After reading The Serpent & the Wings of Night, I was absolutely hooked on Carissa Broadbent's writing. What a vivid, dark, intricate, enthralling world she has created with this series. The first book left off on a massive reveal and cliffhanger, and I was so ready to dive into the second book. The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King did not disappoint. It's hard to follow up such a firecracker of a first book, but it managed to keep me just as entertained and engaged.
Romantasy can be a tricky genre. As someone who adores fantasy but finds romance sometimes disappointing, there needs to be a good balance for me. I find this subgenre often falls into grooves and writing styles most common in romance books that I just personally don't love. That being said, I think Broadbent executed this book perfectly. The quality of writing was great, the plot points were gripping and didn't feel contrived, the characters (including side characters) were well fleshed out and rounded. I didn't feel like any aspect was an afterthought. The concept for the world and the aesthetics of the setting are so unique and not copy-and-pasted from other heavy-hitters in the Romantasy genre, but there are still many of the staple elements that we all know and love. I will never tire of a FMC in fighting leathers.
I found the way grief was portrayed to be very real and raw. It wasn't a quick over-and-done-with mini arc, it was something Oraya really grappled with throughout the whole books, which is really how grief affects us in our lives.
One thing that brings it down from a 5 star to a 4 is really personal preference-- swearing. I have no issue with cursing, especially in my own life, in fact I curse probably too often for my own good. However something about reading it in books, specifically fantasy, just doesn't work for me. I really can't explain it other than I just don't like it. It takes me out of the story and I feel like it can be so overused, especially in a character's inner monologue. But again, personal preference.
I truly love this series and I can't wait for the next duology in this world!

Loved the first book! and now I can safely say I love this book just as much! This felt complete and not rushed through printing and editing which is nice! I would def recommend book 1 in this series and Carissa Broadbent as an author!

Carissa Broadbent continues the tale of Oraya, adopted human daughter to Victor, the Vampire king. In The Serpent & the Wings of Night (hard) we learned that she was really half-vampire after Victor was killed. Now in The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (hard from Bramble) she has to learn to be queen to Raihn’s king and deal with a massive revolt. At the heart of everything is the blood of a goddess. Very intense and hard-to-put-down. These were originally self-published, but I imagine the new editions have had some editing. I’ve really enjoyed them.

I think I honestly just love anything Carissa Broadbent writes. Ashes is such a great wrap up to this part of the series. When I say I devoured this... I could not put it down. There's so much happening and it's so fantastic. I am happy that I managed to read Six Scorched Roses in between Serpent and Ashes because it made me even more invested in a couple of characters, but regardless, this was wonderful. I can't wait for the next Nyaxia book!

Oraya and Raihn's story picks up right were it left off after book 1. Oraya is a prisoner in her own home, forced to marry Raihn who killed her father and stole his throne. The set up for this book was excellent and I was ready to dive into the story, but the story I was expecting never arrived.
Oraya struggles a lot at the beginning of the book with guilt over her father's death and mourning the fact that he's gone and her entire life has been turned upside down. I thought this was well done and accurate for the character, but when she started to come out of that, the character she was in book one seemed to be gone. She wasn't violent and angry anymore, she just seemed lost.
At the end of book 1 she was furious with Vincent, her father, for lying to her about everything but after he died she gave up being angry at him. Even as throughout the course of book 2 she kept finding more and more things he had lied to her about. And again, I get that grief and guilt can change how you feel about someone, but she reverted back to being die hard loyal to Vincent after he died, but also completely turned her back on Raihn who she loved and was willing to betray her father for in book 1. It felt to me like her willingness to forgive Vincent should have meant she was willing to forgive Raihn also.
Aside from that I felt that the pacing of the book was very slow moving. There was a lot of introspection happening between the moments where things actually happened so it felt like we were spinning our wheels and not getting anywhere.
It wasn't a bad book, but it could have moved quicker.

