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Axtara #2
Axtara - Magic and Mischief
Axtara returns in this stunning sequel to the best-selling Axtara - Banking and Finance!
Meet Axtara, a young dragoness who set out for a kingdom at the edge of the world with the dream of opening her own bank. She's faced many challenges in pursuit of that Gaining acceptance from the locals, befriending a princess, explaining loans, and even facing mortal peril alongside a dangerous financial conspiracy. But now? Things have finally come together, and both Elnacier and Axtara's bank are starting to thrive.
But success always invites new challenge. Suspicious withdrawals are beginning to plague Axtara's bank, alongside rumors of strange newcomers to the kingdom. And just as Axtara begins her own investigation into the matter, a chance encounter with a powerful Ancient magic turns her world on its head.
Now trapped in an unfamiliar form, it's going to take every talent Axtara has to get the bottom of things in Elnacier. And as Axtara has learned, change isn't easy. Especially when the one changed is you.
YA Fantasy ~450 pages.
Meet Axtara, a young dragoness who set out for a kingdom at the edge of the world with the dream of opening her own bank. She's faced many challenges in pursuit of that Gaining acceptance from the locals, befriending a princess, explaining loans, and even facing mortal peril alongside a dangerous financial conspiracy. But now? Things have finally come together, and both Elnacier and Axtara's bank are starting to thrive.
But success always invites new challenge. Suspicious withdrawals are beginning to plague Axtara's bank, alongside rumors of strange newcomers to the kingdom. And just as Axtara begins her own investigation into the matter, a chance encounter with a powerful Ancient magic turns her world on its head.
Now trapped in an unfamiliar form, it's going to take every talent Axtara has to get the bottom of things in Elnacier. And as Axtara has learned, change isn't easy. Especially when the one changed is you.
YA Fantasy ~450 pages.
486 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 29, 2024
14 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
Max Florschutz
14 books24 followersMax Florschutz was born and raised in the wilds of southeast Alaska, on a little island that boasted both a large, lumber-based economy and one of the highest rainfalls to ever not be desired by humanity. In 2004 he began attending college at Brigham Young University Provo, taking a two-year break to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Upon his return, he continued to attend BYU Provo and began to delve heavily into English courses (among other things), including creative writing classes taught by authors such as Brandon Sanderson. Transferring out to BYU Hawaii to keep a promise, Max finished his degree, graduating in 2011 with more credits than most students would know what to do with and a 3.96 GPA.
After a year or so of the graduated life, the writing bug bit him again and he began to spend his free time writing once more. After a few months of making sure he still hadn’t lost his touch and some dedicated practice, he sat down and wrote his first publishable book: One Drink. Emboldened by the success of that release, he pushed forward, and has continued writing to this day.
After a year or so of the graduated life, the writing bug bit him again and he began to spend his free time writing once more. After a few months of making sure he still hadn’t lost his touch and some dedicated practice, he sat down and wrote his first publishable book: One Drink. Emboldened by the success of that release, he pushed forward, and has continued writing to this day.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 10, 2025
A little late (almost two years), but here I am, Axtara Banking and Finance - The sequel!
Our favorite banker dragon is back and bigger than ever! Taking place several months after the first book, Axtara has settled in quite nicely at her new home, with regular clients who finally trust her and treat her as an equal, even though she’s a dragon.
However, when a freak magical accident transforms Axtara into a human and her best friend Mia into a dragon, their lives get turned upside down as they try to find a way to return to their true bodies, all while Axtara deals with a brand new problem threatening to scam her kingdom’s citizens out of lots and lots of money!
This book takes the first one and builds off of it quite well. I prefer this one more. It’s just as exciting and funny as the original, and far longer too, which I consider a definite plus. We even get to meet another dragon, fancy that!
I do with this book had more dragons. This book is awesome, and the few dragons in this book isn’t going to change how I feel about it, but I think this book would be one thousand times better if one of the regular characters was a dragon. I did mention Axtara’s brother makes an appearance here, though I am a little disappointed with how it was handled, given he only appears once, and only for an hour. All that being said, I still love this book, and I do hope it is continued in the future.
Our favorite banker dragon is back and bigger than ever! Taking place several months after the first book, Axtara has settled in quite nicely at her new home, with regular clients who finally trust her and treat her as an equal, even though she’s a dragon.
