A.K. Mulford does it again with the fourth book in this wonderful series!! I was so excited (like I cried) when I received the notification that I had been approved for this ARC. This series has been one of my favorite fantasy series and I could not wait to get my hands on the next book!

What I loved about this book is that Neelo is not your typical fantasy protagonist. They are quiet, introverted, shy, and bookish. This book tells a different story from the one a fantasy reader might expect because Neelo's first instinct to saving their kingdom is to turn to the library. This story is more intrigue and intellectuals than knifes and warriors (don't worry, there's some of that too).
Neelo is witty, smart, calculated, and deep!
Then walks in Talhan. The famed Golden Eagle, incredible (and incredibly hot) warrior who is loud, confident, loves to dance and make people smile. He and Neelo have been best friends their whole lives and now they explore what it means to be betrothed to each other and not kids anymore.

I loved this book so much!! The romance arc, the magic, the intrigue, the diversity, its all there and I could not put this book down!!!

I thoroughly loved reading, The Evergreen Heir, by AK Mulford! The Five Crowns of Okrith series follows a group of friends and royals as they combat evil, find themselves, and find love.

The Evergreen Heir, follows Neelo (they/them) and Talhan’s (he/him) journey in the Southern Court. Neelo is the Heir of Saxbridge and is trying to save their mother, the Queen from her addiction to brew. Neelo feels unworthy and incapable of taking over the crown and, The Evergreen Heir, follows their journey as they make tough decisions to protect themselves and the people of Saxbridge from Baba Monroe.

The violet witches have returned with one focus, the smallest seed becoming royalty. The violet witches will stop at nothing to destroy Saxbridge and Okrith from the inside out and Baba Monroe is the immortal witch that Okrith didn’t know existed.

Talhan and Neelo have been friends since childhood but now Talhan wants more and he isn’t leaving the South. Neelo is used to being alone with their books, cat, and friendly, yet over-bearing witch, Rish. The Evergreen Heir has an ENBY, neurodivergent MC that loves books and dislikes attention. It is the perfect story to understand some of the daily struggles of mis-gendering that nonbinary individuals go through. As Neelo grows and adapts to life with Talhan, we see them believe in themselves, their bravery, their kindness, and their ability to love themselves in a way that honors the fullness of who they are.

It’s a beautiful work of art and I am grateful to Netgalley, Harper Voyager, and of course AK for the ability to receive this ARC and leave an honest review. I can’t wait for book 5!

Nonbinary MC
Neurodivergent MC
Fated Mates
Friends to Lovers
Magic System
Interconnected series
Slow burn

CW: addiction, mis-gendering

Synopsis:
Neelo Emberspear has spent their life hiding from the spotlight behind books and black clothes. Their mother, the Queen of the Southern Court, wastes her days (and nights) in a drugged stupor lamenting the fact that her child does not want to lead. After Queen Emberspear’s meddling forces Neelo into betrothal with their closest friend, Talhan - the famed Golden Eagle warrior, Neelo must confront their deepest fears. Are they ready to lead when their country is on the brink of war? What do the violet witches have planned? Does Talhan truly love them or is he burdened with their betrothal? Scarier yet - can Neelo allow themself to love him?

Tropes:
Grumpy-sunshine
Friends-to-lovers
Reluctant hero

Thoughts:
Mulford treats several difficult topics with empathy and groundedness throughout the narrative. I appreciated how Neelo embodied the paradox of knowing who you are while working to allow yourself to grow into something new. It’s refreshing to see a nonbinary character have a narrative arc that takes self-awareness and self-respect as the starting point in regards to their gender identity rather than the end goal. Neelo’s journey to making their inner life visible to their closest friends and trusting that they would be held by those friends is so relatable and gut-wrenching and heart-warming.

Usually the friends-to-lovers trope falls flat for me because it’s based on miscommunication or a “nice guy” mentality, but I loved this depiction! Talhan and Neelo’s relationship felt like they were actually friends before romance blossomed rather than Talhan pining his whole life and expecting Neelo to reciprocate someday.

