The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #1
on 30 August 2022
Genres: Fantasy Romance
Pages: 530
Format: eBook
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Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.
The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself. But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival. Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him. But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.
“You have to push hard to make it through the breastbone.”
The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
Once again, I am letting my book choices be influenced by social media hype and, once again, my expectations have been fulfilled! Following readers with similar tastes makes all the difference!
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is an adult, high fantasy romance that is very similar to The Unmarked Witch by Miranda Lyn (overall rating 5/5, spice rating 2.5/5).
Oraya, a human girl and ‘adopted’ daughter to the King of the Nightborn vampires, enters in the Kejari, a set of trials where the victor is granted a single wish by the goddess Nyaxia (mother of vampires). But when she is forced to ally with other Kejari contestants, her world starts to unravel in the most deadly and heartbreaking of ways.
Pace
According to the author, this will be a six book series so it’s expected that the first book would be heavy with world-building and plot set-up but Carissa didn’t let her intricate introduction of the new world weigh down the pace of the story. There were some moments where the story lulled a tad, dipping into a shallow trough only to be brought back up by an efficient rising action, but it did a good job at grabbing and holding my attention throughout.
At 500+ pages, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is not a sprint (at least for me) but it is one of those rare, long-ish books that read like a much shorter book.
Characters
Oraya, the FMC, is an outlier – a human claimed by the Nightborn vampire King in a world where power is valued above all else, even above love. Oraya is still traumatised by her childhood but has found safety in her adopted father and a purpose that drives her to enter the Kejari.
I found it a bit difficult at first to relate to Oraya, mostly because her view of the world started out so black and white but it is soon revealed that this is the product of years of conditioning her survival instincts. Her walls are slowly chipped away as revelations are slowly uncovered, making for subtle growth that becomes more pronounced in the last 20% of the book.
Raihn, the MMC, is a deliciously tortured warrior with so much depth and surprises and who really makes the story. I would go so far as to say that his struggle is more compelling than Oraya’s, particularly where he finds himself at the end of the book.
Mische, side character, is a star and brought a much needed sprinkle of humor to the story. I wish we got to see more of her in The Serpent and the Wings of Night but I’m looking forward to her return in book 2 (fingers crossed!).
Tropes
-
Enemies to Lovers -
Trials/Contests -
Warring Kingdoms/Rival Houses -
Hidden/Secret Identities -
HIdden/Secret Abilities -
Vampires vs. Humans -
Gods/Goddesses
Is The Serpent spicy?
The romance is a slow, slow burn and things don’t really heat up until about the 75% mark but when they do… oh boy….
The spice itself is well written, there’s just not a whole lot of it. I think there’s maybe one big bedroom scene with a sprinkle of steamy, tension-filled scenes throughout.
BUT, I think the heat will burn brighter in book two, as the relationship between Oraya and Raihn takes an interesting turn at the end of The Serpent and the Wings of Night that has the potential for some interesting bedroom dilemmas.
“I’ve lived through some injustices in the last couple of centuries. Seen some fucking travesties. But of the biggest, Oraya, is that anyone taught you that you should become anything other than exactly what you are.”
The Serpent & the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
My Thoughts
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is an excellent example of fantasy romance with exciting action, strong, distinct characters, and smouldering romance. High fantasies always run the risk of being weighed down by intricate world-building and complex plots but Carissa did a great job at pacing rising actions within the plot to keep me hooked and invested in the story. Riahn absolutely stole my heart (I’m a sucker for a big, strong softy) and, while the cliffhanger (sort of) kinked her character’s growth, I’m so keen to see how things will play out for Oraya.
The difficult decisions and perilous circumstances facing Riahn and Oraya by the end of the book promises an equally thrilling and heartbreaking book two.
