Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy for an honest review of The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carrisa Broadbent!

Have you read Broadbent’s first installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia #1, The Serpent & the Wings of Night? Were you like me as I read that book… immediately drawn into the enemies-to-lover romance, a human female in a competition to the death against highly trained vampires, and fatherly love just out of reach!? If any of these troupes resonates with you then you must read Broadbent’s newest release!
Back with her amazing world-building descriptions, slow-burn angsty romance, action-packed plot, and layers of betrayal; the MFC Oraya and MMC Raihn take us on a journey of vengeance and discovery. Oraya, now a prisoner in her own home and doubting everything in her past thought to be true, must somehow find a way to reclaim her father’s kingdom and make it her own. But Raihn isn’t going to just hand it over, nor are the nobles or the House of Blood about to just let her have it. As the odds slowly shift against him, Raihn forms a secret alliance with Oraya, where she must harness a power so great she fears she isn’t up to the task. Can Oraya reclaim her kingdom? How far will she go to obtain it?

If you can’t tell, I loved this second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia #2 series, The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King, and I will definitely read anything by Broadbent in the future. I found myself losing track of time by being so absorbed in the action, emotions of the MCs, and the twists and turns Oraya is faced with. If you are a fan of the FBAA series or Fourth Wing, then this is a must-read and needs to be at the top of your TBR pile! When this book is released, I will be buying a copy so I can read it over and over!

Final Review 4.5 Stars

Everything I wanted as a sequel. This might be one of my favorite fantasy series of the past few years!

I can't wait to read Mische's story.

Wow - what a stunner of a story. This was exactly what I wanted out of a second installment of this story.

These characters are amazing. Obviously Oraya and Raihn are amazing, but there are solid side characters that I love as well. I love that Oraya and Raihn actually talk about their issues - it's a huge pet peeve of mine when romance leads just ignore each other rather than talking it out. They are both broken and flawed, yet they are doing the most to be the best versions of themselves, which I appreciate.

The political intrigue and war are integral parts of this story, and they are done so well. I was biting my fingernails during that last battle. I wouldn't say there are any huge surprises or twists, but it's just so intense. The writing definitely keeps you engaged.

Love this world and this story.

YES this book is amazing and beautifully written. Perfect follow up to the first book. I read this in 1 day because I couldn’t put it down!

Carissa Broadbent has written one of my favorite fantasy series of all time with this one. It was so original and fun and addictive. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

This series is easily one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. It is so tough to follow up a near-perfect first book in the series, but Broadbent nailed it with The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King. The fact that we also just found out that this series isn’t over??? Jaw-dropping, screaming, crying—a true gift from the book gods.

The new bonus chapter at the end of this book was everything I didn’t know I needed. Not only did Broadbent set up the next book perfectly, but I feel like we got more closure on the journey we went through in books 1 & 2. There are so many quotes I cannot wait to share after publishing. The love Oraya and Raihn have for each other brings me to tears. Absolutely beautiful.

I cannot wait for the next book of the Crown of Nyaxia series. Mische, you’re up!!!

“Let me make you the queen that you are. Let me guard your body, your soul, your heart. Let me spend the rest of my fucking pathetic life at your mercy. If I need to die, then let me do it by your hand. Please.”

We're back with Oraya and Raihn! The remanence of their relationship after the Kejari is rocky to say the least. Oraya is struggling with an inner turmoil about herself and about her father and his secrets.
I felt that this book was more building than the first and so because of that there is a slower pace. Overall, the book did still keep me on my toes. The action scenes are perfect! Very compelling and had me on the edge of my chair. Vincent and his story has completely shattered my heart, and I can't wait to see what happens in the book!

“The Serpent and the Wings of Night” was one of those rare books where I actually could see what all the hype was about! Were there familiar concepts employed? Sure. Was the romance fairly straight-forward? Yes. Was the twist a bit predictable? Yeah. But you know what? The characters were interesting, thought had clearly went into the world-building, and the writing was compelling. And most of all, I simply had a fun time reading it! All of that to say, this was one of my most highly anticipated sequels for the first half of the year!

