I absolutely loved this book! The only reason this isn’t 5 stars is because the story did drag at times.

I loved the vampire worldbuilding in this book. Broadbent was able to make them bloodthirsty and brutal while also humanizing them with a few integral characters.

The ending completely had me shook, and I can’t wait to finish the series.

"The Serpent & the Wings of Night" by Carissa Broadbent is a captivating and spellbinding tale that seamlessly weaves romance, dark magic, and political intrigue into a richly imagined fantasy world.

The story revolves around Oraya, an adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, and her journey to survive the Kejari, a legendary tournament hosted by the goddess of death herself. To succeed, Oraya must form an unlikely alliance with Raihn, a ruthless vampire and her fiercest competitor. Their growing connection adds layers of complexity to a plot already brimming with tension.

One of the book's standout features is its intricate world-building. Broadbent crafts a vivid and immersive realm inhabited by different vampire houses, each with its own unique culture and power dynamics. The details and history of this world are woven seamlessly into the narrative, enhancing the reader's understanding and engagement.

The characters in this story are multi-dimensional and well-developed. Oraya is a strong and relatable protagonist who grapples with her identity, her loyalty to her father, and her growing attraction to Raihn. Raihn, on the other hand, is a complex character with a mysterious past and hidden motives, making him a compelling figure in the story.

The romance between Oraya and Raihn is a central theme and is portrayed with depth and emotion. Their relationship evolves naturally, and the chemistry between them is palpable. As they navigate the treacherous waters of the tournament and political intrigue, their love story adds layers of tension and intrigue to the narrative.

The plot is filled with twists and turns, keeping readers engaged and guessing until the very end. The pacing is well-balanced, with moments of action and suspense interspersed with quieter, character-driven scenes.

Overall, "The Serpent & the Wings of Night" is a gripping fantasy novel that will appeal to fans of romance and dark fantasy. Carissa Broadbent's storytelling is both compelling and enchanting, making this book a must-read for those who enjoy immersive and character-driven fantasy tales. It's a promising start to the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment.

You all, if I could give this book 10⭐️, I would. It was such an amazing, well written story! I was sad, happy, scared, nervous and surprised all at one time!

Oraya and Raihn were such fun characters to follow in such a bleak and depressing world. I felt that the world building was easy to understand but yet still in depth.

I can’t wait to learn all about the other side characters and houses in the next books!

Spice: 🌶️🌶️/5

I seriously can’t stop thinking about this book, I loved it so much!

Read this if you:
🩸 Need a book after an ACOTAR hangover
🩸 Like enemies to lovers too ?
🩸 Like the Hunger Games tuned adult with vampires

Read this book if you like:
-drama & suspense
-a snarky hero & heroine
-touch her and I'll unalive you
-prophecies
-vampire + human romance

**perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Jennifer L Armentrout

Oraya is the adopted daughter of the vampire King, Vincent. It has been her fathers greatest desire for Oraya to truly become his daughter, not in name but also in blood. The only way for Oraya to achieve this is to enter the Kejari so that when she wins she can ask the goddess Nyaxia to bond herself to her father.

Oraya is determined to win the competition, but her competitors are fierce. No one as fierce as Raihn Ashraj. Oraya and Raihn ultimately form a tentative relationship. They will become allies for the duration of the competition. They both know that if they were to end up the only two left to battle - one of them will have to die.

But what happens when they start to get close...and their feelings for one another become muddled. Both Oraya and Raihn must face some hard truths and determine which one of them will be left the victor of the competition.

Gah, how I loooooved this book! Raihn and Oraya together were perfect! I loved their banter, their chemistry and how these two ended up caring so much for one another. The Serpent and the Wings of Night is a slooooooooooow, but Carissa Broadbent knows how to bring the heat!

One of my favorite parts of this book was Oraya's relationship with her father Vincent. They didn't always have an easy relationship, but Vincent's love for Oraya is present throughout the entire book if you're looking close enough.

