Review to come. When I first requested I did not realize it was the 5th in the series, and then I thought I’d be able to read them all before now, and haven’t. I have purchased other works by the author, unfortunately none of which are this series, although it has been on my tbr. I need to read the first 4 in the series before giving an honest review. I did post a release day video on TikTok linked below. I apologize for the delay.

I have been waiting for this book for a long time and I just absolutely love this series so much. We finally have Carys’ story and Mulford did not disappoint. This second chance romance captured my heart and held it hostage. This series was a wild ride and I definitely highly recommend!

I was unable to review this arc. I made the mistake of not realizing this was the fifth book in the series. I will be reading the other books and circling back to this one!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Liked:
Good world building
Queer normative
Overall likeable characters
The plot (outside of the romance) was very interesting and is really what kept me reading through to the end

Disliked:
The couples were very predictable- I could tell who would end up with who in the series by the end of book 1
The romances all seem to follow the same general pattern which takes away from the impact of the "high stress" moments

Thank you for the ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I thought this book was a great final for the series. I love that most of the main characters got their own book to shine in and Carys was probably my favorite! I think knowing her backstory and just how much character growth she has had was very well done. I really enjoyed how this story wrapped up the entirety of the series with no loose ends. I really liked this book and will most definitely read more from AK Mulford in the future!!

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.

5/5 Stars

Thank you to Harper Voyager, A.K. Mulford, and netgalley for providing me with an arc to honestly review.

This is gonna be a long review as this is the end of an era for a series I have followed since 2021.

This is the 5th and final book in the five crowns of okrith series, they can be read as standalones but it is 100% worth reading them in order. I have been following this series since it was in published and read the first book in 2021. This book changed how I viewed diversity in books and how I viewed indie books. I have been on the author’s street team since it was made pretty much and I have arc reviewed books 3-5. I got to see this series picked up to be traditionally published right before what would have been the indie release of book 3. This series showed me that diversity can feel like the norm, it doesn’t have to be one or two characters that fit into a community but instead it can be filled with diversity from neurodiversity, gender and sexuality diversity, bipoc representation, and chronic illness & mental health diversity. It has so much diversity the author made a graphic for us early on the street team so we could easily see what book had what because there is so much.

Carys Hilgaard has grown into a better person over the years and is no longer the horrible fae who drowned herself in wine like she once was. She wants to believe she is truly a better person. Training has kept her more balanced feeling and open minded so when it comes time for the Eastern court trials to commence she is set on one thing : becoming queen. That is until her ex boyfriend and fated mate Ersan Almah enters the competition vying for the kingdom as well in the hopes he can win back Carys. Adisa Monroe’s plan finally comes together and the entire kingdom of Okrith is in danger. Carys may need to decide what matters more: those she calls her family or the kingdom she thought she was meant to rule.

I love a good enemies to lovers situation and the addition of it being fated mates and second chance was so good. I never knew this was a combo I needed but seeing them go from enemies (even if it may be a tad one sided) to reluctant allies to lovers was everything I could have wanted in this final book. The romance was hot as hell and the spice had the tension to match.

As I mentioned one thing AK Mulford has done amazing in all of their books is diversity and including things I hadn’t read before in romantasy. This book specifically had an intersex fmc and the mmc was bipoc and neurodiverse. The FMC also has PMDD which was actually my first introduction to this condition. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a condition that truly from my understanding doesn’t have a lot of research around it but it often is truly a debilitating condition it often is described as a much more severe version of pms so more intense pain, mood swings, depression, anxiety and so much more. Carys suffers a lot from her PMDD which we see throughout the book from how severe her depression gets, the intense menstrual pain, and the severe mood swings around her period. I only just have learned about this condition and don’t have it so I can’t say if it is accurate but I did love the depression elements and thought those were very well done as someone who has depression.

I will never shut up about this series and I can’t wait to see how their other series, The Golden Court continues later this year as well as her contemporary romance series. I highly recommend this series and I have reviews up for most of the other books except for book 2.

A.K. Mulford is always the author I send people to for representation. Absolutely top tier. The way Ali weaves meaningful representation with beautiful and honest characters is so authentic and you can tell how much she loves and respects the characters.

I think the conclusion to the series was well done. Usually I feel like the last book is always the weakest but this series doesn't suffer that. We get some story from the previous book characters and a solid resolution for Carys.

I am so excited to see what Mulford has in store for us with their next project.

Thank you so much to the author, Netgalley and Avon/Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this piece. I received this book as an eARC and am leaving my review voluntarily and honestly.

The long awaited final installment in this series!! I have been so excited to finish up this series and was so jazzed when I was approved for this ARC!
I really enjoyed this book! It was a great conclusion to such a fun series. I love the found family, the friendships, the magic, and the world! I really enjoyed Carys and Ersan. Not many books do the reluctant mates trope, but they crushed it in this one! Their banter, bickering, and forced proximity is top tier.
My only thing that kept this book from being rated higher is because it took a long time before I felt connected to Carys. She was a very minor character in the rest of the books and I didn't know her as well as I did the other MCs in the first 4 books. But by the end I was rooting for her!

It’s the end of an era and I AM NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE!

The final book in an inter-connected but standalone series, The Amethyst Kingdom was everything I could’ve hoped for and more. I have been waiting for Carys’s story since THMC and it was nothing like I imagined it to be. It was better!

The court politics/drama, rejected/fated mate, the healing that came from Carys’s bigoted mindset growing up, the twists and turns were so well done. I feel like I need to sit and stare at a wall while tears run down my face.

The Amethyst Kingdom broke my heart, enraged me, swooned me, and put me back together in the most wholesome way possible.

If you’ve read the first four books you’re in for a wiled and beautiful ride as the Crowns of Okrith series comes to an end. I am pretty sure I’ll be re-reading these five books before the end of the year 🤦🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️😂

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Honest review. Thank you to Netgalley for selecting me for an early, honest review opportunity.

This is the final book in the series and it delivers a powerful and satisfying conclusion. Carys Hilgaard, a fae warrior, competes for the Eastern Court crown, facing her ex-boyfriend and fated mate, Ersan Almah. Her growth from a prejudicial, indulgent fae to a balanced contender is compelling. The stakes are high as she battles internal struggles and external threats, including a mind-controlling witch. The second-chance romance with Ersan adds depth, exploring resilience and mental health themes. Mulford masterfully blends fantasy, action, and romance, creating an engaging and emotional journey. This final installment is a testament to Carys's growth and determination, making it a fitting end to a beloved series.

It’s been almost three years of being on this journey of The Five Crowns of Okrith, and finishing ‘The Amethyst Kingdom’ was bittersweet. These are characters I’ve come to know like a friend, and closing the book on them in my life for now feels a bit like when your friend moves away.

However, I love all that AK Mulford has in store for us and The Golden Court is full of new characters and adventure to become obsessed with, but full of the same heart and comfort I expect in their novels. AK Mulford has a way of inviting anyone to be a main character in their books, filling them with representation of all appearances, mental health, chronic illness, and gender and sexual orientation. It’s organic, natural, and one of the beautiful things I love about their storytelling.

This was the best of all five in the series and the perfect way to end the story. I’ve loved Carys’ character throughout the books, but I love how AK Mulford is able to take a side character and make them the main focus in each book.

The tension between the fated mates turned “enemies” to lovers was phenomenal but it was so well balanced with the main storyline of the violet witches.

Seriously my favorite of the series so far abs I’m so sad that it’s over! 😭

This series has a special place in my heart. I loved the first book and watching the rest of the characters get their own time to shine was great. These books address real problems and are so inclusive about everything and everyone.

This final chapter of the Okrith world comes to a nice conclusion in this final book of the series. I was not ready to leave these characters. I am a sucker for found family and this is as good as it gets. I have already given the entire series to a friend to borrow and it will be a constant recommendation when people ask.

This series will capture you from start to finish. Each book gets better, and I swear I fall more in love with each set of characters. I'm sad to see the series end, but that just means I can reread it all over again.

Cary's story is a perfect ending to the series. Her story is one I've been waiting for. This is an enemies to lovers' second chance romance. It is a wild ride full of growth, banter, acceptance, mental health journey, and so much more. I'll always trust the process as these stories go because this author will surprise you by the growth and depth these relationships navigate.

The world building in the series is phenomenal. The characters are always relatable in many ways. I love to watch each grow with every book. This is a series I will definitely reread again soon.

{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!

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.

4.5 Stars!!

What an amazing ending to this now completed series. I have to say I ate this book up! The found family trope made it so emotional for me to say goodbye to this series. I came to love every character! The second chance romance in this one was written so well. The groveling, the spice, the angst had me kicking my feet and giggling. This will go on the shelf as a favorite all-time series!!

Thank you, Avon and Harper Voyager, for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

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.

4⭐
3.5 🌶️

I enjoyed this immensely! This is the last book in the series, and I don't feel like I walked into the party too late. Through the author's lovey storytelling, I was able to weave together an outline of what had gone before. Carys has a lot of baggage, a big head, many unresolved issues in her life, and a massive chip on her shoulder where Ersan is concerned. Ersan has his baggage, but that won't stop him from egging Carys on, and their banter and sparring are delightful. This book has a fantastic set of side characters, exciting battle scenes, and all the romance. We have failed mates, second chance, spice, tenderness, and all that makes you sigh when you finish. I need to go back and read the previous books now! I have a new favorite author to follow!

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon, and Harper Voyager for the eARC. These opinions are my own.