I can honestly say I was surprised by nearly every twist and turn in this book! While fantasy and romance books tend to follow the same journeys, this book shines in the ways it balances those expectations with new discoveries around every turn. A.K. Mulford is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

Spice rating: 3
Overall stars: 4 stars

3.5/5. Releases 6/13/2023.

For when you're vibing with... real deal fantasy romance, friends to lovers by way of arranged marriage, and a nonbinary (neurodivergent) lead.

Nerdy Neelo is reluctant to take the throne--but they may not have a choice if their mother's health keeps declining as it has been. The issue becomes even more pronounced when the queen sets the palace on fire in a drug-induced haze. On top of the pressure to rule, Neelo is facing the pressure to marry--namely, their friend, renowned warrior Talhan Catallus. As a witch uprising threatens the safety of the kingdom, Neelo must rely on their betrothed for help; even if they aren't sure if they want to marry at all.

I really appreciate the juggling this book did. It's a fantasy story, it's a romance, it's delving into a lead with qualities you rarely see explicitly drawn in either genre. While it leaned a bit too much into the "YA fantasy" vibes at points for me, I did enjoy it and I would totally recommend it to interested readers; I may very well recommend it to my sibling.

Quick Takes:
--Here's the thing: explicit representation is important in genres like fantasy where it's easy to be vague. I really liked that there was no real question about Neelo being neurodivergent and nonbinary. They weren't without pushback from other characters, but that wasn't the main point of the story. Generally speaking, I'd say that Neelo being potentially "not right" for the throne and different from their mother was more of an obstacle than Neelo being nonbinary.

--Talhan is super gone for Neelo from the jump, another thing I appreciated. Though the book is never focused on Neelo's sex organs (and it shouldn't be) it's pretty easy to read that they are AFAB. However, it never reads like Talhan is going "here's my female love interest who just does a fun little thing called being nonbinary". He is into Neelo as they are, for who they are, and that is not just about them being great on the inside. He's ABOUT them physically. And they're not a waifish David Bowie type, which is how a lot of nonbinary or otherwise gender non-conforming characters I've read play. Neelo is big and broad and not delicate.

--I appreciated Neelo's complex relationship with their mother, the love and resentment and anxiety playing there. In general, I felt like a lot of Neelo's insecurities were centered around them comparing themselves to their mother positively and negatively. As they grew beyond this, they were able to fully mature and come to terms with their wants and needs as an individual. It's very classic coming of age, but it works very well.

--I've heard that you should read the first books in this series to understand what happened here? And I've heard it stands alone. I only felt confused a couple of times. That said, there is a very "YA fantasy" vibe that goes beyond this being a fantasy novel. It's definitely not YA (more on that below) but something about it that's hard for me to name kept me from getting fully involved. A video game quality of jumping from moment to moment versus lingering. A lot of people will like that, to be fair. For me, it makes it a bit harder to fully invest in the story. Like, I was zoning in on the romance and character growth, but the witch stuff and the magical drugs kind of went over my head.

The Sex Stuff:
I really liked how the sex scenes were written here. They're explicit without being super graphic, and they describe Neelo's body without getting specific in a way that is super gendered. I also LOVED that much of this book was about Neelo accepting themself as a sexual being and exploring their desires with Talhan. There's one scene where they have anal sex because it felt more like THEM than vaginal sex, and I was like--oh, you know, as someone who isn't nonbinary I never really thought of it that way, but like... tracks. I loved reading that. (Also: anal sex? In my traditionally published non-m/m non-Tessa Bailey book? In 2023? Egad!)

Like I said, I don't know that this fully hit for me as an indvidual reader, but I think it's solid, and I like the work it did a lot. Would recommend for those interested in queer fantasy romance.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Voyager for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tropes/Key Points:
🍂Non-Binary MC
🍂Slow Burn
🍂Pressures of the Crown
🍂Murder Attempt Mystery
🍂Attempted Political Assassination
🍂Fated Mates
🍂Grumpy/Sunshine

Spice: 🌶️🌶️

TW: Drug Abuse, Drug Trafficking, Abuse of Power


Blurb:

Neelo never wanted to be ruler. They didn’t want to be in charge of the “court of revelry”. They would much rather prefer to be hidden away in a library with their nose stuck in a book. However, a battle for their hand in marriage as orchestrated by their mother throws a wrench in their plans as their betrothed arrives for a visit.

