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ginnymiglierina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
A slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance between a human and a vampire could never end well…and it doesn’t. The friendship and romance between Oraya and Raihn, full of banter and rawness and half-truths, develops organically and is so satisfying to read, even with its dark twist at the end. The last 60 or so pages had me in a chokehold - it felt like the end of a SJM book.
The story is well paced, the action doesn’t drag out too long and the “slower” parts are still animated and interesting. I think the tournaments and trials are becoming a little overdone in fantasy books and it feels like reading different versions of the same book - especially when there is a more or less powerless human who is somehow stronger than anyone with powers or other creatures and manages to defeat the opposition. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story and world building and I’m interested to see what happens with the rest of the series!
The story is well paced, the action doesn’t drag out too long and the “slower” parts are still animated and interesting. I think the tournaments and trials are becoming a little overdone in fantasy books and it feels like reading different versions of the same book - especially when there is a more or less powerless human who is somehow stronger than anyone with powers or other creatures and manages to defeat the opposition. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story and world building and I’m interested to see what happens with the rest of the series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Rape and Physical abuse
Minor: Torture and Slavery
ju_els's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a slow burn with 1.5 chili peppers of 5 where 4th wing would be 4 chili peppers for reference. This is a decent read if you’re coming off of a ACOTAR hangover.
I appreciated the character development. I hate it went authors drone on and on about how blue the sky is. This author didn’t overly elaborate on detail but it was enough to develop a feel for the world/setting. I was surprised how engaged I became in the fight scenes. The work left me chomping at the bit for book 2.
I appreciated the character development. I hate it went authors drone on and on about how blue the sky is. This author didn’t overly elaborate on detail but it was enough to develop a feel for the world/setting. I was surprised how engaged I became in the fight scenes. The work left me chomping at the bit for book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
zoeyfawn's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Violence
Moderate: Torture, Death, Blood, Racism, Sexual content, and Gore
radiergummi15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Warning: slight spoilers, but only for general vibes + context for content warning
Very addictive, good plottwists and cliffhangers, interesting themes (humanity & power(lessness)), not my favorite romance, but still enjoyable. Very interesting parent-child dynamic. I don't know how to handle the ending though (in good and bad ways). Do look up the content warnings and please be aware that the way this book handles the topic of sexual assault might be disturbing to some due to (main) characters making explicit threats about it. Also don't pick this up if you don't want morally gray main characters.
Very addictive, good plottwists and cliffhangers, interesting themes (humanity & power(lessness)), not my favorite romance, but still enjoyable. Very interesting parent-child dynamic. I don't know how to handle the ending though (in good and bad ways). Do look up the content warnings and please be aware that the way this book handles the topic of sexual assault might be disturbing to some due to (main) characters making explicit threats about it. Also don't pick this up if you don't want morally gray main characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Murder, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Rape
Minor: Torture, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
theresamothinmyroom's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Slavery, Violence, Cursing, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Sexual content, War, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Ableism, Misogyny, Addiction, Slavery, and Hate crime
Minor: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
boba_n_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️ / 5
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is my first Carissa Broadbent book, and suffice it to say I am HOOKED.
Oraya is the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Vincent, and throughout her 23 years, her father has taught her to do away with her humanity and embrace the vampiric way of life. She is taught time and time again that she can trust no one and that she is prey in a world full of predators. Vincent has always wanted Oraya to be more than just a human, and her chance to do that comes in the form of the Kejari: a legendary tournament hosted by Nyaxia, the goddess of death and mother of all vampires. Oraya is the only human in the tournament and underestimated by most of the other competitors, except for one. She is forced to create an alliance with Raihn, who is a ruthless vampire and an enemy to her father's crown. Despite all of her instincts and training telling her to stay away, Oraya finds herself innately drawn to Raihn for reasons she can't quite explain, and that terrifies her. Especially because, though they may be allies for now, there can only be one victor at the end.
The author does an excellent job building this world slowly and through anecdotes instead of just telling readers everything about it. I enjoyed the entirety of this book, but once I hit the last 100 pages, just like in a Sarah J. Maas book, sh!t started to go down. And I was here for it. When my husband tried to talk to me, I wouldn't listen because I was that engrossed in the story.
Broadbent has a way of drawing you in, and the first-person POV helps you truly understand Oraya and come to love her despite her standoffish demeanor and ruthlessness. Though I read a lot of fantasy romance novels, I can assure you this one will stick with me for a long time.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is my first Carissa Broadbent book, and suffice it to say I am HOOKED.
Oraya is the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Vincent, and throughout her 23 years, her father has taught her to do away with her humanity and embrace the vampiric way of life. She is taught time and time again that she can trust no one and that she is prey in a world full of predators. Vincent has always wanted Oraya to be more than just a human, and her chance to do that comes in the form of the Kejari: a legendary tournament hosted by Nyaxia, the goddess of death and mother of all vampires. Oraya is the only human in the tournament and underestimated by most of the other competitors, except for one. She is forced to create an alliance with Raihn, who is a ruthless vampire and an enemy to her father's crown. Despite all of her instincts and training telling her to stay away, Oraya finds herself innately drawn to Raihn for reasons she can't quite explain, and that terrifies her. Especially because, though they may be allies for now, there can only be one victor at the end.
The author does an excellent job building this world slowly and through anecdotes instead of just telling readers everything about it. I enjoyed the entirety of this book, but once I hit the last 100 pages, just like in a Sarah J. Maas book, sh!t started to go down. And I was here for it. When my husband tried to talk to me, I wouldn't listen because I was that engrossed in the story.
Broadbent has a way of drawing you in, and the first-person POV helps you truly understand Oraya and come to love her despite her standoffish demeanor and ruthlessness. Though I read a lot of fantasy romance novels, I can assure you this one will stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Cursing, Violence, Sexual content, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Rape, Genocide, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Self harm, Death of parent, and Slavery
savannahsshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Wowwowow! This book really grabbed me by the throat I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to read the next book! For me this is more like a 4.75⭐️ than a 5 but damn it was close and I cannot wait to read more of this series and this author
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Gore and Slavery
trbduncan's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
literarymary95's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I don't know why but I was not a fan of this book. I'm still planning to read the sequel but hopefully that one's better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Torture
Minor: Self harm, Slavery, and Death of parent
nikitagupta98's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Gore
Minor: Self harm and Rape