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Heroes of the Empire Book 4: The Captive
Heroes of the Empire: The Captive (the concluding volume in the quartet) follows a three-front reckoning: Saga Barindaughter claws her way through occupation-era Savoria with an axe in one hand and grief in the other; Emperor Honzio tries to stitch the Empire back together while pursuing a quiet investigation into Devorin’s queen; and Aria infiltrates Castle Yakh, chasing the last request of her dead brother, finds Jaxon Tana, only to find a castle that feels less like a seat of power than a laboratory built out of nightmares.
Reading it, I kept feeling how the title’s “captive” isn’t just a plot condition, it’s a texture. Saga’s chapters have the briny, clenched-jaw intimacy of survival, where even tenderness comes barbed. When the book finally lets her say, aloud, that captivity is over, it feels like a door unbolting in your chest. I loved how Azizi doesn’t soften the moral bruises: characters aren’t merely brave; they’re scarred into bravery, and sometimes they mistake spite for oxygen. If there’s a cost, it’s that the emotional pitch stays high so often that quieter beats can feel rare, like a candle you keep expecting the wind to take.
What surprised me most was how effectively the court-intrigue thread goes cold, not elegant, not witty, but clinical. Aria’s discoveries in Castle Yakh read like a page you shouldn’t be holding: lists, experiments, “statuses,” the bureaucratic handwriting of cruelty. That darkness gives real ballast to Jax’s arc, which is less a heroic return than a painful, partial unmaking-and-remaking of a self. And then the epilogue pivots, unexpectedly, into something almost tender: Jax, a ragged figure in the capital, telling stories to children who only know him as “Master Hand.” It’s a strange kind of mercy, and it worked on me.
Book 4: The Captive is for readers who like epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, dark fantasy, multi-POV political fantasy, and rebellion/court-intrigue storylines that don’t flinch from trauma but still insist on complicated hope, especially if you enjoy endings that tie off wars while leaving emotional loose ends on purpose. If you’ve ever mainlined Sarah J. Maas for the big-feelings momentum and battlefield romance, you’ll recognize the addictive glide, though Azizi’s palette runs a little more wintry and iron-streaked.
Pages: 394 | ISBN : 978-1958688083
Keeping Secrets
The Wizard’s Apprentice follows a sixteen-year-old prince training in magic who is haunted by visions of his kingdom burning, and must decide whether he is fated to destroy it or destined to save it. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The Children of Colonodona is at its core a sequel series to The Sitnalta Series. A lot has happened to Lucas’ parents, and in many ways, he is hampered by this notion that one day, he will have some massive shoes to fill. The adults around him, his mother, father, and his mentor Kralc, all have such high hopes for him. That’s a lot of pressure for a kid to deal with and to live up to. In truth, we as parents often set our own kids up for failure a lot of the time by expecting them to turn out a certain way. How can anyone find their own path or come into their own with that much pressure put upon them? Lucas is a way to answer that question. Will he rise to the occasion, or will he quite literally crash and burn?
How did you shape Lucas as a believable teenage lead, and what makes him different from typical fantasy heroes?
Lucas is full of flaws, but none of those flaws stop him from wanting to be good, to do good. For me, that was the starting point with him. I think of my own boys and what they love, and how much they love their family, their friends, and their hobbies. Teenage boys are so full of potential, energy, and passion. But sometimes (often, if you’ll ask their sister), teenagers are also frustrating and frustrated. They want to grow up so fast, and they also want to stay children. It’s a bit of a paradox. They are goofy and silly, and angry and in a rush to do so many things. That is Lucas. He is a boy who wants to be looked at with the respect due to someone many decades his senior. At the same time, add in magic powers.
What makes him different is that he is human first, wizard last. I wrote him primarily as a son and as a brother. Contrary to so many books out there, the parents and family are all very much in the picture from the first page to the last. There is no escaping them, and they are all essential to the story as opposed to where Lucas escapes to after his story is over.
