but the competition brings opponents she never expected. Demons from her past and evil witches in her present all stand in Carys’ way of claiming the throne, and the warrior has never felt so alone.
I am *so* pleased with how this series ended; I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this last installment. I was a little worried that we’d be in for a rocky ride after book 1’s structure issues, but each book got better and better, and the final story was worth every page.
We’ll start with the main character. Carys is someone we’ve seen bits and pieces of in each story along the way, and she always comes across as a fierce, if understated, friend. This is the book where we really get to see her blossom, and we also get to see why she is the way she is. The author also delivers some very raw, very real insights into both mental health and reproductive health issues in a way that feels understandable, even for readers who may not personally struggle with those things. I’m a little biased on both counts, but it was wonderful to see these topics handled in a way that fits the genre without reducing the significance of either issue.
Aside from Carys’ personal struggles, the writing brings the world of Okrith to life in a way we’ve seen gradually build in each book, finally culminating in this marvelous addition. Between the setting and the storyline, I didn’t want to put this book down. It was engaging, entertaining, and delivered some deliciously heart-wrenching action. The only thing that pulled me out was the repetition of “Adisa Monroe.” It’s probably a stylistic choice, having the villain’s name almost exclusively delivered in full, but when there’s a whole passage about the same villain, it threw me back to book 1’s issues with structure and phrasing. It’s a personal preference, and it’s definitely not a significant problem, but it grated nonetheless.
Nomenclature quirks aside, this was an incredibly enjoyable book. The pacing was pleasant while still retaining that series-wide habit of “there’s less than 100 pages left, let’s see how stressed out we can make you.” The MC, the love interest, and the side characters were all enjoyable to read about and root for without being purely good or purely bad people. The world and its inhabitants left me wanting to see even more because they were so interesting to see, and this ending of the series left me genuinely sad that it’s over. I could easily see myself re-reading the books again in the future, and I’d definitely recommend them to someone who likes fantasy romance.
With that in mind, if you enjoy fae magic, witch magic, found family, incredibly strong warriors with a slew of personal issues, and a realm-wide struggle to not succumb to hidden forces of evil, then this is definitely a series you should check out. While each book can be read as an interconnected standalone, I highly suggest reading them in order to fully understand what’s going on in the world overall. Book 5, “The Amethyst Kingdom” is out now, so you can binge them all back to back if you so choose!
March 1, 2024
In this fifth and final installment Carys, Lady Hilgaard sets out to win her Crown before freeing her city and closest friends from the tyranny of the violet witches. If only her Fated wasn't dogging her every move, nudging her off balance growling her name, smelling like snowflowers and sunshine, shooting smouldering glances across the room.
This is a definite winner for me - although I'm still picking Book 4 as my series favorite. You'll need to read them all (in order!) and judge that one for yourself. The great thing about this series (as well as being a kick-ass romantasy) is that it addresses mental health and gender identity head-on, normalising experience, reactions and choices with humor and empathy along the way. In The Amethyst Kingdom the insidious power of loneliness to incapacitate and overwhelm us, particularly if we are already vulnerable to anxiety or depression is laid bare:
"The feeling of that physical absence left her bereft. How quickly this isolation warped her mind. Even with so many loved ones propping her up, in the briefest absence she could slip, foundationless without them."
Followed quickly with the stark reminder that often those of us who most need help are not willing or able to ask for it.
I also love the way that the female characters take private moments in the woods, have periods, get drunk, throw-up, collapse into fits of ugly-crying, and throw themselves in front of burning swords (not literally) / practically die for each other without turning into a shrew/heroine/victim caricature, And there's a perfectly healthy shake of spice (or 3) to keep everyone happy. [Some readers might find the bathing scene in Ch.24 uncomfortable].
The question of fate vs free choice permeates this novel. On the one hand, we have a FMC appearing to 'cut off her nose to spite her face'. On the other, she's punished for exercising free will - even if the choice appears questionable. The MMC is an arrogant ass who cannot help fighting to the bitter end to save her life but refuses to do the one thing that might save their relationship, I was so caught up in this petty "to be or not to be" interplay that I failed to catch the foreshadowing of a deftly executed and yet unsatisfying conclusion. The final gathering of the series main characters avoids clumsy sentimentality, but its over so quickly. Exit stage left, Talk about leaving them wanting more!