Carissa Broadbent has quickly become one of my top 5 must read romantasy authors. The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King is book two in the Crowns of Nyaxia duology. It is filled with action, romance, and spice. Broadbent finds a great balance in the writing. It reads like a fantasy book with romance instead of a romance book that happens to also be fantasy. I love this about the series. The word building is well done. Not only is the backdrop of the story filled with vivid images, the magic system is really well thought out and developed. The characters also have a lot of depth. Oraya is a strong and well developed character. Following her emotional journey was interesting and fun to read. Broadbent brings the reader right along with the pain and grief that it's easy to feel them along with her. I also think Raihn is also a solid character and an amazing counterpart to Oraya. The story is told through different points of view, giving the reader a full rounded reading experience. This is one I will definitely add to the shelves of our library and my own personal library as well.

I am so ridiculously obsessed with this series! This is book 2 of the Nightborn Duet but thankfully Carissa Broadbent is expanding the Crowns of Nyaxis universe and this won’t be the last we see of Raihn and Oraya!

I could go on and on about what I love about this book but that would absolutely dive into spoiler territory and I’m not the one! Just know if you love Serpent and the Wings of Night, you’ll love this one as much, if not more! If you haven’t read Serpents yet, you need to get on it! Especially if you’re a fan of enemies to lovers, centuries old vampire feuds, and a Hunger Games type setting…but with much more bloodshed.

Ashes is told in multiple points of view and we get more background info on all the main characters. Even though the Kejari is over, this book has just as much action as Serpents! An overthrown kingdom, untrustworthy nobles, and the infiltration of Bloodborn keep Raihn and Oraya fighting for their lives.

I loved this duet so much! It’s up there with SJM, Fourth Wing, Divine Rivals for me. Book 1 was an easy 5 stars for me and this one so good but not quite 5-star status. Overall, I loved the storyline and highly recommend reading this duet!

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺
𝘝𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴
𝘌𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯
𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦

Oraya and Raihn are both trapped in the house of night after battling out of the Kejari. Raihn as the new king confronting his past as a slave, having to force people to give him the respect his position deserves. While struggling with Oraya’s loss of will.
Oraya is trapped by the grief of losing Vincent and the betrayal she feels Raihn lured her into. She is given more freedom than she had previously been allowed in the house of night leading her to believe that Vincent had deliberately restricted her.
But the opportunity to unite both of their people and make a better kingdom could bring the fight out in both of them.
Carissa Broadbent definitely changed how the series was paced with part two. The first one we were locked into the way the trials were moving along but in this book we have more space between battles. I think that really helps you to get to know more about both Oraya’s and Raihn’s feelings. But not just for each other, their views on the tougher moments of their lives and how they overcame difficult obstacles. . I am excited to see how the world will expand beyond them.

Carissa Broadbent did such a good job with this duology, I enjoyed both books tremendously! Romantasy is my favorite genre, and this delivered on what I love about Romantasy. It had the perfect about of plot and spice. The action was fantastic, really this book had the whole package. Well done! I look forward to reading the next book; The Songbird & the Heart of Stone, when it comes out in November!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you so much for sending me the E-ARC of The Ashes & the Star Cursed King!
I love this world that Carissa Broadbent has created and these characters she has gifted us to hold so close to our hearts. I loved learning more about Oraya's past, Vincent's secrets, and Raihn's heart. Such a perfect sequel to a jaw-dropping first book of the series, and I can't wait to get more from this world and I will be grabbing everything with Carissa Broadbent's name on it!

So when I started my journey into fantasy romance, I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. Thankfully I have been pleasantly surprised by the genre. I’ve read acotar, crescent city, fourth wing and others. Each one has been enjoyable enough to read but I’m pretty sure I’ve found in the crowns of nyaxia a series with the potential to beat all of them. When I read the serpent and the night of wings, I can say that in terms of fantasy romance, it was excellent and a better first book than all the other fantasy romance series. The second is no different and it’s just as good as the first. I can’t wait to jump into the third book and see if the series sticks the landing. My expectations are high but after these first two books, I have no doubt that the author will deliver.

