The Serpent and the Wings of Night: Discover the stunning Sunday Times bestselling first book in the romantasy series Crowns of Nyaxia

Soo good! Gripping, heart-pounding, beautiful enemies to lovers and action-packed read!This book is a riveting blend of revenge, betrayal and political intrigue with themes of violence, abuse, slavery and torture. A must-read for fans of fast-paced, high-stakes fantasy centered on survival and power struggles. The book has a strong foundation of a brutal "Battle Royale" premise, where the competitors must fight for their lives. In this arena, not only are your competitors out to eliminate you but the arena itself is designed to ruin you, mind, body and soul. The story also delves deeper into themes of deception, vengeance and personal trauma.We follow Oraya, the adopted daughter of the vampire king. She grew up in a vicious world where every day is a battle for survival. The vampires around her look at humans as lesser individuals either for consumption or slavery. The novel excels in its portrayal of complex power dynamics, Oraya's relationship with her father is tinged with manipulation and cold-affection. She convinces herself that his coldness and harsh actions are forms of protection, rationalising that as a king, he must maintain an air of detachment, as showing too much affection would be perceived as weakness by others. In this vicious world, showing one's weakness means death. This emotional justification creates a complex dynamic between them, blurring the line between genuine care and strategic control.Oraya is thrust into the Kejari, a brutal competition designed for vampires to prove their worth, with the promise of a single wish granted to the victor by the goddess Nyaxia herself. Oraya must learn who to trust in an environment steeped in lies and hidden motives. Will falling for her enemy be the right choice? If she wins, what will be her ultimate wish?The battle sequences are fast-paced and violent but never gratuitous. Each brutality comes with a revelation, exposing vulnerabilities and defining alliances in the most unexpected ways. The story's unpredictability keeps the readers on edge, adding to the suspense when deception and betrayal are skillfully deployed. While violence and abuse are integral to the narrative, they are handled with care and never glorified. They are used as a backdrop to the characters' motivations and internal battles.A great start to a new series. Full of danger at every turn, with a sprinkling of romance, political dynamic and character traumas. A wonderful foundation for what promises to be a thrilling saga. I cannot wait for book 2!

Book one first time reading this author. A interesting storyline very sad. You follow Oraya a human who lives with the king of Hiaj (vincent) he is complex not kind but lives in a world where Betrayal is everywhere and your own children will fight you for power.He takes Oraya in when she is young as a adopted daughter of sorts but not heir (needs to be blood and carry the heir mark) Oraya enters the games for a wish from Nyaxia the goddess. (Think hunger games) where she meets Raihn he to is complex as a vampire they all are some kinder then others. Life gets more Deadly for her and confusing as we follow her journey.II loved the journey it's hard on the heart you want to cry for Oraya because she has to make choices that will change her soul.Plus will power over rule love? He tried to do the right thing so is he the bad guy?Well done to the author for a original storyline, that keeps you gripped hoping for love in a possible war where no one wins

Book 1 in the Crowns of Nyaxia duology has meGAGGED. I had been wanting to read this for SO LONG and it did not disappoint.Oraya, our FMC, is so powerful and so headstrong and so inspiring, fighting for what she believes in as a human in a world where vampires rule. You've got Raihn, our MMC, who gives such soft puppy energy but is desperately protective over those he cares about and his beliefs. (And also why is it than when fictional men so head over heels obsessed (in a good way) with the FMC do I then love the book even more? - rhetorical question, please don't answerThe antagonists are brilliant and their motivations are much deeper than you first think.Yes, it's vampires competing in a set of trials but there's something so refreshing and new about it that, although it's a common trope in fantasy books, it feels so fresh and doesn't make you feel like 'I've read this before. Hands down one of my favourite reads this year.I finished the second book last night and you best believe I have many thoughts... stay tuned for that review

