Captivating Catch-Up | Crowns of Nyaxia Edition

The Serpent and the Wings of Night Published by Nasyra Publishing by Carissa Broadbent
Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #1
on August 30, 2022
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Vampires, Romance
Pages: 502
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Format: eBook
Find the Author: Twitter, Goodreads
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ISBN: 1957779020
Rating:

Human or vampire, the rules of survival are the same: never trust, never yield, and always – always – guard your heart.

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.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

This is a book that’s gotten a ton of attention from Bookstagrammers that I follow. And given that I’m in a current romantasy kick–it didn’t take but for a moment for me to decide I needed to jump on this bandwagon.

This first book in the series was non-stop greatness. I was absolutely hooked from the first page. The idea that a scary vampire king would adopt a human daughter that he could’ve killed was absolutely riveting to me. Knowing why Oraya was so special was a mystery I needed cracked.

And then you add Raihn to the mix. He seems like he should be Oraya’s enemy. But from the first moment there was just something about him that seemed almost–tame.

The whole crazy tournament that Oraya had to compete in–with Raihn and other vampires who wanted to eat her–as the only human? Loved it. It was pretty realistic, actually. She was portrayed as extremely capable but not in an unrealistic-she-can-kill-all-vampires way. She was still a human very outmatched, but that just made her wins so much more exciting.

The end was…surprising. And kind of unexpected for me, honestly. But it gave me so much hope for the next in the series!

The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King Published by Nasyra Publishing by Carissa Broadbent
Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #2
on April 14, 2023
Genres: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Vampires
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Format: eBook
Find the Author: Twitter, Goodreads
Find the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

ISBN: 1957779071
Rating:

Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.

After the absolute awesomeness of The Serpent and the Wings of Night, this book was quite the letdown. I feel like maybe the author should have just made this one long book with a little more–oomph thrown in. I don’t know, but I found myself bored for a lot of this one.

It didn’t have the same excitement and romance as the first. Which, given the story, was understandable–just boring.

I will say, I got through it and am glad I did. All-in-all, as a series, this is a must-read for me. Just go into this second book with the understanding that it lost some of its luster.

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