If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading Carys's backstory, detailed in the enchanting novella in The Witches Goodbye (Five Crowns of Okrith, Book 4.5) before tucking into this book, as well as the previous novels in the series. Carys's bid for the Eastern Crown, her relationship with her father an the broken bond with Lord Ersan are all explored in greater detail. It's easier to be kind to Carys with this knowledge.
You'll probably enjoy The Amethyst Kingdom If you like woman kicking-ass romantasy that acknowledges mental health issues (think A Shadow in The Ember, by J.L. Armentrout - more GAD; for loneliness/loss/depression it's a stretch but Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is similar); or spicy elf-human shindigs (e.g. Fall of Ruin and Wrath by J. L. Armentrout).
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for access to an ARC.
This is a definite winner for me - although I'm still picking Book 4 as my series favorite. You'll need to read them all (in order!) and judge that one for yourself. The great thing about this series (as well as being a kick-ass romantasy) is that it addresses mental health and gender identity head-on, normalising experience, reactions and choices with humor and empathy along the way. In The Amethyst Kingdom the insidious power of loneliness to incapacitate and overwhelm us, particularly if we are already vulnerable to anxiety or depression is laid bare:
"The feeling of that physical absence left her bereft. How quickly this isolation warped her mind. Even with so many loved ones propping her up, in the briefest absence she could slip, foundationless without them."
Followed quickly with the stark reminder that often those of us who most need help are not willing or able to ask for it.
I also love the way that the female characters take private moments in the woods, have periods, get drunk, throw-up, collapse into fits of ugly-crying, and throw themselves in front of burning swords (not literally) / practically die for each other without turning into a shrew/heroine/victim caricature, And there's a perfectly healthy shake of spice (or 3) to keep everyone happy. [Some readers might find the bathing scene in Ch.24 uncomfortable].
The question of fate vs free choice permeates this novel. On the one hand, we have a FMC appearing to 'cut off her nose to spite her face'. On the other, she's punished for exercising free will - even if the choice appears questionable. The MMC is an arrogant ass who cannot help fighting to the bitter end to save her life but refuses to do the one thing that might save their relationship, I was so caught up in this petty "to be or not to be" interplay that I failed to catch the foreshadowing of a deftly executed and yet unsatisfying conclusion. The final gathering of the series main characters avoids clumsy sentimentality, but its over so quickly. Exit stage left, Talk about leaving them wanting more!
If you haven't already, I'd recommend reading Carys's backstory, detailed in the enchanting novella in The Witches Goodbye (Five Crowns of Okrith, Book 4.5) before tucking into this book, as well as the previous novels in the series. Carys's bid for the Eastern Crown, her relationship with her father an the broken bond with Lord Ersan are all explored in greater detail. It's easier to be kind to Carys with this knowledge.
You'll probably enjoy The Amethyst Kingdom If you like woman kicking-ass romantasy that acknowledges mental health issues (think A Shadow in The Ember, by J.L. Armentrout - more GAD; for loneliness/loss/depression it's a stretch but Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros is similar); or spicy elf-human shindigs (e.g. Fall of Ruin and Wrath by J. L. Armentrout).
Thanks to the author and NetGalley for access to an ARC.
