This was such an amazing read!! I haven’t book that hooked on a fantasy in a long time, especially one that shocks me. I really enjoyed the world building and the lore, the way she writes her characters had me feeling so torn. Which to me is a job well done!! I’m dying to get to the sequel!!!

Vampires have never really been my favorite paranormal creature. It would be easy to blame “Twilight” for this opinion, but even before then, back when I was reading “Interview with a Vampire” and the like, I never quite understood the appeal. Especially not in the romantic sense. How do you form a romantic interest out of a being that literally sees you as food? That in mind, I’ve been a bit hesitant about the recent resurgence of vampire fantasy fiction. But I’m always hopeful that there is a book out there that can change my mind on some of these pre-existing skepticisms. And, here we are, a vampire book that I actually really loved!

You know how a week ago I struggled to write a review for Jennifer Armentrout’s “Fall of Ruin and Wrath?” Mostly because, while I enjoyed the book, I could also objectively look at it and recognize that, at least in this instance, the author’s quality of writing was fairly low. Well, here I am a week later with a book that truly highlights the difference that good writing makes. In many ways, these books are similar. They are romantic fantasy fiction, focused on powerful beings and the humans who are caught up in their scheming, and, ostensibly, they both have unique worlds (I use the word “unique” carefully in Armentrout’s case as it seemed that she recycled some of her own ideas in her book.) But from the very first page, it is clear that this book is operating on an entirely different level. The sentence structure was varied and dynamic, the author pulled from a large vocabulary, the narration had a distinct voice, and the dialogue was engaging and natural. It was a success in every way, and I was immediately drawn in by the style.

The world-building was also introduced organically throughout the story, while not bogging down what ended up being a very fast-moving plot. The versions of vampires we see here are recognizable, but there was also a lot of creative interpretation built into the structure of this society, the political conflicts, and the lore of this world. I was also impressed by the creativity brought to the Kejari trials. Each one of them felt fresh and unique to this world and its story. These weren’t simple battles to the death, but intricate and dangerous puzzles of danger.

Further, I’ve also read a decent number of “Hunger Games” style books with deadly competitions at the heart of the story, and too often this aspect of these stories often falls flat, with the main character surviving due to heavy swaths of plot armor rather than any real skill we’ve seen from them. Instead, here, we have clear insight into Oraya’s success, with it often coming down to her keen observational skills and her drive to push herself further than her fellow competitors, beings who have been able to rely on their physical dominance up to this point. And that’s not to say that Oraya isn’t a powerful fighter herself. I appreciated the balance that was struck here between presenting Oraya, a human, as an exceptionally skilled fighter while also remaining realistic about the disadvantages she faced when competing against supernatural beings.

I also really enjoyed the romance that builds up through this story. This is definitely a slow-burn love story. Not only does the book itself hold off on its main characters getting together until late in the novel, but the structure of the plot takes place over months, giving our two characters a believable amount of time to work together, develop a friendship and partnership, and eventually a romance, overcoming their original distrust of one another. Of course, the book ends with a fairly large reveal (I was able to predict some of it, but that didn’t make it any less engaging when it happened), so the story is left in a state of upheaval as far as their love story goes. But the author so neatly side-stepped many failure points in the development of this relationship that I feel fully confident that she’ll navigate the path ahead just as successfully.

This book definitely doesn’t shy away from the violence of this world, so readers should go in expecting bloodshed. It’s also a romance novel in that it has fairly explicit scenes when it gets to that point. But it also reads well as a straight fantasy novel, with full attention and detail given to the plot and world-building. I think this book would likely appeal to most fantasy readers in general, beyond the romantasy fans out there. I really can’t express how impressed I was with this read. These books were originally self-published, so the sequel is available on Amazon now. But I’m going to try to hold off on reading and reviewing the second one until it comes out later this spring. Gotta support Bramble’s effort to pick up indie authors like this! Who know what other hidden gems are out there?!

Rating 9: Expanding the boundaries of what romantasy is capable of, this book has it all: solid word-building, compelling characters, and a fantastic love story!

(Review will go live on The Library Ladies on Dec. 8)

This book easily became one of my top fantasies ever. Vampires? Wings? Slow burn? enemies to lovers? Daddy issues? Sign me up!

