Review by Booklist Review
Broadbent brings the readers to a world inhabited by vampires and humans in the first novel in the Crown of Nyaxia duology. Vincent is the Nightborn vampire king, and he trained his adopted human daughter, Oraya, to be his warrior in the annual Kejari, the contest between the House of the Night, the House of Blood, and the House of Shadow for the right to rule the Obliterate. Raihn is a vampire of the Bloodborn bloodline, which has not ruled the Obliterate for some time. Raihn spots Oraya and takes the opportunity to make an alliance, for in the full moon challenge opponents must have a partner. But soon, he falls for Oraya, heart and soul, and the feeling is mutual. This fast-paced romantasy was orignally independently published, but Tor Bramble is releasing this special edition in print. It's perfect for fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015), by Sarah J. Maas and the Vampire Diaries series by L. J. Smith.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Broadbent (the War of Lost Hearts trilogy) elevates the familiar fantasy trope of a divinely sponsored tournament to the death in this sweeping duology opener that doubles as an addictive enemies-to-lovers romance. Oraya, a human rescued from her war-ruined childhood home to be raised and trained by the king of the Nightborn vampires despite the usual classification of mortals as mere prey, is pushed by her adoptive father to seek the reward given by the dark Goddess Nyaxia to the winner of the brutal, monthslong Kejari competition. When it becomes clear that surviving the trials will require an ally, Oraya grudgingly accepts a partnership offer from Raihn, a powerful Turned (or formerly human) vampire hailing from the Nightborn's primary rivals, the dark-winged Rishan. To fight together effectively, the duo must let each other in, both in formal training and in late-night expeditions to the protected human district, where they slaughter predatory vampires and get drunk. Along the way, they develop a deep connection--despite knowing that one of them will need to kill the other to win the tournament. Broadbent keeps the emotional stakes high as the personal butts up against the political and practicality dances with desire. Readers will find the tournament satisfying in itself, while also gaining a huge amount of information about the world's supernatural structure, complex vampire politics, and elaborate pantheon, setting up the sequel nicely. Fans of dark romantasy won't want to miss this. (Dec.)
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