What themes did you know you wanted to explore from the start?
I wanted to explore the ideas of love, both familial and romantic, grief, and the idea that keeping secrets can be what hurts those you love. Honesty is always key. It’s the secrets that have the potential to be really dangerous. This is a family haunted by grief and secrets. Both Lucas and his sister Audrina are coming of age in a home filled with ghosts, and this is what they must navigate to figure out who they’re growing into.
What will your next novel be about, and what will the whole series encompass?
The next novel in the series is called The Island of Mystics, and we will see a lot more of what lies beyond the border of their kingdom. Without giving too much away, both Lucas and Audrina are dealing with the fallout of what happens in The Wizard’s Apprentice, and Lucas in particular craves an escape. Where this escape takes him is far beyond where he ever imagined.
The rest of the series investigates Audrina’s choices in love and Lucas coming into his own. We also meet a couple of new characters that I dearly love writing, and I can’t wait for you to meet them!
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When a young woman enters the lives of the royal family begging for help, she quickly becomes Prince Lucas’ unexpected confidant. Meanwhile, Princess Audrina gravitates towards her in ways that place her in a difficult situation for an heir to a throne. As an investigation unfolds for the truth, the prince’s nightmares become increasingly horrifying, the princess’ feelings grow more complicated, and the newcomer’s intentions are cast into doubt. The royal family must discover the stranger’s secrets before hearts are broken and events reveal whether or not Prince Lucas’ dreams are leading to a deadly future in The Wizard’s Apprentice.
Family Isn’t Defined by Blood
Guardians of Felina: The Lost Lair follows four young guardians who wind up protecting an underwater city from a hidden enemy, where they discover that courage, joy, and leadership can look different than they expect. What was the inspiration for this underwater world?
The underwater world of Felina began with a simple desire to create something visually exciting and fun to explore. I was inspired by the sheer creativity that underwater settings allow—bioluminescence, unusual ecosystems, and architecture shaped by water itself. From there, the world evolved naturally as I considered how people would live, adapt, and protect something so extraordinary.
How did you approach designing ecosystems and cultures that feel magical but lived-in, and what role does the natural environment play in shaping the story’s conflicts?
When designing Felina, I wanted the fantasy to feel woven into everyday life rather than separate from it. The ecosystems grew out of practical questions—how do these different cat people eat, travel, defend themselves, or celebrate in a world shaped by their surroundings? And how are they adapted to it themselves? The culture reflects that inter-dependence, with traditions and hierarchies influenced by the surrounding environment. Conflict primarily stems from the fact that each territory of Felina has different advantages and weaknesses. Underwater protection, versus mountain cave systems. Dense forests versus stretching desert planes.
What does the book suggest about chosen family?
The Felina series itself suggests that family isn’t defined by blood, but by trust, loyalty, and shared responsibility. The characters each come from different places and have different strengths. Alada and Tierra, for example, are goddess-like beings, while Birch is just a normal Meu. But in the hardest of times, they can come and support one another. They know they can depend on one another completely. Even the Guardians are human (or cat, I should say) on the inside.
What excites you most about continuing in this world, and what emotional arc do you most want to deepen in future installments?
In these first few books, I’ve focused on the power of trust, friendship, and learning to take responsibility for something larger than yourself. I’ve also explored humor as a protective mechanism, which I found really interesting to see evolve. As the series continues and the stakes rise, I’m excited to explore more difficult emotional terrain—questions of morality, regret, and the long-term cost of the choices each character makes.
One arc I’m especially interested in deepening is how immortality and leadership reshape a person over time. What does it mean to protect a world when doing so requires sacrifice, and how do you carry the weight of past decisions without losing your sense of joy or humanity?
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Birch never imagined his forest adventures would lead him to the bottom of the ocean. But in the shimmering underwater city of Lotus Bay, the Festival of Volcanoes is just a spark against the encroaching dark at the shoreline. The Phantom’s beasts are massing, and the safety of Felina hangs by a thread.