Oraya was such a strong female lead and I loved her journey. Her relationship with Vincent was complex, her daddy issues coming in strong. The way everything unfolded---his lies, his secrets, etc (which continue even more in book 2), was perfect. Vincent's thoughts are prevalent in Oraya's mind throughout the entire length of the book. It love what that portrayed. Even when she began to hate him, she still loved him because he was her father. The accuracy of that turmoil was just fantastic.

Raihn is one of my top favorite book boyfriends. He's so Rhysand coded and he's a doll. When he's not a doll, he's malicious but still so good. My heart ached for him and everything he lost when he became a vampire--and everything he will continue to lose as the book goes on. I loved that he was the love interest AND the villain because since we are only reading Oraya's POV for this book, we feel her emotions more strongly. Raihn hurting her hurt ME and it hurt so BAD but also so good. The perfect torture!!!

Their slow burn was so good and I love when enemies to lovers find comfort with each other during times of distress and war, even if they're supposed to "hate" each other. The enemies to lovers for them was done superbly IMO. I was paying attention to all of Raihn's actions like nobody's business. He smirked? Annotated. He touched her? Annotated. "There you are." ANNOTATED! EVERYTHING he did was noted by me because I was obsessed. Tortured villain but still a mushy little babe. I loved him! (Especially the sunlight portions. His pain made me physically ache im not even joking)

I thought the pacing in this book was really well done, with everything! Oraya and Raihn, Vincent, the trials. It was the perfect pacing with easy to follow world-building and politics. Five stars isn't enough for this book.

Initially I was HOOKED. And a good deal of that goes towards Mr. Vincent and his complex relationship with Oraya.

What I Liked:
1. There were a lot of interesting things popping off immediately. Why is a vampire king like Vincent showing such softness towards an orphaned human girl? Why does Oraya want to win the Kejari? How the hell is she planning to survive amongst all these powerful vampires? What are the trials going to be like?
2. Raihn isn't tanned with black hair like all the other romantasy boys. Okay, give us some variety, Ms. Broadbent!
3. I liked the details about vampires having black blood, the two different types of vampires at war in the world, a vampire origin story, and how the magic system worked. I loved the way Broadbent tied the Kejari's trials to the lore of Nyaxia's journey from the White Pantheon.
4. Slow(er) burn relationship between Oraya and Raihn. I found the lack of instalust and instalove heightened the romantic conflict.
5. Rivals to lovers relationship between Oraya and Raihn. Right now everyone is trying (and kinda failing, I don't want to drag the girls, but they leave me no choice LMAO) to do enemies to lovers.
6. The complexity of Vincent's feelings towards Oraya and their relationship was great. I LOVED seeing all the conflict and contrasts between Vincent the Father and Vincent the King.

What I Didn't Like:
1. Fuck. Used with the relish of a 13 year old trying to impress his bros. Overdone!
2. The weeks between the trials dragged. I wanted to feel the pressure and relish the high stakes!
3. Being told about Oraya and Raihn growing closer by hunting vampires instead of being shown. I love to watch characters falling in love. Being told instead of being shown is unsatisfying.
4. Oraya's an interesting character. She hates vampires but also wants to become one? Her prickly, snarky, stabby personality didn't feel fresh.
5. I needed some more details and fleshing out. Vincent is allowed to give Oraya things between trials? You can request withdrawal due to injury from a competition that I swore was a fight to the death? How often to vampires need to eat? Why do some people get killed by vampires but others get turned? What's that process like?

Overall, this book got me really hyped up, but lost me in the middle.

Thank you Tor Publishing Group, Bramble, and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

For fans of Sarah j. Maas: this book has all the best qualities that TOG/ACOTAR have! (But with winged vampires!) It's super fast paced, I whipped right through the pages and couldn't get enough. Unique cast of characters who are so fun to read about. A sort of lucid writing style, it feels very familiar and accessible. The worldbuilding / politics and culture is developed as you read, and there's no lengthy info dumping at the start like some high fantasy novels that are the first in a series.

I do wish there was a little bit more depth to the characters in the beginning though. I appreciated the beautiful family that Oraya and her father are, but there wasn't much else to her except her drive for survival and romantic interest. I would love to read more about her history, her childhood, and how her powers originated from. However, the insane and ruthless competition was more than enough to keep my attention forward while reading. It was incredibly engaging and is definitely a book to scoop you out of a reading slump!