This book made me laugh, had my heart racing during the competition and also shedding so many tears into my pillow. If you're looking for a book that you won't be able to put down once you pick it up - grab The Serpent and the Wings of Night.

I. Loved. This. Book.
As soon as I started reading I couldn’t put it down. The characters were incredible, the trials were nail biting, and the overall mysteriousness of the whole world had me wishing I could read faster. The world felt unique but with enough familiarity that I didn’t feel overwhelmed while reading. I absolutely adore Carissa’s writing style and have loved every book by her that I’ve read. I’m dying for more of the series and I cannot wait to see where everything is going to go!

Thank you for the early e-arc!

This was a fast, engaging read - great if you're looking for something similar to ACOTAR. However, I found the world building and the relationship between the main characters a little flat. I had a hard time picturing where they were, how the tournament looked, or what the main character looked like.

There was also a formatting error in the book. Chapters 46-50 were missing. I kept reading anyway, and discovered those missing chapters were at the end of the book.

Oh my gosh I LOVED this book so freaking much. Rhain and Oraya are everything and I can’t wait for the next!!

human girl adopted and raised by a king of vampires, enters a cutthroat magical tournament which honors the goddess of vampires, who will grant the winner any one wish of their asking, also with a romance brewing in the backdrop which is making each new trail more and more difficult and confusing. oh friends, i ate this up with a spoon and i am here typing this mini review and begging my postman to deliver the novella and second book of this series immediately!

for the twilight girls, the hunger games girls, the girls who love enemies to lovers with a different hidden enemies to lovers within. the girls who love complicated father daughter relationships (the “never you” truly broke me into a million pieces) !! i really had a good time with this one, and carissa broadbent really knows how to write an endearing main character that you can’t help but put your entire heart into rooting for. the hype is totally warranted for this fantasy romance, in my opinion.

trigger + content warnings: loss of family/loss of loved ones throughout this book, blood, parental abuse, murder, gore, self harm to get blood, nightmares, ptsd, grief, self harm mention in past, vomit, violence, anxiety, war, torture, battle, sexual assault in past, insinuation of rape in past, forced starvation (vampires with blood), animal death, slavery, captivity, fire, ableist terms for disabilities

The Serpent and the Wings of Night was such a fun read! Admittedly, it took me awhile to fully get into the story, but when I did I could not put it down. I really liked the way the relationship with her father comes to play and going back and forth on what is right and wrong. The ending was showstopping truly and I can't wait to read more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for a copy of The Serpent and The Wings Of Night in exchange for an honest review.

4.5⭐️

Loved this book!!! A story that quickly grips your from the start and pulls you completely into it’s world in the best way.

Vampires meets hunger games in this fantasy romance.
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn
- strong FMC
- magic
- witty banter
- cliffhanger ending

“There she is” 🥹🥵 Raihn is IT. His level of undying love, protection, and devotion made my heart swell. Big fan of this book bf🫶🏼

So excited to read the sequel and that this series is plotted for 5 books! This was my first time reading Carissa Broadbent and I am a FAN! Her writing is SO well done and captivating to read. Also I really appreciate the glossary at the end of the book!!

listen up and listen closely. if you've been searching for a fast paced fantasy with an addicting romance sub-plot, immersive world and magic systems, with the vibes of throne of glass/ the hunger games LOOK NO FURTHER

I just know you guys will love this series so much, BUT if you need more convincing here are some highlights:
-our fmc, Oraya, is the perfect blend of Celaena Sardothien, Jude Duarte, and Bryce Quinlan
-our mmc, Raihn (swoon), is the peRFECT blend of Rowan Whitethorn, Cassian, with a hint of Rhysand???
(winged fantasy men, what can I say)
-Oraya is so wonderfully complex, and her growth in just book one is so amazing
-the stakes are HIGH and the pacing is wonderful!
-slow burn. enemies to lovers. @
-while we're on that topic, let me clarify. this book has quite literally one of the best slow burn enemies to lovers situations i've read... like, they're actually enemies... yup.
-if you enjoy reading books that just casually drop plot bombs on you with absolutely no warning BEST ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR RN

all that being said, PLEASE read this book. if only so we can scream about it together.
my soul? no longer mine. my two brain cells? they belong to this series. my tbr? all of carissa broadbent's books immediately.

