Warforged

The Witch Queen Saga #5

by Simon Shugar

The Witch Queen’s reign nears its end—but only if Karn can survive the final battle.

Branded a traitor and hunted by the kingdom he once served, Karn must return home, where the past he abandoned and the future he fears collide. His adopted father, Banar, remains a prisoner of the Witch Queen’s forces, and Serah—bewitched and bound by dark magic—stands in his way. To save them, Karn must gather his remaining allies, forge new bonds, and face creatures born from the queen’s most twisted experiments.

But time is running out. The Witch Queen tightens her grip on the realm, and her armies march toward their final conquest. Karn’s power is the key to stopping her, but wielding it may come at an unbearable cost. As the battle looms, the weight of every choice threatens to break him, and one wrong move could doom them all.

The war ends here. The legend is forged in fire.

424 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2025

About the author

Hey, I’m Simon Shugar—fantasy author hooked on telling bold, emotional, action-heavy stories through raw, first-person journeys. If you like coming-of-age arcs, epic stakes, and human struggles in unreal worlds, you're in the right place!

I’m originally from Oxfordshire, England, now living in North Carolina with my wild little toddler and our very chill (and very spoiled) dog, Jasper. I’ve loved fantasy for as long as I can remember—drawn in by the magic, the grit, and the heart at the center of it all.

I studied game design for a bit, then pivoted into software engineering to pay the bills. But somewhere in between code and chaos, I started writing stories—and once I did, I couldn’t stop. Fast forward to now, I’ve written 13 novels across three trilogies and a standalone, with plenty more on the way.

Reviews

[Brady McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really liked this series. I thought the characters around Karen were fun and added the sense of camaraderie to each book. I like how it was almost a revolving door of supper it bf characters where a lot would take a back seat for a book or two but come back with a different role later. I wished the ending was a little more messy but I still liked it.

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

a wild rollercoaster of a tale

Great story but its protagonist is inconsistent seemingly trained one moment and untrained and unaware at others. Makes for A strange story that has you cheering one moment and angry at his folly in another. Great descriptions of the places and times.

[Rose Barbour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This was a great book in an amazing series! The author did well with the ending but there is so much more to explore... Please don't make this the end!

[Edward J · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Witch Queen Saga Series was Fantastic!

I waited till the end to review this series. It held my interest and I refused to pause long enough to write one!
I love the way the story plays out. The charters always had secrets behind them. Rolling along and bringing in other creatures was great.
I kinda expected more at the end to maybe bring a coexistence with the other creatures.
I really enjoyed the books.
You will find it hard to stop reading it!

[Dan Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good ending to the series, tied up plot lines and managed to hold tension well. Fell a bit short of feeling epic to me some of the scenes which should have been chilling just missed for me. Overall the series was enjoyable and easy to read.

[MR PETER FIELD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent series well crafted.

Extraordinary saga read in 7 days. Highly recommended.

My first journey into fantasy adventure will not be my last with Mr shugar

[Andrew Brereton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smirkforged!

Good books, nicely written good stories, one flaw for me that almost made me give up on the first book... nobody grins in these books,nobody smiles ,a half smile maybe, a sardonic smile? No I have never read a series of books so irritated by the wrongful over-use of a single word, Smirk. It's used on every page, it turns a good read to a cacophony of smirks, the proof reading in general is poor with many mistakes and grammatical errors. Why, why the constant use of this word, the author is obsessed. A good tale so far if you can handle all the smirking.

[Jeff Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

DUDE! (yes I did that). What a great book! What a great series. I loved what the author does with the Aspects. Super original. And their origins - also super cool! And the stones - did not see that coming. Lucas is still a question mark. Karn and Serah are back. Banar is back!

I truly enjoyed this books - and the series overall. The action sequences are crazy. Magic is simple and easy to follow. The world is well developed.

My main criticism across all books were the line spaces. Felt like they had been used to create more pages.

Can't wait to read more of Simon Shugar's books!

[Alan Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning Fantasy

A wonderful book. I was sad when it was finished, I wanted more. I have questions! 5 books and I loved every page. Well done Mr. Shugar.

[MR.M.J.LABANOWSKI · Rating 5 out of 5]

👍👍👍

First time of reading this author. Read all five books on the trot, really enjoyed the whole series, highly recommended👍🙂