Amidst trying to dodge an eager fiancée, Neelo is trying to save their mother from a death she seems to be intent on occurring. Her health is faltering and the Queen doesn’t want to stop smoking the one thing that could prevent her untimely demise. Neelo is forced to try to save her, while unraveling a mystery that plagues all five kingdoms.

After bonding over books with Talhan, Neelo is forced to acknowledge the growing affections within them, while still trying to keep their mother alive and themselves out of the throne.

Review:

As someone who is not apart of, nor has a lot of exposure to the LGBTQ community, I was still very pleased with the fact that the main character is non-binary. I love that y’all are gaining representation in the bookish market and hope that it continues to grow. However, please keep my lack of experience and understanding of this community in mind as you read this review.

Firstly, I absolutely love Neelo. I think they are a well established and thought out character and I hope this author portrays the non-binary community correctly. I can not speak on that but in my reading, it felt respectful. I think the author does a wonderful job at fleshing out Neelo’s character and portrays them in a relatable way. They never wanted to be the ruler of the southern court, preferring to remain invisible with a book in their hands. I relate to the last part so much. I enjoyed the development shown as Neelo begins to allow the romantic feelings they had been ignoring for most of their life to come to fruition. It was nice seeing them grow and change, understanding that they don’t have to rely on themselves. it was great to see them become more confident and sure footed as the book went on as well. Such great character growth. They are an incredible strategist and can notice patterns that others tend to miss, this coming from their in the shadows lifestyle. However, there were a few moments when it felt like Neelo should have figured something out, but didn’t cause the plot didn’t need him to yet.

I love the way that this series is continuing on with the overall plot lines. These books have been marketed in the past as interconnected stand alone and while the first two were structured this way, this book is not. You have to read the full series up to this point to understand what is happening. It was nice seeing alot of the finer details from earlier in the series start to be revealed as the book went on. You get to see the larger picture in this book and it wonderfully sets up the next story of the series for resolution.

I absolutely loved Neelo and Talhan’s relationship. I loved that it’s somewhat of a reverse grumpyxsunshine and you get to see this relaxed optimistic male try to break through Neelo’s pessimistic views. One of my favorite moments in this book is when Neelo asks Talhan how he is so happy all the time. Of course, food was involved and let’s just say I can relate. I do wish that we got to see a bit more of Talhan’s development in this book. The others in the series do a great job at setting up his character, but it feels like a chance to really nail it in was missed in his own book.

Now for the bad, and this is where I struggled the most. Because Neelo is non-binary, the pronouns used as “they/them/their”. These words were used so often throughout the book that it was starting to feel repetitive. I am unsure if there is anything that can be fixed about it, because they are needed, but it just felt like that’s all I was reading. This causes numerous moments of confusion for me when reading because it was hard to understand, without going back to reread a sentence, if the author is using “their/they/them” in reference to Neelo or in reference to multiple people. I had to reread multiple sentences for it to make sense because I was instinctively applying it to Neelo, only to realize it was a group situation.

My other issue is the constant use of first and last names throughout the book. This might be just a personal preference, but no one I know speaks to me and says my name, using both first and last. This was another repetition that became slightly frustrating as we went on, because it felt like it was added just for word count.

Overall, this was a great continuation to the series and I am eager to see how it ends.

I did think this book was a little slow at first, but honestly it was so worth it by the end. The romance, the plot- it was amazing, and I couldn’t put it down!

“The truth of who I am cannot be divined from something as simple as my physical form. I am the same person both dressed and undressed. I am confident in exactly who that person is . . . But I just don’t want anyone else to mistake me for something I’m not because of it.”
-Favorite quote from The Evergreen Heir



I received an advanced copy of this book for review purposes.