July 22, 2024
yo le iba a poner 3,5 estrellitas a esto pero es que con ese final tan lindo se ganó la última 😭😭😭😭😭😭 me encanta que todos hayan sido felices al final, yo soy fácil a mí me da lo mismo
creo que lo único que podría criticarle un poco al libro es que durante casi la mayor parte de él me faltó algo, no sé que en realidad, quizás esperaba más acerca de lo que esran le había hecho a carys, tal vez mis expectativas crecieron mucho porque en todos los libros anteriores tú sabías que algo había pasado con la pareja de carys pero nunca te decían qué. y aunque si considero que él wn se aweono con lo que le escondió 💀💀💀💀 me esperaba algo más terrible, sinceramente
aunque toda esta vola de que eran muy chicos cuando empezaron y no eran las mejores personas y ahora están más grandes y aprendieron de sus errores y toda la cosa me gusta mucho, como que siento que fue un crecimiento positivo para ambos 🤧
también me gusta que toquen temas como la depresión y así, como mostrar ese lado no tan lindo y visibilizarlo, y también darle una mirada más humana, porque pucha que la pasa mal carys 😭😭
ayy y el final me encanta porque aparecen todos 🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🫡🫡 a mi me pones a todos los demás viniendo a ayudar y te juro que me ganas, es que cuando apareció renwick, rua, neelo y talhan😭😭😭😭 yo pa que voy a disimular si son mis favoritos 🤪🤪
bueno y al final el mensaje es muy básico pero muy bonito, la familia a veces no es con la que naces sino la que escoges y creas con el tiempo ❤️🩹 y que los amigos son tan importantes como cualquier otro vínculo, incluso a veces más que otros 🫡
"needing people, letting them in, allowing them to carry some of the weight, offering to carry it for others, that was the true meaning of family."
ya y pa que estamos con cosas si la relación de carys con esran también me gustó, toda esta cosa de que nos odiamos a muerte pero a la vez también nos queremos, sisi, eso es lo que me gusta, ay es que más encima este hombreeeeee, que alguien me ayude 😳😳
"this. more than arboa. more than my reflection. more than my name. this is when i am certain who i am. when you are in my arms."
es que,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BASTA, SIMPLEMENTE BASTA
al final todos vivieron felices, van a ser tíos, tías y papás y mamás, están por fin en paz estos chiquillxs que bueno que ya los soltaron 😫😫😫 estaba bueno ya, yo solo quiero que tengan vidas lindas y no se vuelvan a preocupar por nada mas 🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️
pd: el libro de los hijos pa cuando a ver 🕴🏼🕴🏼🕴🏼🕴🏼 es lo que estoy esperando yo sé que es posible
pd2: al final aneryn es la reinaaaa, slaaayyy queen deboraste 💋💋💋💋
creo que lo único que podría criticarle un poco al libro es que durante casi la mayor parte de él me faltó algo, no sé que en realidad, quizás esperaba más acerca de lo que esran le había hecho a carys, tal vez mis expectativas crecieron mucho porque en todos los libros anteriores tú sabías que algo había pasado con la pareja de carys pero nunca te decían qué. y aunque si considero que él wn se aweono con lo que le escondió 💀💀💀💀 me esperaba algo más terrible, sinceramente
aunque toda esta vola de que eran muy chicos cuando empezaron y no eran las mejores personas y ahora están más grandes y aprendieron de sus errores y toda la cosa me gusta mucho, como que siento que fue un crecimiento positivo para ambos 🤧
también me gusta que toquen temas como la depresión y así, como mostrar ese lado no tan lindo y visibilizarlo, y también darle una mirada más humana, porque pucha que la pasa mal carys 😭😭
ayy y el final me encanta porque aparecen todos 🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🫡🫡 a mi me pones a todos los demás viniendo a ayudar y te juro que me ganas, es que cuando apareció renwick, rua, neelo y talhan😭😭😭😭 yo pa que voy a disimular si son mis favoritos 🤪🤪
bueno y al final el mensaje es muy básico pero muy bonito, la familia a veces no es con la que naces sino la que escoges y creas con el tiempo ❤️🩹 y que los amigos son tan importantes como cualquier otro vínculo, incluso a veces más que otros 🫡
"needing people, letting them in, allowing them to carry some of the weight, offering to carry it for others, that was the true meaning of family."
ya y pa que estamos con cosas si la relación de carys con esran también me gustó, toda esta cosa de que nos odiamos a muerte pero a la vez también nos queremos, sisi, eso es lo que me gusta, ay es que más encima este hombreeeeee, que alguien me ayude 😳😳
"this. more than arboa. more than my reflection. more than my name. this is when i am certain who i am. when you are in my arms."
