Carissa Broadbent has officially become an auto buy author for me. Not going to lie, I was nervous about this book because I knew it would be so different from the first one, but it was the perfect end to Oraya and Raihns story. This wasn't the page turner that book 1 was, but it was so much more than that. I loved the story arc, what Carissa did to expand the magic and the world building, and the character development per usual was top tier. 10/10 would recommend this series to my fellow romantasy readers! Also, a great series for those looking for an intro into the genre.

The Ashes and the Star Cursed King is an absolutely enriching, entertaining, and equally romantic follow up to the Serpent and Wings of the Night. I loved this more than the first book, which absolutely adored. In this book we follow Oraya and Raihn after the aftermath of the Kejari. Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, and taking the deal becomes her only chance of reclaiming her kingdom. We see Oraya and Raihn battle their political desires and new found love and hate for one another.

I loved how character driven this sequel was. It’s very rare I see character development and romance paced this well, but this was an absolute dream!! The slow burn BURNED after a romance filled first book, very rarely have I seen a romance paced so masterfully over two full books. In this book, I grew to love Oraya so much, her character growth was so quiet, but beautiful and meaningful! Seeing her come into her power, seeing her deal with grief, she is truly incredible.

I was a little worried going into this one that it would drag as the first in the series is so action packed and overall The Ashes and the Star Cursed King is more “politically driven” but with the way Carissa explains the world building and politics it is very digestible for fantasy readers of all levels of experience. I don’t think there was a single moment that dragged or felt unneeded during this entire book. Newest obsession unlocked.

"Maybe the king always knew that his greatest love would be his ruination."

Carissa Broadbent tells a great story in The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. The first book ended on such a cliffhanger, and this book wraps up the story in a beautiful, emotional, and action packed way! I love the heartbreak, the redemption, and the emotional ride we go on! Five stars, worth the read!

I am still reading book 1 (I bought the physical copy from my local indie bookstore two weeks ago), so I haven't even opened this one yet, lest I risk spoilers. That said, I didn't want to miss nominating for the LibraryReads deadline. I will update the review once I read.

Congrats to Carissa on the new book deal for the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the first book and was so ready for an angst-filled, revenge-fueled follow up but...this was not that. Oraya makes one half-hearted attempt at sabotaging Raihn (who killed her dad!! Come on!!) but then spends the rest of the book working with him and sleeping with him and basically losing most of what was great about her character in the first book.

I absolutely loved this duet. With the first book ending on such a cliffhanger, I was excited to see where this story went. oraya and Rhain are amazing MCs. I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not read this story so I won't be talking about specific plotlines. This book picks up immediately following the end of book 1. The journey conflict in this story is different from the first book, but it doesn't take away from this epic story. There are so many layers to this story, which I am always a fan of, especially in fantasy series. I could not put this series down.

The first quarter was a bit slow for me, but I really enjoyed this! Raihn’s groveling is to die for and the plot felt very full circle. I adore Raihn and Oraya’s relationship so much and how oraya came into her power (and her feminine rage, ugh love!). Vincent is never mentioned in reviews, but I also love his morally grey character arc. Also, the writing in this one was even better than the first book! I’ve left favorite quote below.
“let me make you the queen that you are. let me guard your body, your soul, your heart. let me spend the rest of my fucking pathetic life at your mercy. if i need to die, then let me do it by your hand. please.”

"The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King" by Carissa Broadbent is a spellbinding epic fantasy that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go until the very end. With its richly imagined world, complex characters, and gripping plot twists, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre.

At the heart of the story is Oraya, a heroine who is both fierce and vulnerable, navigating a world torn apart by war, betrayal, and political intrigue. Broadbent brings Oraya to life with depth and nuance, capturing her inner turmoil and her unwavering determination with equal skill. As Oraya grapples with loss, betrayal, and the weight of her destiny, readers can't help but be drawn into her journey of self-discovery and redemption.

Opposite Oraya is Raihn, a king struggling to hold onto power in the face of internal strife and external threats. Broadbent crafts Raihn with complexity and depth, exploring the tensions between duty and desire, loyalty and ambition. As Raihn navigates the treacherous waters of court politics and battles his own inner demons, readers are treated to a compelling portrait of a man torn between love and duty.

The dynamic between Oraya and Raihn crackles with tension and passion, driving the narrative forward with intensity and emotion. Broadbent masterfully weaves together their storylines, layering in twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end. As Oraya and Raihn grapple with their feelings for each other and the challenges they face, readers are taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, filled with heartbreak, longing, and ultimately, hope.