I’ve read both the previous books in the five crowns of okrith series, although I specifically avoided re-reading them before reading The Evergreen Heir. Some of the political machinations were things I forgot, but I was able to catch up pretty quickly so I think there was a good balance between re-capping what has happened in the past without going into so much detail as to feel repetitive.

Neelo was one of my favorite characters in the other books, but they fell a little bit flat for me in this book, and I think that’s pretty much only because of how they resisted their betrothal with Talhan. I don’t want to provide spoilers, but all the other aspects of the character that I loved were still there, but then there was also all this negative self talk and complete avoidance of actually having a simple conversation with Talhan, who was also their lifelong friend. It just seemed like a manufactured problem to me, for the sake of their being something to keep them apart. I would’ve expected someone as smart and logical as Neelo to handle it differently is all. & btw, Talhan is an absolute treasure. I love him so much and he actually deserved more from Neelo even though he NEVER got as selfish as I would have, he stayed patient and resolute the whole time, it was the flip side of Neelo constantly pulling away.

The violet witch based plot was really well done, and while Queen Emberspear was infuriating I loved how Neelo eventually stood up to her & stepped into their own. I’m guessing we may be going to the eastern court for the next book? I can’t wait!

I absolutely adored this book! The Five Crowns of Okrith series follows a group of friends and this book is book 4 in the series that follows Neelo. I loved the self discovery and journey and was also the 1st non-binary novel I have read. The writing and story was beautifully written. This was a 5 star read for me and 2 chilies for spice.

"I suppose there's always time for one more chapter"

AK has done it again! I’ve been waiting for Neelo’s book since I met them in THMC! I absolutely love this series and can’t wait to read more from AK!

The writing: amazing. The romance: amazing. I don’t even know if I could pick a favorite in this series!

Adore this authors books and man this didnt disappoint me at all
Kept me pulled into it. 5 star book.
Highly recommend this book.
Couldn't put it down at all. Already told a few people that they need to read this book.

Loved this book! This series is stunning and one of the best I've read in a long time! I highly recommend it. It captures and holds your attention and the characters grow near and dear to you. Many laughs, tears, and smiles throughout this book

4.5 ⭐️

This series ranks up there as one of my favourite fantasy series of all time.

What a beautiful piece of literature. The representation in this series is next to none; and this novel in particular was incredible.

Though this is book four in a five part series, the overarching storyline almost takes a backseat to the inspirational story of growth and self discovery our MC takes. If you’ve read the others in this series, you know Neelo Emberspeer identifies as a Non-binary character with they/them pronouns.

Throughout the story, A.K Mulford treats this as a non-event in the best way. Any and all insecurities about this are within the MC, but widely they are accepted. The descriptions of their body, particularly during spicy scenes are treated very respectfully. With descriptions you can deduce biologically which parts Neelo has however, realistically (to the best of my understanding as a CISFemale), the methods of intimacy change scene to scene based on how Neelo is feeling in that moment - how they wish to feel in that moment.

Talhan is the ultimate partner for Neelo - the sun to their night, and the build up of their relationship feels genuine and the pay off feels earnt.

The set up for the final book is insane - every book feels like it solves one mystery only to leave me with two more! I can’t wait for the conclusion to this series!!!

Tropes include:
- non binary MC
- grumpy x sunshine
- friends to lovers
- forced proximity
- arranged marriage
- bookloving MC


Thank you AK Mulford & Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this story early, and provide an honest review.

I was so lucky enough to get an ARC of this book and this is my Honest review. It was amazing this is the 4th installment of her Five Crowns series but being the 4th it stood out amongst the previous books for the pure fact that this book told a story of self-awareness and acceptance which is not surprising in fantasy but also not the real focus of most. The other books were amazing for their action and stories and romance (of course) all as one in the books but what really made The Evergreen Heir stick out and get 5 stars is that the true character development was not overshadowed or sprinkled into the action and romance it showed up and took center stage. This book will no doubt touch so many people's lives with its realness and how well so many people will fully relate to our main character and their story. A.K has become a must-read and automatic buy in my life and I am anxious to see where her next book takes us

Book 4 of the Five Crowns of Okrith is finally here. Ever since Neelo was introduced I've been wanting their book. As the heir to the Southern Court, Neelo has been engaged to Talhan, the Golden Eagle. Neelo would rather be in the library than deal with betrothals and court expectations but circumstances thrust them into quite the adventure with Talhan to find the source of the drug taking over the kingdom. This is truly a friends to lovers scenario with him falling first. Talhan is an incredible MMC who understands Neelo's needs and wants to be their rock. I can't want for the next one. *This is not a standalone and readers should start at the beginning of the series to understand the continuing arc and other characters.

