The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk concludes the Shadowborn duet and Mische and Asar's story, which was satisfying (and quite spicy, in this one). I liked the messiness of the gods in this book and the return of Vincent and some other characters we've seen before. Broadbent knows how to do messy, complicated characters quite well, which is maybe why Vincent and Septimus tend to interest me more than the main characters.

Unfortunately, the plot and pacing were not super tight in this one, and the messiness extended to the book's execution. However, I think fans of the series and Romantasy in general will still love this book, as Mische and Asar are a great couple.

Note to the publishing industry in general: a book a year does not seem to be a sustainable schedule for solid storytelling. That's not enough time to pull things together in any genre, let alone a sweeping fantasy story. Despite these qualms, I'm grateful to Netgalley, Bramble and Carissa Broadbent for the ARC.

I can't get enough of this series and world from Carissa!!!I had such a fun time reading the conclusion to Asar and Mische's story and seeing them both grow throughout this series. Carissa's writing is just fantastic and the way she crafts a story is truly so good. I have loved reading these characters and getting to see them grow throughout this and how their relationship blossomed. It's a fantastic duology and a perfect addition to the world!

I’m not going to lie, I really had to push myself to finish this one. It felt like there were so many words but few movement to the plot. I think I’m fantasied out at the moment and just didn’t want to continue putting in the effort to this book.

I think it was wonderfully written in the way it describes things but as in actually getting the story through, it was just hard to keep up with what’s happening. Again, was it that I just didn’t care for it or was truly meant to be that chaotic? We do finally see a couple from a previous “novella” which was nice and I wish we could have gotten more.

I did like Mische and Asar developments in this book. You could feel the desperation and longing after what happened in the last book. It’s honestly what saved the book for me. Things get spicier this book around so I’m giving it 4 🌶️ out of 5.

Luce remains my favorite character. 🤣 As for the continuation of this story, I’m truly surprised we’ve still not resolved much. 😅 I’m truly hoping the next book finally gets that going or put an end to it because I don’t know how invested I am to see this through. 🙈

Thank you NetGalley, Bramble and Carissa Broadbent for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I genuinely have no words. I am unwell 😭 Carissa Broadbent continues to make me fall so deeply in love with this world and characters while also ripping my heart out and putting it back together at the same time. The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk was the perfect conclusion to Asar and Mische's main story and the journey we got to follow them on throughout this book was both poetic and heart wrenching. Not only does Carissa continue to weave together such an incredible story but she does so with some of the most beautiful and thoughtful prose I've read. I constantly find myself highlighting passages of dialogue; whether for their emotions, beauty, or simple because it's a valuable phrase that I think more people should live by.

I cannot wait for the next duet in this world and I know when it arrives it will grip me by the heart and soul and not let me go. Brilliant work Carissa.

Thank you Tor for the ARC copy!

This was definitely one of my most anticipated reads for the summer! The first book left off on a fairly massive cliffhanger, but luckily it’s only been about a six month wait between. And, in most ways, everything wrapped up nicely in this second half of the duology!

Like the first book, the two lead characters anchored my enjoyment of the story. Following the pattern of Broadbent’s first duology in this world, while the first book followed Mische’s perspective exclusively, this one opens things up, introducing chapters from the romantic lead, Asar’s, perspective as well. While I still have mixed feelings about how well this shift in perspectives worked in the first duology, it definitely worked well here. Much of Mische’s internal journey was covered in the first book, and while there were still aspects of her growth to cover here, her story is more straightforward. However, there was much still to learn about Asar’s own history and the ways in which the events of this book shaped his internal arch. Indeed, this story is largely his, with Mische serving more as a supporting, secondary character. I really enjoyed Asar in the first book, and he was even more interesting here, so I think this change worked out well.

I also really enjoyed the numerous cameo appearances from tons of characters from previous books. While it’s not strictly necessary to have read those other books, readers who have read them all will definitely get the most out of this book. Characters show up from not only the first duology, but also the other stand-alone novel and the novella as well. I really enjoyed spending time with them all! In particular, I was reminded how much I enjoyed the main couple from “Slaying the Vampire Conqueror;” we only got one book of them and I wish we had more! I also really enjoyed the return of Vincent, who played a surprising role in this book. He’s such an interesting character, and I liked the way pieces of his story that had felt like they were still left hanging were more neatly wrapped up here.