However, when a freak magical accident transforms Axtara into a human and her best friend Mia into a dragon, their lives get turned upside down as they try to find a way to return to their true bodies, all while Axtara deals with a brand new problem threatening to scam her kingdom’s citizens out of lots and lots of money!
This book takes the first one and builds off of it quite well. I prefer this one more. It’s just as exciting and funny as the original, and far longer too, which I consider a definite plus. We even get to meet another dragon, fancy that!
I do with this book had more dragons. This book is awesome, and the few dragons in this book isn’t going to change how I feel about it, but I think this book would be one thousand times better if one of the regular characters was a dragon. I did mention Axtara’s brother makes an appearance here, though I am a little disappointed with how it was handled, given he only appears once, and only for an hour. All that being said, I still love this book, and I do hope it is continued in the future.
July 8, 2024
Axtara and Mia's adventures take a new - and crazy - turn with this installmant which manages to both be a lighthearted story and broach deeper topics such as the sense of self, how we look at others, including but not limited to the acceptance (or the lack thereof) of difference that already was a focus of the first book.
All of those are neatly woven together with the plot and subplots as well as unexpected challenges in a manner that just flows naturally and speaks of both skill and hard work (the former undoubtely a product of the latter).
One of the main challenges the protagonists face is particularily well executed, it carries the sense of loss of control and dread that would go with it, yet this feeling is kept at a level that does not denature the intended tone of the book.
A very enjoyable and enthralling read melding together adventure, fantasy and investigation in a story easy to read yet rich in both events and meaning.
I had fairly enjoyed the first installment, but this one takes it a notch higher.
Putting the characters through such trials is certainly no foreign to the feeling, as those ordeals give Mia and Axtara further room to express their personalities.
But not only that, as this volume does expand the worldview and introduce new characters, both of which I'm eager to read more of.
Considering how Max has done keeping the UNSEC series world consistent (if you're also into hard scifi, try it), I'm not worried that future installments can bring that without dissonance (no pressure ofc).
I'd just keep a wary eye up in the future for horse droppings falling from the sky.
It's not just like a bird's that merely foul your hair if you have any, those things could actually cause concussions from a height. I don't know of any quick warning word for this, like 'timber' when felling a tree, or 'fire in the hole' for a grenade. But Elnacier's people should find one rather quick, I think, unless they can keep tabs on a certain young lady. Which is as much wishful thinking as deluding oneself of controlling a cat's urges to turn the house upside down in the dead of the night, then come meowing and purring expectantly.
All of those are neatly woven together with the plot and subplots as well as unexpected challenges in a manner that just flows naturally and speaks of both skill and hard work (the former undoubtely a product of the latter).
One of the main challenges the protagonists face is particularily well executed, it carries the sense of loss of control and dread that would go with it, yet this feeling is kept at a level that does not denature the intended tone of the book.
A very enjoyable and enthralling read melding together adventure, fantasy and investigation in a story easy to read yet rich in both events and meaning.
I had fairly enjoyed the first installment, but this one takes it a notch higher.
Putting the characters through such trials is certainly no foreign to the feeling, as those ordeals give Mia and Axtara further room to express their personalities.
But not only that, as this volume does expand the worldview and introduce new characters, both of which I'm eager to read more of.
Considering how Max has done keeping the UNSEC series world consistent (if you're also into hard scifi, try it), I'm not worried that future installments can bring that without dissonance (no pressure ofc).
I'd just keep a wary eye up in the future for horse droppings falling from the sky.
It's not just like a bird's that merely foul your hair if you have any, those things could actually cause concussions from a height. I don't know of any quick warning word for this, like 'timber' when felling a tree, or 'fire in the hole' for a grenade. But Elnacier's people should find one rather quick, I think, unless they can keep tabs on a certain young lady. Which is as much wishful thinking as deluding oneself of controlling a cat's urges to turn the house upside down in the dead of the night, then come meowing and purring expectantly.
October 21, 2024
Once again, a wonderful sequel that finds our favorite dragon banker and her best friend princess in some interesting circumstances. Loved every page!
December 31, 2025
Cozy Fantasy will never not be the best thing. Slice of life with a dragon POV?
I mean, come on.
