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The Emerald Realm #5
Towering Future
The magical finale of the Emerald Realm...
A Retelling of Rapunzel.
It’s been over twenty years since the princess of Sybettal mysteriously vanished from her fallen kingdom. Many assumed the princess was slain alongside her parents, but the king of Ashbourne seems to harbor more information than he’s let on.
Living entirely oblivious to the scarring caused by her home kingdom of Ashbourne, the sorceress Elle dreams of exploring the world beyond the walls of her tower. With a magic gift as dangerous as her own, she understands the king’s reasoning for keeping her tucked away. After all, seeing the future can prove to be rather powerful when a war between kingdoms is brewing.
As tension builds between Ashbourne and the other kingdoms of the realm, Prince Miron seeks an opportunity to prove himself useful before his father selects his heir. Knowing his father has some sort of insight into the future, Miron explores the king’s forbidden tower to investigate. When his unexpected arrival startles a vision out of Elle, a terrifying future intertwines them both. Can Elle learn the truth behind her past while battling her pre-determined future? Or will Ashbourne’s strength prove to be too much to stand against?
This book can be enjoyed as a standalone, but is best enjoyed when read in order due to potential spoilers.
For more information on The Emerald Realm sign up for my free monthly newsletter Abigailmanningauthor.com
A Retelling of Rapunzel.
It’s been over twenty years since the princess of Sybettal mysteriously vanished from her fallen kingdom. Many assumed the princess was slain alongside her parents, but the king of Ashbourne seems to harbor more information than he’s let on.
Living entirely oblivious to the scarring caused by her home kingdom of Ashbourne, the sorceress Elle dreams of exploring the world beyond the walls of her tower. With a magic gift as dangerous as her own, she understands the king’s reasoning for keeping her tucked away. After all, seeing the future can prove to be rather powerful when a war between kingdoms is brewing.
As tension builds between Ashbourne and the other kingdoms of the realm, Prince Miron seeks an opportunity to prove himself useful before his father selects his heir. Knowing his father has some sort of insight into the future, Miron explores the king’s forbidden tower to investigate. When his unexpected arrival startles a vision out of Elle, a terrifying future intertwines them both. Can Elle learn the truth behind her past while battling her pre-determined future? Or will Ashbourne’s strength prove to be too much to stand against?
This book can be enjoyed as a standalone, but is best enjoyed when read in order due to potential spoilers.
For more information on The Emerald Realm sign up for my free monthly newsletter Abigailmanningauthor.com
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2022
23 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 22, 2022
First of all, Rapunzel is my favorite fairy tale, but I don’t always like retelings for this story. But the “Towering Future” thrilled me!
It may not be a long story, but it shows very coherent and interesting the fate of the main characters. We have time to fall in love with Ella and get to know the evil Prince Miron, who is not so mean. And that’s what I really liked! I was afraid how the author would handle Miron’s character, but she did it very well! With every chapter I loved him, and I really believed in the affection between him and our "Rapunzel".
Moreover, the story itself was very captivating and hardly let me take a break. Sometimes it was predictable, but that didn’t take away the joy of reading. If you like Rapunzel, then this book is great for you! Although I recommend reading the previous volumes before it to get to know the story of the characters better.
It may not be a long story, but it shows very coherent and interesting the fate of the main characters. We have time to fall in love with Ella and get to know the evil Prince Miron, who is not so mean. And that’s what I really liked! I was afraid how the author would handle Miron’s character, but she did it very well! With every chapter I loved him, and I really believed in the affection between him and our "Rapunzel".
Moreover, the story itself was very captivating and hardly let me take a break. Sometimes it was predictable, but that didn’t take away the joy of reading. If you like Rapunzel, then this book is great for you! Although I recommend reading the previous volumes before it to get to know the story of the characters better.