Hi, I'm obsessed.

Honestly an understatement.

This story was everything and more then what I wanted.

I thought this was just going to be another fun fanro to read. But please no one ever underestimate Carissa Broadbents writing like that.

Things I adored
- we spent the first 15% of this book with our protagonist, no love interest around. Learning about her. She is her own person and has a drive outside of romance in this.
- the world building is beautifully woven into this story by each of the trials. There is a reasoning for all of the trials and you learn it as you go.
- the love interest 😍 I found him so funny and witty.
- the way other relationships were highlighted throughout this story not just the romantic ones.
- our characters are real characters, everything that happens feels true to them and not just a performance for the readers. They have motives that don't just leave them because they got a little hot and heavy.

At the end of the day I was truly blown away by this story and can't wait to read everything Carissa has ever written.

I loved the focus on fantasy within this and not just the romance. It was truly the perfect blend of the two for me.

I guess this has gotten very hot on BookTok, so I decided to read it. I think that comparisons to Jennifer L. Armentrout's Blood and Ash series are very apt, and I can also understand the comparisons to ACOTAR, though the vibe here is different. But what it really reminds me of is Fourth Wing, another BookTok sensation. There are tons of similarities - there's a female underdog participating in a deadly competition, a romance between competitors, a lot of questions about who is good and who is bad (most of them seem to actually be just kind of morally gray in the end), a few surprises along the way - but instead of dragons, this is a vampire fantasy. Oraya is a human who was saved by a vampire king, who has raised her and protected her from her childhood. She's in her 20s now, and her hobby is slaying vampires who try to illegally prey on humans. She entires the Kejari, a tournament in which the only way to win is to kill everyone else and not die yourself, so that she can be granted an immortal bond with her father figure. She ends up teaming up with some vampires from a rival "house" and she finds herself romantically entangled with one of them. This worked for me, and I immediately grabbed the sequel on KU and enjoyed that too. A weird note - maybe this was just my copy, but a bunch of the final chapters were out of order in the ARC. Like there was a huge jump in the timeline that I thought was just A Choice, but actually it seemed to be a formatting error?

The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.

But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.

Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.

But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.

“Never trust. Never yield. Always guard your heart.”

This book was a roller coaster of emotions and I'm going to be sending my next therapy bill to Carissa Broadbent's desk because of the turmoil that I was put through at the end of this book. I've been in a reading slump for most of this month, I've essentially only been able to focus enough on novellas that I can devour in an hour or two which is great but it was bumming me out because I felt like I was looking for something and apparently that something was The Serpent and the Wings of Night.

I went into it relatively unaware of what to expect, don't ask me how I've managed to avoid spoilers because I don't have the answer to that. All I knew was that it was a competition that was giving the vibes of The Hunger Games but make it vampires and that it was adult and not YA. So I was like yeah okay sold, sounds right up my alley. This book was a phenomenal ride full of twists and turns I wasn't expecting or anticipating. It'll have you feeling things for characters you know you shouldn't feel things for and it really drives home how complicated relationships can be, especially familial ones.

The world-building was iconic, as vast as it all felt with multiple layers it flowed and unfolded in a way that wasn't difficult to digest while also hitting hard as an adult fantasy novel. I could see all of the scenes vividly while I was reading and felt like I was physically there watching the story unfold as I read.

Oraya, our FMC, is one of my new favorite characters. Her sharp edges and her internal struggle with her feelings and all of her character development throughout really struck home with me. I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about her and am excited to see what is next for her. HOWEVER. My feelings towards Raihn are more complicated but I'm also excited to see what happens next.