All of that said, there were parts of this book that I struggled with. As I said, I enjoyed seeing all of these other characters on the page, but unfortunately, there were times where I felt like I was becoming more invested in these other characters again than I was in the main two of the current duology. Part of this, I think, came down to the fact that Mische often felt as if she didn’t have a lot going on in this book. It’s kind of an odd thing, becomes she demonstratively did have things happening throughout it all (most notably, you know, being dead), but her internal arc still felt rather static.

The romance itself also didn’t feel as if it had anywhere to really go. I’m not a fan of forced drama and angst to increase tension, but as the story continued, the love story felt a bit flat and deflated at times (and I just finished reading a few books that navigate solid relationships throughout without falling into this trap, so I know it’s possible without unnecessary angst). One simple thing was that I thought there were perhaps one or two too many spicy scenes. I know this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I definitely fall on the “higher quality but less” side of the spice debate. At a certain point, an increased number of these scenes simply fail to add anything new to the story, and that was definitely the case here.

Lastly, the plot felt all over the place. There is a ton of action in this book, with our characters hopping all over the place, not only within the world, but in the heavens and the underworld as well. While the first book felt tightly paced and plotted, this one felt a bit scattered. I could never really latch on to any single current event before I was whisked away into the next location and conflict. The balance simply felt off, and it was one of those odd situations where, because there was always so much going on, I began to disconnect from the story and even became a bit bored at times. Always weird how that can happen, but I’ve found it’s definitely a phenomenon that can happen.

Overall, however, I still very much enjoyed this book! It does feel like there is a bit of a pattern developing here, where the first book in these duologies is noticeably stronger than the second. But the quality overall is still quite high. There were also a lot of major changes on a world-wide scale in this book, so I’m incredibly excited to see how events play out in the next duology! We’ve also already met the next leading male character, and I’m definitely intrigued. Fans of the first book in this duology are sure to enjoy this one as well!

Rating 8: Perhaps a bit more scattered than the first in the duology, but still a satisfying conclusion to the story, while also setting up a strong setting for the next stage in this series!

Link will go live on The Library Ladies on August. 15

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for providing this arc.
The book was good but I definitely enjoyed the first two books of the series much more. The dynamic between the two characters was great and they played off well against each other. My issue with this book or more accurate this duology was the main plot or goal of the story. It’s not to say that it was a bad plot but it’s definitely not my preference. It’s mostly felt that characters and their interactions were keeping me going while the plot itself was slowing me down if that makes sense. I’m still interested in reading the next two books in the series and it looks we will be learning more about the house of blood which has me excited. All in all, the book kept me mostly content but a little disappointed.

Ahhh Mische and Asar’s conclusion was so so perfect! Their love story is truly epic - in this one they traverse worlds, fight vengeful gods and enemy kingdoms, and go up against death and fate itself. The underworld setting remains so hauntingly beautiful and it hurt my heart to see the state of it in this book.

I can’t even find the right words for how much I love Mische and Asar (and of course the best girl Luce). They went through so much to find each other and they deserve all the good things in the world. Bless Carissa for adding Asar’s POV. I also loooved seeing so many beloved characters from the other books - Raihn & Oraya, Vale & Lilith, Atrius and Sylina, but my favorite was actually Vincent.

The ending was absolutely perfect and that epilogue? I’m foaming at the mouth for Septimus’ story.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

love love love! tragic, epic, achingly romantic. This book is gorgeous, gritty and had me at the edge of my seat. Excellent in every way!

Thank you to Bramble for my complimentary copy of The Fallen and The Kiss of Dusk. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is the continuation of Mische and Asar's story. The first third was good. It picked up immediately following the events of The Songbird and the Heart of Stone. The middle third was a bit out there and I'm glad to be past it. The ending was satisfying, but I felt it was a bit long. I just wanted it to be over.
It was a fabulous love story

Luce is the bestest girl ever


Rounding up from 3.5

Loved this book, love this series. Carissa Broadbent books are hard for me to review because what can I say that I don't say every time I devour one of her books? Yet again this is another beautifully written story and I loved every heart wrenching moment. The depth and emotion that I read as well as the utter absorption is unsurpassed by any other series. I love each book more than the last despite ripping my heart out every time. I will continue to read everything she writes, and wait impatiently for more.