August 17, 2022
Reader’s Notes:
– this is part of a series and best enjoyed if the other books have been read first
– this is told from Elle & Miron’s points of view
– there is some fantasy war & death
Review:
Going into this, I wasn’t so sure that Miron could change. But as I continued reading, he slowly shifted to the point that I wasn’t surprised when his thoughts/actions changed from his original goals! It was done really well and I enjoyed seeing the shift! I also really liked how Elle and Miron’s relationship slowly shifted. It was cool to see Elle go from cowering in his presence to waiting for his next visit. And I enjoyed Miron stepping back and thinking of Elle’s feelings before his own and wanting to protect her. I also liked the different layers to the story as it gave me some unexpected surprises that I can’t mention without spoiling it. I’m curious to see where Abigail Manning plans to take us next!
Elle only knows of life inside her tower. With her powers, she understands why she can’t be among the populace of Ashbourne. Both for their safety and her own, for knowing the future can be a dangerous thing. But that doesn’t stop her from wishing for more than a life inside her tower.
Prince Miron is determined to win the competition his father put him in with his brother for the throne. With his sneaky spying, he discovers a way to get ahead of his brother. Miron learns that his father has hold of something with the power to tell the future. He just needs to find it and discover from it what he can do to become his father’s heir.
But Miron didn’t expect to find a girl hiding in the castle’s tower, nor that she is the one behind his father’s knowledge of the future.
Elle never expected to be surprised with an arrival of a new visitor, and thus didn’t have time to protect herself from a horrifying vision entailing her and the visitor.
Miron and Elle have to navigate around the unexpected derailments of the plans and lives they once knew to discover what they really want from their lives and who they are. And with war on the horizon for Ashbourne, they need to decide if they still stand with the monarchy they grew up with…
– this is part of a series and best enjoyed if the other books have been read first
– this is told from Elle & Miron’s points of view
– there is some fantasy war & death
Review:
Going into this, I wasn’t so sure that Miron could change. But as I continued reading, he slowly shifted to the point that I wasn’t surprised when his thoughts/actions changed from his original goals! It was done really well and I enjoyed seeing the shift! I also really liked how Elle and Miron’s relationship slowly shifted. It was cool to see Elle go from cowering in his presence to waiting for his next visit. And I enjoyed Miron stepping back and thinking of Elle’s feelings before his own and wanting to protect her. I also liked the different layers to the story as it gave me some unexpected surprises that I can’t mention without spoiling it. I’m curious to see where Abigail Manning plans to take us next!
Elle only knows of life inside her tower. With her powers, she understands why she can’t be among the populace of Ashbourne. Both for their safety and her own, for knowing the future can be a dangerous thing. But that doesn’t stop her from wishing for more than a life inside her tower.
Prince Miron is determined to win the competition his father put him in with his brother for the throne. With his sneaky spying, he discovers a way to get ahead of his brother. Miron learns that his father has hold of something with the power to tell the future. He just needs to find it and discover from it what he can do to become his father’s heir.
But Miron didn’t expect to find a girl hiding in the castle’s tower, nor that she is the one behind his father’s knowledge of the future.
Elle never expected to be surprised with an arrival of a new visitor, and thus didn’t have time to protect herself from a horrifying vision entailing her and the visitor.
Miron and Elle have to navigate around the unexpected derailments of the plans and lives they once knew to discover what they really want from their lives and who they are. And with war on the horizon for Ashbourne, they need to decide if they still stand with the monarchy they grew up with…
October 13, 2022
This really was the perfect ending to the entire series. It answered all the questions from all the other books. It provided the back ground and the future. It also helped with all the plots left undone from the other books. I'm so glad Miron became the prince I saw him to be from the first book. I knew he could be better. Him and Killian were the only ones that were redeemable and I'm so glad the author made it so. Conan and Darius both got what they deserved. Estelle is so lovely and strong and I'm so glad she fell in love with Miron. They are the perfect King and Queen for Ashbourne. And Killian and Nexie are the perfect King and Queen of Sybettal. Everything was set to rights. I wish there was more. At least a 10 years later type novella to see how the kingdoms have healed and possibly all the babies that were to be born. But regardless, it was a perfect ending.
August 17, 2022
This book was incredible. It really hit the mark. Elle and Miron got their own story. At the same time the entire series was wrapped up in a satisfying way.