- vampires but make it hunger games vibes
- enemies to lovers
- slow burn
- angsty
- banter
- epic world-building
- magic
- lots of action
- tending to wounds
- complicated relationships

Synopsis: Oraya is the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king. Her royal status is the only thing that has kept her alive, in a world full of predators. She finally has a shot to obtain a status powerful enough to live free from fear-- entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself. Although she enters the game knowing she cannot trust anyone, she is forced to align herself with a mysterious rival, Raihn, who represents everything she is fighting against. Yet, she cannot help but be drawn to him. In a tournament where there is one sole survivor, their alliance will face the ultimate test.

Thoughts: I flew through this book! It has all of the aspects I've come to love in a fantasy read-- a fight to the death, enemies to lovers, twists, betrayal, and human-like characters. The world building is accessible, and the writing is stellar. I cannot wait to see where the story goes!

Read if you like
-Immortal Longings
-ACOTAR
-Dark romantasy
-Enemies to lovers
-Suspense

This book is like hunger games + ACOTAR with Vampires which was delightful. The world building is easy to follow along for those that only dabble in fantasy. The banter was *chefs kiss*. I read this SO QUICK. So dang bingeable.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I LOVED this book! My review on Goodreads literally just said "This. Is. So. Good." because I had no words!
It was fast-paced with high stakes, the romance felt believable and it was the type of book I seriously couldn't put down! I love Oraya and Raihn and I seriously can't wait to see what happens next!
Carissa is fast becoming an instant buy author for me and I am so excited to continue on with this series!

The Hunger Games, except with vampires and written for adults. Oraya is a human adopted and raised by a vampire king, and the story begins just before she enters a deadly Hunger Games inspired fight to the death competition in which only the victor will remain alive. Predictably this leads to a forbidden love/enemies-to-lovers trope. Don't let the Hunger Games comparison fool you though, this is a much darker, violent story than one written for young adults. The twists and big reveals at the end were well done in that there were enough clues that they made sense to the story but not so many clues that they were predictable. Overall this was a quick and enjoyable first book romantacy of a planned 5-book series.

I was generously given this ARC from Tor Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Will likely end up being the best book I read in 2023. Read it on my honeymoon and bought the second on my kindle while on the beach. An impeccable read.

I had a feeling that I would enjoy this book, but I didn't realize how much! With intricate world building and phenomenally written characters, this was absolutely fantastic.

This has everything you'd want in a fantasy. All the boxes are checked...

Oraya is ripped from her devastated home, taken in by a powerful vampire and is raised as his daughter. She is trained in combat and all skills she would need as an heir, though she could never be one, not sharing his bloodline, or simply because of the fact that she is human.

When the legendary Kejari approaches, a deadly five trial tournament, Oraya and her father Vincent have decided she will compete. she is determined to survive the bloodthirsty vampires and the daunting trials, earning her the ability to link her meager powers to her father, where his would be linked to her as well, making her so much stronger.

Raihn, a dangerously beautiful vampire from a rivaling house is the most unlikely alliance to have in this tournament, but alas, the two join forces... but working with another so closely and under such high stakes, a bond begins to form. Only one can win, though, meaning one of them will have to ultimately kill the other.

With all of this happening, we get more and more of the history that surrounds these different vampiric houses, the blood, the gore and the devastation. And while I LOVED Oraya and Raihn and the turbulent air that surrounds them, its the whole of the entire story that truly pulled me in.

Oraya is such a strong person, never losing her humanity after the years and years being the daughter of a vampire. Her extracurricular actives prove that time and time again.

This book annihilated me! The push and pull of not knowing who Oraya could trust, watching her come into her own, thinking for herself and making difficult decisions... just so powerful! In books like this, you know there will be huge revelations, there will be betrayal (but from whom), and there will be intensity. This book had all of that and more.