I can't even begin to describe how much I loved The Evergreen Heir.

This book is pitched as a queer fantasy romance that is gonna scratch the itch of your favourite tropes (grumpy/sunshine, arranged marriage, mystery in the palace, you can't actually want me etc.) And it absolutely nails the tropes.

But it was so much more for me. Neelo is our Non-Binary MC (and honestly I have never seen a NB MC in a fantasy romance before) and to say I needed them and their representation is an understatement. I have never felt more ...seen in a book than I did while reading Neelo's journey. Neelo is also neurodivergent. And while my neurodivergence is slightly different than Neelo's, it was again incredibly powerful and relatable to read about how they react and cope with certain situations.

And then to be introduced to a love interest, who understands them, who is awed by them, and loves them for who they actually are, every part of them...is so beautiful and hopeful. Because don't we all deserve someone like that in our lives? Yes, we do. It wasn't rhetorical.


The mystery of the violet witches continues. And that ending shook me! I need book 5 now!!
I am also going to need some novellas of our favourite witches.

This world is so expansive I feel like AK could keep this series going forever.

Also how can I go live in this world? Please and thank you.

4.5 stars.

This book, while continuing along the main story arc (and dropped some major bombs!) felt secondary to the amazing journey of self discovery, exploration of grief, finding the courage to love and be loved, overcoming and facing childhood trauma and being comfortable in one's own skin was front and centre.

If you've made it this far in the series you know that Neelo is a non binary introverted bookworm. You may have wondered how an author would handle spicy scenes with a character like this. Many other books I've read treat the character as ambivalent. Not AK.

While it's not explicitly stated, you can deduce what Neelo's body parts are and I appreciate so much how the romance and physical interactions were handled as how they changed based on who Neelo felt they were that day.

Talhan is who every person should strive to be, whether male or female. I would have loved to see just a little bit more of his self discovery.. and maybe we'll catch a chapter or two from that book in the finale?

I can't wait to add this one to my bookshelves.

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

This is it…finally we get Nello’s story. Neelo is my first non-binary main character I have read about. I really hope that more authors will be more inclusive to the LGTBQIA+ community and include more diverse MAIN characters. I love Neelo’s character. They have fascinated me since book one, which after owning these books as they release I recently in the last week have binged all of A.K. Mulford’s books and novellas. We still get more of the fated mates aspect that we see in the other books as well as continuous world building that I have come to expect from Mulford. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!

This was my favorite of the Five Crowns of Okrith series so far!

The story itself had a slower pace than the other three, but it was the perfect flow to match the plot.

While bigger issues are brewing throughout the book, the banter & tension between the two main characters is ✨perfection✨ and I fell in love with the dynamics of their relationship. They seriously have the most wholesome (and at the same time steamiest) romance I’ve read in a long time.

If you love epic fantasy series with diverse characters & romance, this is the series for you!! 💚

Another epic story by A.K. Mulford! Neelo Emberspear is challenged with a difficult mother and a seemingly unwanted engagement. We follow along as fae warrior Talhan Catullus tries to help Neelo prepare to take the crown of the Southern Kingdom. Many obstacles stand in Neelo's way - including the decision to continue with their engagement to Talhan or to rule alone. We also see the ongoing fight against the Purple Witches progress as they continue to find new ways to infiltrate and control the people of Okrith. Our favorite fae from previous stories find their way into this narrative to give us another thrilling adventure!

Neelo is the epitome of an introverted neurospicy bookworm! They have been one of my favorite side characters this whole series, and I was so happy to get their story this time.

Neelo is the Heir of Saxbridge, next in line for the Southern Court. They would rather be reading than dealing with people, least of all their smoke obsessed mother. Except one person. Talhan Catullus, the Golden Eagle, is everything Neelo thinks they aren't. But when the violet witch plot threatens the courts, Neelo and Talhan aim to stop it. Together.

Another incredible entry in the series. I can't wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

#TheEvergreenHeir #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc copy of this novel. Excellent fantasy novel. I have had several customers recommend this author to me.