I love how Miron grew as a character. I also loved how so many other characters I grew to love in the previous books came back. The way they were weaved into the story was very well done. They didn't feel like forced cameos. They were there for a purpose.
I throughly enjoyed this book! Abigail Manning is a gifted author. I can not wait for her next book!
I love how Miron grew as a character. I also loved how so many other characters I grew to love in the previous books came back. The way they were weaved into the story was very well done. They didn't feel like forced cameos. They were there for a purpose.
I throughly enjoyed this book! Abigail Manning is a gifted author. I can not wait for her next book!
March 8, 2025
Content:
Profanity: None.
Violence: High mild. There are deaths portrayed by stabbing through the chest. Very little blood depicted, and the scenes are factually described and not gory.
Sexual: Mild. There is hand-holding, chaste kissing, and hugs.
Trigger: Betrayal of a parental figure.
From the second Miron appears in the first book, I had an inkling he was going to become a protagonist at some point. He just seemed like a clever little terror but not an evil person. Though he gave me pause a few times.
After the last book where Nixie kept being mistaken for Estelle, it was fun to see the real Estelle. The twists of why and how she ended up in the tower in Ashbourne were fun to discover as I read. Her character got a bunch of shocks in a short time and her shift from obedience to distrust of the king felt quick, as did her distrust to reliance on Miron.
Miron's character change felt rushed. But so did Killian's in the last book. They were quite similar in that regard. Though I liked Miron's shift better, as it wasn't just Estelle's beauty that got him, it was his feeling of connection with her, because they were both just tools for the king. Like he said, the only difference between them was he knew he was one, and chose poorly, and she didn't know she was one. She gave him the final push he needed to defect, because he couldn't condone what had been done to her her entire life.
The whole magic thing with the hair was fascinating to watch. Man, King Darius is a monster. Conan being not too far behind. How they both end up didn't surprise me at all. The twists to the tale were, as usual, fun to see. The author has done an excellent job of making the tales interesting and new without straying so far away as for them to not be recognizable as the fairy tale they're retelling.
There were at least a dozen minor typos, which was mildly annoying, but didn't go past my threshold of not being able to enjoy the book because of it, but I was still surprised so many glaring errors made it through.
It'll be interesting to start in on the Ruby Realm now, but I'm skeptical that the author could possibly We'll see if she can pull it off. I've only read one book before where a truly heinous character got redeemed and it worked.
Profanity: None.
Violence: High mild. There are deaths portrayed by stabbing through the chest. Very little blood depicted, and the scenes are factually described and not gory.
Sexual: Mild. There is hand-holding, chaste kissing, and hugs.
Trigger: Betrayal of a parental figure.
From the second Miron appears in the first book, I had an inkling he was going to become a protagonist at some point. He just seemed like a clever little terror but not an evil person. Though he gave me pause a few times.
After the last book where Nixie kept being mistaken for Estelle, it was fun to see the real Estelle. The twists of why and how she ended up in the tower in Ashbourne were fun to discover as I read. Her character got a bunch of shocks in a short time and her shift from obedience to distrust of the king felt quick, as did her distrust to reliance on Miron.
Miron's character change felt rushed. But so did Killian's in the last book. They were quite similar in that regard. Though I liked Miron's shift better, as it wasn't just Estelle's beauty that got him, it was his feeling of connection with her, because they were both just tools for the king. Like he said, the only difference between them was he knew he was one, and chose poorly, and she didn't know she was one. She gave him the final push he needed to defect, because he couldn't condone what had been done to her her entire life.
The whole magic thing with the hair was fascinating to watch. Man, King Darius is a monster. Conan being not too far behind. How they both end up didn't surprise me at all. The twists to the tale were, as usual, fun to see. The author has done an excellent job of making the tales interesting and new without straying so far away as for them to not be recognizable as the fairy tale they're retelling.
There were at least a dozen minor typos, which was mildly annoying, but didn't go past my threshold of not being able to enjoy the book because of it, but I was still surprised so many glaring errors made it through.
