tobereadbookshelf 's review for:

The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Denial is a river and our girl Oraya was drowning in it. It’s baffling that she questioned so little throughout the course of her life. I won’t pretend to have seen all the plot twists coming, but I certainly picked up on more than she did. At the very least she should have considered what other motivation her father could have for sending her into the trial. I also really don’t understand Raihn joining the Kejari to protect Mische when it was a fight to the death. Did he plan to just kill himself if it came down to the two of them? At one point I know he said he would have found a way to get her out, but that seems unlikely. 

Despite a few plot holes here and there, I thoroughly enjoyed this which was a pleasant surprise. I find that I am often disappointed by the books that have received this level of hype and TikTok celebrity. It’s a nice feeling to be able to jump on the bandwagon for once and be just as excited for a book as everyone else. The build up of the romance was expertly done and despite the revelations near the end, Raihn is prime book boyfriend material. He may even been in my top 5! From what I’ve heard, book two isn’t quite as good, so I may put off reading it for a little while. I just want to bask in the glow for a bit without tainting it. 😅

“Death isn’t frightening when weighed against an insignificant existence.”