✨ Book Review ✨‘𝒜𝒻𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒶𝓁𝓁, 𝓋𝒶𝓂𝓅𝒾𝓇𝑒𝓈 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒷𝑒𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝓎𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓌 𝒾𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓇𝓉𝒶𝓃𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒾𝓈 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓉𝑒𝒸𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒽𝑒𝒶𝓇𝓉𝓈. 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒, 𝓊𝓃𝒹𝑒𝓇𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹, 𝒾𝓈 𝓈𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓅𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒.’⭐️ 5/5🌶 2.5/5Okay, if you’re a fan of high-stakes competitions, dark gothic fantasy, and enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies, you NEED to read this. It gave me all the vampire, romantic tension and survival trials vibes I was craving. The tension was EVERYTHING, and the romance? Slow burn perfection.I was hooked immediately—this book has the perfect mix of action, emotion, and world-building. The twists and betrayals kept me on edge the entire time, and by the end, I was gasping for more. The characters are morally grey, and their development is chef’s kiss. Trust me, you’ll be left SCREAMING for the next book.This book was so addictive, absolutely obsessed! The FMC - Oraya - was amazing, strong, fierce, and layered in all the right ways. I was rooting for her the entire time. This book is perfect for people that love gothic, intense books with morally grey characters and deep emotional stakes.📖 Tropes: enemies to lovers, vampires, survival competition, hidden strength, slow burn, political intrigue, magic, morally grey characters

Vampires and trials, good book

I am enchanted by this surprising plot, amazed by the details and in love with this couple.Carissa crushed me with every word while I read the battles, the trails, my heart beat with Oraya's!!

Amé la historia, amé a los personajes, fue el mejor libro de fantasía que leí este año.

I hadn’t even heard of this book when I was offered a review copy, but a few glowing reviews caught my attention and I agreed to read it. And I’m so glad I did! This was a wonderful surprise, a dark, dangerous, vampire tale with intricate world building, great characters and a little bit of spice. Even better, this is the first book in a series, and I’m so excited to see what comes next. Yes, there are some familiar tropes at work here, but I found the combination of all the different elements to work surprisingly well. If you love The Hunger Games or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I guarantee you’ll find a lot to love in The Serpent & the Wings of Night.Oraya was only seven when her village was destroyed and her entire family killed. Plucked out of the wreckage by a vampire king named Vincent, Oraya has been living in the House of Night, one of three vampire factions in the land of Obitraes, for the last sixteen years. Vincent has raised her as his daughter, teaching her how to survive in a land ruled by vampires, and it turns out, preparing her to complete in a once-every-hundred-years competition called the Kejari.The Kejari is made up of five brutal trials, each one winnowing the contestants down until only two remain. Only one victor can be crowned at the end, though, and Oraya is determined to be the last one standing. The reward for victory is sweet: any wish you want, granted by the goddess Nyaxia. Oraya’s wish? To become a vampire herself and fight side by side with her father in the war against the Rishan, a rival vampire clan within the House of Night.But once the trials start, Oraya realizes it's going to be hard, if not impossible, to win. Luckily, she meets a vampire named Raihn who asks her to ally with him and his friend Mische. Oraya and Raihn work surprisingly well together and they become a formidable team against the other contestants. But, as Oraya must keep reminding herself, only one of them will survive the Kejari, and the more she gets to know Raihn, the less she wants to kill him.This is a lush, complex world, and the author does a very good job of introducing it in this first book, even though I’m certain she’s only scratched the surface. At first it was a little hard to keep everything straight. There are three main vampire “houses,” but within those there are smaller factions. Each house has its own types of power and magic derived from different gods, and the houses don’t usually intermingle with each other, although the Kejari is the exception, because vampires from each house are allowed to join the competition. And it isn’t just vampires in this world. Humans live among them, although they are mostly treated as servants or even food. Because Oraya is under the protection of a vampire king, she’s safer than most, but she still has to watch her back at all times.In addition to the competition plot, which is the main focus of the story, there’s a war brewing in the background that will most likely take on a bigger role in the next book. There’s a lot of Shakespearean drama and tragedy going on too. Vampires will kill their parents to take over as leader, and then they’ll kill their children so they can’t do the same to them. This isn’t a happy world by any means, but luckily there are bright spots in the plot.Which brings me to the characters. The focus of the story is the slow build relationship between Oraya and Raihn, an enemies-to-lovers romance that I thought was very well done. Oraya, who spends her free time stalking vampires and killing them, is horrified to find she's starting to like and respect one, especially when she discovers he’s one of the Rishan, her father’s enemy. Oraya has a prickly personality, which I quite loved, although she eventually starts to warm up to Raihn. But their banter was so much fun, charged with all sorts of emotions, and I loved how the author gave them time and space to get to know each other before (yup) hopping in bed together.There are a lot of great side characters as well. Mische is the sweetest vampire in the story, and her friendship with Raihn was wonderful. I was rooting for the three of them to be OK, but wow, some of the scenes in this book were so stressful! Vincent was an interesting character as well. I didn’t really like him in the beginning, but you can tell Oraya loves him, even if he’s the one who took her away from her home. I liked him less and less as the story went on, and by the end of the book I hated him, lol. Still, it was interesting to see Vincent and Oraya interact, even if I didn’t always understand her complicated feelings for him.As for the Kejari, it was thrilling and scary, and the trial scenes had me holding my breath, I was so worried about Oraya, Raihn and Mische. I loved that the actual trials felt different from other “fight to the death” stories I’ve read, although don’t worry, there’s plenty of bloodshed!As the end of the last trial approached, I started to get very nervous. After all, there’s only one winner, right? The author managed to completely surprise me with her ending, making me even more excited to read the second book, The Ashes & the Star Cursed-King. And I can’t say enough about Carissa Broadbent’s writing. Her prose breathes life into her characters, and her storytelling skills make this a must read for fans of vampire/fantasy romance.