So, this book didn’t quite reach the highs of the first book, but overall, it was still an excellent sequel! For one thing, I appreciated the way some of the reveals at the end of the first book were followed up on here, most especially Oraya’s relationship with her recently deceased father. While most readers are here for the romantic relationship, I think it is this complicated father/daughter relationship that really holds the true character arc of this story. As the story progresses, we peal back layers of trauma and crippling expressions of love. There is clearly darkness in this relationship, and much of this book is Oraya attempting to reconcile the man she grew up with with the man her father truly was. But instead of taking the easy way out, Broadbent doesn’t simply vilify this character and go from there. Instead, the story explores the nuances of this relationship, the way that love, hatred, and fear can become so wrapped up in one another as to be nearly indistinguishable. How people can hurt those they love best, all while convincing themselves that they are protecting them.

As for the plot, while the “Hunger Games” style competition of the first book was a fairly familiar device, I did find myself missing it some here. I often enjoy books that get into the nitty gritty of court politics, but for some reason I struggled to enjoy this elements as much here. For one thing, I felt like most of the players were fairly obvious, with the reader largely already knowing who stands where, who can be trusted, and what must be done. That being the case, much of the story then feels like a waiting game for our main characters to catch up.

I did enjoy the romance, for the most part. Again, due to the events of the first book, there’s definitely a slow build up in this area. Oraya’s trust has been broken badly, so it takes quite a while for her to come around again. And while this is understandable and necessary for good characterization, it did make the first half of the book drag a bit. I did appreciate, however, that Raihn was simply all-in on this relationship and simply spent the majority of the relationship wooing Oraya back to him.

I’m not sure how I feel about the decision to include POV chapters for Raihn in this book. On one hand, we learn more about his own history, which was very interesting. But on the other hand, his POV lead to one of my biggest annoyances with the book: the repetition of the phrase “there she is.” He would say this whenever Oraya seemed to return to her fierce, feisty self. The first time, it was kind of cute. The second time…ok, I see what we’re doing here. But then it just kept happening! Seriously, I stopped counting the number of times he said this at a certain point. All of the romance of the line was completely sapped and it instead turned into one of those annoying phrases that immediately threw me out of the book whenever it came up. I wish an editor had flagged this as something that needed to be paired back. Broadbent is a talented writer, so I know she’s capable of better writing then this level of repetition indicates.

Overall, however, I found this to be a completely satisfying sequel! It came through in all of the ways I wanted (a satisfying conclusion to the romance and central conflict) and even tackled a level of depth and nuance with regards to Oraya and her father’s relationship that I wasn’t expecting. There were a few writing quirks that got on my nerves, and I do think the plot dragged a bit in the first half. But that said, I think book will likely please fans of the first book, and I’ll be on the lookout for the next book Broadbent releases!

Rating 8: Full to the brim with romance, court politics, and family trauma, an excellent sequel all around!

(Link will go live June 7 on The Library Ladies)

“The king knew, in this moment, that his greatest love would also be his ruination, and that both would come in the unlikely form of a young human woman.”

WOOF Y’ALL. THIS BOOK.

I simply cannot sum up in words how this book has made me feel. It’s also nearly impossible for me to talk about it without spoilers so, I’ll just say this…if you want to read a book that mixes Throne of Glass with the Hunger Games but with vampires then you need to read The Serpent and the Wings of Night— book one of this duology.

And then you need to know that this second book will give you EVERYTHING you need. More romance, more fantasy, more character growth, more magic, more fights, more villains, more EVERYTHING.

I don’t know that I’ve ever read a sequel that was just as good as the first book (or better than…) since ACOMAF 👀👀

This is a fabulous continuation of the story of what happens to Oraya in the wake of her decisions from the previous book, The Serpent and the Wings of Night. she is now a prisoner in her own kingdom and she cannot trust Raihn. This is the House of Night vs. the House of Blood to take over what was once Oraya's kingdom. She enters into an alliance with Raihn to try an reclaim what is hers. The twists and turns in this book are amazing, and you don't know who to trust. We are introduced to some new characters or ones who only were mentioned in the last book. It seems there are enemies everywhere and Oraya is not sure who to trust...including her dead father. I cannot wait for the next book to come out!

