As spooky season creeps nearer, you may be getting into the mood for a monster story. We definitely are, and we’re so excited to discuss one of our favorite monster romance series: “The Crowns of Nyaxia” by Carissa Broadbent.
The story of this interconnected world is told through a series of duologies telling three separate stories. (We love this because we can read two books, get the full story, pick up something else on the TBR, then read two more later on without forgetting anything essential!)
The first book of the entire series is “The Serpent and the Wings of Night,” which tells the story of a competition to the death backed by a vampire romance. So, it’s basically a mix of “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight,” but slightly elevated for a more adult audience.
Personally, I’m the target audience for this kind of story. I adored the complexity of all of the characters and the fact that they all had redeeming qualities and were sympathetic, even if they were doing objectively bad things. Even our heroine has light and dark in her, which always makes for such an interesting book. I also love a deadly competition, and love it even more when fellow contestants accidentally start getting attached to the people they’re probably going to have to kill. And also … VAMPIRES!
So, should you add “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” to your TBR? Let’s discuss!
You’ll Love “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” If You Like:
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Deadly competitions
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Political intrigue
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Vampires
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A world where human beings are outnumbered by mythical creatures or monsters
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Found family
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Forced proximity
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Trauma bonding
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Slow burn romance
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Main characters with daddy issues
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Enemies to friends to lovers
Setting /Worldbuilding
This is more or less a traditional dark fantasy setting, complete with magic and mythical creatures. This world is run by the vampires, which means that human beings are primarily prey, so the stakes are high immediately and I’m invested right away. It’s a brutal world, where the vampire ruler always has to kill their way to the top. Bloodshed should be expected.
Vampires are separated by houses of Night, Blood, and Shadow, but also into clans. The most important to note for this book are the Hiaj and the Rishan. At this time, the Hiaj are in control and the Rishan seem to have a taste for rebellion.
The primary goddess here is Nyaxia, who created the vampires. There is an event every 100 years called the Kejari, which is held in her honor. It’s made up of several deadly trials named after the phases of the moon that are meant to recreate parts of Nyaxia’s life story. If you win (aka, if you’re still alive at the end), you receive one request from the goddess herself.
There’s a lot going on here, but Broadbent is great at giving you information in the right way and in the right doses so that you’re never left confused. She really grounds you in this world quickly, which I appreciated.
Major Players
Spoiler alert: you’re going to love every one of these people. Here’s a quick overview of the main cast of “The Serpent and the Wings of Night”:
Oraya
- Human being
- Adopted daughter of the Nightborn King, Vincent
- A little sheltered, but a badass
- Has tried to remove herself a bit from her humanity
- Has a taste for vigilante justice, going out into the human districts and killing vampires who hunt there
- Has a very small amount of magic ability
- Enters the Kejari, which is probably ill-advised
- Very cut off from other people, which is understandable because most of them want to eat her
Vincent
- Nightborn Vampire King
- A Hiaj vampire who hates the Rishan
- Found and adopted Oraya when she was young after an attack on her home
- Quite literally lives rent-free in Oraya’s head
- Vincent the Father is kind and understanding and absolutely loves his daughter
- Vincent the King is harder, tougher, and takes absolutely no shit
- Won a past Kejari, then killed his way to the throne
- Potentially guilty of war crimes?
Raihn
- Fellow Kejari contestant
- A Rishan vampire
- Holy crap is he pretty
- Has extremely powerful magic
- Is probably going to be a problem
Mische
- Another Kejari contestant
- Allied with Raihn
- Is VERY friendly and outgoing for a vampire, which puts Oraya on guard
- Basically, Raihn’s sister for all intents and purposes
- Cinnamon roll who should be protected at all costs.
General Plot/Concept
Oraya enters the Kejari hoping to gain some power and cement her connection with Vincent. To say she’s an underdog would be the understatement of the century, but for some reason Raihn and Mische want to team up with her. The mid-point trial usually requires allies, but they all know that after that, all bets are off. This makes her hesitant, but she finds herself without many options. After all, she’s a human being competing against powerful vampires. (Broadbent does a great job of explaining why on earth Oraya would make this alliance when she knows it’s logically a risky move.)
At the same time, tensions between the Hiaj and Rishan seem to be building. This means that Vincent isn’t as available to help Oraya, making her situation even more tenuous. We get to see this whole situation unfolding in bits and pieces, which adds so much intrigue to the story. I was so sucked in to the events of the trials, but every once in a while I’d step back and go, “But wait, what is going on out there?!” I was so invested in every plot and subplot in this rich story.
So, Oraya must deal with this shifting world, along with her changing feelings for her fellow contestants. It’s a lot for her to deal with, but I absolutely loved following her on that quest.
Will you be reading “The Serpent and the Wings of Night” along with us? Let us know how you feel about this one in the comments!