The ashes & the star-cursed king

Broadbent brings readers back to the story of Oraya and Raihn (last seen in The Serpent & the Wings of Night, 2023). The newly wedded couple have to bring the House of Night, the House of Blood, and the House of Shadow together. But first they bring the Rishan and the Hiaj to a somewhat easy peace; this must start with them gaining the trust over both groups of nobles. Raihn's ally Septimus has an obsessive quest for a god's blood so that Oraya and Raihn may keep the throne. Septimus sends both of them from a shattered kingdom to find it. Along the way they find a cave that can only be opened by Oraya's half-vampire blood. Little do they know that, back at home, Septimus is slowly overthrowing them with a god-blood endowed Simon, a vampire nobleman. Oraya and Raihn and their forces get back just in time to extirpate his armies. Raihn nearly dies in the process, so Oraya asks the god Acaeja for a Coriatia bond--which will bind their souls together for the rest of their lives. This novel is fast-paced from the first page, with equal parts war action and romance. Romantasy fans will want this next book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.

Broadbent completes her Nightborn Duet duology (after The Serpent and the Wings of Night) with a satisfying if somewhat overlong resolution to the political turmoil within the House of Night and the relationship between its two fated heirs. Half-vampire Oraya of the Hiaj is still reeling in the wake of her father's death at the hands of her lover, Turned vampire Raihn of the Rishan, who has tenuously assumed the throne of the House of Night. Publicly, Oraya is Raihn's captive queen, but privately he seeks her sincere allyship. As Raihn struggles to establish his authority both within the House of Night and with the vampires of the other houses, Oraya attempts to learn more about her father's legacy and her own power. She discovers that, through her blood connection to her father, she's able to use several of his magical artifacts and may be able to access his grandest treasure, the captured blood of a dead god. Broadbent builds realistic and gripping tension as Raihn and Oraya navigate the roles of rivals, lovers, and potentially co-rulers. While the first installment was delivered primarily through Oraya's point of view, here Broadbent alternates between Raihn and Oraya, giving readers a deeper sense of Raihn and supporting a pivot toward stronger romance. There's plenty here to sink one's teeth into. (June)