A heartless boy. A timid girl. And an exiled fae who will do anything to go home.
It’s been two years since Queen Verena exiled Thea to 1923 Chicago. As a fae living in the city, Thea tries to forget her past and blend in, but she’s plagued by thoughts of Faerie, her failed attempt at rebellion, and everyone she left behind.
When tragic news from the Winterland reaches Thea, she's determined to find a way home. Even if it means striking a deal with a notorious fae who rules the criminal world and teaming up with two mortals she barely knows. There’s Alice, who holds the key to changing the fate of the Winterland, but her heart is divided between saving the kingdom and saving the boy she loves. Then there’s Edmund, who provokes Thea as much as he protects her. He has his own reasons for returning to Faerie, and Thea isn’t certain if Edmund is an enemy or an ally.
They say there’s no place like home, but home has changed since Thea was last there. New rulers, new alliances, and new dangers lurk around every corner. When their mission goes terribly wrong, a desperate bargain is made, and Thea and Edmund are forced to navigate the unfamiliar Emerald Kingdom alone. And with more than just her heart on the line, Thea worries that saving Faerie will cost more than she’s willing to give.
The Emerald Alliance is the thrilling conclusion to the Otherworlds Trilogy and is perfect for fans of atmospheric settings, fairytale retellings with dark twists, and slow burn romance that's swoony, not spicy.
Courtney Millecam is a Young Adult Fantasy author who grew up being surrounded by books, siblings, and friends (real and imaginary). She traded the city life for a small town near the Rocky Mountains and loves exploring the outdoors. When Courtney isn't writing, you can find her: escaping into a good book, baking, drinking too much Dr Pepper, and spending time with her family.
I have been thoroughly enjoying each book in the Otherworlds trilogy and can't believe this series is finally over! If you love TRUE YA books inspired by classic fairytales that still feel ORIGINAL, then make sure to add this to your list! This series place in a historical 1920's era with fantastical worlds blended in which made it even more of an immersive, interesting read!
The Emerald Alliance picked up where two left off, but added in more characters and POV's to enjoy. Each book had a main couple and fairytale inspo, and this third installation was a fresh take on The Wizard Of Oz...with one of my favorite tropes, villain redemption!
I loved getting to see all the characters from each book come together to fight the rise of evil. I feel like all the storylines were effortlessly woven together in a way that made sense and kept the magic flowing. There were so many characters, locations and plots that at first it might seem like there is a lot happening but Millecam does a great job at making it easy to grasp for YA readers and up.
This story was a good balance of plot mixed with sweet romance. It was a finale that had some fun twists, turns and reveals that made it the perfect conclusion to a solid indie fantasy trilogy!
**I highly recommend if you're looking for a book with content suitable for teens. No language and kissing only.
As part of Courtney Millecam's street team, I have been fortunate to read an ARC of THE EMERALD ALLIANCE which is the third and final book in the Otherworlds series. Thank you for having me, Courtney, and for the gifted e-arc. I absolutely loved this book (and the whole series)!
This Wizard of Oz inspired story set in the 1920's is everything I wanted it to be. The kingdoms are still struggling against one another. The royal families are struggling within. And, our main characters are struggling to save all of Faerie, including Neverland.
There are surprises and betrayals. Secret identities are revealed. Unlikely partnerships are formed. Bargains are made. The journey the characters go on is intense, perilous, and at times heartbreaking. I laughed and cried and cheered. The ending brought everything together in a fantastic way. I hate to see this series end, but my, what a ride.
I highly recommend THE EMERALD ALLIANCE, and the entire series, to fans of fantasy romance, enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, epic fantasy, and amazing characters.
It is recommended to read the Otherworlds Series in order. The Never Heir The Game of Hearts The Emerald Alliance
📗 A captivating conclusion to the Otherworlds trilogy, this Peter Pan retelling takes readers on a magical journey full of adventure and surprises.
✨Edmund, Alice, and Thea must return to the Winterland, entering faerie through Neverland to face Queen Verena, who will stop at nothing to keep her throne. With Alice holding the oracle’s wish and Edmund and Thea navigating their own path full of tension and twists, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
💚Meanwhile, Alice, Charlie, and Rose take a different route, uncovering secrets as they race against time. This story is packed with heartfelt moments, exciting challenges, and a truly wonderful conclusion to the series.