Overall, I love it exactly how it is! From a critical perspective, it could do a little better with developing the main characters some more, especially considering it's the first in a series. Perhaps the second will actually address that though!

WOWWWWWW. oh my god. Wow.
SO GOOD.
That cliffhanger?!?!!!?!?!?
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH.

“There she is.”

If it wasn’t freezing outside (and dangerous) I would find a rooftop to shout about this book on. One of the best new fantasy romances I have read in a long time. There are certain books that just make me love being a reader and this is one of them.

-fantastic female main character
-incredible (easy to follow, yet still surprising) magic system
-male love interest that is rough around the edges but passionate about what he believes in (and her)
-high stakes
-excellent tension-filled slowburn romance with banter
-some spice
-twists and turns
-plot twists

…oh yeah & VAMPIRES…….with WINGS!

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

I need the second one like Raihn needs blood (and honestly he probably has better patience and discipline than I do).

This book is on Kindle Unlimited but go ahead and do yourself a favor and buy the hardcover anyways because it is stunning.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Serpent & The Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent!

Everyone is searching for the next book series to captivate us like Sarah J Maas. This might just be that series!! Carissa Broadbent weaves story that is unlike any other fantasy book I have read. If I could get this book in paperback at my store I would have no problem hand selling this

Oraya is saved by the vampire king Vincent when her family is killed . He brings her up in his castle where she spends her life in hiding as she’s nothing but prey to the kingdom. She enters the Kejari, a fight to the death contest where the winner gets a wish from the goddess in order to win power for herself. Then she meets Raihn, another contestant, who makes her question everything about her life. Can she trust him?
Loved this first installment and looking forward to the next.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

I was immediately pulled into this story and I could not put it down!! The background of the fantasy world we've stepped into is very complex, and yet it pulls you in. It was a perfect balance of fantasy and romance, enough to make you root for the couple but also remain ensnared by the complexity of the worldbuilding. Oraya is our human FMC in a world where humans are no more than livestock. She refuses to be preyed upon or allow her human vulnerabilities to hinder her. Enter in vampires, and how can you really go wrong from there? I am eagerly looking forward to any sequels that follow.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night
Carissa Broadbent

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫- 4.5 stars
🌶️🌶️

I should preface this my saying I don’t love tournament/ hunger gamesey books. This was that, but I still loved it!

What I Loved:
🍄I really enjoyed the human living in the vampire world. Oraya is turning her weaknesses into strengths to survive. She’s compassionate and strong and I really enjoyed her character.
🍄Raihn 😭. A bad ass vampire but also a Jellyroll. I adore him!
🍄I enjoyed the slow burn relationship between MCs. They are a nice balance for each other and worked well together to survive the tournament.
🍄Loved the world building and learning about the three different vampire houses and wars between them.
🍄The ending was awesome and NOT what I was expecting.

There was nothing I didn’t like, I just wanted more spice and again the tournament setting is not my favorite. However, the ending and the set up for the next book… it’ll be a five star!

Ugh so fun. I ended up reading this so quick because I got invested in the plot, the characters, and the world. Such good troupes that I LOVE seeing in romance fantasy. Going to read book 2 now…

'Do you miss it? Humanity?
It was only after the question left my lips that I realized how oddly intimate it was. I thought he wouldn't answer. He was silent, watching the patrons laugh and drink.
'I miss the sun,' he said at last.


💭𝑴𝒀 𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑮𝑯𝑻𝑺💭
I think I found a new favorite fantasy author & apparently I'm into vampires now. This book was just so beautifully written. I instantly fell in love with Oraya a completely badass FMC despite the fact she's a human living among vampires who literally want to suck her dry. I am a STAN for fierce FMCs and holy sh** was she one,. And then bring in Raihn, oh Raihn, This charming vampire who never gave up. I love a vampire who is patient and understanding and never tries to change the FMC. GIMME MORE RAIHN IN BOOK 2 LET'S GO. Also, I ABSOLUTELY ADORED MICSCHE. Sweet, sweet Mische. The side characters in this book really were terrific. And lastly, THAT PLOT TWIST. DID NOT SEE THAT COMING. I can't wait for book two.

