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A review by caitcoy
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is one of the few true romantasy titles that I've picked up and it was a bit of a mixed experience that overall I ended up enjoying more than I expected. The story follows Oraya, a human woman raised in the court of the Nightborn vampire king and whose only route to protection for herself and to help her adopted father is to win a competition full of vampires. The only options are to win or to die and Oraya is at a distinct disadvantage unless she can find some allies she won't mind betraying later.
When I initially started Serpent, I thought I might end up DNFing it in the first couple chapters. Broadbent's writing style tends a bit flowery and very dramatic, to the point that it made me think of some of the CW shows. That kind of style is just vaguely off-putting to me without some humor or intrigue to balance it. I also didn't find Oraya to be super likeable since she seemed like a standard, emotionally closed-off stabby FMC. Where it changed for me was the introduction of Raihn, a very snarky rival vampire who from his very entrance banters with Oraya and brings out some of the more interesting elements of her character. And then once the competition started ramping up, I found myself growing intrigued as well.
I also appreciated the way that Broadbent handled some of the relationships. Not just the obvious developing romance between Oraya and Raihn but also the toxic but loving relationship Oraya had with her father Vincent (earlier mentioned Nightborn king) and Raihn's friend who had her own history but was an interesting counterpoint to both main characters.
Overall, while Serpent itself isn't necessarily a new favorite, I had a really fun time with it and am intrigued to see where it goes in the second book of the duology. I really loved the banter between Oraya and Raihn and am curious to learn more about the vampire world that Broadbent created.
When I initially started Serpent, I thought I might end up DNFing it in the first couple chapters. Broadbent's writing style tends a bit flowery and very dramatic, to the point that it made me think of some of the CW shows. That kind of style is just vaguely off-putting to me without some humor or intrigue to balance it. I also didn't find Oraya to be super likeable since she seemed like a standard, emotionally closed-off stabby FMC. Where it changed for me was the introduction of Raihn, a very snarky rival vampire who from his very entrance banters with Oraya and brings out some of the more interesting elements of her character. And then once the competition started ramping up, I found myself growing intrigued as well.
I also appreciated the way that Broadbent handled some of the relationships. Not just the obvious developing romance between Oraya and Raihn but also the toxic but loving relationship Oraya had with her father Vincent (earlier mentioned Nightborn king) and Raihn's friend who had her own history but was an interesting counterpoint to both main characters.
Overall, while Serpent itself isn't necessarily a new favorite, I had a really fun time with it and am intrigued to see where it goes in the second book of the duology. I really loved the banter between Oraya and Raihn and am curious to learn more about the vampire world that Broadbent created.