Full Book Review of The Serpent and the Wings of Night
As Oraya, the human daughter of a vampire king, enters the brutal magical tournament, the only way to survive is with Raihn’s help. This is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story that’s hard to put down. Here’s my full review with recommendations of what to read next, too.
Here’s a short synopsis of the book:
“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 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.“
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Full Book Review Without Spoilers
If you’re on social media for books at all, you’ve probably seen this book around. Lately, it’s gotten quite a lot of hype, and this is one of the books that I think deserves it. Even though it’s a fantasy romance, there’s a compelling plot outside of the romance and real characters that make for a great story.
If you like romantasy, this is a great book that balances the fantasy and romance well. The slow-burn romance between Raihn and Oraya in this book is beautifully written with great banter and small details you’ll love. But the romance doesn’t overshadow the overall story of the deadly tournament and the political turmoil of the vampire kingdoms.
The beginning of the book picks up with action and intrigue right away, so it’s easy to get into. I was reading for a long time for putting it down because the book continually moves at a good pace. And the end of the book is the best part, with a great plot twist and betrayal that leaves you wanting to pick up the next installment right away.
This is a page-turner in every sense of the word if you like fantasy romance. There’s not a ton of world building in this first book, and the romance is a big part of it if you prefer more traditional fantasy.
Characters
None of the characters are entirely good or bad, and they all have hidden motives and agendas. But you still want to like them and root for them. Even the ‘bad guys’ in the book are intriguing, and you’re not really sure who to believe or trust.
Plot
This is a fast paced plot that keeps moving throughout the entire book. I love a good competition with deadly trials, and this one is written well with vampire lore and a full background explained. The series of trials as well as the background political drama going on makes you want to keep reading without putting it down.
Writing
I was a little hesitant to read this book because I saw it first on social media which can be misleading. But I found Carissa Broadbent to be a very good writer who built a very convincing vampire world. Her writing style really pulls you in from the beginning, and she’s great at keeping the romance important but not overpowering to the rest of the plot.
Full Book Review With Spoilers
You’ve been warned that from here on out there will be spoilers.
This is a book I really didn’t want to put down as a fan of fantasy as well as romantasy. The story really pulls you in from the beginning because the action picks up, you’re rooting for Oraya, and, immediately, want more of Oraya and Raihn once he enters the story.
And as you get to the end of the book, everything comes together at the perfect time to answer most of your questions, but not in the way you expect at first. The plot twist at the end was unexpected, but not so out of left field that you felt it was out of place. When Raihn kills Vincent, it switches the role of bad guy and good guy in your view which left the book in my mind for days (and why I started the next book right away).
While she wasn’t my favorite character, I liked Oraya in the book because she’s never helpless or supposedly ‘weak’ like a lot of female main characters in fantasy novels. She is at a disadvantage being a human, but she makes up for it with determination, ruthlessness, and cunning and still goes through character growth throughout the book. While I really like her allying with Raihn, she’s never seen as incapable without him.
For full disclosure, enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes in fantasy, so that’s probably a big reason I liked this book so much. And the build up of the romance really keeps you wanting more throughout the whole book.
Pros of the Book
One of the biggest pros of the book was the complicated characters. For one, you know Vincent is bad and bordering on emotional abuse of Oraya, but you still want to like him. Another example is Raihn, who you want to believe is the good guy, until the end changes that.
Another pro of the book (for me) is the slow burn romance of Raihn and Oraya that only adds to the plot of the story instead of overshadowing it. And even though you leave in anguish from Raihn betraying Oraya after you finally got to see them together, you still have hope for the next book. The romance is well written and even the spice didn’t take away from the story like some popular romantasy books.
Cons of the Book
One of the biggest cons of the book was that we don’t get to hear much about the other contestants in the trials or a lot of details about the trials themselves. The action scenes in the trials are well written, but we really only see Oraya and sometimes Raihn. There could be a lot of other interesting characters to hear about.
Another con of the book is that there wasn’t a ton of world building outside the tournament. We get snips and pieces of it, but there could still be more. I hope this is something that the author focuses on going forward in the series.
Is There Spice in The Serpent and the Wings of Night?
Yes, there’s a little bit of spice in this book. It’s a small amount, just one chapter (chapter 44), but it is explicit. This is considered an adult fantasy because of that.
How Many Books are in The Serpent and the Wings of Night?
As of today, there’s three books released in the series, and a fourth one announced for later this year. The author has said there will be a total of six books in The Crowns of Nyaxia series, split into three duologies.
The Nightborn Duet
- The Serpent and the Wings of Night
- The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King
The Shadowborn Duet
- The Songbird and the Heart of Stone
- The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk
Third Duet
- Book 5 TBD
- Book 6 TBD
Each duet focuses on new main characters, but the old characters do show up in the later books. So, if you loved Raihn and Oraya, the do show up later in the other duets as smaller characters.
Conclusion
Overall, this is one of the best romance fantasy novels that I’ve read because of social media. I think it lives up to the hype if you’re into this type of book because the writing style is good, and it has an actual well thought out plot. I liked the different characters in the book as well because there’s so much variability and hidden secrets among them.
You can find the book here.
I have a full summary of the book here if you need a refresher on any of the main points.
Rating- 4.5 out of 5 stars
Like I said above, I’m a fan of fantasy with romance in it which I know is not for everyone. But the slow burn romance along with the plot following a well-written, deadly tournament was the perfect mix for me. I really enjoyed the first book, and very quickly moved on to the next book.
Here’s how I rate all my books: My Rating System
Who Would Enjoy Reading?
As a fan of fantasy romance novels, I’m a fan of this book, but if you don’t like the romance being a big part of the story then you could skip this one. If you’re into fantasy books, specifically romantasy, that includes an enemies-to-lovers story, then you should definitely read this book. It’s also a really good read if you like vampire books.
What to Read After The Serpent and the Wings of Night
There’s more books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series you can move on to next if you liked this world of vampires. Or there’s tons of other great fantasy romance books with a similar vibe to this one to check out.
I have a full book review and summary for this book as well.
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent
This is the second book in the series that continues the story of Raihn and Oraya as Raihn becomes king of the Nightborn vampires. It’s just as good as the first with even more world building. You can find the book here.
Lightlark by Alex Aster
Check out Lightlark- the story with another set of trials in a magical world but with fae this time and much more at stake. This series does also have some spice if you’re looking for that, but still a great plot. You can find the first book here.
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig
If you like the fantasy with dark magic and plot twists, try out this one. This one is also a duology with a slow-burn romance (with little to no spice). You can get it here.
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
Here’s another romantic fantasy with a deadly competition and a forbidden love interest, just without the vampires (with no spice). If you liked Raihn in this book, you’ll also like the main character of Reckless. You can get the book here.