It'll be interesting to start in on the Ruby Realm now, but I'm skeptical that the author could possibly We'll see if she can pull it off. I've only read one book before where a truly heinous character got redeemed and it worked.
January 28, 2023
Okay
Likes:
-The romantic leads learn to be kind to each other and to respect one another.
- Mostly fun story
-Minimal loose ends
-HEA
** mild spoilers **
Dislikes:
-The bad guys live to continue inflicting pain and suffering on the innocent who have no warning. That’s not a HEA for the innocents who are attacked by these criminals in the future.
-Estelle is given credit for changing Miron, which is a dangerous message because it’s untrue and perpetuates the unfair societal expectation for a woman to be responsible for a man’s actions. He’s responsible for his own behavior and for changing when his mistakes hurt others.
- A woman who never wanted to be royal is shoved into that role anyway and a woman who actually is royal has her inheritance taken away without prior consent or a discussion about merging kingdoms by moving the seat of government to Sybettal to restore the country.
Minus one star
The series was fun to read overall, if somewhat oppressive of women and dismissive of their pain and value as individuals outside of marriage. There is no rape, no unnecessary foul language, and no explicit sex scenes. Reasonably well written and entertaining.
Likes:
-The romantic leads learn to be kind to each other and to respect one another.
- Mostly fun story
-Minimal loose ends
-HEA
** mild spoilers **
Dislikes:
-The bad guys live to continue inflicting pain and suffering on the innocent who have no warning. That’s not a HEA for the innocents who are attacked by these criminals in the future.
-Estelle is given credit for changing Miron, which is a dangerous message because it’s untrue and perpetuates the unfair societal expectation for a woman to be responsible for a man’s actions. He’s responsible for his own behavior and for changing when his mistakes hurt others.
- A woman who never wanted to be royal is shoved into that role anyway and a woman who actually is royal has her inheritance taken away without prior consent or a discussion about merging kingdoms by moving the seat of government to Sybettal to restore the country.
Minus one star
The series was fun to read overall, if somewhat oppressive of women and dismissive of their pain and value as individuals outside of marriage. There is no rape, no unnecessary foul language, and no explicit sex scenes. Reasonably well written and entertaining.
![Profile Image for Jacquelyn 💐 {This Rapunzel Reads} [Jesus Christ, my Living Hope].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1766269624i%2F169222098._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
October 5, 2025
👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳
This was a really good Rapunzel retelling! It was very different than others that I have read and heavy on the magic which I don’t love to be honest. I adored Elle! She was such a strong and lovely character! Miron really changed and proved that he could be a good man. I really liked the two of them together! They were precious! Conan, oh man, I cannot see a redemption arc for him. He’s so evil! I really enjoyed seeing all of the familiar characters together again! This was a really good series that I binge read and throughly enjoyed. I do want to note that it is heavy on the magic and things like that. It was a bit much for me, to be honest. But other than that, I definitely recommend this book and this series! I can’t wait to read more of her fairytale retellings!
👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳
This was a really good Rapunzel retelling! It was very different than others that I have read and heavy on the magic which I don’t love to be honest. I adored Elle! She was such a strong and lovely character! Miron really changed and proved that he could be a good man. I really liked the two of them together! They were precious! Conan, oh man, I cannot see a redemption arc for him. He’s so evil! I really enjoyed seeing all of the familiar characters together again! This was a really good series that I binge read and throughly enjoyed. I do want to note that it is heavy on the magic and things like that. It was a bit much for me, to be honest. But other than that, I definitely recommend this book and this series! I can’t wait to read more of her fairytale retellings!
👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳👩🏻🦳
February 5, 2025
Satisfying ending. I'm happy that my favorite thing happened at the end. This story is a classic one, but I always get kinda weirded out when the capturer is a guy; nothing happens; it's just a little creepy because the capturer is always creepy, and the girl is always so trusting. Luckily, she no longer trusted the guy pretty early on. I am looking forward to reading the next series connected to this one; it will be interesting.
October 7, 2022
Exiciting way to wrap up Manning's Emerald Realm Series. Another book that sucks you in and you don't want to put down. It really helped reading the previous 4 in the series as there are a lot of references throughout this book. Nice wrap up and hints more?
