Five Crowns of Okrith by A.K. Mulford – Series Review

Series Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Books in the Series:

• The Witch of Crimson Arrows (Novella)

• The High Mountain Court

• The Witch Apothecary (Novella)

• The Witch’s Blade

• The Witchslayer (Novella)

• The Rogue Crown

• The Witching Trail (Novella)

• The Evergreen Heir

• The Witch’s Goodbye (Novella)

• The Amethyst Kingdom

• The Ribbons in the Trees (Novella)

Best Book: The Witch's Blade (Book 2)

Genre: New Adult Fantasy Romance

Spice: Hot

Summary:

When Remy was six years old, her world was torn apart after the Northern Court attacked and destroyed her home of Yexshire in the Hight Mountain Court, leaving Remy an orphan. Since then, she’s been in the care of an adoptive family made up of a motherly brown witch named Heather, and Remy’s best friend, Fenrin. Heather and Fenrin are both brown witches, skilled in healing, while Remy is a red witch with the power to move objects. Red witches are still being hunted by the Northern Court, so Remy tries to blend in with her adoptive brown witch family. But Remy lacks control over her powers, and so they end up having to move to a new town every time her red witch heritage is exposed.

One day when Remy is working her shift at the latest Western Court tavern they are staying in, an attractive young man seems to know more about Remy than he should, prompting Remy’s group to attempt to flee. But when they are caught trying to escape, the young man reveals himself to be the bastard Fae prince of the Eastern Court, Hale, and instead of wanting to kill Remy for the bounty, he wants her help. Because the Northern Court is targeting his home next, and he needs the help of a red witch to resurrect the High Mountain Court and stop the Northern Court’s aggression. When Remy decides to help Hale in his quest, she starts a journey filled with danger, romance, and self-discovery in an effort to save not just one Court, but all Okrith.

The Five Crowns of Okrith is a multi-book series where each book is told from a new character’s point of view focusing on each of the five Courts. All the novellas are prequels to the series, but some do have spoilers for certain aspects of the main books so if you want to avoid spoilers, read them in the order above. It is not necessary to read the novellas to understand the main books, but they provide background for certain supporting characters or deeper insight into the world.

Reaction:

Overall, I think the Five Crowns of Okrith is an enjoyable and well-balanced romantasy series. I loved that found family was a strong theme throughout the series, most of the romances are tension-filled yet sweet, and the interconnected stories of the various couples provide a consistent transition between the varying POVs.

The world and magic systems are easy to understand but have plenty of depth to keep a reader’s interest. The courts’ attributes and witches magic are paired in logical ways, such as the Northern court, a cold setting being home to blue witches. Okrith also has three distinct groups distributed among the various courts (Fae, Witches, and Humans) allowing for class divisions that add depth to the world and politics.

Another strong suit of the series is the characters. They are realistic with clearly defined strengths and flaws, making them consistent, understandable, and for the most part likable. I felt like the author did a great job of establishing each character’s insecurities and centering their book’s plot around that character addressing and overcoming said insecurities. Then to stitch each of the stories together into an overarching, interconnected plot for all Okrith was well done.

That being said, I felt at times like the pacing of the romances were a little formulaic, and the endings sometimes focused heavily on the romance aspect leading to a rushed conclusion to the plot, keeping this series from a higher rating.

I think this is a great romantasy series for someone who loves the romance and found family aspects of the most popular romantasy books but wants a unique fantasy world that’s easy to wrap your head around.