Such a very good read that held me in its grasp from start to finish! I love this would and could live in it!

Neelo is the heir of the Southern Court. She has been betrothed to the infamous soldier "The Golden Eagle", Talhan.

In this fourth installment, Neelo has to find the source of a drug that is destroying her court, and managing her new marriage arrangement

I didn't quite enjoy this book like the others in the series. I feel like it was a bit erratic.

4.5 stars!!!! I have absolutely loved reading through the Five Crowns of Okrith series and this fourth installment did not disappoint.

This book follows the perspective of Neelo Emberspear, the Heir of the Southern Court. This is the first book I have honestly read with a non-binary neurodivergent main character and it was incredible! A.K. Mulford creates such relatable and lovable characters that draw you in to their stories. This book was a fantasy adventure with quests and sassy banter but also included such beautiful topics such as self-love and growth in confidence. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 stars was that the pace was a bit slower than the other books but overall it was a great addition and I will continue to read anything A.K. Mulford publishes.

Thank you to Harper Voyager and AK Mulford for providing me with an arc to read and review.

This is book 4 in the Five Crowns of Okrith series and it follows Neelo, a nonbinary heir to the Southern Court and Talhan, the Golden Eagle and betrothed to Neelo. I absolutely love this series and have loved it since book 1 but I think this was my favorite so far. I adored how well Neelo’s gender was handled and talked about as something that is just a fact about them and isn’t the only part of them. I also really loved how neurodiverse this book was for both Neelo and Talhan as we can assume Talhan has dyslexia and Neelo is on the autism spectrum and has ADHD.

Neelo is trying to save their court and their mother from ruin but when they have to deal with their Betrothed Talhan that they don’t really want to be there. They end up going on crazy adventures together in hopes they can protect their kingdom and maybe end up falling in love together.

One of my favorite parts of this book was how the spice was handled due to Neelo being nonbinary. The scenes describe enough that you do learn what their sex assigned at birth was but also the scenes are done in a way that felt very gender neutral. Neelo and Talhan also explored different acts that seemed to help Neelo feel confident in themselves during the spicy moments.

This book touches on how you can love family but be unable to protect them from hardship. Neelo and their mother’s relationship is a big focus of the book and you see how Neelo wants so badly to save their mother from herself but their mother refuses to listen to them. Neelo is very impacted by this relationship so the change we see in them from the beginning to the end after they finally feel comfortable in their own body and personality.

I highly recommend this series if you love Sarah J Maas’s vibes but want more diversity as this series has everything from plus sized rep to neurodiverse characters to BIPOC characters to LGBTQ+ characters. Book one is the High Mountain Court which for me gave me the same vibes as ACOTAR but not super similar.

