The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King: Crowns of Nyaxia, Book 2

I loved this book so much. I can't put it into words. Simply PERFECTION. I see I have a pattern of having the second book of a series becoming my favorite book :))) and I can see why. "The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King" is my favorite book of this year so far.This review contains some spoilers. For the ones that haven't read the first book but heard and read other reviews, my review might have spoilers.This book broke my heart and restored and broke it again and patched it back up. The pace is perfect. It has a lot of action, A LOT (which is perfect for me). The world-building is intertwined with the plot twists and every time you find something new. The history of the characters is beautifully written, and every time you find something new about them, you get to understand them more (Vincent's actions for example).The romance is perfect. I love Raihn and Oraya, and I think with the betrayal in the first book, they got a second chance in this one: to really know each other, to understand each other, and most importantly, to accept each other with their vulnerabilities, griefs, and past. To give themselves a second chance at happiness and to be willing to risk anything and everything for one another.I love Carissa's writing a lot, and the way she put the "Interludes" there is perfect. The way she created this world and the interactions between characters are perfect. I loved the side characters. Vale, Lilith, and Mische are my favorites from their inner circle. I would've loved to see more of them, but we got a full book for Vale and Lilith (Six Scorched Roses), and I have a feeling we will see more of Mische in future books/duologies.The backstory of Vincent is just wow, and I'm so happy that, even if power was still a priority to him, he still gave himself a chance to feel something different, something that changes his heart. The moment he found Oraya, we get his perspective of how things went out, and what he felt in those moments is perfectly written. Maybe he didn't know how to show Oraya his love, but he damned well loved her, and I think he "trapped" her in her weaknesses because he was scared that one day he will lose her. And for his "immortal" life, the death of someone who allowed himself to love, will literally kill him and make him an even more dangerous thing to everyone. No matter what everyone will say about Vincent, good or bad, he made Oraya strong and gave her the tools to protect herself and believe in herself. He did love her and he showed her that in his own way.Septimus is the same slime bastard, even worst. I didn't like Simon one bit, but the atrocities that Septimus did to him... literally turned him into a monster, a killing machine. I don't know about the next books, but I think Septimus will remain the worst of all the worst.I can't wait to see what Nyaxia will be preparing for them, but I think it will be ugly. I hope the other Gods will take their heads from their asses and do something other than nothing (something for the greater good, not something worse). The fighting scenes are incredibly written, and if for humans and vampires is this well written, I would love to see how the gods would fight.Now. I agree will all the readers of this book. CHAPTERS 44-45 killed me!!! Fans of ACOMAF, you better read this series and you will find yourselves another two chapters that will stick in your heads for eternity. The emotions and the passion in those chapters are perfect!!!! For me, chapter 63 is also a killer. No boundaries, no regrets, only pure love, and everything was written on their faces, on their bodies, on their movements, in their eyes. I actually think I love this chapter more than 44-45 because they let down their guards, even if they aren't saying the words. The emotions are much bigger than the words.Also, the history of Oraya's mother is heartbreaking. I really wished that she somehow survived, but if this was the case, Oraya would've been too distract by the situation they were in.EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED FROM CHAPTER 74 AND ON KILLED ME!!!! I screamed and cried and cursed Nyaxia and then cried again and then screamed for happiness. This whole book is a masterpiece and a rollercoaster. From the first page till the last. Everything is perfect.Thank you Carissa for creating this amazing world. I can't wait to see what's coming next.

Frustratingly interesting and a definite page turner for being so (occasionally) poorly executed. I wish the “reveals” happened more over time rather than explaining things in the moment. I feel like a lot of exposition was happening in the moments when we are learning something that the characters **already know** about their world, that the world building is like “oh yeah you should probably know this so that this big reveal is exciting” rather than learning it in advance and then enjoying that “reveal” later. Other than that, the story is good and interesting and it’s got gripping characters. I did enjoy it and obviously gave it 4 stars haha! Just noticing the lack of world building, which I know is hard to do anyway.

The second book may be better than the first. The author manages to keep the plot flowing and keep the pacing perfect. The writing style of this author is so easy to read and really allows me to feel to characters. It’s hard for romance and action to be split well and only a few series can do it with success and this is one of them. I really liked that she was able to keep the tension between the characters without making it feel strained just to be strained. The storyline is unique and kept me guessing on what was going to happen next.

