The Amethyst Kingdom

"{4.25/5}<br/><br/>CW: violence, gore, spice, mental health, reproductive health, death of family, some others.<br/><br/>A huge thank you to Harper Collins/Harper Voyager for the ARC copy! “The Amethyst Kingdom” is out now!<br/><br/>Ooo what a delightfully fantastic end to the series! <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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. <br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>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!<br/>"