(Minor spoilers ahead, TL;DR at the end)
This was a worthy sequel to Axtara's story, I think. I love how it helped to expand on the world and the characters. I found the primary problem of the book to be really interesting (namely Axtara and Mia's encounter with a certain orb). It explored the sense of self in a way that really got me thinking—and frankly quite envious of Mia's position in the dilemma, if I'm being honest.
Just as with the first book, it's a lighthearted, even tempered book, with stakes that are engaging enough that it kept me wanting to read it to the end, while never being so much as to lose the cozy charm that makes, well, Cozy Fantasy what it is. I love some of the concepts introduced about magic, and I'm intrigued by the additional information we get about the world as a whole: the Ancients, whose magic plays a strong role in the book, the other species and peoples of the world, spoken about in a little better detail than in the first, and then time and again just little, grounded, real interactions between the characters that were just fun.
The dragons!
Again, like in the first, are stellar. Axtara herself is very much draconic, with all the limbs and descriptions and mannerisms one would expect of a dragon who has spent her life as a professional banker. She's charming and very endearing. She is, unfortunately, the only dragon we really see in this book (or, well.... close enough). I was actually really disappointed that her brother, Ryax, barely made an appearance at all. I was hoping he would be more integral to the book from the start.
So, to mirror what has already been said, and my thoughts from the first in this series: I do wish there were more dragons in this book. But that aside, the dragons that do appear are very well thought out, described beautifully, and realistically, while intentionally being completely separate and unreliant on humans for their existence. A solid 10/10
Now, the plot, at least in my opinion, is a bit more... tricky. I will start by saying that I did really like the concept of Axtara working against a band of thieves subtly swindling the whole kingdom. It tied neatly into everything else happening and interwove beautifully with the more personal dilemma that besets Axtara and Mia a little ways into the story. It's fun to see Axtara's concern for the kingdom and how directly it ties into her own interests—that being the welfare of her bank and clients. And it had a very satisfying conclusion.
The other half of the plot is where it gets a little iffy for me, though it's entirely by personal preference and does not diminish the book much really. And that's the whole situation Axtara and Mia get into after an exciting encounter with an Ancient artifact.
It gets into a very interesting twist on the Body Swap trope, which I have rarely seen done well, except in one other instance. I'll start by saying that I did appreciate how it was handled here, being far different from what you'd expect after hearing 'body swap', but I'll not get into the details there.
Suffice to say that Axtara, our endearing, well-meaning, and very draconic dragon, spends the majority of this book as... not a dragon.
As I said before, this book gets into a lot of interesting conversation about the meaning of self, with this dilemma, and it was really enjoyable to read overall. But to say I was displeased with the development when it happened is a bit of an understatement. I lost a fair bit of interest, in fact, and had to put the book down for a couple of months.
Ultimately, though, I still enjoyed reading about how both Axtara and Mia dealt with their problem, and I definitely loved a lot of the mutual commiserating and conversation about the discoveries and difficulties they were having. That, combined with the fact that I knew it would resolve by the end, was enough to almost entirely offset my disgruntlement. And the final development with Mia is a very interesting one that I am very curious to see the repercussions of in a potential third book.
In essence: Axtara, Magic and Mischief is an excellent sequel that I am very glad to have read—even if a bit late—and one that definitely deserves a spot in my favorites shelf. The plot was pleasant, the characters both real and endearing, and the dragons incredibly well written. My one qualm is, as ever: Too many humans, not enough dragons. Especially since the main character was supposed to be a dragon the whole time, and I was really anticipating Ryax being a more prominent character.
9/10, I highly recommend.
I mean, come on.
(Minor spoilers ahead, TL;DR at the end)
This was a worthy sequel to Axtara's story, I think. I love how it helped to expand on the world and the characters. I found the primary problem of the book to be really interesting (namely Axtara and Mia's encounter with a certain orb). It explored the sense of self in a way that really got me thinking—and frankly quite envious of Mia's position in the dilemma, if I'm being honest.
Just as with the first book, it's a lighthearted, even tempered book, with stakes that are engaging enough that it kept me wanting to read it to the end, while never being so much as to lose the cozy charm that makes, well, Cozy Fantasy what it is. I love some of the concepts introduced about magic, and I'm intrigued by the additional information we get about the world as a whole: the Ancients, whose magic plays a strong role in the book, the other species and peoples of the world, spoken about in a little better detail than in the first, and then time and again just little, grounded, real interactions between the characters that were just fun.
