Book Review :: The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford

The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford
ISBN: 0063291622
Series: The Five Crowns of Okrith #1
Published by Harper Voyager
on 20 September 2022
Genres: Magic, New Adult, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Source: HarperCollins NZ
Goodreads

A red witch in hiding…

Thirteen years fleeing witch hunters and the looming threat of death. Nineteen-year-old Remy knows she is possibly the last red witch alive, and she is determined to stay that way. The Northern Court King has slaughtered her home court and placed a bounty on red witch heads.

When four fae warriors enter her tavern refuge, Remy tries to flee, but her magic isn’t strong enough to stop a fae prince on a mission. The handsome Prince Hale of the Eastern Kingdom wants to stop a war with the Northern Court before his kingdom befalls the same fate as Remy’s. He needs a red witch and Remy may be the only person alive who can help him. Can she really trust Prince Hale? Can her fallen court be resurrected from the evil clutches of the Northern Court King? For the chance to save herself, her people, and help defeat the Northern King, Remy must put her faith in Hale and his companions on a dangerous quest to find lost relics.

Last updated on 21 October 2024

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What is The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford about?

The High Mountain Court by A.K. Mulford tells the story of Remy, a nineteen-year-old red witch, who has spent the past thirteen years evading witch hunters and the constant danger of death.

She believes she may be the last surviving red witch and is determined to remain hidden. The Northern Court King has destroyed her home court and placed a bounty on red witches, making her life even more precarious.

When four fae warriors appear at the tavern where she is hiding, Remy tries to escape, but she is unable to stop a determined fae prince, Prince Hale of the Eastern Kingdom.

Hale is seeking to prevent a war with the Northern Court and save his own kingdom from a similar fate as Remy’s home court. He believes Remy may be the only red witch capable of helping him, but can he really trust her?

Remy must decide if she can put her faith in Hale and join him and his companions on a perilous journey to find relics that may save her, and her people, and defeat the Northern King.

My thoughts on The High Mountain Court

This was an interesting book for me. There were aspects that I really enjoyed and then things that I thought needed to be fleshed out more.

Worldbuilding

I enjoyed the magic element in this story, the magic system that ran throughout the land. And while I think it could have been done with a bit more exploring and explanation, it was enough for me to enjoy how it was woven through the story.

You know I love a book with a map, and when I opened up The High Mountain Court I squeed when I saw that this novel had one. But the connection between the story and the map was minimal; I didn’t find myself flicking to the map very often, as the world wasn’t built in as much detail as I had hoped, especially given that there was a map. Once expects to need to flip back to the map to figure out the route that characters took or the places that are mentioned … but I didn’t find myself doing that very often. It was a bit of a missed opportunity, I think.

However! We did learn about the world a lot when the characters were on the road, and I can imagine that as the series goes on, the world-building and the feeling like you’re ‘in’ the world will grow and become more detailed and intricate.

Characters

The characters in this book were … okay. I have no big qualms with them and I have no real love for them either.

I did quite enjoy Remy as a main character, though the book is told in first person, so I have to admit I did forget her name at times. Eek! I think it would have been more useful to have another perspective, at least every so often, so we could see the story play out from a different side. Mulford throws Remy into some pretty extreme situations, many of which normal people wouldn’t have made it out alive. I guess being a red witch main character in a fantasy story gives you certain perks.

Hale is … fae. He’s a prince. He’s a fae prince. Who has grey eyes? And I can’t remember a lot about him, to be completely honest. Bit of a beige character, not that much to say about him other than he’s the leader of a pack (not the right terminology, but you get the idea), and he’s on a mission.

Thinking back on the story, their chemistry is a bit all over the place. Remy is all swoony eyes at Hale at the beginning, though acts like she wants nothing to do with him, despite the fact she gets super jealous when she hears about him and others, and then … and I’ll stop there for spoilers. Jumpy. It was jumpy.

Story

For the most part, I enjoyed the storyline. A bit predictable, but what books aren’t these days? It was fun to dive into a new world that I wasn’t familiar with (even if there were some world-building things that I think could have been done better).

The story, I found, generally had a good pace, with some slower parts here and there that could have been shortened or skimmed over, as many of those slower moments were the characters travelling.  Speaking of which, it’s definitely a travelling book, as they’re all on a mission to find magical items that will help overthrow the bad evil guy. This is fine; that’s a classic plotline, but again, could have been a bit shorter in some parts.

The last quarter or even third, perhaps, is a lot more full-on, the characters being thrown into action, the end of the book hurtling towards the reader.

But I did enjoy the classic ‘there’s an evil thing and to defeat it we need a special someone (Remy) to help us find these special items to defeat the evil thing’. It’s a classic for a reason, right?

Overall thoughts

Overall, I did enjoy The High Mountain Court, and I think I’ll give the other books a go. There were definitely things that I didn’t like, and I felt like it was quite similar to some other stories I’ve read – A Court of Thorns and Roses series or From Blood and Ash – but that’s going to happen when you have a high fantasy romance.

This book actually had a terrible start in life at my house. I was only about 2 chapters in when the water bottle in my bag leaked and soaked the book through. I then spent 3 weeks drying it out and trying to get it back to something even remotely resembling a novel. It wasn’t until it was 99% dry again that I picked it up once more and actually managed to get into the story again.

Oops.

The High Mountain Court is the first book in The Five Crowns of Okrith series by Mulford. Hopefully, if I read the others, they all remain intact and I don’t spill a litre of water on them.

Have you read The High Mountain Court? What did you think?

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I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins NZ. This does not affect my review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.