The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King: Book 2 of the Nightborn Duet (Crowns of Nyaxia, 2)
This new hardcover edition of the bestselling The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King features new case art, a detailed map, and a never-before-seen bonus chapter!
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent, comes The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King, the gutting second installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, full of heartbreak, redemption, blood intrigue and heart-pounding action.
Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power—and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
Crowns of Nyaxia Reading Order:
The Serpent & the Wings of Night
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone
Crowns of Nyaxia Standalones
Six Scorched Roses (short novel)
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
BUY THE BOOK
Join a book club that is reading The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King: Book 2 of the Nightborn Duet (Crowns of Nyaxia, 2)!
Community Reviews
What Bookclubbers are saying about this book
✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King* delivers a captivating continuation with complex characters and a compelling love story, especially aro...
I undoubtedly loved this book. However, I feel like it could’ve been about 200 pages shorter. There were parts early on that I felt like were unnecessary & I wished the story would just progress. I’m super happy with the ending & hoping we get to find out about what happened to Septimus in future books!
I undoubtedly loved this book. However, I feel like it could’ve been about 200 pages shorter. There were parts early on that I felt like were unnecessary & I wished the story would just progress. I’m super happy with the ending & hoping we get to find out about what happened to Septimus in future books!
I really enjoyed The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. Raihn’s obsession with Oraya was hot, sweet, and gave me some fantastic possessive banter. Their chemistry builds from a distance for a lot of the book. The yearning was top notch.
Oraya spends much of the story uncovering secret after secret about Vincent, her past, and the kingdom she thought she understood. I liked watching her slowly realize that so much of what she believed was incomplete. She eventually figures out who the real threat is while showing cruelty towards Raihn. I was honestly worried she had pushed Raihn away for too long and completely ruined his trust in her.
Raihn’s patience is truly above and beyond. Oraya rejects him again and again while he continues to give her space to grieve and work through everything. Their relationship has a lot of yearning because the feelings are clearly still there, but neither of them is in a position to act on them. Raihn is completely obsessed with Oraya. His yearning and one liners of obssessed smutty talk made me melt. While Raihn knows more than Oraya, he still lets her make her own choices and come to her own conclusions. His decision to let her be made me love him even more.
Carissa Broadbent’s writing can be longwinded. I expect some of that from a fantasy with this much worldbuilding, politics, magic, and history. Some sections moved slower than others, but I thought the conclusion to Raihn and Oraya’s storyline was very well done. Their arc felt complete without making me feel finished with the larger Crowns of Nyaxia world.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Aiden Snow and Amanda Leigh Cobb. Amanda Leigh Cobb does a great job with Oraya, especially during the more stirring parts of the story. Aiden Snow, though. That deep voice will melt you. During the sex scenes, my jaw dropped. I could not get enough of him as Raihn.
I am definitely going to miss Raihn and his hot vampire self, but I am excited to learn more about the other characters in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. I really hope Raihn and Oraya make appearances in the other books because I am not ready to completely say goodbye to them.
Carissa Broadbent has slated herself as one of my favorite authors after not 1 not 2 but now 3 books of hers that i’ve read. The way she writes a story keeps me hooked and wanting more. I love Oraya and Raihn so freaking much. Ashes follows them post trials & tells the story of how they’re to run their newly inherited kingdom together. It’s a mess. It’s insane. It’s heartwarming. It’s devastating. It’s mischievous. It’s quite lovely. I will be sat & can’t wait to continue the series
This second book in the series wasn’t as good as the first however was ok I liked it in some part to continue the story. Raihns story got a little boring… I liked it better when they were falling in love and Vincent was around more. Mischa was a good character. I have Six Scorched Roses in my tbr to check out another book by this author.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.