Enter Coral, the dazzling and enigmatic Guardian of the bay. She offers sanctuary and advanced weaponry, but her cantankerous nature make for questionable tactics…and morals.
To stop the invasion, the group must locate the Phantom’s hidden stronghold — a fortress that defies every map. As ancient alliances fracture and whispers of war hang in the air, Birch must master stolen tech to infiltrate a place where silence is a weapon and even physics can’t be trusted.
The darkness isn’t just rising…
It’s hunting them.
Alex in the Annex
Alex in the Annex follows a group of eighth graders who stumble upon a sealed wing of their school and end up awakening powers they never expected to have. The story blends mystery, friendship, and a creeping sense of danger as Alex discovers he can move objects with his mind, Rachelle learns she can conjure fire, and their friends develop powers of their own. The annex becomes a kind of crucible where abilities grow, relationships shift, and the kids have to decide who they trust and who they want to be. The book starts as a simple adventure and slowly builds into something bigger, stranger, and more emotional than the characters ever imagined.
I found myself slipping easily into Alex’s head. The writing has a straightforward, conversational style that made the whole tale feel familiar, almost nostalgic, like hearing someone tell you a story during lunch at school. Author Jeremy Scholz writes about middle school feelings with a kind of earnest charm. The crushes, the awkward moments, the fierce loyalty to friends, the shaky confidence, all of it hits in a way that’s both sweet and sometimes a little painful. The scenes in the annex are some of my favorites because they carry that mix of fear and excitement that comes with doing something you know you probably shouldn’t be doing. The powers feel fun, but they also feel messy, which matches well with the characters.
There were moments when the dialogue made me smile because it felt so true to how teens when adults aren’t around. And then there were moments when the emotional beats surprised me. Watching Rachelle’s confidence flare up right alongside her fire, or seeing Alex wrestle with how he feels about both Rachelle and Charlotte, gave the story this little ache that snuck up on me. I didn’t expect the book to lean as much into the idea of belonging, but that thread runs through everything. The annex isn’t just a spooky, locked hallway. It’s the place where these friends start figuring out who they actually are.
By the end, I felt oddly proud of them, which is not something I normally say about fictional characters. The story’s heart is big. It’s messy. It’s sometimes chaotic. But it feels honest, and I appreciated that more than I expected. I kept thinking about the author’s note, too, where Scholz talks about escaping into stories and finally finding the space to write the ones he’s carried for so long. You can feel that love for imagination in the way the book unfolds.
I’d recommend Alex in the Annex to readers who enjoy heartfelt supernatural adventures, especially younger teens or anyone who remembers that strange middle school mix of bravery and fear. It’s a quick, warm story that plays with superpowers but really leans into friendship and identity. If you like books where ordinary kids discover something extraordinary and have to figure out what that means for their real lives, this is a good one to pick up.
Pages: 306 | ASIN : B0FSLKL3MH
Guardians of Felina: The Lost Lair (Book 2 in the series)
Guardians of Felina: The Lost Lair is a warm and colorful fantasy adventure that follows Tierra, Alada, Birch, and Coral as they confront the rising threat of the Phantom while navigating the vibrant underwater city of Lotus Bay. The story moves between festival lights, ancient volcano forges, and tense confrontations with invading beasts on the shoreline. Even in the early chapters, the book builds a world full of shimmering ecosystems, magical catfolk cultures, and a looming conflict that keeps the tension humming beneath the beauty.
Reading it felt like slipping into a daydream where every corner held something new to look at. I found myself smiling at the playful banter and Birch’s constant moments of panic, only to hold my breath minutes later as Coral’s confidence cracked under the weight of her people’s danger. The writing is vivid without trying too hard. Scenes like the underwater city, full of floating lanterns and swaying seaweed markets, stuck with me because they felt lived-in rather than decorative. I also appreciated how the author let the characters’ personalities clash naturally. Coral’s grace, Tierra’s dry humor, Birch’s nerves, and Alada’s quiet steadiness all bounce off one another in ways that make the group feel like real companions rather than just pieces on an adventure board.