I love this series! I will insta buy everything from Carissa Broadbent! This is a great follow up to book one. It wraps up all the important bits but leaves the door open for book three which will feature a different main character. Can't wait!

Good follow-up to the first book. The storyline was engaging and kept me reading. Really enjoy books with dual POV. Author really good at conveying certain emotions with getting too graphic. Good balance of angst and steam.

One of my favorite books, and in one of the best series ever written. Read in one sitting. The emotions in this are top notch. The hype is real!!!

"The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King" by Carissa Broadbent offers a journey into a fantastical world filled with intrigue and magic. While the story was decent, I found it to be just okay, lacking the spark that makes a book truly memorable. The plot follows familiar fantasy tropes without adding much originality, and the characters, while likable, didn't leave a lasting impression. Overall, "The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King" is a passable read for fans of the genre, but it falls short of being something truly special.

Carissa Broadbent has officially become an auto buy author for me. Not going to lie, I was nervous about this book because I knew it would be so different from the first one, but it was the perfect end to Oraya and Raihns story. This wasn't the page turner that book 1 was, but it was so much more than that. I loved the story arc, what Carissa did to expand the magic and the world building, and the character development per usual was top tier. 10/10 would recommend this series to my fellow romantasy readers! Also, a great series for those looking for an intro into the genre.

The Ashes and the Star Cursed King is an absolutely enriching, entertaining, and equally romantic follow up to the Serpent and Wings of the Night. I loved this more than the first book, which absolutely adored. In this book we follow Oraya and Raihn after the aftermath of the Kejari. Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, and taking the deal becomes her only chance of reclaiming her kingdom. We see Oraya and Raihn battle their political desires and new found love and hate for one another.

I loved how character driven this sequel was. It’s very rare I see character development and romance paced this well, but this was an absolute dream!! The slow burn BURNED after a romance filled first book, very rarely have I seen a romance paced so masterfully over two full books. In this book, I grew to love Oraya so much, her character growth was so quiet, but beautiful and meaningful! Seeing her come into her power, seeing her deal with grief, she is truly incredible.

I was a little worried going into this one that it would drag as the first in the series is so action packed and overall The Ashes and the Star Cursed King is more “politically driven” but with the way Carissa explains the world building and politics it is very digestible for fantasy readers of all levels of experience. I don’t think there was a single moment that dragged or felt unneeded during this entire book. Newest obsession unlocked.

"Maybe the king always knew that his greatest love would be his ruination."

Carissa Broadbent tells a great story in The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. The first book ended on such a cliffhanger, and this book wraps up the story in a beautiful, emotional, and action packed way! I love the heartbreak, the redemption, and the emotional ride we go on! Five stars, worth the read!

I am still reading book 1 (I bought the physical copy from my local indie bookstore two weeks ago), so I haven't even opened this one yet, lest I risk spoilers. That said, I didn't want to miss nominating for the LibraryReads deadline. I will update the review once I read.

Congrats to Carissa on the new book deal for the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Bramble for the ARC.

I really enjoyed the first book and was so ready for an angst-filled, revenge-fueled follow up but...this was not that. Oraya makes one half-hearted attempt at sabotaging Raihn (who killed her dad!! Come on!!) but then spends the rest of the book working with him and sleeping with him and basically losing most of what was great about her character in the first book.

I absolutely loved this duet. With the first book ending on such a cliffhanger, I was excited to see where this story went. oraya and Rhain are amazing MCs. I do not want to spoil it for anyone who has not read this story so I won't be talking about specific plotlines. This book picks up immediately following the end of book 1. The journey conflict in this story is different from the first book, but it doesn't take away from this epic story. There are so many layers to this story, which I am always a fan of, especially in fantasy series. I could not put this series down.