As I've said with her last book and every book before, Carissa Broadbent has created a perfect world with this series. I absolutely love how intense and dark and fleshed out this universe is, and the characters are so rich and vibrant. I love how we get different characters and houses with each duet. Can't wait for the rest!

Oh my gosh I absolutely LOVED this book so much! I love all of these books, and this one just really hooked me from the very first moment!

I love Carissa Broadbent, and while I still really enjoyed it, this one felt just a bit weaker than her previous books. I loved Mische and meeting Asar, but their journey just felt underdeveloped to me - endless wandering and time jumps, but I actually wanted some filler here? I'm anxiously awaiting the next book after that ending and can't wait to see what's next for our beloved characters.

“Or perhaps that’s why you would be so perfect for each other. A girl who can only love broken things, and a boy so broken he can only love what he cannot have. A perfect match.”

This book jumps right into the story, with Mische being captured by the shadow born princess. But then Asar takes her.
Hes a necromancer. She is visited by her sun god and told she must kill the god alarus after he is resurrected. They have to go through a series of trials to collect objects and I liked the setting of this story.
I do like that about this series!

The pacing feels off. It’s not very consistent. Like it’s been months but it doesn’t seem that way.
I noticed a bit of repetitive storytelling that becomes redundant

The chemistry is there but not. Not the way it was in her previous work in this world.
She has amazing writing and I love to read her books but something about the way these characters came together was slow and then bam. It didn’t work for me personally.
The ending was almost predictable but had enough of a twist I was sitting here gobsmacked.
That was a wild way to end this book. I love her cliffhangers and this one was a doozy!!
I will definitely be reading the next book because I need to know what happens to my favorite sunshiny vampire Mische.
Infinite thanks to netgalley for approving me to get an arc copy!!

So rare is it for me to like sequel books better, but I daresay this story is my absolute favorite! I loved getting to know Mische better, I loved her in the first two books, but getting to deep-dive into her back story and development was such a treat. The story was captivating, action-packed and fast-paced. Without giving away any spoilers, I met my absolute favorite new character in this book, who isn’t a human or a vampire (ok, and the main male character is a delight too). The storyline and quest-themed plot were divine, pardon the god pun. The ending has my jaw on the floor, only Carissa Broadbent could undo an entire fandom with one sentence. I absolutely cannot wait for the second book, it’s going to be torture waiting!!!!!

Read this if you like:
•vampires
•dogs
•slow burn
•necromancy

I have been anxiously awaiting this book since finishing the other duology in the interconnected series. This one took me a bit to get into, but one I was into it I binged the crap out of it. "I just played the notes that sounded like you." I mean, swoon. And that ending? Okayyyy when’s the next one coming out?

Thank you Bramble for the eARC!

3.5 stars - I’m a little bummed by this!! The first 50%, I did not like. I wanted to DNF. I didn’t feel much connection to the characters or the world (despite already loving them from the first 2) because you’re thrown RIGHT into it and doesn’t give you time to settle into the story. There’s also a lot of magic and action sequences that just completely lost me.

Somewhere around 55-60% though, I started to like it more (probably because the characters had some meaningful dialogue or we had scenes that weren’t JUST driving the plot forward) and the ending left me reeling. I did really like the progression of Mische and Asar’s relationship, once we got past the beginning.

Overall, the entire story is VERY contained (a journey to the underworld) and I think I’ve realized this isn’t something that usually work for me. I need more expansion beyond just the journey.

Side note: I think at least 12 chapters ended in something along the lines of “and then darkness enveloped me”. WHY???

Thank you Bramble Romance for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I very much enjoyed the previous books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. I simply could not get enough of the characters and the plot was engaging. I read them like popcorn at the movie theater. I really liked Mische as a character. The author does a great job of continuing to deepen her character in this book and Asar was riveting. It was fun to watch these characters unfold and develop. However, I couldn't quite visualize their journey through Morthryn, the gates, etc. I also struggled with Atroxus and understanding the relationship with Mische. There were also so many gods it was easy to lose track. This book wasn't the home run that the previous books were, but I'm glad I read it! Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy!

I love this Mische and Asar! The book was everything I like in a romantasy. Slow paced and just fabulous! Finished it too fast because I enjoyed it but it was a great book!

This was an amazing start to Mische's duology. Both the internal and external conflicts she was facing kept me on the edge of my seat and glued to the book. I can't wait to see how her and Asar's story ends in the next book, especially after THAT ending. Am definitely purchasing this for my library.

4.5 stars!

I finished this book in 2 days, I could not stop reading. The highlight of this book for me by far was the character depth of these main characters. I absolutely loved Mische and Asar, and felt so deeply for them. The romance was the most satisfying slow burn, and the journey to the underworld plotline was so interesting! Although some points of the underworld journey were hard to visualize and follow, I quickly came to love the characters of this book and became so emotionally invested in their journey together. The ending of this book was so heart wrenching, I was not at all prepared. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read more of Mische and Asar’s story.