But "The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King" is more than just a love story; it's a tale of power, sacrifice, and the choices we make in the face of adversity. Broadbent explores themes of identity, betrayal, and redemption with depth and nuance, crafting a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is thrilling.

In conclusion, "The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King" is a masterpiece of epic fantasy that will leave you breathless and begging for more. With its compelling characters, intricate world-building, and gripping plot, it's a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page. So dive in, buckle up, and prepare to be swept away on an unforgettable journey of love, power, and redemption. You won't regret it.

an EASY 5 stars for me. these books are and forever will be one of my most highly recommended series!

the enemies to lovers (to enemies) that we experienced from book 1 continue into ashes, and BOY is it juicy. oraya and raihn are now in a forced proximity marriage of convenience, which gives us all of the slow burn tension that we love. their growth, both individually and as a couple, are one of my favorite things about this book. 🗣️ LEST I FORGET, THIS BOOK IS MULTIPLE POV

in addition, the politics and expanding world are SO WELL DONE. i can’t wait to see how this world continues to expand the lore with ancient gods/goddesses, new places, and more morally grey characters 😈

a STUNNING finale to the nightborn duet, Ashes and the Star Cursed King is an epic conclusion complete with intense battles, devastatingly swoon worthy romance, and heart wrenching twists and turns on every page.

Feb 2024 revisit- I forgot just how much I hated this and how big of a disaster it was, so I’m lowering my rating from 2⭐️ to 1⭐️because of how mad I still am almost a year later lol.



After 2 months of sitting on this...I've decided that I overall do not enjoy this series. I know a lot of people loved book 1, but I struggled really hard to get into it. It took me literally 2 weeks to read the first 4 chapters of book 1. I ended up like it fine after that, but man did I struggle. However, I loved the novella in between.

Book 2...where to start? The pacing was just odd. I don't even know what happened in the first half of this book it was so slow and not that memorable.

One of the highlights of book 1 was Oraya's fighting spirit. Fiery, badass Oraya? Who is she, because book 2 doesn't know her. I was expecting revenge for the events at the end of book 1, but this was nothing but half-assed attempts to thwart some plans.

I thought the magic system was incredibly underdeveloped in book 1, and unfortunately that didn't really improve. I don't understand everything about the blood or honestly the point of most of this. There was no advancement/development in the world building. And frankly the "ending" was a joke.

Somehow I think I appreciated toxic ass Vincent the most. Despite all his faults and mistakes, he truly did love Oraya.

I always see people say this is the next ACOTAR, but for me personally I don’t think it is. When I finished the ACOTAR series I loved it so much that I instantly started the whole series over. With this series, I'm already thinking of listing my books on Pango because I know I'll never pick them up again.

2 stars? 2.5? 3 stars? idk. I'll write my review and probably change the star rating a few times as I go back and forth.

This author has such a fantastic way of writing that it literally makes you say out loud, "well I can't stop there!," at the end of every chapter. I found myself staying up WAY too late with this one.

What a thrilling conclusion, to this amazing duology! I absolutely fell in love with the serpent, and the wings of night, and the sequel did not disappoint.

Every question and mystery that was given to us, was solved by the end of the book, so it not only was, well written, but it had a satisfying ending.

Oraya and Raihn had amazing character development throughout the story as a whole, and I love how they grew into their new roles together. Everything from the world building to the mythology to the secrets of the land was so well done, I could spend forever in this world. I am really looking forward to more stories set in this universe!

"Ix's tits" that was good.

I breezed through The Serpents and the Wings of Nights, cascaded into the novella Six Scorched Roses and immediately fell into the Ashes of the Star-Cursed King. I LOVE when you can do that.

Carissa Broadbent has created such a rich world of vampires, all with different houses with differing opinions on humans and their worth which makes BEING a human a little tricky for our main character Oraya. Without spoiling anything Oraya and Raihn have some things to work on after the Kejari and are thrown every twist and turn possible. This is the end to their duology but Carissa has stated this will be a six book series and there are many more characters with stories to tell including, ahem, an incredibly peppy vampire with her own demons to face ...

Fans of ACOTAR - get here asap.

The Ashes and the Star Cursed King
Carissa Broadbent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow!! This series really surprised me with how good it was!! The writing, world building and characterization throughout far surpasses most other “romantacies” I have read.