Fantastic read! I fell in love with Neelo and loved them learning to let people into their heart! I love this whole series, I love the normalization of the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent community and romances! I can NOT wait to see how this amazing crew comes together to overcome the big bad, I also am sad for the series to come to an end.

Thank you A.K. for writing this amazing epic fantasy series!
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky to receive an ARC of the evergreen heir. I have loved this entire series and have been waiting impatiently for Neelo’s story to be released.

This is the first time I have read a book from the perspective of a person whose pronouns are they/them. I am so grateful that this is becoming more widely accepted in media. This book is so special to me for that reason.

Neelo is a nonbinary, neurodivergent bookworm. As a queer autistic person myself I related so strongly to Neelo’s character and felt overwhelmingly represented in a way I never have before in any book.

That being said, this is not a book about struggling with gender identity or being neurodivergent. It is a book about an introvert who struggles to express their feelings and desires, who meets the perfect person to bring them out of their shell and embrace life. This is really important to me because being nonbinary or autistic is part of life for many people, and there should be stories told about us that don’t centre around those facts but are secondary to the main plot.

Just like the other books in the series, The Evergreen Heir has amazing world building and a fascinating magic system. It is full of my favourite tropes, like found family and forced proximity. It has just the right amount of spice to be really hot but not detract from the plot.

The plot twists at the end had me gasping out loud. I couldn’t put this down. I can’t wait for the next one!

Epic Fantasy. Romantasy. Witches. Found family. Fated mates. Touch them and die. Fae. Neurodivergent. Anxiety. Bookworm. Nonbinary Main Character.

"Neelo knew many people were more comfortable with the mystery, pretending that nothing existed behind their clothes at all. The real beauty was in being seen and known and accepted exactly as they were. And they knew that's who they sat across from; the person who didn't need the mystery to still only and perfectly see them."

5/5 stars! This is the fourth book in "The Five Crowns of Okrith" series by author A.K. Mulford. I really enjoyed the earlier stories in his series and love the strong character development. This is one of the few series that claims to be on teir with TOG that I agree with. There is intense world-building, angst, depth, and action. A simply "couldn't-put-it-down" kind of read.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Thank you AK Mulford, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for letting me read this arc. I have loved this series from the beginning and this fourth book is no exception. It is the first time I read about a non binary character so at first I did get a little confused while reading but then I got used to it and the story flowed from there. I really enjoyed Neelo’s story and Talhan is just the sweetest most supportive man. This series just keeps getting better. Can’t wait for the next one.

I received an advance readers copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you NetGalley for this free copy.

I really wanted to like this book but I just could not get into it and had to DNF. The main reason being was the syntax. I understand that the MC is non-binary but it makes for a difficult read because the syntax was really confusing. I'm really disappointed because I loved the other books in the series.

I want to say this might be the first time I’ve read a third-person omniscient non-binary character. There were one or two places that I think the grammar just was t working in general, so the sentence felt off, but otherwise this was a good story. I liked that the MC was a bookworm, and tended to push people away. I haven’t read the book before this one in the series, but I don’t think it’s an absolute requirement to read this one. They seem to work as semi standalone books and I’m thinking after this one you’ll need to read in order. The pacing at the beginning was a little slow, but I liked the character development and relationships between all the characters. I do love that all of the original crew are who these books are mostly based around. I’ll for sure recommend this to those that like NA, witches, Fae, adventure, queer and trans representation, fated mates, and the list goes on!

This book centers around Neelo, a nonbinary and neurodivergent bookworm. As a fan of the previous books in the series, I was immediately drawn to Neelo and eager to read their story. I am also nonbinary, neurodivergent, and somewhere on the ace spectrum, so I saw myself in Neelo.

Throughout the book, I was fascinated by Neelo's character development. At the start, Neelo was a timid bookworm who had no desire to rule their kingdom. However, as the story progressed, Neelo showed a deep concern for their people and became a strong and dependable leader. I was proud to see Neelo stand up for themselves and assert their authority.

The relationship between Neelo and Talhan was one of the highlights of the book. Their friendship provided a strong foundation for their romantic relationship, and I found myself rooting for them throughout the story. Talhan's efforts to show Neelo that they deserved love were heartwarming, and I adored this couple.