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating: 🌶🌶/🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

In Carissa Broadbent's latest installment of her Crowns of Nyaxia series THE SONGBIRD & THE HEART OF STONE, we follow the beloved Mische as seeks redemption from the sun god she had devoted her life to before she was Turned into a vampire. However, Mische has been sentenced to death for the murder of the Shadowborne Prince who Turned her. Asar, the bastard Prince of the House of Shadow, saves Mische and forces her to join him on his mission into the Underworld to do the impossible: resurrect the the god of death. The sun god, however, tells Mische that she can gain his favor again by helping Asar raise the death god . . . only to betray Asar and kill the god of death.

As they journey, Mische and Asar are faced with brutal challenges and the ghosts that haunt their pasts. Mische feels tempted by the darkness, but does not want to betray the sun god any more than she already has. Mische will soon be forced to choose between redemption or damnation.

Mische was one of my favorite characters from the first two books in the series, and I was absolutely ecstatic that she was going to be the main character in the next two books. As we go through her story, my heart absolutely breaks for her. She wants so badly to be "good" and redeem herself in the eyes of her god - to her own detriment.

I love Mische and Asar's relationship. Asar's stoic (but not necessarily cold) demeanor balances Mische's warmness. They were a slow build-up, but we got these wonderful little threads of their building friendship and relationship - Asar's attempts at joking, his small smiles at Mische, his protectiveness.

The ending left me in tears and then absolutely in shock. This story was so heart-wrenching and emotional. I don't know how I'm going to wait until the next book, but I am so excited to see where we go for the next book!!

Thank you to Bramble and NetGalley for this eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn’t think it could get better… i was HOOKED. carissa broadbent never misses and i loved everything about this read

This book was beyond words that I have. It was beautiful and heart wrenching and everything. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I was in I was invested. This book was the slowest of burns but so so worth it. My girl Mische, was light and joy and trauma all mixed into one. I throughly enjoyed the development of her character and I CANNOT wait to read the next book. Also an exiled, necromancer prince, say less.

“Perhaps that’s why you would be so perfect for each other. A girl who can only love broken things, and a boy so broken he can only love what he cannot have. A perfect match.”

Everything that Carissa Broadbent writes is pure MAGIC. From the worlds she builds, to the emotion she pours into every sentence, I was enamored with this story from beginning to end. Let’s be real, I should have been prepared after Six Scorched Roses (a 187 page novella) shook me to my core and left me sobbing.

Everything about this book was fascinating to me. The complexities of the characters and their relationships to understanding their motivations and traumas. You’ll see a different side of Mische in this book and her underlying story was so engaging. Asar and his perfect foil to Mische made my heart ache. Then sweet Luce stole the show!

I wish I had recorded myself reading the epilogue because I’m sure my face was priceless. I need the next book now!!!

Simply put, I loved Mische and Asar’s story, and you will too!

This book is part of the Crowns of Nyaxia series (The Serpent and the Wings of Night), told from Mische’s pov and you must read the first two in the series first even though the first two are more like a duet.

Thank you so much Tor Bramble and Netgalley for the ARC! The Songbird & the Heart of Stone comes out November 19!

I have read all of Carissa Broadbent's books so I feel like I have a good sense of her writing and her books. That being said, this was a very tough read. I had a very difficult time getting through this. The only reason I finished was because I was given an ARC, and I felt like it was my duty to finish it and honestly review it.

Here are my biggest qualms:
-There was way too much description. I felt like I was being talked at and not actually reading. Every chapter and every page I swear she was describing something, and it wasn't described very well. It was too... fantastical...I know it's literally a fantasy book, but it was all too hard to picture. I eventually gave up trying to picture things as she intended and just went with the first thing my mind came up with and rolled with it. I just stopped caring because it was too much.
-There wasn't enough lead-up with the romantic story. It felt like we went from 0-100 all of a sudden with not enough meat to their story. There wasn't enough conversation happening between them to justify their love for each other in my opinion. And this relates to the qualm I stated previously where there was so much description happening there wasn't enough time for conversation.
-It was VERY repetitive. Even though the plot was moving, it felt like it was just going in circles. It was the same thing over and over again but in slightly different fonts each time. I had zero interest in the plot about 90% of the time. The same conflicts kept happening repeatedly. Like "oh no not again" (I say with a lot of sarcasm). I felt like the whole plot of this book could've been condensed to like half of the book and then added more. I don't know it was just too much of the same thing.
-I didn't connect at all with the characters. I like Mische and what the author was trying to portray through her, but I just didn't have enough of a connection with her to care. The same goes for Asar. I think my displeasure of the rest of the book bled into me not really caring about them as characters.