What surprised me most was how grounded the story felt, even with all its magic. Coral’s belief in joy as a form of strength, the tension between leading and stepping back, and the quiet exhaustion that comes with protecting others gave the book emotional weight. It never felt preachy. Just honest. And sometimes that honesty came in small moments: Alada’s hesitation when asked about returning to leadership, or Birch’s discomfort with wishing because of past trauma. The fantasy setting makes it fun, but those little reflections give it heart.
I walked away feeling like I’d spent time with characters who were trying their best in a world that was bigger and more complicated than any of them wanted to admit. If you enjoy middle-grade or YA fantasy with rich worldbuilding, soft humor, brave but imperfect heroes, and a sense of wonder woven through even the tense scenes, you’ll enjoy this book. It’s a story for readers who love adventure with emotional undercurrents, and who enjoy fantasy worlds that feel welcoming even when danger circles the edges.
Pages: 338 | ISBN : 1735495875
Consistency is Key
The City of Arches follows a princess who discovers a letter containing the key to her mother’s hidden past and her connection to a powerful wizard. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I love the idea of family secrets being uncovered. For me, I loved going through boxes of old pictures that my grandparents kept and hearing about all the old stories. The real treasure for a family is always hidden in old documents and old photographs. From the beginning, I have had Learsi’s story mapped out in my mind, and to have her daughter discover it in her own words was a temptation too big to ignore.
How did you balance magic and its use throughout the story to keep it believable?
I think of it almost as a muscle. Like any talent or ability, it needs to be used, trained, and practised. And just like a physical ability, it can be strained, and it can be draining. Like anything, magic needs its limitations to be believable, and once I figured out how it worked in my world, consistency is key.
Which character in the novel do you feel you relate to more and why?
That’s a hard question. I wish I could say that I relate to the hero, but in reality, I’m probably more like Aud. She’s just this normal person who cares about her family. She’s thrust into this world of magic and mess and has to make the best of it. She’s at heart just a mom, and I guess that’s what I relate to.
Can you give us a glimpse inside Book 4 of The Sitnalta Series? Where will it take readers?
Book 4 is called The Hedgewitch’s Charm. It shows us a Colonodona that’s put at risk by a plague. A young hedgewitch named Gwendolyn thinks there’s more to it and fights to save the people alongside Ipsinki. I loved writing her, and her and Ipsinki’s dynamic, and I hope readers love it too.
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In the buried past, Kralc finds a ragged Learsi living on the streets after her home kingdom’s destruction and presents an offer: help him set things right with the mysterious City of Arches and he will give her back her family and birthright. With her parents murdered and her kingdom in ruins, she doesn’t know how he can achieve such a thing. All she knows is that she has nothing to lose.
The City of Arches
The City of Arches follows Princess Sitnalta as she uncovers a long-hidden letter, one that reveals the past of her mother, Learsi, whose own journey from starving street thief to reluctant partner of the wizard Kralc becomes the heart of the book. It’s a fantasy novel through and through, built on quests, hidden cities, magic, danger, and old wounds, yet it moves with a personal focus that makes the stakes feel close to the skin.
I found myself reacting less to the grand fantasy quest and more to the author’s choices in shaping her characters. Learsi’s early chapters hit me hardest. Her hunger, the cold stone under her bare feet, and the constant weighing of risk and survival felt vivid and relatable. Even her wary dance with Kralc, a man who can feed her, manipulate her, or save her depending on the moment, brought a tension that carried far beyond the tavern scene. The writing is straightforward and sincere. It doesn’t try to dazzle with flowery language, which I actually appreciated. The pace is steady, letting me sit with Learsi’s exhaustion, Kralc’s prickly solitude, and Sitnalta’s shock as she pieces together her mother’s past.
