Series: Heroes of the Empire #1
Release date: 24 November 2022
Publisher: Self-published
Pages: 458
Find it: Goodreads Amazon
Source: The author kindly sent me an ebook copy to review
Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis

𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖊. 𝕳𝖊 𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖉𝖌𝖊𝖘 𝖙𝖔 𝖇𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖎𝖙𝖘 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑.

Death is Velamir’s close acquaintance. As a student in the Chishman academy, he cannot escape the brutal war. When he’s sent on a mission with three fellow academy cadets, Velamir returns to the Empire, the land of his birth. Calamity befalls the group as they trek through enemy territory, and Velamir learns a part of his past that makes the mission far more personal. Burdened with the deaths of the unavenged and the chance of losing his own life, Velamir must decide if revenge is worth the cost.

Natassa knows her role well: The silent and obedient girl. The one who looks away from the torture her father, the emperor, inflicts on the Empire’s inhabitants. The princess. But she’s a shackled prisoner, and somewhere under the mask is a spark of rebellion. When she learns of her father’s intention to marry her to a man she loathes, Natassa crafts a risky plan of her own—one dangerous enough to get her killed.

Two searching hearts. Two perilous paths. Velamir must find the courage to face his past and Natassa must find the strength to face herself before the war consumes them both.

Review

The Cavalier is a young adult fantasy story that follows two groups on opposing sides of a war. Velamir is a student at the Chishman Academy and he is sent along with his fellow cadets on a dangerous mission into the Empire. When death befalls the group, Velamir will do everything he can to avenge those he lost, but at what cost? Meanwhile, Natassa is a princess of the Empire. She is taught to be dutiful and obedient, but deep down she is anything but. When she discovers her father’s plans to marry her to the ruthless Prince Draven, Natassa becomes determined to free herself from the shackles of her life, but will she succeed?

I completely fell in love with this book. The story is fast paced and compelling. I really enjoyed Azizi’s writing style and found myself completely hooked from the very beginning. The world was really interesting and the worldbuilding felt well fleshed out. This book has so many elements that I really enjoy – there’s plenty of magic, action, adventure and a touch of romance. I also love a school setting (even if it’s only for part of the story).

This is a multi-POV tale and I found I often find I prefer one POV over the other but actually I really enjoyed all the points of view. I was always desperate to know what was happening with each character and as a result I ended up flying through this book in just a few sittings. Azizi has created some really engaging characters in this series and I really liked our main protagonists Velamir and Natassa. Velamir is a soldier, trained to do whatever it takes to overthrow the empire. I also found the group dynamics with Jax and Lissa really fascinating, particularly as the story progressed. If I had to pick Natassa was probably my favourite character. She’s determined to stand up to her father even though she knows she will be punished and she does what she can to help her people. All the characters felt well crafted with compelling histories.

Overall The Cavalier was a brilliant, entertaining read. If you’re looking for a YA fantasy that will have you glued to the book right until the very last page, this is definitely one to check out!