January 22, 2023
I really loved reading this wonderful book! I loved the characters and the plot! I had a hard time putting this wonderful book down! I absolutely loved this retelling of Rapunzel! I really loved all of the books in this wonderful series!
November 25, 2022
Good story!
I enjoyed reading this Rapunzel retelling today, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author soon.
I enjoyed reading this Rapunzel retelling today, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author soon.
February 15, 2023
Loved this book! So many twists and turns. Another incredible book by Abigail Manning. Now on to the next realm!
February 24, 2025
3.5 rounded up
Towering Future by Abigail Manning
What I liked about this book:
🌕 An inquisitive prince
🌕 A girl who doesn't know her past
🌕 Tension between kingdoms
🌕 An ability that could change everything
🌕 Sweet and swoony romance, just kisses
A Rapunzel retelling where Rapunzel has the ability to see the future. This is the first of Abigail Manning's books that I haven't loved but I think that was partially my fault. I ended the book confused but when I went back and reread bits, the clues were all there, I just missed them! I also think having the power to see the future made things a bit too complicated, I kept overthinking it. I really do love this author though!
Part of the Emerald Realms series, could be read as a standalone but best read in order
Favorite quote: “Thank you, but I’d hardly consider myself a treasure. Honestly, I’m so out of touch with the realm that it would be more appropriate to call me an antique.”
Favorite character: Miron (our main male character)
Towering Future by Abigail Manning
What I liked about this book:
🌕 An inquisitive prince
🌕 A girl who doesn't know her past
🌕 Tension between kingdoms
🌕 An ability that could change everything
🌕 Sweet and swoony romance, just kisses
A Rapunzel retelling where Rapunzel has the ability to see the future. This is the first of Abigail Manning's books that I haven't loved but I think that was partially my fault. I ended the book confused but when I went back and reread bits, the clues were all there, I just missed them! I also think having the power to see the future made things a bit too complicated, I kept overthinking it. I really do love this author though!
Part of the Emerald Realms series, could be read as a standalone but best read in order
Favorite quote: “Thank you, but I’d hardly consider myself a treasure. Honestly, I’m so out of touch with the realm that it would be more appropriate to call me an antique.”
Favorite character: Miron (our main male character)
February 13, 2025
Mostly Sweet, Some Sour
This story is mostly a sweet story between Sybettal and Miron. I haven't read the other books in this series, so I can't compare character consistency. Elle's magic was interesting. The political intrigue was interesting until the end, which felt very rushed and likely would have benefited from reading the rest of the series. The main conflict resolution was predictable, but there were other enjoyable twists throughout. My biggest issue with this book was the lead in to the happily ever after. The nomination should have been made by Elle. How that unfolded soured the rest of what should have been a very sweet scene and reference.
This story is mostly a sweet story between Sybettal and Miron. I haven't read the other books in this series, so I can't compare character consistency. Elle's magic was interesting. The political intrigue was interesting until the end, which felt very rushed and likely would have benefited from reading the rest of the series. The main conflict resolution was predictable, but there were other enjoyable twists throughout. My biggest issue with this book was the lead in to the happily ever after. The nomination should have been made by Elle. How that unfolded soured the rest of what should have been a very sweet scene and reference.
June 29, 2025
Oh my gosh, such a great story!! I love a good Redeemtion arc!!
This is our first inside the kingdom of Ashbourne.
Elle has been trapped in a tower her whole life with the power to see the future by looking in someone's eyes, making it impossible to leave, or so she thinks.
Miron wants to stop his father, who is trying to start a war. When he finds Elle in her forbidden tower, he helps her find out who she really is and why she is trapped. Can they stop the future she has seen.
This is our first inside the kingdom of Ashbourne.
Elle has been trapped in a tower her whole life with the power to see the future by looking in someone's eyes, making it impossible to leave, or so she thinks.
Miron wants to stop his father, who is trying to start a war. When he finds Elle in her forbidden tower, he helps her find out who she really is and why she is trapped. Can they stop the future she has seen.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews