The adopted human daughter of the Nightborn vampire king, Oraya carved her place in a world designed to kill her. Her only chance to become something more than prey is entering the Kejari: a legendary tournament held by the goddess of death herself.
But winning won’t be easy amongst the most vicious warriors from all three vampire houses. To survive, Oraya is forced to make an alliance with a mysterious rival.
Everything about Raihn is dangerous. He is a ruthless vampire, an efficient killer, an enemy to her father’s crown… and her greatest competition. Yet, what terrifies Oraya most of all is that she finds herself oddly drawn to him.
But there’s no room for compassion in the Kejari. War for the House of Night brews, shattering everything that Oraya thought she knew about her home. And Raihn may understand her more than anyone – but their blossoming attraction could be her downfall, in a kingdom where nothing is more deadly than love.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book in a new series of heart-wrenching romance, dark magic, and bloodthirsty intrigue, perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Traditional Publication Date: December 5, 2023
Review:
Where to begin with this. I picked this up at the recommendation of many in the book world after finishing another story that left me in a reading slump. I honestly wasn't expecting it to pull me out. Imagine my surprise when the story and the characters totally captured me!
Humans versus vampires is always an interesting mix. You would think, inevitably, the humans would lose. After all, the powers of the vampire along with the almost impossibility of them being "killed" is unsurpassed. But this story takes a very "human" girl and puts her in circumstances where she must defend herself and survive.
The plot is common enough: the humans and vampires live separately, the vampires pretty much in control of all. Yet here we have a girl, Oraya, who has lived her whole life amongst the walking dead because one of the vampire kings chose to keep her and protect her. The reasoning is initially unclear but I will say I kind of figured it out early on. This didn't detract from my love of the story, though. I like the idea of the world being split into different kingdoms of vampires, each with their own abilities and form. That is something that is new to me and made the story line much more interesting than if the powers had been the same for all the vampires. I also like the Hunger Games type plot line that was woven into the story line. While the elements were very similar to what we saw in Collins' books (it's obvious Broadbent used this story line to jump start her own story), I still enjoyed how the paranormal elements were incorporated into that part of the story line. Plus this book gives us a slow burn romance with sexy times, which you definitely don't get from the other story, and is much more terrifying with the vampire story line that's given to us.
The world building here is phenomenal. But it's also why this book only got 4.5 stars from me. The set up is factions of vampires who control different parts of the world while the humans live in sections where they are meant to be kept safe. I enjoyed the set up, but I felt the build was a bit slower than I would have liked it to have been. And at some points it was a bit confusing to flesh out. The flashbacks are important but I think there were too many of them, information that was interesting but not necessarily important to the story line overall. I kind of wanted the action to pull me through the book the whole time but it was not until about 50% through until I really felt this happening. After that, the action kept the pace fast and enjoyable. And Broadbent easily incorporates one of my favorite tropes: Enemies to lovers. And it's slow and simmering. One of things I loved most about the world building and plot was that the romance did not overshadow the main reasoning of the story. It was there, but it was not why I kept reading; it was the action and intense plot line that pushed me along. I also feel like this book could have benefitted from more than one point of view. I needed to be in Rhain's brain, and possibly even Vincent's.
The characters are so well developed in this story. Each and every one important in some way to move the story along. Enemies, friends, allies, lovers, all built to round out a world that is beautiful and terrifying all at the same time. Oraya, the FMC who is set up to break down all the barriers in her way. Rhain, the reluctant vampire. Vincent, the controlling morally grey ruler. And Mische, the best friend! This was another of my favorite parts of the story. I just loved her connection with Rhain. He cares so much for her throughout the book and by proxy Oraya begins to care, as well.
Oraya is probably one of my most favorite female protagonists ever. She's smart, sassy, and willing to do just about anything to stay alive; even align herself with the enemy if she must. Think Katniss with more wit and a few surprises thrown in once we find out a bit more about her background. Throughout the book, Oraya surprises us again and again with her keen knowledge of vampire ways and her ability to fight them off.
Raihn is what every sexy vampire should be. Is he cut-throat, for sure. But he has this soft side that I was not expecting. It kind of threw me a bit because you see it right off the bat, rather than him morphing into it. He has humanity, which is unexpected for sure. There was never a point in the book where I hated him or wanted him to go away because he really was built out to be a caring, concerned character despite his vampire ways.
The Kejari (the vampire Hunger Games) is where the book really takes off. So much action. So many twists and turns. And that ending. I didn't even know what to think. The sacrifices from the characters were unbelievable. But I do wish the plot had been somewhat different from what we got from Collins in her first book. It was just a tad too similar to me and I really wanted originality.
Overall, this story was fantastic. I'm truly looking forward to seeing where it goes from here because how could things possibly turn around with those twist at the end!
Author:
When I'm not writing, I'm working at my day job in cybersecurity marketing, watching too many movies, or drawing. I live with my fiance, one very well behaved rabbit, one very poorly behaved rabbit, and one perpetually skeptical cat in Rhode Island.
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