The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent - engaging and immersive romantasy / Books Teacup and Reviews

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is fast-paced, engaging and immersive romantasy with court intrigue, ruthless characters, and a romance that burns with pain and power.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) by Carissa Broadbent

Publication Date : August 30, 2022

Read Date : May 5, 2025

Genre : Fantasy

Pages : 504

Source : Kindle Unlimited

Synopsis

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 iscs 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.

Review

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is engaging and immersive romantasy, that follows Oraya a human, raised in a vampire world where where humans are prey or livestock, enters a deadly tournament to win a boon from Nyaxia, the Goddess of Vampires.

Oraya was just a child when she was pulled from the rubble of a building destroyed in the Rishaan rebellion—saved by none other than Vincent, the ruthless Hiaj Vampire and King of the House of Night. Known for his cold heart and merciless rule, Vincent surprised everyone, including himself, when something stirred in him at the sight of a fragile, defiant human girl fighting to survive. It was unheard of for a vampire to love, let alone love a human—but he did. He brought her to his castle, raised her like a weapon, trained her to survive in a world that saw humans as prey.

Her only path to belonging in the House of Nigh was being a legitimate heir to Vincent and that was by winning Kajari—a brutal, once-in-a-century tournament held to honor the vampire goddess Nyaxia. Winning would earn her a boon from the goddess herself, and with it, the Coratia bond: a sacred connection that would make her Vincent’s true daughter and give her the power to survive.

But Kajari wasn’t made for humans. It was a bloodbath filled with the deadliest vampires- fighting for power, glory, or the goddess’s favor -and they would rip her apart in a heartbeat. Luckily, Oraya wasn’t just any human. She was Vincent’s blade, honed to kill. She could hold her own through most of the trials… but not all. For the fourth trial, she’d need an ally.

Enter Raihn: a Rishaan vampire, a devastatingly powerful warrior and enemy to Hiaj Vampires. When he offered an alliance, Oraya was skeptical—of his motives, his timing, his charm. But what she didn’t expect was how quickly admiration took root. First as a fighter. Then as a friend. And eventually… something far more dangerous. Something that could cost her not just her life, but everything she wants and holds dear.

After last underwhelming fantasy series, The Serpent and the Wings of Night was a breath of dark, bloody air. Finally—a high-stakes, romantic fantasy that lived up to the expectation. Felt like The Hunger Games meets The Cruel Prince—but make it feral.

The writing was fast-paced and addictive—it pulled me in right from the start and didn’t let go. The story weaves together themes of vampire politics, survival, love, trust, consequences, and the desperate desire to carve out a place for yourself in a world that sees you as prey.

I loved the world of Obitraes. It is immersive, bloody, deadly, and unapologetically savage. This is a place where love and compassion were luxuries that often led to death. The structure of the three vampire Houses— The House of Night, House of Shadow, and House of Blood —was fascinating, but this book focused primarily on the House of Night and its internal power struggles. The never-ending fight for dominance between rival clans— Hiaj and Rishaan —was tragic and horrifying, a legacy of violence built on mountains of corpses. And as always, humans were collateral damage in a war they never asked to be part of.

But the most thrilling aspect of the world was the Kajari tournament and the Moon Palace itself. The palace was more than a setting—it was a living, magical entity, bending to the whims of Goddess Nyaxia. Over four months, contestants faced five deadly trials, each more intense than the last. But what made this tournament so compelling wasn’t just the danger—it was the unpredictability.

Each trial mirrored a stage in Nyaxia’s rise from lesser deity to power, and the palace reshaped the challenges accordingly. The trials weren’t just tests of strength—they were tests of will, heart, and survival. It was one of the most thrilling, original fantasy competitions I’ve ever read. Every single trial had me on edge, and in each one, I found myself rooting fiercely for Oraya to make it out alive.

Raihn was a walking paradox: dangerous, charming, and endlessly mysterious. I didn’t trust him at first (and honestly, I still don’t). Even when things seemed good between him and Oraya, it was obvious he was hiding something. But like Oraya said, there was still a very human part of him—one that carried pain, guilt, and compassion.

His backstory, how he was turned, the torment he endured under his master, and his struggle to escape his past… it hit hard. His anger over losing his love and everyone he cared about felt justified, and I could understand the weight he carried. But the way he acted at the end? After everything Oraya did for him? That hurt. He kept his true intentions hidden, even when she laid hers bare—and what he forced her to do shattered something fundamental between them. I don’t doubt that he still loves her, but that foundation is cracked now. I’m dying to see what he’ll choose next: power or love.

Vincent was fascinating from the start. A ruthless king known for his cold brutality, and yet—he saved a human girl and raised her as his own. Why? That question lingered throughout the book. He didn’t share much, and his love for Oraya was always shown more than spoken, but it was there—in the way he trained her, protected her, and prepared her to survive.