This book...wow. I experienced so many things reading this. Joy and laughter, sadness, grief and tears, anger, frustration, shock and betrayal, desire, hatred. You name it and this book probably made me feel it in all the best ways.This story is a dark, grim and emotional tale that follows a human girl who was adopted by a vampire king as a child and has had to learn to live in a world where she is prey surrounded by predators. She enters a competition ruled by a Goddess so that she doesn't need to keep living a powerless life filled with fear and ends up meeting a turned vampire who helps her to realize she is so much more than prey.Throughout the story we explore the impacts of nature vs nurture, what it means to be strong and brave. We see how the toxic, harmful and abusive things that are said and taught to us by parental figures stick with us even when we know they don't make any sense. We as readers can see the flaws in the way Oraya has been taught to live and her refusal to question these things shows us the blind devotion she has to her "father". We see how hard it is to seperate the parent you love from the parent who hurts us and experience the duality that comes with familial abuse - on one side of things you're angry, on the other you still feel so much love for them. This is all written in so beautifully.The love that forms between Raihn and Oraya is also such a beautiful thing. The way they just SEE eachother, the safety she feels with him, the devotion he shows to her up until the end. Even when her mind screams for her to stop trusting him, to run from him, to hate him...her heart can't help feeling love and trust and safety when she's around him. The heartbreak at the end of this book was absolutely devastating and I hope that in the next book there's some redemption because I know they could make eachother so incredibly happy and be such a powerful force together.The side characters were equally interesting. We were given a bubbly happy sunshine best friend, an underdog with so much trauma that he should have given up on life who still pushed to come out on top until the end, a strong female warrior who loved her people and died for a cause she believed in, another devoted female warrior who never gave up her feminity to fit the role of a soldier but still made it to the top ranks of the army and was devoted to her country above all else, a human who came across as a bit of an eccentric auntie who taught our MC to allow herself joy and light and color into her life and not to lose her humanity.The world building was done so well. By the end of the story we get a clear and detailed understanding of the politics in the world as they truly are, something we evolve to understanding with the main character as she throws away her childhood beliefs of how things work and experiences the world for herself. Each scene was crafted so well and fully immersed me in the dark, gothic, magical world that the author built.The plot was constantly evolving, rarely predictable and the end of this book...sheesh. I will be thinking about these plot twists and what they mean until I can finally read the next book. The end of this book left me a MESS.Overall this is one of my all time favorite reads. Perhaps it's my absolute favorite, above all else honestly. I absolutely wholeheartedly recommend checking it out.

Loved itit was enthralling until the end. Couldnt stop reading. LOVE the characters and the plot is amazing. Great story.