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A review by _artemis
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I feel like for a good portion of this book — maybe even the majority of this book — I had no clue where we were going. I've seen some folks who got turned off by this book for that reason, which I genuinely think is fair. If there wasn't enough to keep you going then maybe the pay off wont be enough for you. For a lot of this book, the stakes for each character is incredibly unclear, the magic system is confusing, and grabbing onto an end result to cheer for feels besides the point.
But Broadbent is an author you can trust to deliver , so you just have to decide to enjoy the ride. And man, I really enjoyed the ride. Worth noting too, this book is fun and funny more consistently than her other other series (which has those moments in spades too... but is def overwhelmingly devastating in the best way lol). Of course, the last quarter of this book is just... everything. Like rip my heart out and also panic sweating vibes. Some things I was able to guess, but I really take note of authors who are consistently able to turn the tables in a way I was not anticipating. It's hard to do! Fantasy readers can see foreshadowing from a mile away. There was a metric ton of that in this book. Even still, I have no idea where we're going, but there's a framework now that has me dealt tf in.
I loved The War of Lost Hearts series. Max and Tisanaah live rent free in my head and heart. And I was both excited for, and ultimately delighted by, the romance in this book. Broadbent is really fantastic at crafting characters who remind you of others you've read, but fall victim to tired tropes and overall flattening when they're molded by lesser writers. Oraya & Tisanaah could have been a Mary Sue paradox and yet... they're refreshing, multidimensional, and rewarding to read. They surprise you. You empathize with their flaws. You want to root for them. These romantic relationships are also operating on so many levels and I found myself highlighting so many devastating (in a good way) lines between them. The dialed up spice was both a (welcomed) surprise and wow... just... impressed. What a treat. There isn't a ton of it, but what we get was 10/10 lol. They are fighting for their lives out here so finding time to kiss is hard, I understand.
I genuinely feel like I'll give the next book (which I can't wait for) 5 stars now that I have my bearings. It did just make getting into the book in the beginning a touch harder than it was with her previous series (which I did give 5 stars). But I'm genuinely so grateful for this author's writing prowess - the prose, the world building, the vision. Fantasy romance — specifically NA — is my favorite genre, but there's just not that many authors who are doing it at this level. And for me, Carissa Broadbent is officially in my god tier level. I truly can't believe she's publishing all of this on her own.
But Broadbent is an author you can trust to deliver , so you just have to decide to enjoy the ride. And man, I really enjoyed the ride. Worth noting too, this book is fun and funny more consistently than her other other series (which has those moments in spades too... but is def overwhelmingly devastating in the best way lol). Of course, the last quarter of this book is just... everything. Like rip my heart out and also panic sweating vibes. Some things I was able to guess, but I really take note of authors who are consistently able to turn the tables in a way I was not anticipating. It's hard to do! Fantasy readers can see foreshadowing from a mile away. There was a metric ton of that in this book. Even still, I have no idea where we're going, but there's a framework now that has me dealt tf in.
I loved The War of Lost Hearts series. Max and Tisanaah live rent free in my head and heart. And I was both excited for, and ultimately delighted by, the romance in this book. Broadbent is really fantastic at crafting characters who remind you of others you've read, but fall victim to tired tropes and overall flattening when they're molded by lesser writers. Oraya & Tisanaah could have been a Mary Sue paradox and yet... they're refreshing, multidimensional, and rewarding to read. They surprise you. You empathize with their flaws. You want to root for them. These romantic relationships are also operating on so many levels and I found myself highlighting so many devastating (in a good way) lines between them. The dialed up spice was both a (welcomed) surprise and wow... just... impressed. What a treat. There isn't a ton of it, but what we get was 10/10 lol. They are fighting for their lives out here so finding time to kiss is hard, I understand.
I genuinely feel like I'll give the next book (which I can't wait for) 5 stars now that I have my bearings. It did just make getting into the book in the beginning a touch harder than it was with her previous series (which I did give 5 stars). But I'm genuinely so grateful for this author's writing prowess - the prose, the world building, the vision. Fantasy romance — specifically NA — is my favorite genre, but there's just not that many authors who are doing it at this level. And for me, Carissa Broadbent is officially in my god tier level. I truly can't believe she's publishing all of this on her own.