No matter what others said, his love felt deeper than his thirst for power. And yet, as the story progressed, there were moments where even Oraya doubted him. I did too. For the first time, his actions felt more calculated than paternal. And when the truth finally came out, it made sense—but it also left me rattled.

Oraya is a phenomenal protagonist. She is heartbreakingly human, may not be Vincent’s blood daughter, but in every other way, she was… a brave, clever, fierce, and you would regret to underestimate her. Her fear, her vulnerability, her need to prove herself in a world built to destroy her—it all felt so real. I understood her desire to be turned, to gain power not just for herself, but to truly belong. Every loss she suffered carved something into her, and I ached for her.

In the beginning, her dreams felt like a fairytale, a way to escape her powerlessness. But the tournament, her evolving relationship with Raihn, and the truths she uncovered about Vincent and her world—everything shifted. Her motivations, her perceptions, even her heart. I admired her even more for continuing to love fiercely, even when faced with betrayal and brutal truths. She carried the emotional weight of this book, and she made me feel every step of the way.

The romance between Oraya and Raihn was sizzling—intense, magnetic, and full of crackling tension. I loved their banter, the slow unraveling of their guarded selves, and how they peeled back each other’s layers until all that was left were raw, honest truths. They were equals in every sense—two fierce, powerful souls who became even stronger when fighting side by side. It truly felt like they were made for each other.

Of course, in a world as twisted and brutal as theirs, love was never going to be simple. It complicated everything—raised the stakes, blurred loyalties, and threatened to undo them both. Some of my favorite moments were their flight together to meet Mische, Oraya setting up the mirror for Raihn, their quiet moments before the final trial—and that devastating final fight. Each scene between them was charged with longing, vulnerability, and the kind of chemistry that made me desperately root for a happy ending, even when I knew the odds were stacked against them.

The final fight was a game changer. Even though I knew how it would end (yes, I couldn’t wait and Googled it—no regrets), actually reading it hit way harder than expected. I cried with Oraya—for what she lost, for what she was forced to do, and for how deeply she was betrayed. I wasn’t happy with how things unfolded, but honestly? If the book had ended right there, it would’ve been a perfect, haunting close. I would’ve been desperate to see what she’d do next—broken, betrayed, but still burning.

But nope—the story kept going, and with it came the change in Oraya’s world. and her sense of helplessness. I still can’t believe she felt anything after all that pain, but now I’m even more curious to see where she goes from here. Will she rise, fight, and claim what’s hers? Or will she somehow find it in her to forgive and rebuild something new from the ashes?

Overall, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is fast-paced, engaging and immersive romantasy with court intrigue, ruthless characters, and a romance that burns with pain and power. If you want a romantasy that bleeds, bites, and breaks your heart in the best way with morally gray heroes, deadly heroines, and worlds that don’t play nice, I definitely recommend this.

What to Expect from The Serpent and the Wings of Night:

A fierce, vulnerable human Heroine
High-stakes tournament
Trials based on a goddess’s myth
Morally grey, swoon-worthy vampire hero
Slow-burn enemies-to-lovers
Rich, blood-soaked world of vampire
Theme of power, belonging, survival
Complex father-daughter dynamic
Gut-punch betrayals
Wide-eyed and emotionally bruised twists

Favorite Lines from The Serpent and the Wings of Night

“Never trust. Never yield. Always guard your heart.”

“vampires know better than anyone how important it is to protect their hearts. And love, understand, is sharper than any stake.”

“Vanity came second to survival.”

“this placed made all of us that way. Taught us to hide love in sharp edges.”

“Sadness was a futile, weak emotion. At least anger was useful- a sharp edge to cut another’s heart, or a hard shell to protect your own.”

“Death isn’t frightening when weighed against an insignificant existence.”

“Fear is a collection of physical responses, I told myself.

“I realized that fear, when embraced, hardens and sharpens. That it becomes rage. That it becomes power.”

“I’ve lived through some injustices in the last couple of centuries. Seen some fucking travesties. But one of the biggest, Oraya, is that anyone taught you that you should become anything other than exactly what you are.”

“Don’t be so quick to throw away your humanity, Oraya,” he said. “You might find you miss it once it’s gone.”

“You’re more human than I am, Raihn. You’ve kept every part of it that makes you value the things in this shitty world that no one else here does. You’ve kept the compassion. It doesn’t matter if your blood runs black now. That hasn’t change you.”

“There are moments in one’s life that remain permanently distilled in memory. Some wither within minutes, and others are carved forever into our souls.”

“Love was a sacrifice at the altar of power.”

“A dead lover can never break your heart.”

“So many mistakes in the end,” he choked out. “Never you.”