Tag: crowns of nyaxia

Book Review: The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk (Crowns of Nyaxia #4) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Romantasy
Length: 557 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: August 5th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again.

When a goddess offers them a final path to redemption – and back to each other – Asar and Mische embark on an extraordinary mission. Together, they must seize the power of the god of death so Asar may do the ascend to true divinity.

Their journey will take them through mortal and immortal realms, alongside both old friends and ruthless enemies. But as the underworld teeters on the brink of collapse and the gods prepare for a war, Asar and Mische must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death. In a game of vengeful gods and ancient betrayals, there are some debts that even love may not be able to repay.

AUDIOBOOK IS KEY.

I LOVE the first two books in this series, big fan, reread them, loved them. I struggled with book three and didn’t feel compelled to get to book four IMMEDIATELY.

And then I decided to go with the audiobook and let me tell y’all, that’s the way to go. The narrators executed that beautifully and I found it much easier to pick and listen to rather than trying to read my physical copy.

I ended up liking this journey a lot. I do think it gets a bit scattered and dragged out but overall, there’s many good things here. I love the dynamic between Asar and Mische. The brightest of sunshine vs. the grumpiest of grumps. Filled with banter and tension, and the foreboding sense of wondering who will make it out alive and if that HEA will ever come.

I am looking forward to the next duet though!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 4ish open door
  • Violence: high

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Book Review: The Lion and the Deathless Dark (Crowns of Nyaxia #5) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 560 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Bramble
Release Date: August 4th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Lion & the Deathless Dark – the first book in the Bloodborn Duet.

Some blood tastes like vengeance. Some blood tastes like grief. Some blood tastes like nothing at all.

Under an eternal night, the world has been ravaged by ten years of war between humans and vampires. Kyrene scrapes by as a bounty hunter, bearing a blessed sword from the goddess of justice. But in the wake of a devastating loss, Kyrene commits a crime that makes her a target for mortals and gods alike – and she is still desperate for vengeance.

Her only chance at survival – and revenge – is making a deal with her enemy, the silver-tongue vampire prince, Septimus, who offers her one final to slay the gods themselves.

Together, Kyrene and Septimus must hunt the ultimate marks, all while navigating a web of prophecies and curses. Septimus is calculating and mysterious, masking secrets bloodthirsty enough to consume them both. Yet, most dangerous of all, Kyrene finds an unexpected kinship in him.

But their growing attraction is deadly in a world where the only currency is blood. And Kyrene will stop at nothing to fulfill her ultimate to kill the goddess of vampires, even if it means sacrificing love for revenge.

Thank you Bramble for the gifted copy.

I’M INVESTED.

I’m not sure anything will hold a candle to the first duet in this series, but alas, I did like this book a lot and plan to finish out this series because that cliffhanger was BRUTAL. Expected, but BRUTAL.

I eyeball and listened to this one and liked both formats. The audiobook has great narrators.

The main characters were great. I liked the tenacity of the Kyrene (which I was totally pronouncing wrong until the audiobook corrected me). She’s unapologetically savage and while that absolutely causes issues, Kyrene fights to bounce back and settle the score. Her banter with Septimus was excellent and they had chemistry I could get behind. It’s a long, traveling adventure type of story with plenty of lore and political intrigue built in (I might have lost my cool when Oraya showed up because I MISSED HER).

This is a good pair and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 2-3ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: pregnancy loss (recounted), loss of loved ones, war themes, blood/gore depiction

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Book Review: The Songbird & the Heart of Stone (Crowns of Nyaxia #3) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 500 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Bramble Romance
Release Date: November 19th, 2024
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Dante’s Inferno, in an epic fantasy romance of love and treachery between mortals and gods. Features beautiful case art and a detailed map.

In the descent to the underworld, a bride of the sun must choose between the light of her redemption… or a dark love that defies the gods themselves

Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire – her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische’s punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the very death god she’ll help resurrect.

Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness – and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.

GOOD, BUT REPETITIVE.

I loved being back in this world and seeing Mische again. I adored her character from the first duo and was looking forward to seeing her journey through this book. And I totally did enjoy it, buuut I also had some issues with this one too.

My main issue was that the plot seemed repetitive. I thought each layer started to blend together and the same creature was attacking over and over again. There were good and softer (and spicier) moments woven throughout the journey that I looooved. I just wish we had more of those. Or a different kind of action.

BUT THE ENDING? I am a forever fan of wild cliffhangers and this one DELIVERED. It very much hyped me for the next book and I can’t wait to see what chaos ensues now.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: moderate – high
  • Romance: 1-2 open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content Warnings: discussion of grooming and child abuse

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ARC Book Review: The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia #2) by Carissa Broadbent

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 600 pages
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 14th, 20223
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

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.

Thank you to Book of Matches Media and Carissa Broadbent for an eARC.

INCREDIBLE.

I went in to this with some VERY high levels of hype and I was NOT DISAPPOINTED. I can NOT handle when the MMC is absolutely gone for the FMC. And Raihn WAS GONE. There’s even dual POV SO WE GET BOTH SIDES.

I CAN’T STOP THE CAPS I’M SORRY (but not really).

There was this beautiful slow build to the plot and romance that kept me wholly engaged. And about the 45% mark I was GLUED to my screen. I devoured the rest of the book needing to know all the answers and finding that amazing ending. I loooove how Raihn and Oraya both worked on their relationship. There was plenty to apologize for and concessions to be made and these two found love in a hopeless place AND I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

And the Vincent story line?? That about made me cry. It was EMOTIONAL. I am in absolute awe of how Carissa Broadbent took this character’s story line and gave it such an impactful and raw telling. That was not easy to do and she absolutely nailed it.

The high levels of action will have you fearing for everyone’s lives and desperately flying through pages to see who comes out on the other side. I loved all of the reveals, betrayals, big moments, little moments, and 100+ things I highlighted and bookmarked.

YOU MUST READ THIS SERIES.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open; high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: discussion of rape and sexual assault (off screen), blood play, violence against children, complicated father/daughter relationship

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