Carissa Broadbent can do no wrong! Hard to beat the war of lost hearts trilogy but this duology certainly comes close. Just as fun as the first one!

Carissa Broadbent is an incredible writer and story teller. This duology came at a time in my life where I desperately needed an escape, and Carissa delivered. Oraya and Raihn’s story is beautiful and exhilarating. This book has everything a romantasy reader could want. Spice. Drama. Deceit. Epic battles! Literally everything! The bonus chapter just fits perfectly, too! I cannot wait to see what’s next for this world and for what Carissa does next! Thank you to Carissa Broadbent and the publisher for the arc on NetGalley!

There were things I liked and things I didn't like about this book. Parts of it felt like a slog to get through and it was! I think I would have really enjoyed it if I read it right after the first one. I did like the POV switches as it let us explore more than just one POV. But I felt very info dumpy at time and was hard to figure things out if I didn't know them or not from the first book! I do enjoy the world build here but I worry about reading another book in the word and struggling to figure out what I missed .

Thank you @brambleromance #partner for the gifted copy of this spectacular book!

Ahhhhh! I am so in love with these characters and the adventures of Raihn and Oraya. This is the second book in the Nightborn duology but don’t you fret because we will still get more of the Crowns of Nyaxia story! I am so thankful because I am 💯 not ready to let them out of my life just yet. This book gets all the stars from me!

If you loved Fourth Wing and ACOTAR you should absolutely be adding these books to your TBR. There is no shortage of vampire fights, forbidden love, some angst, spice, a tormented father and daughter relationship and non stop action. The writing is on point and Carissa has made me care so much or Raihn and Oraya it’s hard not to feel all the feels for them. Oraya is the perfect tough as nails MC and Raihn you cannot help but love his patient love her. I am so excited for the continuation of this journey and to unpack more of Mische and her journey. I am wholeheartedly impressed with these books and absolutely think you need to give them a try! They are perfect for romantasy lovers!

Well, Goddess damned. Loved it. More of this for sequels please. This started slow but once it got moving it was moving. I enjoyed the growth of both MCs. The world building continued in this and it was great learning about the character's backstories. The inclusion of Raihn’s POV was perfection and Broadbent made his transformation so much better by adding his narration in. I am sad that Oraya and Raihn’s story is over but there will be four more bookings coming in this series so I will definitely be looking out for those.

First I want to thank NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review of The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carrisa Broadbent!

Please read the trigger warnings! I didn’t find the content difficult, but you may be more sensitive to certain things.

This book had me feeling all the feels. The pain, heartbreak, and love. Carissa broadbent has such GOOD writing. This was just so freaking good.

With our ending of book 1, I knew and needed a redemption arc with some grovelling. Oraya’s journey through, her emotions was so incredibly satisfying. My favourite thing is when a fantasy is able to successfully tackle themes and topics we see in daily life, and Carissa executes that so well here. Oraya is one of my favourite FMCs and continues to pop off.

I need more people to talk about Carissa Broadbent. Her books aren’t hyped up enough. SHE IS SOOOO GOOD.

Also the bonus chapters were chef’s kiss 😘

WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE!!!!!
I need to process it all. But man did this book make me laugh and sob all in one. The pacing was a weeee bit off but I understood why was we crack open the rest of the world and dove deeper.

Really a 3.5! I’ve enjoyed the Nightborn Duet, and adora Boradbent’s characters. Oraya is so strong willed, even when she isn’t confident in herself and Raihn is such a fun-loving tease, they make a great pair with great chemistry!

Serpent and The Wings of Night definitely had the added bonus of having the structure of the Kejari games. This book was essentially one major battle after the other. The action was great, but there was a lot of it and at one point it felt like a bit much/dragged on. However, this is a nice and satisfying close to Oraya and Raihn’s story and a good transition into the next part in this series about the House of Shadow with the lovely Mische as FMC!