Certainly better than FBAA. Better than Hurricane Wars, and dare I say. . . .it’s more cohesive and engaging than Fourth Wing?!?

Even if you may disagree, fans of any of these books will enjoy this series, as may some of their critics. Great plotting, complex characterization, intricate world building, tense action, spicy romance, and also flying vampires! What more could a reader want?

I feel as if to share too much would spoil a lot, but there are some significant twists that work really well. After completing the first book I immediately went to read the second to find out what happened next! This conclusion takes a different tone but does not disappoint! There is a lot of action and more banter between the 2 main characters and the steaminess has to smolder for a while, but overall it wraps up to a very satisfying ending.

I give it extra points for a well crafted narrative that can be told in a duet. I’m excited to see more from this world and this author, but thankful for a satisfying ending that “only” took 2 books (or about 1000 pages).

Thanks to Tor Publishing and Netgalley for access to this eARC. I’m so glad Tor is picking this up. This series deserves far more hype than it’s received. 💕

I am so sad that this first duology in the Crowns of Nyaxia series is over, but at the same time so satisfied! The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King was everything I needed it to be. Despite my heart breaking after the events of the first book, I loved all the pining and groveling that was going on, made all the more special by the addition of Raihn's POV! Both Oraya and Raihn grew so much in this one. Their healing was individual (with Raihn having to deal with his past, and Oraya with her relationship with Vincent, which remains as beautiful and heartbreaking as ever) and as a unit. If I had doubts before (and I didn't), they've definitely solidified themselves as new favorites!

Another thing I really enjoyed about this one was the expansion of the world building. Now that the Kejari is over, the attention shifted fully to the war and we got to understand more of the world and got insight on some secondary characters (Septimus, who remains my guilty pleasure Cigarillo Daddy, Mische and we also got some more Vale and Lilith from Six Scorched Roses!) while still keeping a little mystery for the later books. There were so many surprising turns! The author did an excellent job planting the seeds for what will come next, wrapping up Raihn and Oraya's romance in a satisfactory way while still giving the reader things to look forward to from the other characters. I am so excited for the next book in the series, following a character many of us are already in love with!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

5⭐️

This was a wonderful sequel to ‘The Serpent and The Wings of Night’. It builds upon everything set up in book 1 and executes everything really well.
The first 200-ish pages weren’t my favourite, as Oraya and Raihn aren’t really talking/ together. But then the plot picks up and I am fully immersed. I loved learning more about Raihn and his backstory, and watching Oraya learn who she truly is was great. The new characters introduced were very interesting, though if you didn’t read the novella ‘ Six Scorched Roses’, I could see people not liking them as much.
Carissa Broadbent is a phenomenal writer, and this book only solidified my belief. Please read this book, and honestly all her other books too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor (Bramble) for allowing me to read and review this book

3.8 ⭐️
While, I loved this book for the most part, the pacing was a little slower to me. There was definitely no shortage of action and conflict, I just couldn’t get into each chapter like I did with Serpent. I still LOVE Raihn and Oraya so much and I will definitely be recommending this series!

Book two in the "Crowns of Nyaxia" series presents Raihn and Oraya with newfound challenges and betrayals. Raihn struggles with the weight of his newfound kingship with fragile alliances and deceptive promises, while Queen Oraya confronts the harsh realities of Raihn's deceit and her father's obscured past.

While the pacing may seem slower compared to "The Serpent and the Wings of Night," the narrative remains engaging with its blend of suspense and action. As Raihn and Oraya navigate a web of lies and truths, the reader is drawn into a world filled with intrigue and betrayal. The battle scenes and gratifying conclusion ensure that this sequel stands as a worthy addition to the romantasy genre.

Thank you to Carissa Broadbent, Tor Publishing Group, and NetGalley for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

Silly me for thinking this was the next installment....

I enjoy this series, but the second book was a bit slower for my liking. I was so MAD at the end of the first book AND during the second book at Oraya for forgiving Raihn so easily. I mean, I know it wasn't that easily but still...

I hope there we find out what happens to the king and queen of the Nightborn Kingdom, and what happens with a few of our other friends from the Nyaxia-verse.

While I didn't like this one as much as the first book, I was so happy to be back in this world.

I loved that Raihn and Oraya had to find themselves again and learn to trust one another. There was so much tension and angst! I do think it was a little slower paced than the first book though.

I also liked learning more about this world and I can't wait to get more from it!