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King ,pulls you in with its rich characters and captivating plot. The world-building is top-notch, making the magical and intriguing world feel real. However, the story hits a bump with a key “sacrifice” that throws off the momentum. It feels abrupt, almost like the author lost their way a bit. Despite this, it’s still a great read for fantasy fans who love complex characters and detailed worlds, even if the sacrifice scene might leave you a bit disappointed.

I’m not sure if it’s the seller of the item or if all the books but I didn’t know I prefer thicker paper till I received this book.It’s a great story I listened to the first one, love the plot an the main characters being rivals to lovers an lovers to rivals only half way done but otherwise story is great

I was a little worried about reading the second book, as I read many negative comments about it. I loved it. I like to see the story through the eyes of Oraya and Raihn. I feel that the story follows a normal development. If anyone has been betrayed and loved they can understand the turmoil. The emotions are real and as much as one of them can use words it is nice to see how someone cannot express all of their emotions. I also had the audio book and both voices are very nice. The use of F... and other, i feel had more justification than in the first book. Overall both of these books were good and really a third one could be added!

Honestly I thought I wouldn't like this series, in fact I was so confident that I began reading at 11 pm, I never would've risked with a book I thought was good because then I wouldn't have no sleep. But Miss Carissa collaborated like I thought she would? No ma'am, instead I was up until 9 am because I couldn't put the damn phone down. To summarize it was a wonderful journey, with the correct amount of spice (a must have in all books in my humble slut opinion). Please keep going, books like this are the only ways for some of us to escape reality.

what a delightful read! Full of action, love, anger and all those feelings you seek in a book. Thank U Carissa for such a great story. I feel kind of sad of finish it.

5 billion ⭐️’s ‼️‼️‼️It’s bittersweet.Oraya + Raihn’s main story has concluded & I am speechless because this book literally had me going through all the emotions. I am happy & hoping that they still make their appearances in future books within the Crowns of Nyaxia series.Carissa managed to go so in depth with every detail without making it muddy which I appreciate so so much, especially within the fantasy world where things can easily become confusing in a world such as this one.I appreciate seeing Oraya’s character grow so beautifully. Ya think she was badass before??!?!…. I didn’t know it was possible she could become even more badass! Oraya’s ability to process through her emotions & use them to become who she became, ugh. Perfection.The things that Oraya & Raihn had to endure throughout their entire relationship was bat sh** crazy but they fought through all their hardships.The banter. The forced proximity. The ups. The downs. The betrayal. The growth. The darkness. The light. The loss. The trauma. The healing…. Most importantly, THE LOVE that they shared!!! Wooooooo-child!!!!!! I was feeling ever single emotion.The whole story, plot… EVERYTHING was chef’s kiss. Even without the romance this book held its ground. There was so much context!Without any spoilers, it was perfect. DEVOURABLE, intense.This world is just so captivating. Their story was captivating!!!One honest thing…..I am EXCITED to continue on with this series with Mische’s story. I wouldn’t be mad if Carissa throws in some grumpy/sunshine tropes in there 😏PS. I loved how Vale + Lilith made their appearance in the book as well. I loved their story in “Six Scorched Roses” & I wished, just a bit, that we got to see more of that love they shared in “Six Scorched Roses”.I am sad that I won’t hear Raihn being Raihn anymore & hearing “there she is” or “princess”… but I am looking forward to the rest of the series. 🥲 Happy Tears, I promise.

I wish I could rate this higher than 5 stars! Oraya and raihns story will stay with me for a long time and I'll honestly miss them. I personally loved this book just as much as the first, usually there's one better but these are on par imo I loved the entire story. Just read it, if there's one duology you read please make it this one. Love love love. Thank you Carissa Broadbent for this epic, beautiful, heartbreaking, soul fixing story.

I read the first few pages several times and found it too dark to go on. But as in life, sometimes light and happiness is found after a voyage in the dark. It is definetly true with the Crowns of Nyaxia books.The characters are incredible, so complex… they feel real. My favorite romantasy so far.Thank you Carissa Broadbent 🙏