Katherine Sandoval 
The Architect’s Lost City [EPUB ebook] 

Istanbul, 1570. Beneath the majestic Süleymaniye Mosque, a secret sleeps, a lost city whispered to exist in the labyrinthine depths below.  Nuri, a brilliant but overlooked apprentice to the legendary architect Sinan, stumbles upon its blueprint—a gateway not to another mosque, but to a realm of forgotten engineering and magic. His discovery intertwines his fate with Elara, the vizier’s fiery daughter, trapped in the gilded cage of courtly life yet yearning for knowledge and adventure.
Together, they embark on a forbidden quest, deciphering cryptic clues hidden within the Hagia Sophia’s dusty archives, the vibrant spice markets, and the hushed chambers of ancient libraries.  Their every step draws them deeper into Istanbul’s hidden heart, but also closer to danger. Mehmet Pasha, a ruthless vizier with his eyes on the sultan’s throne, covets the lost city’s power, his shadow lengthening across their path.
As Nuri and Elara delve into the city’s mysteries, Elara awakens a hidden talent—a sensitivity to Istanbul’s vibrant energies, a magic that resonates with the lost city itself.  Nuri, grounded in logic, struggles to reconcile Elara’s intuitive insights with his rational mind, their contrasting perspectives sparking both friction and a unique synergy. Guided by Ayşe, a reclusive herbalist and keeper of ancient lore, they learn the city is not merely stone and mortar, but a nexus of powerful energies, a gateway to a realm beyond human comprehension.
Mehmet Pasha, fueled by ambition, forges a dark pact with a djinn, a fiery entity bound to the city’s depths, unleashing a power that threatens to unravel Istanbul’s very foundations. Now, Nuri and Elara must fight not only for the lost city, but for the soul of Istanbul itself. Amidst whispers of a secret society sworn to protect the city’s magic, and the djinn’s fiery breath on their heels, their forbidden love blossoms into a beacon against the encroaching darkness. But their growing intimacy becomes a vulnerability, exploited by Mehmet Pasha in a devastating act of betrayal that will force Elara to make an impossible choice – the city’s fate or her family’s lives.
In the heart of the hidden city, beneath the magnificent mosque, magic and steel will clash, loyalties will be tested, and sacrifices will be made. Will Nuri and Elara uncover the lost city’s secrets and save Istanbul, or will they be consumed by the shadows that seek to claim it?