The dragons!
Again, like in the first, are stellar. Axtara herself is very much draconic, with all the limbs and descriptions and mannerisms one would expect of a dragon who has spent her life as a professional banker. She's charming and very endearing. She is, unfortunately, the only dragon we really see in this book (or, well.... close enough). I was actually really disappointed that her brother, Ryax, barely made an appearance at all. I was hoping he would be more integral to the book from the start.
So, to mirror what has already been said, and my thoughts from the first in this series: I do wish there were more dragons in this book. But that aside, the dragons that do appear are very well thought out, described beautifully, and realistically, while intentionally being completely separate and unreliant on humans for their existence. A solid 10/10
Now, the plot, at least in my opinion, is a bit more... tricky. I will start by saying that I did really like the concept of Axtara working against a band of thieves subtly swindling the whole kingdom. It tied neatly into everything else happening and interwove beautifully with the more personal dilemma that besets Axtara and Mia a little ways into the story. It's fun to see Axtara's concern for the kingdom and how directly it ties into her own interests—that being the welfare of her bank and clients. And it had a very satisfying conclusion.
The other half of the plot is where it gets a little iffy for me, though it's entirely by personal preference and does not diminish the book much really. And that's the whole situation Axtara and Mia get into after an exciting encounter with an Ancient artifact.
It gets into a very interesting twist on the Body Swap trope, which I have rarely seen done well, except in one other instance. I'll start by saying that I did appreciate how it was handled here, being far different from what you'd expect after hearing 'body swap', but I'll not get into the details there.
Suffice to say that Axtara, our endearing, well-meaning, and very draconic dragon, spends the majority of this book as... not a dragon.
As I said before, this book gets into a lot of interesting conversation about the meaning of self, with this dilemma, and it was really enjoyable to read overall. But to say I was displeased with the development when it happened is a bit of an understatement. I lost a fair bit of interest, in fact, and had to put the book down for a couple of months.
Ultimately, though, I still enjoyed reading about how both Axtara and Mia dealt with their problem, and I definitely loved a lot of the mutual commiserating and conversation about the discoveries and difficulties they were having. That, combined with the fact that I knew it would resolve by the end, was enough to almost entirely offset my disgruntlement. And the final development with Mia is a very interesting one that I am very curious to see the repercussions of in a potential third book.
In essence: Axtara, Magic and Mischief is an excellent sequel that I am very glad to have read—even if a bit late—and one that definitely deserves a spot in my favorites shelf. The plot was pleasant, the characters both real and endearing, and the dragons incredibly well written. My one qualm is, as ever: Too many humans, not enough dragons. Especially since the main character was supposed to be a dragon the whole time, and I was really anticipating Ryax being a more prominent character.
9/10, I highly recommend.
November 22, 2024
Axtara: Magic and Mischief is everything a good sequel needs to be, giving its readers more of the stuff we liked about the first book, building upon its successes and rectifying its weaknesses, while also not being afraid to take the story into a new and exciting direction.
There are still all the elements that made me enjoy the first story: clean writing, light-hearted nature that allows all the slice-of-life moments to naturally fit into the story, attention to many subtle and not so subtle ways in which our protagonist’s unusual anatomy affects her daily life, a wide cast of believable characters and, of course, banking.
In fact, sometimes it feels like Max was encouraged to write certain scenes by Axtara herself, so that she could get more opportunities to talk about her craft. Axtara’s passion for her vocation feels very genuine, reminding me of some people in my life, who would waste no opportunity to share some insights about whatever it is that they are so devoted to.
Just like its predecessor, Axtara Magic and Mischief is a story that is never lost for direction. Despite featuring many slice-of-life moments, the narrative rarely allows itself to remain static, always keeping things in motion, either at the forefront of the story, or somewhere behind the scenes.
Even though the book’s first part may seem unusually uneventful at first, this is but a deception. While Axtara is taking stock of her bank’s assets or catching up with Mia, the author spends that time running about the story’s world like a maniac, planting countless seeds that will inevitably sprout once the right time comes. Which, in turn, lends itself wonderfully to a story’s newly refined investigation focus, pitting the main cast against some deviously crafty minds, while also spicing things up with some ancient magic.
