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.

"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.

Five stars ⭐️
This was a beautiful way to wrap up the series. Although bittersweet, Carys’s story was one of finding her own path and not living under the wing of parent’s expectations. It may come off as whiny and arrogant but her growth was immense in this book. The over arching story coming together with the seed twist was much needed and rounded out the story nicely. Love, lose, real world feminine problems/concerns, fated mates and hate to love, this book has it all.

Fans of the Five Crowns series won't want to miss this satisfying conclusion to AK Mulford's stunning series. Satisfying to the last sentence, it will leave leaders filled with emotions from satisfaction to not wanting it to end. 10/10

I really enjoyed this series and sad to see it end. I relate to Carys a lot. The painful periods and the rest reminded me of PCOS. I'm glad throughout the book that she healed and grew up a bit. She realized her mistakes in the past and was trying to make amends.

I loved Ersan. I understand his reasoning for not telling Carys. Especially how she acted when she was younger.

I think the seed twist was hilarious. I expected a little bit more for the last big battle. I really wanted to know what Adisa was going to say.

Thank you to A.K. Mulford, HarperCollins Publishers, and Netgalley for Advanced readers e-proof. My review is my honest review.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the wrap up to the whole series and man do I have thoughts. First, I love Carys and Ersan’s relationship journey in this book it totally made everything worth it for me. I love fated mates lovers to enemies to lovers again, it’s so rarely done where you can actually feel the hurt and anger and have it be for a complicated reason.

I also feel like Carys, besides Rua, was the only character with actual growth in their book and it was so refreshing to see on screen.

My only gripe with the book was how easy the ending felt. It didn’t seem like we earned it and it all was too easy at the end. I feel like we needed some other point of view (maybe a novella) from a certain blue witch would be beneficial to make the ending feel like more of an ending.

Overall, I appreciate the series as a whole and this book was an excellent addition to it.

In this book you will find: chronic illness rep, lovers to enemies to lovers, action scenes, touch her and die, touch him and die, one bed, quest for power, rejected mates, and so much more

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review

This book was so amazing and so emotional at the same time. Being the fifth and final book in this series I was so excited to read it and A.K Mulford did not disappoint. We get to follow Carys as she struggles with her past and present and learning to accept what will be what should be and what was. Her internal struggles felt so real and raw and it was easy to relate to her and hurt for her and root for her. The ending was not what I expected but wraps up this world so wonderfully. I do wish as I have with the whole series that we got more of the whole group together those scenes are always my favorite.

“The Amethyst Kingdom” is the final installment in The High Mountain Court series. I am a little sad to be saying goodbye to this world and these characters but this is a very enjoyable send off for the series! Carys is the main character in this book, and while I enjoyed her story I didn’t think the plot of this book was quite as well managed as most of the previous books in the series. The love story in this one is good but lacking some of the chemistry from the other pairings. Overall still a really good book and one of my favorite series ever!

"The Amethyst Kingdom" by A.K. Mulford marks the end of an era, wrapping up a beloved series with mixed feelings. While the book doesn't tie up all loose ends as neatly as some might have hoped, it still delivers an enjoyable read with captivating characters. Carys takes center stage in this final installment, her journey of growth providing a compelling narrative thread. Despite the lingering sense of wanting more closure, readers will find themselves immersed in Carys' world. In the end, "The Amethyst Kingdom" may leave some fans wishing for a tidier conclusion, but it still offers an engaging finale to the series. With its memorable characters and rich storytelling, it's a book that will be remembered fondly, even as readers say goodbye to the world they've come to love!

I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. This is the fifth and final book to a series, each book is about a different person so while you do not have to read each book it is recommended because you will be confused on the dynamic of each character. I truly love this series and this last book did not disappoint. Carys was always my favorite character and I just think it's so fitting her book was last. There was tension, competition for the crown with side quest happening and a perfect ending. There is smut but you'll have to read on why it doesn't happen till the end. I am so sad it's time to say goodbye to this world but I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

I fell in love with Okrith with High Mountain Court and continued to fall in love in different ways as our characters split and journeyed in their own stories. At last, we come to Carys, who is trying to manage a court that was never hers but that she's fighting for, while a hellbent witch and her army is looking to take over the world. And just to complicate things, her ex (and mate) comes strolling back into her life, looking to take the crown from her.

We join Carys and Ersan as they battle NOT to rekindle their love and through the trials of a tournament and a war. What I think this book does great is make Carys great representation for disabled bodies as she deals with PMDD/GAD/depression and endometriosis/PCOS while being a total badass who not only shows how she manages her chronic illnesses in a practical/relatable manner, but does it all while being a leader everyone is looking to for answers and getting shit done.

I think the pacing of managing a tournament, war, and a romance redemption was tough. Packing that all into 350 pages was a little unrealistic and it makes the war portion of the book seem fairly anticlimactic. However, the tournament and romance story pace is strong and allows this title to be 4 stars for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
I’ve really enjoyed this series and this installment was also good. But, as a series end, it left a lot to be desired. Solid, not great.

I enjoyed this book and its ending.

I was a little underwhelmed and confused by the way the FMC got the amethyst dagger from Fenrys??? That scene was weird to me and didn't make much sense. I wish it was a little bit more badass.

But, the romance in this book. Loved. Hate to love. Forced proximity. What more could you want? I loved following the journey of the FMC and MMC. You can see that they care for each other and have also grown from their past selves. I really enjoyed following their romance journey through the book. Not only is the romance great but so are the friendships. The friends the FMC has made through her life are real friends and forgive her for her past mistakes because they know that is not truly who she was. They stick with her and are there for her through her tough times even when she may not ask for help. It was really nice to see.

I also loved how the FMC had overcome her past self. Realizing what type of person she was in the past and then growing from that to better herself and make up for her past mistakes. I think its relatable to the real world. Who hasn't made mistakes? And, it's important to grow from them and make sure you don't repeat the same ones. I really resonated with that journey throughout the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author for access to the ARC.

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.

**𝑨𝑹𝑪 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘** 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒚𝒔𝒕 𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒃𝒚 𝑨. 𝑲. 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅

5⭐️
4🌶

This is one of my absolute favorite series! This series just has everything I absolutely adore; fated mates, fantasy setting, magic systems, political intrigue, enemies-to-lovers, bad ass FMC and MMCs, and whitty banter galor! Each book in this series focuses on a different MC and a different court/crown in the Kingdom. While each book has a different main character, all of the stories are beautifully interwoven with love and friendship and found family. Each of the main characters has different obstacles to overcome to find their way to happiness whether that be past trauma, current mental health issues, or toxic family members.

The Amethyst Kingdom is the final installment to the Five Crowns of Okrith series, so now it is a COMPLETED SERIES! I know some of you readers out there will only read a series if it's completed, so now you can add this one to your TBR!

The first book in this amazing series is called The High Mountain Court. There are several novellas in this series that are available for free through Ms. Mulford's website that add depth to some of the side characters.

If you enjoy reading the following tropes, then this series is definately for you...

🍁Enemies to lovers
🍁Morally gray FMC & MMC
🍁Slow burn
🍁Strong FMC and MMC
🍁Magic systems with Fae and Witches
🍁Political intrigue
🍁Fantasy setting
🍁LGBTQ+ inclusivity and positivity

I HIGHLY recommend this series for all fans of J. L. Armentrout, S. J. Maas, Carissa Broadbent, Deborah Harkness, and Raven Kennedy.