The overarching plot of the series was just as compelling as in the previous books. Each kingdom had its own unique issues, which added depth to the story. I appreciated the unexpected twists in the plot, and I enjoyed seeing the other characters play their roles in the story.

I really struggled with getting into this book. I read the first in the series but that was it. Although direct knowledge wasn’t necessarily needed to read it, it took me more than half way through the book to appreciate the plot and characters.

The Evergreen Heir is the fourth book in The Five Crowns of Okrith series. This book finally gives us Neelo's story and their character as they battle a journey to save their mother and future inherited kingdom all while dealing with an arranged marriage. I absolutely loved everything about this book. The characters, the plot, the twists and turns, and the developing relationship between Neelo and Tal was well written and fully immersed you into this world. I absolutely loved Tal's character and getting to see more of his true character than the first book gave us. And WOW.

Neelo's character development was tremendous. To watch them go from a bookworm stuck in their own world with no want to rule a kingdom to a confident and caring individual that learned their true potential. These two together really made it an amazing read. I enjoyed getting so much background story while watching their relationship progress into so much more.

"How did the hipster burn their tongue?"

"They drank their coffee before it was cool."

Look, I'm not here to brag (okay, I'm totally here to brag), but I can't wait to shout from the rooftops that I started reading the Five Crowns of Okrith series before it became a major pop culture franchise. If you've been living under a rock or aren't on BookTok (...because you live under a rock), The Five Crowns of Okrith series is the brain child of AK Mulford (she/they). AK started out as an indie-published author with the first two books in the series: The High Mountain Court and The Witches' Blade, which got so much attention on TikTok that Harper Voyager snatched her up to continue publishing the series traditionally. For good reason. AK is an insanely talented storyteller who immerses you in the world of Okrith and the court politics, evil takeover plots, and drug trade plaguing the nation.

The latest installment, The Evergreen Heir, is the book I've most looked forward to since I read The High Mountain Court in September 2021. It follows Neelo (they/them), the heir of Saxbridge, next in line to the crown of the Southern Court. If you're bookish, you have to know that Neelo is ALL OF US. They would 1000% rather hole up in the library than do any peopling, they're riddled with anxiety, and they feel lost in the expectations that the world has of them. So. Freaking. Relatable. 

Way back in The Witches Blade, Talhan Catullus, 1/2 of the Twin Eagles, has a near-death experience, and Renwick (insert all the fire emojis here for my bb Renwick) falls beside Tal and whispers *something* into Tal's ear...something that he has Seen. Something to keep Tal fighting to live.

From that very second (actually, before that, but whatever), I have been DYING for the "secret" to be that Tal and Neelo would end up together. While Neelo isn't necessarily grumpy, they are reserved, which is the polar opposite to Tal's social butterfly nature. Where Tal is bright, loud, and in the center of the dance floor, Neelo is wrapped in their beloved black ensembles, quiet, and hidden in an alcove with one of their many secret-pocket books.

The TENSION in this book FED ME FOR DAYS. It was torturously exquisite, probably because we've been feeling this tension in the books leading up to Neelo's. While I'm not going to tell you IF Tal and Neelo are endgame, trust me, you do NOT want to miss this book (or the entire series!!!) because it is so fantastically written that I'm forever in awe of AK Mulford.

Other things you may love? I GOTCHU: Found family, friends to lovers, epic fantasy, fae, spice that'll make you sweat. What more do you need?

This book was perfect in so many ways: for anxious bookish people, for fantasy lovers, for adventure lovers, and for romance lovers.

*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperVoyager for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.*

The story follows Neelo as they try to figure out the impending threat to their country and crown...especially to their mother the Queen. Neelo also has to deal with blossoming feelings for a certain Twin Eagle.

AK Mulford doesn't disappoint as always. The story is cinematic, action packed but also sweet. The romance is wonderful and they really build up the tension between Neelo and their love. (No spoilers in case you have no idea what I am talking about!) This story was also a love letter to all those who simply cannot live without books.

I can't believe this is the 4th book in the series and Carys' story is the only one left.

I highly recommend this book if you are a fan of romantasy, nonbinary characters, bookish, action and magic this is the novel for you.