I will always read anything Carissa Broadbent writes. I love her ability to tell a story so vividly. i’m equally excited for the next books and sad that we’re getting closer to the end of this series!

Although this wasn't a series I ever anticipated reading, I am so glad that one of my patrons got me started; Mische and Asar, and their journey, have been by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, and I've loved this duology just as much as I loved Raihn and Oraya's. Broadbent has created such a high-stakes, fantastical world, and yet despite those fantastical elements, these characters and the challenges they face are so inherently *human.* (And, unlike "Slaying the Vampire Conqueror," I was immediately engaged again in this world, so I was extra-excited about that.) I can't wait to see where we go next with this motley crew of kings, queens, and gods.

The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk was an absolute masterpiece. It was a dark, intense, emotional continuation of Mische and Asar’s story filled with heartachingly pure love, a perilous journey through mortal and immortal realms, and earth-shattering sacrifice. Five stars, no notes, I adored everything about it.

This series begins with Raihn and Oraya in the Nightborn Duet (The Serpent & the Wings of Night and The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King) and continues with Mische and Asar in the Shadowborn Duet (The Songbird & the Heart of Stone and The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk). Mische and Asar have become my favorite couple, and Luce is the best girl ever. I love them so much, and their stories hold a special place in my heart. If you want books filled with vampires, magic, court politics, gods & goddesses, betrayals, revenge, and some of the swooniest romances I’ve ever read, you need to start this series immediately!

P. S. I can’t fully articulate how ready I am for The Bloodborn Duet and to finally get Septimus’s story.

Thank you to Bramble Romance, Tor Books, Macmillan Publishers, Carissa Broadbent, and NetGalley for the ARC.

📔 The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk
✏️ Carissa Broadbent
📆 August 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🩸vampires
🩸magic
🩸court politics
🩸gods & goddesses
🩸betrayals & revenge
🩸grumpy x sunshine
🩸they’d destroy the world for each other
🩸damaged characters
🩸dual POV

Mische sacrificed everything, broke the world, and now it’s eternal night. Asar, meanwhile, is spiraling without her and I'm foaming at the mouth over it. The way I say I am FERAL for everything about this book! I want to leave this as spoiler free as I can because this was a doozy and there's so many HUGE reasons why this might be my favorite in the series now.

As for the characters that I am willing to discuss right now:
Gods: Put the god in god awful. Honestly, nothing has changed on that front.
Luce: I could write my review solely on saying she is the BEST girl ever over and over and over.
Mische: still carrying the weight of the universe and somehow being relatable while doing it.
Asar: An actual representation of a shadow daddy.

The journey they go on is brutal. There are fights, betrayals, near-death experiences, existential crises, and a reunion that made me feral (that is all I am going to say on that front ;)) The writing is gorgeous as always and I loved seeing the world expand. There are old faces, new gods, and just enough hope to shatter your heart. The underworld is collapsing. The gods are gearing up for war. And Septimus is the most forgettable unforgettable character... I'm watching you buddy.

Excuse me while I sob forever.

Rating: ♾️⭐️ | 3/5🌶

This book destroyed me in the best way. It’s the second in its duology and part of a larger web of duologies in this world and honestly, it might be my favorite installment so far. I highly recommend reading Slaying the Vampire Conqueror before diving in, especially for the extra worldbuilding and character depth when it comes to the gods and their acolytes. Trust me, it matters.

Carissa’s storytelling in The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk is devastatingly beautiful. It’s emotionally rich, layered with grief, healing, and resilience. Watching Mische walk through her trauma, not letting it define her, but learning how to reclaim herself from it was so personal and powerful. Her journey ripped me to shreds. I cried, I rooted for her, and by the end, I just wanted to hold her hand and tell her she made it.

And the romance? UGH. The banter, the buildup, the emotional intimacy...it was everything. So natural. So earned. The spice? Yes. Yes, it was spicing.

Also, can we talk about the way the gods and their followers are explored in this world? The relationships between the divine and the mortal are so layered, so affecting. That overarching mythology running through the entire series just hits different here. It expands the world while pulling everything together in such a satisfying way.