The fantasy elements are threaded in with a kind of quiet confidence. The legend of the City of Arches, for example, is both eerie and oddly beautiful: enchanted arches emitting a soothing song that masks the slow decay of a cursed people. I liked how the author lets the myth sit without over-explaining it. The emotional beats land more softly than dramatically, but they linger. Even the small moments, like Kralc awkwardly realizing he cannot knock on a deaf girl’s door or Learsi racing to shovel stew into her mouth, gave the book a grounded feel. Sometimes the dialogue is earnest, sometimes the plot steps into familiar fantasy rhythms, but those qualities made the story welcoming and easy to follow.
By the time I reached the later chapters, I felt as if the book was less about a magical quest and more about the way people try to rebuild trust after their world has broken apart. The stakes grow, of course, but the heart of the story stays with Learsi and her slow opening up to someone who might actually mean her well. I rooted for her, even when she second-guessed herself or snapped defensively. Her reactions felt real.
I’d say The City of Arches is best suited for readers who enjoy character-driven fantasy: people who like quests but care more about the companions on the road than the monsters in the woods. If you want something gentle yet still full of secrets, something that balances fairy-tale simplicity with emotional weight, then you’ll heartily enjoy this book.
Pages: 226 | ASIN : B0G46P9D3T
Power of Forgiveness
The Raven Moonstone follows an orphaned high schooler who discovers a wizard’s journal and accidentally turns the town librarian into a goat, sending him on an adventure to find an arcane artifact to reverse his spell. I enjoyed the depth of the main character, Noah. What was your process to bring that character to life?
I wrote The Raven Moonstone, sitting cross-legged in the back of our van. It was a time for stepping outside my comfort zone. I walked away from my career in IT and decided it was time to retire. The plan was to drive the backroads of America and explore. Somewhere in Missouri, we had pulled into a free campsite, and sometime during the night, another camper arrived. In the morning, I peeked out the window to catch a glimpse of our neighbor when a young man opened the back of his SUV to let his dog out. But it wasn’t a dog, but a goat. My curiosity sparked, and I grabbed my coffee and walked over to introduce myself. The young man’s name was Noah, and he was traveling cross-country with a pet goat with no name.
My grandson is just learning to read, so I thought I’d write him a story. It had always been on my bucket list to write a book. I’d thought it’d take years, so I targeted it for when he’d be about twelve. My goal was twofold: 1) create a fun story, and hopefully he’d grow to love books as much as I do, and 2) pass on words of wisdom, as a legacy, in a way that he wouldn’t. I was speaking to him. After my character Noah showed up on the page, the book wrote itself.
What themes were particularly important for you to explore in this book?
The Raven Moonstone is a weird, funny, whimsical story of family and secrets and courage, but underneath it all, it’s a story about the undeniable power of forgiveness.
Can you tell us more about what’s in store for Noah and the direction of the second book?
The Dragon Moonstone, book 2 in Noah’s adventures, brings us to Castle Dragon, where Noah is sent to master his gifts. Noah’s magic is out of control, and his powers caught the attention of some unsavory characters. Noah is impulsive and impatient, and decides to take shortcuts during his lessons, which turns out poorly. Determined to right his wrong, he is sent on a quest, but his plans become complicated when the Dragon Moonstone goes missing. He must find it and restore the balance to the realm. Along the way, Noah meets many new characters, all with their own agenda. Typically described as a loner, Noah must rely on his friends and work together and learn to trust if he is going to solve the mystery.
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Now ominous ravens lurk in the shadows, watching his every move.
Noah is determined to reverse his magical mishaps. To do that, he must find a powerful arcane artifact—the Raven Moonstone. With the help of his friends, Sara and Jesse, he sets out to solve the mystery behind the missing heirloom.
With unexpected magic, an evil witch, and a herd of feisty goats, Noah’s journey is about to spiral wildly out of control.
Book One of The Moonstone Legacy Series
