Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - The Serpent and the Wings of Night

The description of this book suggests that fans of ACOTAR and FBAA will enjoy this, while I find it has some similar elements—winged people, vampires, a “human” protagonist who is making her way through a world of stronger more magical beings—I think this errs more towards fans of stories like The Hunger Games, Laura Thalassa’s Four Horseman books and other more plot focused stories.

Yes, there is romance ala the former aforementioned stories of which the romance is the main focus, BUT plot is a big portion more closely in kind to the later.

There’s a good bit of world building but I comes in smaller chunks as our main character Oraya discovers and unravels the secrets her adoptive Vampire King father has kept from her since he first saved her as a small child.

There are still things that are yet to be revealed that I am looking forward to the next book hopefully explaining.

The story goes quick as Oraya and her unlikely ally Raihn team up during a months long tournament to the death that can only end with one victor (see: Hunger Games-ish)

There is tension and danger mysteries and betrayals, and the culmination of two people who should be apposed forced to work together who bond over their discovered similarities.

I will say, the ending—shook me. I was NOT expecting everything that went down—I’m usually quicker to figure out things than I was with this which was pleasantly surprising.

The spice—though sparse—I mean we are in a death tournament people and our protagonists are badly wounded for a majority of this book—so we gotta take what we can get —is 🤌🏼🤌🏼 worth the wait. People who want lots of spice beware the SINGULAR full spice scene doesn’t *cough* come *cough* until about the 80% mark.

Lastly the banter between these two once barriers finally start to break down between these two is PERFECTION. I was laughing out loud at some of the remarks.

And I may have shed a tear or two at the end.

Once again beware cliffhangers—as this is the first of a duet I believe and the sequel is regrettably not released yet.

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taylasfootnotes's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

After what feels like millennia of supernatural narratives with, excuse the pun, no bite, along comes Indie Author, Carissa Broadbent with a tale that not only adds to the genre, but also feels like a homecoming for those of us who love (and grew up on) vampire romances.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first instalment of the Crowns of Nyaxia universe, which follows our main protagonists, Oraya and Raihn, as they compete in the Kejari, a legendary tournament held by the Goddess Nyaxia, the goddess of death.

Oraya, who is

half

human and was adopted by the Vampire King, Vincent, was raised to not be a cowering, little thing. She is a warrior in her own right, one that has mastered years of combat and weapons training through the thorough tutelage of her adoptive father. Her one goal? Win the Kejari and become the one thing she has ached to be her entire existence; to be independent and powerful enough to find her true family.

On the eve of the Kejari being announced, Oraya knows she is already at a disadvantage to her fellow contestants, all of whom are vampires from across the realm and from competing Houses. Oraya's strategy for winning these trials is simple, separate herself from the vampires and stay alive with the skills she's been taught. But after becoming injured in the first of the four trails, Oraya has no choice but accept a lucrative alliance with Raihn, an unusual vampire from an opposing House to her own and his happy-go-sunshine friend, Mische. Thus begins a fragile partnership between the three of them and as the nights go past, Oraya finds herself becoming comfortable with the eccentric ways of Mische and the toungue-in-cheek banter with Raihn.

Broadbent doesn't make the romance the key focal point in this story. There is no denying that the romance and the palpable tension between Oraya and Raihn is often toe-curlingly good, and when those moments appear, they are a much needed break from the darkness and struggle that Oraya is having to overcome in the trails as a human. The romance between these two characters shows a softer, neglected side of Oraya's character arc, as we begin to understand her complicated past with lovers and her upbringing with Vincent. There is one scene in particular that I absolutely loved between Raihn and Oraya and that is in the middle for the second trial. IYKYK.

The world building feels rich and lush, with every detail so painstakingly thought out. From the landscape, to the intricacies of each house and the world history. The plot and choices made by Broadbent's characters feel realistic as they move throughout the world. There wasn't a moment where I felt board or that it was predicable. Especially at turning point 2 in the book, I was pleasantly surprised that my theories were correct and the outcome at the end of the novel was both fitting and satisfying.

This has been my most favourite read of 2022. I am so thankful to have been given this recommendation through my Kindle Amazon library. No only has it given me a new author to thoroughly consume and enjoy, it has made me a reader of Carissa's work for life.

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swonders_'s review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

5.0

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