THE ASHES AND THE STAR-CURSED KING by Carissa Broadbent is another fantastic ending to a great duology. It has everything you would want in a romantasy novel - plenty of action, violence, romance, and smut. I am particularly impressed by Ms. Broadbent’s clever method for extracting key information from certain characters. Oraya’s and Raihn’s story is satisfying on many fronts. Better yet, we know that while their main story is over, we will still see them in future Nyaxia books, of which there will should be four more. I can’t wait! ( )

The Ashes and the Star Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent is the second book of the Nightborn Duet, part of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. My understanding is each of the three vampire houses will have a duet of books, plus there will be some standalone stories. The novel continues the story of the former Vampire King’s adopted human daughter, Oraya, and her enemy/husband Raihn. Oraya’s world was turned upside down at the end of the first book and most of the book deals with Raihn’s attempts to hold on to his throne (and the impact of this on Oraya). Tropes include enemies to lovers, forced proximity/marriage and protective behavior.

The Lovely: The characters and relationships really shined in this book. I still felt connected with Oraya and you can really feel her conflicting emotions regarding Raihn. With him, you can tell he loves her. The POV switches back and forth between those two characters but it’s seamless and not disruptive to the reading.

The Mundane: The tension in this book felt more stop and go, especially compared to the first book. I think this is because of the plot issue (see below). There was tension, and in the second half of the book it picked up, making me want to keep reading.

The Dreadful: I felt like the plot was lacking in this book. Different events occurred to advance the story along but the story itself was rather generic (hold on to the crown and don’t get killed). It felt like it was all over the place. The plot did get clearer and more focused in the second half of the of the book.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Recommendation: If you saw my review of the first book, you saw I wasn’t happy about the ending. I’m glad I read this second book - to see what happened to the characters. And the ending was better. I basically read this for the characters and their relationship more than the story. If you read the first book, it’s worth it to read this one (and read Six Scorched Roses in between the two). ( )

3.5⭐️3🔥

"There she is"
"Let me worship you"
"I give you my body, my blood, my soul, my heart"
"I hate you because I don't"

After so much anticipation after The Serpant and the Wings of Night, I devoured this book. It was a good read. I think I had too high of expectations for this book since the first was perfect. It has such great character and relationship building. Some of the plot twists were utterly shocking. I feel that this sequel wasn't quite as unique in originality as the first book but it was still a good story. I enjoyed the world and the writing is absolutely perfect. I wouldn't change a single word. I felt so much that was intended by the author. As the final book in the Nightborn Duet, this had a solid ending yet still leaving it open enough for the continuation of the series.

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn
Redemption
Second Chance

Ending Type: Craving for more

Below are my SPOILER thoughts and reactions:

19%: I hate that she's upset with him. Vincent wasn't a great guy. And Raihn literally died for her so he didn't have to kill him and she could live but he didn't exactly have a choice once she gave him his life back. And he's trying. I feel so bad for him. Man, I hate war. I hate reading about it.
41%: I'm annoyed with Oraya. She's just pissing me off at this point. But she's got fucking wings! Well I never knew Wings were so... sensitive lol.
62%: I really want Oraya and Lilith to be friends. Idk how to feel about Septimus. and I don't think Vale is the traitor. Raihn and Oraya are going about this all wrong. They need to seem more together to show a powerful force between them rather than separate. Cairis that bastard! It's about time they made up and did it.
100%: The cave scene 🔥🔥 Hell yeah, Rishan and the Hiaj are going to fight together! They're flying over the desert back to Sivrinage to take their kingdom back, together. Why don't they try to get some humans to fight with them? Where is Lilith in all this? Septimus put God teeth in Simon's chest, to give him God powers. That was rude Simon.
Raihn went through so much... omg they found her aunt 🥹 I bet Alya has the God blood. Oh the jewelry are a key! It's about goddess damn time he said he loved her! I can't stop saying nuclei. Omg she said it but to the wrong damn person. Idk how I feel about Vincent after seeing his memories. He's still an ass. But he did love her.

She was able to call upon 2 goddesses back to back. And it seemed easy. Could they do this the whole time? Acaeja granting the coriatis bind against Nyaxias wish? This will get interesting. They skipped the battle... They combined the heir of the house of night and they both bear both of the heir marks. Badass. "Bloodshed and ballgowns" sounds like a book title. Ominous clouds always means bad things. ( )