REVIEW: “The Serpent & the Wings of Night” by Carissa Broadbent

“The king did not know then that his greatest love would also be his ruination – nor that either would come in the form of a tiny, helpless human child.”

When a book starts with a line like that, you know you’re in for a good one. This book had me hooked from the first moment and I’m so glad I had the second book to just go on with straight away because I think the hangover would have been too great to go on if I hadn’t.

Enemies to lovers (and back again) | Strong female lead (but not annoying)

Vampires and Magic | Public, deadly trials for power (think Hunger Games)

Spicy romance (but you don’t need to hide your page) | Amazing world-building

The basics

“The Serpent & the Wings of Night”, released in mid-2022, is part of the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent and is the first book in the Nightborn duet. The main series is planned to consist of 6 books, plus some standalone novellas and full-length novels. There are a lot of names and terms throughout the book and throughout this review that are exclusive to the world, so I’ve made an info post about the series, along with a glossary. I’ve tried to go through this review with minimal spoilers for now, so I hope none slip through and the review is still comprehensive enough!

The setting

This story is set in a completely fantasy world full of vampires and magic – there are humans but of course they’re the ‘lesser’ species and are generally preyed upon, even if they live in ‘protected’ zones in the city. We spend our time in the House of Night’s capital, Sivrinaj, where the Hiaj clan rule from the Nightborn castle, and is also home to the Moon Palace where the Kejari takes place. The vampires follow their goddess, Nyaxia, who gave them “life”, as well as a pantheon of other less mentioned or revered gods and goddesses.

The Kejari is a tournament that is held once a century, where contestants fight to the death to gain a gift from Nyaxia. At the end of the mentally and physically taxing, and deadly tournament, there is only one contestant standing. After the final trial – there are four – the last contestant standing is honoured with the presence of the goddess, Nyaxia, and granted a wish.

Who is our cast?

Main female lead, Oraya, is a human living among vampires of the House of Night’s ruling clan, the Hiaj, the adopted daughter of the king, who saved her from death when she was a small child. She’s grown up knowing she’s weaker and more vulnerable than the beings around her but learning to compensate for those shortcomings to keep herself alive. The result is a young woman that can stand up for herself and likes to kill rogue vampires about to kill humans in her free time (of which she has a lot). She’s entering the Kejari to ask Nyaxia to make her her father’s Coriatae so she has the strength to protect the humans and avenge her family.

Enter Raihn, a vampire also of the House of Night, though part of the non-ruling Rishan clan. He’s everything you want in a potential love interest for your strong main character. He’s tall, good looking, strong, and mysterious – different from the other vampires around Oraya. The thing that makes him different from other love interests in my opinion is his sense of humour. While he’s a little broody (of course he’s got a deep dark history), he’s witty, ready with a grin, and a huge tease. The brother-sister friendship he has with another character, Mische, is charming and wonderful to read.

Other notable characters include:

• King Vincent, the Hiaj King of the House of Night vampires, who saved Oraya from the rubble of the home she lived in with her human family that been destroyed by enemy vampires.

• Mische, a Rishan vampire, who enters the Kejari with Raihn, who is like a brother to her. She is a strong magic user, wielding fire to get herself through the first trials. Her humour and supportive, light attitude were a welcome balm to Oraya’s harshness.

My thoughts

I loved reading about Oraya’s story and her road to the Kejari, her relationship with her ‘father’, and the way she interacts with those around her – as a human amongst vampires, prey amongst predators. And of course – can’t go by without saying that I love Raihn and he filled a little of the Xaden sized hole in my heart… maybe. I knew this book would leave me heartbroken – make sure you’ve got tissues! Favourite character outside of the main two was Mische, who was a welcome, adorable surprise.

I 100% recommend this book if you love romantasy, romance, fantasy, vampires – well anything really, it something for everything.