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A review by cabinet_13_review
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
5.0
The sequel to The Serpent and the Wings of Night, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King picks up directly following the aftermath of the Kejari. Told through the viewpoints of both Oraya, Queen of the Hiaj and her greatest rival, Raihn, King of the Rishan. Battling enemies outside their walls and within, Oraya and Raihn are also battling something within themselves. Desperate to keep their kingdoms and their hearts safe, they once again join forces to search for a power that will either bring them victory over their enemies or destroy everything they hold dear.
I liked this one even more than I did the first. The dueling perspectives really round out the story telling. We get to see the fierceness of both MCs as well as their vulnerability. I found myself cheering them both on while simultaneously scolding them for being so stubborn.
Told through flashbacks, we finally get more insight into Raihn's painful creation and his motivations. Adding yet another layer to him. The previous book left us with a lot of questions surrounding who and what Oraya is and through the destruction of her carefully curated childhood and the painful reveal of her father's secrets Oraya (as well as the reader) gets the answers she has been searching for.
The pacing was definitely a lot slower here and I appreciated that. I was given time to really digest what was happening following the slaughter of the Kejari. Carissa is exceptionally skillful at writing action scenes and weaving in those dramatic flourishes of love and fear between the characters through the thick of it.
This did everything a sequel should. The world of Obitraes was expanded. We reached the outer limits of the kingdom and experienced the devastation left from Vincent's rise to power. Saw the places where love was carved out of stone and where blood ran freely in the name of it. Plot lines crossed and were completed, with satisfaction. The insight into the other Houses is also expanded on briefly. Septimus, the snake of the House of Blood, reveals more about his character, his vision, and his motivations. We are also introduced to slightly more about the House of Shadow and I suspect will learn even more in the next novel.
I'm exceptionally fond of characters that I love to hate and hate to love. Vincent is one of those. I applaud Carissa here, especially. Her ability to write a character so complex and enigmatic. Keeping the mystery of him from Oraya as well as the reader until the moment where we are all worn ragged and raw that we just break open. All of his flaws and glory laid out in ways that were all very much, him. Both brutal and gentle, vicious and caring, selfish and selfless.
I am excited to get to know this world and her people more. The tease of the next book being about Mische has me on the edge of my seat and I'm ready to have my heart ripped open once more.
A side note: there is a side story set in the world of Crowns of Nyaxia called Six Scorched Roses. It is not necessary to read before or between the duet books, but it did enhance the experience of reading this one having already been privy to that storyline.
I liked this one even more than I did the first. The dueling perspectives really round out the story telling. We get to see the fierceness of both MCs as well as their vulnerability. I found myself cheering them both on while simultaneously scolding them for being so stubborn.
Told through flashbacks, we finally get more insight into Raihn's painful creation and his motivations. Adding yet another layer to him. The previous book left us with a lot of questions surrounding who and what Oraya is and through the destruction of her carefully curated childhood and the painful reveal of her father's secrets Oraya (as well as the reader) gets the answers she has been searching for.
The pacing was definitely a lot slower here and I appreciated that. I was given time to really digest what was happening following the slaughter of the Kejari. Carissa is exceptionally skillful at writing action scenes and weaving in those dramatic flourishes of love and fear between the characters through the thick of it.
This did everything a sequel should. The world of Obitraes was expanded. We reached the outer limits of the kingdom and experienced the devastation left from Vincent's rise to power. Saw the places where love was carved out of stone and where blood ran freely in the name of it. Plot lines crossed and were completed, with satisfaction. The insight into the other Houses is also expanded on briefly. Septimus, the snake of the House of Blood, reveals more about his character, his vision, and his motivations. We are also introduced to slightly more about the House of Shadow and I suspect will learn even more in the next novel.
I'm exceptionally fond of characters that I love to hate and hate to love. Vincent is one of those. I applaud Carissa here, especially. Her ability to write a character so complex and enigmatic. Keeping the mystery of him from Oraya as well as the reader until the moment where we are all worn ragged and raw that we just break open. All of his flaws and glory laid out in ways that were all very much, him. Both brutal and gentle, vicious and caring, selfish and selfless.
I am excited to get to know this world and her people more. The tease of the next book being about Mische has me on the edge of my seat and I'm ready to have my heart ripped open once more.
A side note: there is a side story set in the world of Crowns of Nyaxia called Six Scorched Roses. It is not necessary to read before or between the duet books, but it did enhance the experience of reading this one having already been privy to that storyline.