The Serpent & the Wings of Night: Book 1 of the Nightborn Duet (Crowns of Nyaxia, 1)
An Instant New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
This new hardcover edition of the bestselling The Serpent & the Wings of Night features new case art, and a detailed map!
The Hunger Games meets vampires in this heart-wrenching, epic fantasy romance of dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue from bestselling author Carissa Broadbent.
For humans and vampires, 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 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.
The Serpent & the Wings of Night is the first book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.
This edition features beautiful, brand-new case art and a detailed map of the Obitraes.
Crowns of Nyaxia Reading Order:
The Serpent & the Wings of Night
The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone
The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk
Crowns of Nyaxia Standalones
Six Scorched Roses (short novel)
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
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Readers say *The Serpent & the Wings of Night* is a fast-paced, gripping fantasy featuring complex characters, intense trials, and a dark, bloody vamp...
I went into this expecting another cheesy romantasy. Yes... it's about vampires... yes... there's romance... but it ended up being much better than I expected.
The first few chapters honestly had me worried. The story drops you straight into the middle of everything, and my first thought was, "Oh great... another Hunger Games." With the whole a bunch of vampires fighting to the death to win the glory of the tournament. Thankfully, it quickly proved to be much more than that.
I felt that the worldbuilding actually has substance. The magic, the different vampire houses, the gods, the political conflicts, and how everything fits together are all explained well enough that I never felt lost, or that I needed to suspend too much disbelief. I don't need every fantasy novel to have a hard ridged magic system, but I do want to understand the rules of the world I'm reading about, and this book delivers on that. I will at times accept "sometimes it do be like that...." but I prefer a reasonable explanation.
Oraya was also a pleasant surprise. She's a genuinely capable protagonist without constantly reminding the reader that she's "strong." Her skills are earned, her vulnerabilities make sense, and she feels well thought out rather than a collection of fantasy heroine clichés.
The romance worked for me because it was built over time. It never felt like the characters were attracted to each other simply because the plot demanded it. Their relationship develops naturally... mutual respect, and growing trust, yata yata yata which made it much more believable than a lot of romantasy I've read.
I've said in plenty of other reviews that I don't really care for gratuitous smut, and this book confirmed that you can include explicit scenes without letting them take over the story. There were a couple of moments that went on longer than I personally needed, but overall it still felt like a fantasy novel first and a romance second... not the other way around.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. It has an interesting world, a compelling protagonist, believable character relationships, and enough political intrigue to keep me invested. I'll definitely be continuing the series.
The first few chapters honestly had me worried. The story drops you straight into the middle of everything, and my first thought was, "Oh great... another Hunger Games." With the whole a bunch of vampires fighting to the death to win the glory of the tournament. Thankfully, it quickly proved to be much more than that.
I felt that the worldbuilding actually has substance. The magic, the different vampire houses, the gods, the political conflicts, and how everything fits together are all explained well enough that I never felt lost, or that I needed to suspend too much disbelief. I don't need every fantasy novel to have a hard ridged magic system, but I do want to understand the rules of the world I'm reading about, and this book delivers on that. I will at times accept "sometimes it do be like that...." but I prefer a reasonable explanation.
Oraya was also a pleasant surprise. She's a genuinely capable protagonist without constantly reminding the reader that she's "strong." Her skills are earned, her vulnerabilities make sense, and she feels well thought out rather than a collection of fantasy heroine clichés.
The romance worked for me because it was built over time. It never felt like the characters were attracted to each other simply because the plot demanded it. Their relationship develops naturally... mutual respect, and growing trust, yata yata yata which made it much more believable than a lot of romantasy I've read.
I've said in plenty of other reviews that I don't really care for gratuitous smut, and this book confirmed that you can include explicit scenes without letting them take over the story. There were a couple of moments that went on longer than I personally needed, but overall it still felt like a fantasy novel first and a romance second... not the other way around.
Overall, this was a pleasant surprise. It has an interesting world, a compelling protagonist, believable character relationships, and enough political intrigue to keep me invested. I'll definitely be continuing the series.
it’s a 5 star babes. it’s a 5 star.
The writing is what got me. HOOKED. Love the way this was broken up and being able to follow along the journey of the main characters in the kejari.
The love story also had me giggling and kicking my feet watching it unfold.
GIRL WHAT AN ENDING. The last 50 pages are insane. Like how did she think of that & why & WHAT DO YOU MEAN. i want to immediately keep reading.
The writing is what got me. HOOKED. Love the way this was broken up and being able to follow along the journey of the main characters in the kejari.
The love story also had me giggling and kicking my feet watching it unfold.
GIRL WHAT AN ENDING. The last 50 pages are insane. Like how did she think of that & why & WHAT DO YOU MEAN. i want to immediately keep reading.