A review by bzliz
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Oraya is the adopted human daughter of a vampire king and has been protected and trained by him for years so she can enter a magical death tournament in honor of the goddess of vampires. She reluctantly teams up with Mische and Raihn when it becomes clear she needs allies. They work together to unlock her magic (which is spotty at best) and get through the trials. Mische gets severely injured in an attack on the palace where the tournament is held and Oraya makes an unsavory deal to get her new friend out to safety, paving the way for romance to reluctantly blossom for her and Raihn. 

The story is compelling even for readers who aren’t huge vampire fans. I really had to dove head first into the lore because there’s a lot of characters, places & factions named that you need to remember. Now that I’m in it, the story has its hooks in me and I can’t wait to start the next one. 

Content warnings: 
Blood, death, gore, injury, violence (on page):
This is a book about a vampire death match with a side story of war brewing.

Body horror (on page):
In addition the the previous warning, during one of the trials, the contestants realize that the demons they’re fighting are mutilated versions of other contestants who have died.

Murder (on page, flashback):
Oraya regularly goes to the human district to kill vampires who prey on the humans there because it’s supposed to be protected. Her first kill was her first love at the behest of her father, which we see in flashback form.

Sexual content (on page):
Oraya and Raihn finally give in and have sex the night before the final trial. If you don’t want to read that, you can easily tell it’s coming and can skip the whole chapter.

Death of parent (on page):
Raihn kills Vincent immediately following the final trial. Oraya is instantly grief stricken.

Sexual assault (on page, flashback):
Oraya’s first sexual encounter is told through flashback and we got hints of it leading up to the full story. She and a young Turned vampire were sneaking around together for a while and consensually began having sex, during which he started to lose control because of her human blood. Oraya told him to stop and he didn’t/couldn’t and he bit and almost killed her. Her focus is not on the sex but in the neck bite that is likely to kill her before she manages to fight back and get away to run to her father’s protection.

Rape (off page, mentions of):
Raihn mentions raping Oraya as part of an act of bravado to keep her alive and safe while others call for her death. There are implications that Vincent may have raped the former queen.
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