There were some beautifully written lines in there, but it all got overshadowed by all the issues I had with the book. I was very underwhelmed and it was very hard for me to get through. I'm not sure if I will pick up the next book. Book #2 of this series fell flat for me too, so I think I am just going to lay it to rest now.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me an ARC and allowing me to give my honest review.

Until next time,
Abigail

DNF'ing for now

I was so excited for this, having loved the first two books. But there is something about this that I am not connecting with. Even with the romance taking the back seat--which is fine, it is a fantasy, afterall--it's just so dreadfully boring. Every single page, paragraph, sentence was a description of a new place. and listen... I get it. They're traveling through the underworld, whatever. But it was very boring when it's the onlyyy thing happening. Every chapter seems to end with "And we were falling through the world of nothingness" like we get it. I could not bring myself to care at all.

Truthfully, I wish it had been written in third person. Being in first POV with Mische feels like if A Court of Silver Flames had been in first person. It simply would not have worked. I just didn't connect to Mische as much as I'd hoped.

Hoping to finish in the future and hopefully rewrite the review. I am still grateful for the arc!

I love this series so much! I was so excited to be bake to read the 3rd book early. It was a little different than the first 2, due to the main character change, but I still really enjoyed it. I liked getting to know Miche’s story a bit more! I would highly recommend!

Ok folks. This is my 6th Carissa Broadbent book. I feel that makes me, at the bare minimum, knowledgeable about her writing style. And as with the other five books, this is MID. The diehard fans of The Crowns of Nyaxia series will rave this books praises all over every social they can of course, but I am here to dissent. Should you read it? Sure, if you like a predictable, sort of nonsensical fantasy romance. If you are a fan. Or, if you liked the first two enough.

This book follows Mische and her perilous journey through the underworld with a grumpy, controlling, cagey vampire whom she, you guessed it, falls in love with.
What I liked:
• It is fairly easy to read. I found myself wanting to finish it quickly, but I am still trying to determine if that is because I was invested in the story or because I needed out of the Nyaxia universe.
• The underworld’s sanctums were an interesting twist to the typical underworld myth
• LUCE the skull-headed dog
• Broadbent’s handling of Mische’s trauma; her grooming for a god starting at 8 years old, her coming to terms with how that grooming altered her view of the world and herself, and how she finds her voice, her power, and her journey to self-acceptance.
• Like her other books, it hooks you in.
What I didn’t like:
• Even though I am hooked in, if I pull back and really think about the plot and characters, it gets flimsy and confusing.
• One word, REPETITIVE. Every fight scene was identical. Every chapter ended in “and then the darkness took me” DUN DUN DUN…, and I swear if I had to read about how Mische was taken by surprise at how well she knew Asar one more time, goodness. The repetitiveness of Broadbent is something I have noticed in her books and something I consistently take issue with.
• Speaking of fight scenes or action sequences, they are hard to follow! I read with a movie in my mind, and if a placement of an object, the physical space, or character movement doesn’t make sense, I get thrown off and have to go back to reread to figure it out. I noticed I had to do this quite a bit.
• It was very confusing at times and I have many questions that are still unanswered (SPOILERS):
o The underworld’s gates (why are there so many, why are they in need of regulation, why do souls/ get lost, why is Asar in charge of all of this?)
o The random wraith-lady that is friendly and has underworld magic powers and shows up just in time with a cute little cottage in the center of the underworld with wraiths that work for her and make magic food and sheer “clings to her bare skin” silk nightgowns. Bro what?
o Who the gods are, why they care, and where they come from?
o What the hell is the magic tether that was mentioned 8 million times, between Asar and Mische…I assume mates? But also, what? They just have this crazy visceral magic connection that no one really talks about. Just, casually? I kept thinking I had missed something. Maybe I did?
o The entire subplot with Elias and Chandra. WHY?
• Asar and Mische have no chemistry, until, they do.
o And when they do finally “do”, it is in the most inopportune, strange moment that really threw me.
3.5 stars for me. I didn’t hate reading it. But I also am not raving about it. Standard Carissa Broadbent and I am sure, a huge bestseller BookTok sensation to come.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read more Books!
Advanced Reader Copy, publish date 11/19/2024

Carissa Broadbent proves yet again why she’s one of my favorite authors. I love the way she writes relationships more than anything. They always feel so believable and authentic.

I’ve read the first 2 books in this series, the novella, and Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, so I love this world. I thought it was so creative to bring this story into areas we haven’t explored yet: the underworld and necromancy. The underworld and the surrealness of it all can be a hard concept to tackle, but I thought she did a fantastic job painting a picture.

I loved Mische in the first 2 books, so it was wonderful to hear more of her story. I thought that both Mische’s and Asar’s story arcs were great and I’m excited to see what the next book brings!