✨Will they defeat Queen Verena? You’ll need to follow Tink to Neverland to find out!!
The Emerald Alliance is the perfect wrap up for this series. It’s fun piecing together what characters reflect what characters from our beloved classics. It’s even greater to read a strong story with beautiful world building and strong characters. The imagery was on fire, I felt like I was in these battles. Prepare for the fight of your life and get ready to cheer on your favorites, while also maybe falling in love with those you thought you hated. I can’t wait for everyone to read and fall in love with this series. I felt for strongly this is a story of love loss found strength and redemption.
I can’t believe it’s over!!! This had me on edge after every page. The stakes are high in this & there is so much that takes place but it all of it blended together beautifully. I couldn’t put this down. Every chapter made you crave to know what was going to happen next. I really loved getting to see all the characters POV’s and them come together. They are definitely some of my favorites!!! I had such a fantastic time reading this!
Oh my gosh. I loved everything about this book. I loved the characters and how they interacted with one another. I loved how Courtney tied up all the questions from The Never Heir and from The Game of Hearts. The couples are so sweet and I loved the different POVs. This is just a feel good series with this book as the perfect ending. I highly recommend this book and I definitely recommend the series. This is a series I will read over and over again. Ps, I love Ches.
Read if you like: ✨1920s setting ✨Wizard of Oz inspired retelling ✨magic and fae ✨enchanted objects ✨loathe to love romance ✨multiple POVs ✨epic conclusion to a trilogy ✨no spice romance
Picking up right after the last book, Thea discovers Alice has come through the looking glass into her bedroom in Chicago. She has been living in Chicago, helping fae in the human realm for 2 years since her exile. With a dwindling supply of herbs needed to help remove the iron from the Fae while in the human realm, she makes a deal with Torryn, a fae criminal boss. Edmund has also made his way to Chicago and made a deal with Torryn so he can help Pan reverse his curse and get Neverland back. With all of them having a different motive, their missions are all the same - get back to Fae realm. This was another amazing book in this series! It's Wizard of Oz mixed in with Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. Thea is an exiled fae who can see auras/emotions. If she focuses on following her magic, it takes her on the golden road. She never knew how much she counted on this, until she wasn't able to. And what does that mean for Edmund that she can't see his? Is he really as heartless as he wants her to believe? The tension and chemistry between those 2 is perfect. And I love that this is multiple POV so you can really know what each of them is thinking. You get to see the wheels turning for Edmund as Thea makes him question everything he has been told, how his mind changes about Thea and the mission. And we get more of Alice, Maddox, Evie Charlie and even Tink! It would take so long to list everything I love about all these characters, so I will just rave about all of them in general! (Or you can go back and read my other reviews!) The world building is once again amazing. You really feel like you are there with all of them. The writing is so vivid that even I can picture it - and I'm one of the few weird people who doesn't usually get mental images while reading. Of course, there is action and suspense as well. And the ending of this book! OMG, can I just say I was absolutely on the edge of my seat for a while there! I could not believe everything that was going on. But the ending was perfect for this trilogy - giving closure for all the characters and even a glimpse beyond!
Fantastic conclusion to a terrific trilogy! I absolutely love how Courtney ties all of the storylines together in book 3, The Emerald Alliance, but yet gave it its own set of adventures (and romance!) 💚
I really would love to go through all three books again…. Starting with The Never Heir, I adored the Peter Pan spin. Moving into The Game of Hearts, and the epic adventure found there with Alice in Wonderland vibes. They were books that I couldn’t put down - but it has been too long since I’ve read them! I do want to return to them sooner rather than later.
We ended in a Wizard of Oz-esque realm with all of our beloved (and not so beloved!) characters from all the previous stories. I told Courtney in one of her posts that I’ve loved all her couples, but always fall for the one I am currently reading about. If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with?!? Something like that. 😂 But I’d like to see if I have a favorite or if I truly love them all!! I think rereading will prove the latter. 😏
The Otherworld Series is clean, no-spice and considered YA fantasy. And I absolutely adore it. Wholeheartedly. The 1920’s vibe mixed with different kingdoms and realms makes for an epic adventure that, as I’ve stated a couple times, has made me want to just start it all over again. Just go read the books already!!