es que,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, BASTA, SIMPLEMENTE BASTA
al final todos vivieron felices, van a ser tíos, tías y papás y mamás, están por fin en paz estos chiquillxs que bueno que ya los soltaron 😫😫😫 estaba bueno ya, yo solo quiero que tengan vidas lindas y no se vuelvan a preocupar por nada mas 🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️🧚🏼♀️
pd: el libro de los hijos pa cuando a ver 🕴🏼🕴🏼🕴🏼🕴🏼 es lo que estoy esperando yo sé que es posible
pd2: al final aneryn es la reinaaaa, slaaayyy queen deboraste 💋💋💋💋
May 14, 2024
A big thank you to NetGalley and AK Mulford for this eArc!
I can’t believe that this is the last book in the Five Crowns of Okrith Series! Wow, what a conclusion. The Amethyst Kingdom follows Carys and Ersan through the challenges of trying to win the Eastern Court crown while Adisa Monroe continues to wreak havoc across the land. Like all the previous books I could not put this down and never wanted it to end.
This book differed from the previous in the series because it was a second-chance romance as opposed to the other books in which none of the characters had a past relationship together. Additionally, Carys had to work through both the trauma of her past while finally recognizing the trauma she inflicted on others and how much she has grown which is different from the arc of the previous novels. These aspects in combination with each other made Carys sometimes painful character to follow, however, it was integral to truly understanding Carys. From the perspectives of the other characters she is nice, stoic, and self-sacrificing but in truth she is a deeply flawed character and the reader needs to (like Carys) relearn that about her to fully understand her growth. Additionally, it was so powerful to see Carys deal with her mental health struggles since the front she had in the other books was so infallible. Because of this Carys felt dissociated from how I had personally imagined her given the context of the previous books, but I am really glad AK Mulford chose this route with her as it really differentiated her arc from anything else I have read. This ties into her relationship with Ersan, as it is her growth that shines light onto their relationship together and why they are better for each other now than when they were originally together.
My only wish was that there was more action in this book since this was the conclusion to so much buildup. However, I understand why Mulford chose for the book to be more character-driven given that Carys’ growth was the main journey taken. That being said, this was a wonderful way to end such an important series and while I am sad to see it end, I am glad that I got to spend so much time with these characters. I would recommend that readers read The Witch’s Goodbye before this book as I think it provides much-needed context.
I can’t believe that this is the last book in the Five Crowns of Okrith Series! Wow, what a conclusion. The Amethyst Kingdom follows Carys and Ersan through the challenges of trying to win the Eastern Court crown while Adisa Monroe continues to wreak havoc across the land. Like all the previous books I could not put this down and never wanted it to end.
This book differed from the previous in the series because it was a second-chance romance as opposed to the other books in which none of the characters had a past relationship together. Additionally, Carys had to work through both the trauma of her past while finally recognizing the trauma she inflicted on others and how much she has grown which is different from the arc of the previous novels. These aspects in combination with each other made Carys sometimes painful character to follow, however, it was integral to truly understanding Carys. From the perspectives of the other characters she is nice, stoic, and self-sacrificing but in truth she is a deeply flawed character and the reader needs to (like Carys) relearn that about her to fully understand her growth. Additionally, it was so powerful to see Carys deal with her mental health struggles since the front she had in the other books was so infallible. Because of this Carys felt dissociated from how I had personally imagined her given the context of the previous books, but I am really glad AK Mulford chose this route with her as it really differentiated her arc from anything else I have read. This ties into her relationship with Ersan, as it is her growth that shines light onto their relationship together and why they are better for each other now than when they were originally together.
My only wish was that there was more action in this book since this was the conclusion to so much buildup. However, I understand why Mulford chose for the book to be more character-driven given that Carys’ growth was the main journey taken. That being said, this was a wonderful way to end such an important series and while I am sad to see it end, I am glad that I got to spend so much time with these characters. I would recommend that readers read The Witch’s Goodbye before this book as I think it provides much-needed context.
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