6 min read
4.5
· 165,527 Amazon ratings, as of Oct 2026Share This Review
Our review
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent Review: Vampire Tournament Romantasy
Carissa Broadbent's The Serpent and the Wings of Night opens the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Oraya, a human raised by the Nightborn vampire king, enters a deadly tournament and allies with a dangerous rival, Raihn. It is a dark, slow-burn romantasy for fans of ACOTAR.
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Romantasy readers who want a vampire tournament story with an enemies-to-lovers slow burn and don't mind a familiar, heavily signposted template.
Worth it if
Worth reading if you enjoy a high-stakes contest plot where the romance builds gradually, and you can accept that reviewers disagree on whether the middle holds up.
Skip if
Skip it if you want an original premise, lighter or lower-violence fantasy, or a standalone rather than the opening volume of a series.
Where reviewers agree and split
Readers rate it 4.5 on Amazon. The reviews we read that discuss it in depth split on some points:
Of the 2 reviews we read that discuss its pacing, 1 says it never drags, but 1 says it loses momentum after the opening.
Pacing
1 says it never drags · 1 says it loses momentum after the opening
Characters
1 loves the characters · 1 finds the characters bland
Who says what
Pacing
“It never slows down or drags, despite the fact that it’s over 500 pages long.”
— Takes Two to Book Review · Book blogCharacters
What readers & critics say
Reader-review blogs are split: takestwotobookreview.com says it sped through the book and that it never slows down or drags, while fantasybookcafe.com found it uninteresting outside the beginning and ending, and heavenlybookish.be says it quickly loses momentum.
Sources: takestwotobookreview.com, fantasybookcafe.com, heavenlybookish.beAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- It delivers if you want a tournament plot with a romance that builds gradually, and the intrigue and ending draw the most praise. The honest caveat is that reviewers disagree on the middle: one says it never drags despite its length, while another says it loses momentum after the opening. Characters split readers too, with some falling for them and others finding them bland.
- Similar books
- If you want to stay in Carissa Broadbent's world, the next steps are The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King, then Daughter of No Worlds. For other dark romantic fantasy with high stakes, try One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig, The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole, or Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. The publisher's own comparisons are The Hunger Games and A Court of Thorns and Roses, which show the shape of the book.
- Who should read this?
- Adult and older-teen romantasy readers who want vampires, court politics and a romance driven by rivalry. It suits people who enjoy a long build between the leads and are comfortable with a violent, high-stakes plot. Readers who dislike committing to a series should know this is only the first volume.
- What age is it for?
- This is best for adults and mature older teens, roughly 16 and up. The tournament setting involves violence and bloodshed, and the romance is billed as heart-wrenching and intense. It is not aimed at younger readers.
- About Carissa Broadbent
- Carissa Broadbent is the No. 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author behind the Crowns of Nyaxia series and a prominent name in romantasy. She began as a self-published author, selling books on Etsy, before moving to traditional publishing while keeping an independent side to her work.
- How slow is the slow burn?
- A BookPage blurb quoted on the publisher's page calls it an ultra-slow-burn romance, so expect the leads' relationship to develop across the long book rather than early on. The enemies-to-lovers tension between Oraya and Raihn is the engine, and it competes with the tournament for page space.
- Is it a standalone?
- No. It is Book 1 of Crowns of Nyaxia, and reviewers say the ending pushes readers into the sequel. Plan on continuing if you enjoy it.
- How dark and violent is it?
- Quite dark. The promotional language promises dark magic and bloodthirsty intrigue, and the plot is a lethal tournament with deadly stakes. Readers who prefer lighter or lower-violence fantasy are not the intended audience.
Summarize this book
Follow up
Synthesized from verified book data & published reviews · How we review
What would you like to know about The Serpent and the Wings of Night?
Answers come from our editorial notes on this book. If we haven't covered something, we'll say so.
Readers often ask
Our Review
We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.
What the book is
The pitch and its place in the genre
What readers and reviewers point to
Where it may not land
Who it is for
Sources & Further Reading
The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.
- Cited in this review
- 1
antoineonline.com
- 2
- 3
- Further reading
- 4
- 5
tropicalgirlreadsbooks.com
- 6
aliciajeanne.com
- 7
carissabroadbentbooks.com
- 8
us.macmillan.com
Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Ages 16+
Reading level
Older teens & adults
Heat level
Steamy · rated 3/5 spice by readers (open door), some say closer to 4
From how readers describe it, not our own reading.
5 content notes · who it suits
Content to know about
Best for: Adults / mature 16+ — violence, bloodshed and an intense dark romance
Skip if you want lighter, lower-violence fantasy or a standalone story rather than the opening of a series
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