I have said it before, I am the worst at completing a series, so I'm super happy to have finished this one and this last installment did not disappoint! Every book made me crave the next one, and to finally get to this long awaited conclusion was truly fantastic in every way.
I really enjoyed that we got multiple characters POV in this one, it made for a different vibe, and it was so enjoyable to get back to all these loved characters and experience some new POV as well. Definitely was happy to finally get into Edmund's head!
I won't say too much about the story as this is the third book in a series and I don't want to reveal too much but let's just say that I loved seeing our characters get together and there was lots of plotting, hidden secrets, action, plot twists and it was a true page turner. The fact there was a lot happening at all times definitely made me look forward to getting back to every character, and they all had their own storyline that was intertwining all together for an epic ending.
This is truly a wonderful series and if you love a good reimagining of classic tales you must read it because the references are just fantastic while still staying a unique story in itself.
Thanks to the author for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
What a fantastic ending to this story! I have loved every minute of this series, and I’m so sad it seems it end!
The Emerald Alliance takes us on a high stakes adventure through Faerie where we get to see all the main characters from the previous books come together along with some new ones. I really enjoyed Thea’s character and seeing Edmund’s side of the story. It was very cool to learn more about Thea’s magic throughout the book, and to see how her character grew. Edmund’s pov was especially interesting to me because if you’ve read book one you know he’s technically the villain. But of course when you get to see his side of things you remember that he really was just a kid who was looking for a place to belong all along. And of course I loved seeing all my favorite characters from the last two books! As always it was so fun to see how Courtney added in little bits of the original stories this series is inspired by (in this case being the Wizard of Oz). It’s fun to watch out of all the little Easter eggs.
This is book 3 in a young adult trilogy that blends historical fiction and fantasy with light reimaginings of classic stories.
I won’t say much about the plot to avoid spoilers but it was really fun to have storylines and characters converge in this final book! This is definitely a series you need to read in order. There are some elements I wouldn’t have guessed from earlier on in the series that made for delightful surprises. I love the variety of characters and storylines brought in with unique fantasy elements and a rich historical backdrop. There are fun nods to the classics to discover throughout the stories, but they are also very much their own stories and not overly relying on the retelling aspects.
This is definitely a series I will be recommending to my retelling loving daughter in a few years and that I will continue recommending widely to teens!
Trigger/content notes: some violence but not super gory. Spice level is kissing.
Wow what a ride! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. I read book 2, GAME OF HEARTS first and I recently read THE NEVER HEIR and the novella so I could get caught up on these amazing characters and their stories.
This book is full of twists, danger, magic, sinister fae, romance, magical relics, and so many more exciting, perilous moments. I was transfixed on every page and waiting at the edge of my seat to see what would happen next and how things would turn out.
I don’t even want to say my favorite characters, because I loved them all for different reasons and some could be spoilers. The magic was also done well. At times sinister but also fascinating. I loved everything about this book!
I really enjoyed the POV changes. The author does a great job with this. It was absolutely necessary and it added so much to the story.
This is such a great trilogy!
I received an eARC from the author. All views are my own.
The Emerald Alliance is the third and final book in the Otherworlds Trilogy.
I really loved this book and the series! It has all the high stakes, tension, and romance that makes you swoon.
We follow Thea, an exiled fae, Alice, the girl who holds an Oracle and Edmund, a boy who is very mysterious, a they travel back to the world of the Fae. There is a number of twists and turns in this book, and not everything is as it seems.
What I enjoyed the most from this book is the world building that Courtney writes. If I can read a book, and picture exactly in my mind the layout of the word and all the aspects that contribute to it then we have a story that flows.
I feel a little sad that this series is over but the wrap up was done so nicely.
The lost boys from The Never Heir and Alice in the Game of Hearts, return in the final book as a Wizard of Oz retelling!
The Emerald Alliance follows more closely to Edmund and Thea but this final book is multi-POV! And you get to visit all the Faerie worlds! I won't get into many details since you need to read books one and two first!
All the things: -Fantastic magical elements -1920s historical fantasy -Phenomenal fantasy world building -Unique style fairytale retellings -Fairytale side characters we know and love -Action-packed adventures -Swoony romance sub plots -Redemption ARC for the win!