I loved the first duology, but this one, especially Mische’s arc, hit me harder. If you’ve been following this world, you need to read it ASAP!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Thank you so much @torbooks for the gifted digital copy for an honest review and shout out to my dear friend @pati.kostecka who generously sent me a physical ARC copy. 🥹❤️.

What an epic conclusion to this wonderful duology. Mische and Asar will stay in my heart forever.

I've been in love with Carissa Broadbent's books for so long. But Mische and Asar's story will hold a very special place in my heart.

The world building she created is so complete, so complex, it feels real. Even if it's full of vampires and gods.

The war is brewing and Mische and Asar have another quest, an epic one where the outcome is all about what they're ready to sacrifice or not.

I don't want to say more to not spoil anything to anyone, but that book wrecked me. We meet past characters that we love, the gods are playing deadly games and the romance between Asar and Mische is so good, so poignant, you'll be kicking your feet in the air.

And the scene on the piano 👌👌👌. Hot 🔥.

Read this if you love :

✨ Romantasy ;
✨ Epic Quest ;
✨ God's game ;
✨ Vampires ;
✨ Touch Her and 💀 ;
✨ Spicy 🔥.

This book is lush and haunting, the romance is angsty and intense, and the stakes feel impossibly high in the best way. It’s the kind of book that pulls you under with atmosphere and tension and never really lets go. Mische and Asar’s journey in this final book feels bigger, darker, and more emotional. Their relationship is tested over and over again, and I was completely invested in seeing how it would all play out. If you love tortured gods, doomed love, and sweeping romantasy drama, this is a five-star read through and through.

First of all I can without a doubt say that Mische and Asar are far more complex characters than the first duet. I had been excited for Mische’s story since the Nightborn duet and Carissa did not disappoint.

The character development is unmatched, Mische is quite literally the light to Asar’s darkness and the pair complement each other perfectly.

This book is fast paced from chapter one, we get a familiar face right from the get go. The world building in this duet has been my favorite yet. It’s unique, and Carissa does a fantastic job and describing details to the point you can vividly imagine the world she’s building.

This book was a game of give and take to an excruciating point. Every time you think Asar and Mische get a little reprieve they take 3 steps back. Mische is one of my favorite bada$$ FMCs, and she just continues that throughout this book.

If you haven’t read the novellas in this series, I do recommend doing that before diving into this book. Plus you won’t regret it, the novellas are absolutely phenomenal.

This book helped me through one of the hardest times in my life. Right in the middle of this book, i lost my mom. Like Mische, i was devastated. I always thought I'd have more time to right my imagined and not so imagined wrongs. But here I was staring at the blackness of eternity with no time left.

I left this arc for several weeks, not intending to pick it up for honestly a long time. The though of reading about the other world hit too close. But after a few weeks, the story nagged at the back of my mind in the quiet parts of the day. A wonderful distraction. Another week and I caved. I was still hurting and finding it impossible to find forgiveness in myself; for all the things I'd promised her we'd do and all the thing i did that i shouldn't have.

But as I read and followed Mische and Asar through the mortal and immortal realms, saving the world. I realized something right along with Mische. That my mistakes dont make me less. They are as much a part of me as anything. And the people who really love us , love us even if it is our fault.

This story helped me find peace knowing that even though we weren't perfect and mistakes were made, that her love for me was always there, was still there , undeminished. And it always would be.

Thank you to @carissabroadbentbooks , @torbooks
And @netgalley for the e-arc I received. And I happily leave this review.

OMG. I just finished The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk and I’m not okay, in the best way. This book was emotional chaos wrapped in stardust and shadows and I devoured it. I loved The Serpent and the Wings of Night, but this one hits differently. It felt deeper, darker, and more intimate.

From the beginning, I was hooked. Mische’s whole deal—sacrificing herself to darkness to save her people? I was immediately like, “Okay girl, you’re that level of unhinged I respect.” And then watching her claw her way back to herself through literal underworlds? Whew. She’s not the same soft-spoken consort from the Nightborn Court. She’s so raw and furious and real. I was rooting for her like she was my own sister. The writing is still lush and sharp, but what stood out most was the emotion. It felt like this whole book was about grief and forgiveness and clawing your way back to the light, even if you have to drag your heart through the dirt to get there.

So yeah. If you like romance that burns slow and bright, broken gods, badass heroines, and just a sprinkle of cosmic despair…. run to this one.