“The Evergreen Heir: A Novel (The Five Crowns of Okrith, 4)” by A.K. Mulford. Harper Voyager. June 13th, 2023. 416 pages. $30.00.
A bookworm to the core, Neelo Emberspear (they/them) would never leave the library if they could manage it. Even through Neelo doesn’t want to take the throne, their mother’s failing health means they may not be able to for long. They also desperately want to escape their arranged marriage to the very handsome fae warrior Talhan Catullus (he/him). When their mother, in a drug-addled state- manages to light the castle on fire, Neelo realizes that their duty cannot be escaped any longer. In between fighting to save their mother’s life so she stays on the throne, and researching the drug that is taking over their kingdom, Tal and Neelo bond over books. Can Neelo and Tal find love, and save their kingdom, before the court is reduced to ash because of the witch uprisings?
First, yes, this book is the fourth in a series. That said, you could read it as a standalone, and out of order. I think the entire series is wonderful, and I’d personally recommend reading them in order, but you don’t have to. Each book pertains to a certain court (There are five, The High Mountain Court, The Northern Court, The Eastern Court, The Western Court, and the Southern Court). Neelo is the heir to the Southern Court. The series follows a group of royals, as they fight against a violet witch uprising across the kingdoms.
This book begins with us finding that Neelo is uncomfortable around people, and out in the world in general. They are extremely introverted, which you can gather from previous books, and have a hard time peopling. They also have anxiety, which I related to so very much. That said, they cannot escape their future role, and this story is us following them on the journey to accepting that, themselves, and the love that others have for them.
As a bookworm who would love to spend all my time in my own library, reading everything I could get my hands on, I really loved every single scene with Neelo and books. Not only was there a library, but there were favorite books, and hidden books, and all kinds of fun things that I just adored. Oh, did I mention the cat? If you love books, you’ll appreciate so many aspects of this story and Neelo!
As an introvert, I also understood the anxiety Neelo had when it came to crowds and having to deal with large amounts of people, or suddenly being the main focus. It is wonderful to see such diversity in traits in a novel and seeing so many different types of people represented. Neelo also didn’t have to be “fixed” by the end of the novel, which made it that much better.
As to the pacing of this novel – it starts out slower, because we are learning about the characters themselves, and their past. I love Tal, and I do wish we had had a bit more time with him as a character in focus. That said, their journey together was well done, and certainly a slow burn. The overall plot is contained within this novel – the “brew” or drug that everyone smokes is being tainted by someone or something, and Neelo is determined to find out who. That will lead us to some bigger overall truths that affect the plot across the series (And wow, I wasn’t expecting that!).
We can see our reoccurring characters, with I think hints at future possible events, and meet new side characters. Rish, the brown witch who has helped raise Neelo, is amazing, and I loved her. She is supportive, caring, and funny to boot. The world building continues, as we learn more about the magic system and how it works, traditions and mannerisms of the Southern Court, and history throughout.
The romance itself really shows off the beauty of friends to lovers. Neelo and Talhan have known each other their whole lives. Talhan easily accepts the idea of their arranged marriage (which occurs in a previous book) but Neelo is worried that no one will ever actually be able to love them for who they are. In finding that acceptance and love of themselves, Neelo sees the truth in front of them, that there are people who truly love them, and will fight for them. It builds a strong relationship, and one that I enjoyed greatly.
The plot itself had several twists and turns that I was not expecting, especially in the overall story line. I love that I was taken by surprise a few times. It is not something that often happens, when you read as much as I do.
Things to love about this book: LGBTQ+ representation, neurodivergent main character, fated mates trope, friends to lovers, and an excellent magic system. It is slow-burn which is a positive for some. I don’t mind it; I just may have been getting rather antsy waiting for the romance to really start! There is also excellent spice!
Content warnings: Addiction is a big thing in this story, and towards a “brew” or drug that is smoked/inhaled. There is also mis-gendering (but I want to mention that this is handled as well as can be, I think, and shows what nonbinary people deal with).
A.K. Mulford became a TikTok sensation with the Okrith series, which she originally self-published. She is a bestselling author of fantasy, who gave up rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels (much to Booktok’s delight). She/they writes diverse stories giving representation to many of the LGBTQ+ world, full of fantasy and love. She lives in Australia with her husband and two kids. You can find her on TikTok at @akmulfordauthor and on Instagram at @akmulford. If you love her books, you can also get the Okrith Novellas FREE at www.akmulford.com/newsletter by signing up!

Received an ARC from NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager, Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review!

A.K. Mulford does it again! I seriously love this series, this world, and these characters. Non-binary rep! Slow burn! Forced Proximity! Grumpy/Sunshine! Friends to lovers! I don’t normally enjoy friends to lovers, but A.K. Mulford expertly crafted this storyline and, man, that slow burn was CHEFS KISS! Can’t wait to add it to my shelf!