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭
•Enemies to lovers
•Reverse/ grumpy sunshine
•Vampires
•Fierce and Bad Ass FMC
•Reverse/ grumpy sunshine
•ACOTAR meets Hunger Games

I loved that we explored such a complicated father / daughter dynamic. I loved watching Oraya work through her trauma to be vulnerable with Raihn. I think the world and magic system is interesting and I’ll always love vampires.

I found that many specifics of the trials weren’t compelling and didn’t make sense. Why are they allowed to leave the palace at all? They could have stockpiled so efficiently because of it and they just didn’t. If the goal is to be the last one standing why didn’t we get a whole lot more hunting and sabotage outside of the trials? If Raihn is so powerful why didn’t he asteris blast everyone on day one?

I felt like the politics of the world weren’t as well developed as they needed to be for how relevant it was to the conclusion of the book. Things opened up in the last 80 pages in a way that felt unsupported by the plot. I’m all for twists and shifts but this was overexposed.

Undecided on if I will read the next books in the series, but glad to have read this one. Definitely worth a read regardless of my critiques.

Worth noting that the Kindle version I received here was missing chapters 45 - 50, which made for a confusing conclusion. I later found the missing chapters on KU to fill in.

I DEVOURED this book! It was such a quick read for me because I just couldn't put it down.

The characters were fantastic. I loved Oraya. She is not the typical "wilting violet" chosen one that we see so often. She is fierce and unapologetically strong. I loved that. Mische is another great character. I love how she holds on so fiercely to her humanity and doesn't lose herself in her vampiric nature. Raihn is another great one. He, too, works his ass off to hold on to his humanity. Aside from the three main characters, who are all so amazing, there are some great side characters too. Angelika is a real badass, and while she is set up as an antagonist, I did like her in spite of myself.

One thing that I really love about this book is that it does WAY more than just being a vampire love story. The story explores so many types of love, which made it an interesting read. There's the obvious romantic love, but there's also the love between friends and the flawed and hurtful love of a toxic relationship. We also get a really interesting examination of power dynamics and the flaws in a system in which some citizens are considered lesser than others. There's a really deep and rich world that she has built here complete with political intrigue, genocide, and power struggles. This is not just a vampire romance book, but don't worry. She delivers on the romance too.

If you love vampires and The Hunger Games, then you'll enjoy this book. There's constant challenges and battles and I can see why so many people enjoyed it so far and will enjoy it with the rerelease.

Politics, romantasy, and what's to come in book 2, it's definitely a book that I'm curious to see how it plays out to see if some of the things in book 1 just didn't make sense because I didn't know where the story was going, or if some of the things mentioned just felt unnecessary. I'm not hooked enough to run off and read book 2 just yet, but it's nice to know that it's a confirmed duology and will not extend beyond there.

I wasn't thrilled how the final "challenge" ended either, but again - part of the story until I read book two. I'm disappointed mostly because I know how much people LOVE this book and I wanted to share in the excitement with everyone!

For a first book I’d say five ⭐️s but at the end of the day this book for me is a 3.5 ⭐️s.
The main character is naive more than she should be for living in a world full of vampires. It was to the point of unbelievable.
I do see why the ladies love this enemies to lovers story though it is truly what keeps you wanting more to read. The trials are quick, predictable with little detail and similar to each other which made the story almost laggy.
I will be reading the next ones as I am curios to see where the story goes and how the writing develops over time.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to read a well done vampire book. Broadbent did a great job in combining fantasy and dystopian that felt new and reminiscent at the same time. It has been awhile since I read a book that brought me back to when I read The Hunger Games and Twilight for the first time, but that didn't feel like just a remake.

Oraya, a human raised by the king of the vampires, has one chance to become strong enough to exist fully in their world-the Kejari, a brutal competition given every 200 years by the vampires' goddess. Oraya has trained for years with her adopted father to be strong enough to survive and win this competition, but it is no easy feat. Forced into an alliance with one of her father's enemies, she learns that sometimes it is important to be able to trust those around you, even when you'll have to kill them later to win. Can she do this without losing her heart? The world building in this novel is great and the characters are very compelling. The romance is a slow burn that'll have you wishing for more. This is a perfect romantasy read!

An amazing story for the fantasy obsessed reader such as myself. As soon as I began reading this book I knew I needed to order the second. Fantasy romance is a tough genre and Carissa Broadbent has done it!