However, it’s not just mystery that enjoys an expanded focus in this book. We also get a deeper look into the personalities of the main characters, by seeing them undergo some bewitching trials and tribulations. It’s also just so happens that the story’s commitment to character development especially benefits Mia, allowing her to graduate past being “Axtara’s sidekick” and become a fully-fledged character of her own.
In short, if you enjoyed the previous installment in the series, you should definitely give Axtara Magic and Mischief a read, since it’s just all the good stuff from the previous story, but more and oftentimes better.
There are still all the elements that made me enjoy the first story: clean writing, light-hearted nature that allows all the slice-of-life moments to naturally fit into the story, attention to many subtle and not so subtle ways in which our protagonist’s unusual anatomy affects her daily life, a wide cast of believable characters and, of course, banking.
In fact, sometimes it feels like Max was encouraged to write certain scenes by Axtara herself, so that she could get more opportunities to talk about her craft. Axtara’s passion for her vocation feels very genuine, reminding me of some people in my life, who would waste no opportunity to share some insights about whatever it is that they are so devoted to.
Just like its predecessor, Axtara Magic and Mischief is a story that is never lost for direction. Despite featuring many slice-of-life moments, the narrative rarely allows itself to remain static, always keeping things in motion, either at the forefront of the story, or somewhere behind the scenes.
Even though the book’s first part may seem unusually uneventful at first, this is but a deception. While Axtara is taking stock of her bank’s assets or catching up with Mia, the author spends that time running about the story’s world like a maniac, planting countless seeds that will inevitably sprout once the right time comes. Which, in turn, lends itself wonderfully to a story’s newly refined investigation focus, pitting the main cast against some deviously crafty minds, while also spicing things up with some ancient magic.
However, it’s not just mystery that enjoys an expanded focus in this book. We also get a deeper look into the personalities of the main characters, by seeing them undergo some bewitching trials and tribulations. It’s also just so happens that the story’s commitment to character development especially benefits Mia, allowing her to graduate past being “Axtara’s sidekick” and become a fully-fledged character of her own.
In short, if you enjoyed the previous installment in the series, you should definitely give Axtara Magic and Mischief a read, since it’s just all the good stuff from the previous story, but more and oftentimes better.
December 30, 2024
Another fun installment. Like before, Axtara is a cozy fantasy, whose characters and worldbuilding remain as charming as ever, all while developing the themes of understanding and education. Things are just a bit tenser than last time, too, which is a plus in my mind. The only real negative is that some very minor threads might not feel like they get enough of a payoff, depending on how invested you were in them.
Do be aware going in that, despite the YA label in the description, Axtara and Mia are too old, too self-actualized, and too set in their career paths for that. This is more adult fantasy in my opinion, though I certainly wouldn't hesitate to hand it to a teenager looking for their next read.
All in all, Axtara continues to be a delightful, relaxing and thoughtful fantasy in her sophomore outing. Banking's never been this magical.
Do be aware going in that, despite the YA label in the description, Axtara and Mia are too old, too self-actualized, and too set in their career paths for that. This is more adult fantasy in my opinion, though I certainly wouldn't hesitate to hand it to a teenager looking for their next read.
All in all, Axtara continues to be a delightful, relaxing and thoughtful fantasy in her sophomore outing. Banking's never been this magical.
January 11, 2025
Fun read, less banking and finance centric but fun characters. I feel like again, it could have benefited from another editing pass, but this book was better paced than the first one. We heard a lot about the Fell...but never saw them. That felt like a promise made by the story that was never kept. I think that this book did a better job at weaving various charcters together into the main plot though. I'm still planning to read a future installment of this book if it comes out. I like the world a lot, even if sometimes the writing is a little shaky.
January 25, 2025
Everyone needs a dragon friend!
Axtara is the best! That she also is an astute banker, can fly with the wind and has a sense of humor in awkward situations makes her even better. Mia is pretty cool too. Ryax was almost anti climactic once he shows up. I guess for his being a wizard, I anticipated more wizardly magic. Overall, the story was good!
Axtara is the best! That she also is an astute banker, can fly with the wind and has a sense of humor in awkward situations makes her even better. Mia is pretty cool too. Ryax was almost anti climactic once he shows up. I guess for his being a wizard, I anticipated more wizardly magic. Overall, the story was good!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews