The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent on June 4, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy, Fiction / Fantasy / Romance, Fiction / Romance / Paranormal / Vampires
Pages: 608
Format: eBook
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“Maybe the king always knew that his greatest love would be his ruination. Maybe he knew it the moment he met her. He’d know it the second time he died, too.”
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn. The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom, and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets. But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power, and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
This is the second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. It picks up right where The Serpent and the Wings of Night left off. This book was a lot different from the first. We went from a very high-stakes, really fast paced first book, to a very political second book. Here was where we learn a lot more about history and their world. Though, this one does have a lot of action as well. There were lots of full circle moments while it also hinted at the next story. I was completely immersed and mesmerized by the world building and how it all unfolds.
If I had to actually point out the main complaint I have with this, which is also the reason why I ended up giving this 4 stars. I’d go with the truth and tell you that I found the last conflict a little too rushed, which ended up feeling anticlimactic. If I had to be completely honest, the villain, too, fell a little flat, in the end. Still an amazing read and excited to see where she will take the next book.