The High Mountain Court

by A.K. Mulford

When browsing books in the fantasy section, it’s very easy to buy a Fantasy Romance novel by accident assuming it’s just a normal fantasy.

I bought it on purpose. I had heard of the author because of her videos on TikTok. I had always wanted to check out her books, even though they were a little out of my comfort zone. But I have read several “romantacies,” so I knew what I was getting into.

The High Mountain Court is definitely a Fantasy Romance. But it’s one of the good ones. I thought the writing was good. I loved that it was written in third-person limited, past tense. That’s my favorite perspective and tense. Her command of the language was good, but what made her writing special was some of the tricks she did with the storytelling. I WISH I could tell you about one thing she did somewhere later in the book. It was a very cool trick of storytelling that I don’t think I have ever seen before, and it freaked me out (in a good way) when it happened. But I can’t tell you because of spoilers. Drat!

The characters were great, and I loved the relationships between Remy and the Fae she traveled with. Too many books overdo the conflict. It was refreshing to see Remy and the others forge a bond of friendship throughout the course of the story. It made the climax more rewarding.

The romance was also extremely well done. For once, we have a romantacy where the romance is not toxic. I like all the characters involved. They are strong and interesting, and they have real chemistry. It makes sense that they would fall in love. But that romance was a journey in itself and was fun to watch.

The fantasy setting, story, and plot all made sense. It was well thought out and I was invested in it. It was a good fantasy story!

All in all, there is little I could complain about. The only thing that bothered me is that I felt Remy should have had more agency during the climax than she did. There were ways it could have been done, so it was a little disappointing that it didn’t happen. However, I still loved the climax. I’ve run through it in my head several times after reading the book, and ended up smiling each time.

If you like a good political fantasy with complex characters and a romance you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying, then this is the book for you!