This is a highly underrated YA indie fantasy series that you should add to your TBR. I read all three boos the last few months and what a journey it was. I definitely have my favorites but I love every single one of these characters!
I could have used a little more of an Alice and Maddox ending but that's really my only complaint. Otherwise, great read!
4.5 stars
-Romance-kisses -TW-near death experiences, some dark fantasy elements, trauma
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️The Emerald Alliance, the thrilling finale of the Otherworld Series by Courtney Millecam, is a high stakes read with faerie bargains and royalty in hiding.
Living in exile, Thea receives heartbreaking news that impels her to break free of 1923 Chicago and strikes a faerie bargain with a criminal to return to the Winterland with two mortals she barely knows: Alice who can change the fate of Thea’s faerie homeland, and Edmund who has motives only in line with his personal gain.
With so much against their mission and their walls up against each other, can they save the Faerie worlds before they collapse forever?
The Emerald Alliance is perfect for YA historical fantasy readers who love slow burn, enemies to lovers, no spice.
Read The Never Heir and The Game of Hearts before embarking on this final adventure.
A timid girl. A heartless boy. And an exiled fae who just wants to go home.
TEA features: ● Found family ● Fairytale retelling with dark twists ● Fae bargains ● Multiple POV ● Forced proximity ● Reluctant allies to lovers ● Slow-burn romance that’s swoony, not spicy ● Final book in a completed trilogy
I've really enjoyed the first 2 books so I had high expectations going into this one - good news! It totally lived up to my expectations! I love the way Courtney builds these lush worlds and incredible characters!! I really loved this found family!! This is a fantastic ending to the series!!
I put off reading this book for so long because I wasn't prepared to say goodbye to these characters. Sure enough, here I sit, writing this review and crying at this finale.
Millecam wove everyone's stories together so perfectly! I especially loved the redemption arc of one of the characters who said, "I'm not enough, not yet. And until I am, I need you to remind me that I can be" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That line made me cry SO HWARD!
I absolutely loved this series and will treasure them always.
She's done it twice and the conclusion was nothing short of the first two. Now with Oz vibes, Millecam effortlessly joins three duos to attempt to stand against the sands of time.
Historical fiction meets fantasy retellings of the decade! Strong females inspired from the stories of Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Wizard of Oz will have your younger self reeling with excitement and anticipation!
I’m not usually one who likes a book with a lot of POV switching but this one was done perfectly. You get to finish everyone’s story and see how they did or didn’t get their happily ever after. I’m sad to say goodbye to the characters because I fell in love with all of them. The way she describes everything is beautiful and truly gives you a clear picture of things
When the story comes to a close and it’s full of ACTION!
I loved that we got all of our beloved character’s POV! The stakes were high for each one, so it was definitely fun to switch around between them all. And it kept the pacing fast and the story that much more intriguing because you needed to know what happened next.
The imagery was once again so detailed I felt like I was there with these characters. For me, this made the story even more compelling because I felt like I was fighting their battles with them. And there was a lot of fighting!
I loved watching all of these characters come together to save the world, rather than trying on their own. And it made me so happy and warm to see the found family bond be formed right before our eyes. And I loved the sweetness of each of their “histories” at the end.
What a wonderful and perfect conclusion to this series! I certainly can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next 🖤
The Emerald Alliance is my favorite book in this entire trilogy. I love the multiple POVs and the culmination of the storylines, but mostly I fell in love with Thea and Edmund. The author did an incredible job turning one of the characters I loathed into one I loved. This is a fantastic ending, and a series so worth reading.
I enjoyed the small nod to the Wizard of Oz, and I really enjoyed all the characters coming together for this last book. The lead up to the ending, though...I felt like it was cheating. Like the conflict just...ended.
There are some trilogies I will always recommend. This is one of them. A beautifully written retelling of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan set in the 1920’s. Courtney developed such wonderful and unique characters. The world building was incredibly easy to follow. Also Maddox is my bae.
This was a great wrap up to the series and I loved revisiting the different worlds and characters from the previous two books while still getting the newness of this story through Thea and Edmund. I love how these fairy tale retellings have all the fun of magical settings, but are also set in historical times in our world too.
Thank you to the author for letting me read an early copy! All opinions expressed are my own.