Did you just read ACOTAR and don't really know where to go from here? Well, dear bookworm, as avid fantasy romance readers, we’ve been there, and the Crowns of Nyaxia books happen to be one of the best series to cure the romantasy hangover. Carissa Broadbent’s ‘The Serpent and the Wings of Night’ broke BookTok and Goodreads for a reason; we loved it, and we know you will too—if you love a good fantasy book, amazing world building, and complex characters. With ‘The Hunger games-meets-ACOTAR vibes, if you are into vampire books, you will find yourself reaching for the next book within days, if not hours.
So let’s get into the summary of the first book of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, but tread carefully, since there are spoilers ahead.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
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The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia #1) plunges readers into a seductive world of power, secrets, and blood. Our main character, Oraya, a human girl found in the ashes of the once-glorious Salinae, is adopted by Vincent, the Nightborn King of the Hiaj vampires. Raised among the elite of the House of Night as the adopted human daughter of the Nightborn Vampire King, Oraya learns quickly: trust no one—except Vincent, or so he insists.
But this is not a fairy tale. At 16, Oraya experiences the darker side of desire when a forbidden love turns into a blood-soaked nightmare. As punishment, she is forced to kill the boy who nearly consumes her, both in love and hunger. From that moment on, she becomes a creature of the night herself—hunting vampires in the shadows of the human districts.
At 23, Oraya decides it’s time to break free from the gilded cage of Vincent’s court. The Kejari—a cutthroat competition where vampires kill for the ultimate prize: a wish from the vampire goddess Nyaxia—is her ticket to freedom. She isn’t here for immortality or vanity. Oraya wants power; the kind that could let her cross the treacherous Rishan territory and finally learn the truth about her human family.
The competition takes place in the opulent city of Sivrinaj, a world of high stakes and low trust. Amidst the glamorous ruins and deadly trials, Oraya finds herself entangled with Raihn Ashraj, a mysterious contestant whose secrets rival her own. The two forge a fragile alliance along with Raihn’s friend, Mische, for a trial that notoriously requires teamwork, with them both knowing that in the end, they will have to kill each other. But as the trials progress—fighting demons in moonlit arenas, escaping labyrinths, and confronting their darkest fears—something more dangerous than bloodlust begins to stir between them.
Meanwhile, Vincent’s once-unshakable control over Oraya falters. His unexplained distraction and increasing ruthlessness raise questions Oraya isn’t sure she wants the answers to. Is he really her savior, or is there a far darker reason he kept her so close?
The trials escalate. In a hectic game of alliances, betrayals, and deadly rivalries, Oraya has to decide whom to trust. Her mysterious rival, Raihn, with his haunted backstory and magnetic pull, might be her greatest ally—or her deadliest mistake. As the Crescent trial pushes them to the edge of survival, Oraya’s human blood becomes the key to keeping Raihn alive, their dangerous attraction igniting in ways neither expected.
In the last trial, a grand battle-royale, as the final contestants, Oraya and Raihn face each other, bound by their promise to fight to the end. But when the moment comes, Oraya falters, unable to deliver the killing blow. Raihn, seeing her hesitation, makes the decision for her—guiding her hand to thrust the blade into his heart. His sacrifice ensures her victory, but the weight of his death crushes her. Grief-stricken, Oraya relinquishes her hard-won wish, begging Nyaxia to rewrite reality so that Raihn wins the Kejari instead of her.
Raihn is revived, his agony clear as Nyaxia commands him to state his wish. But what follows shatters Oraya. The truth—one he kept hidden—emerges as the Heir Mark blazes on his body, branding him the rightful Rishan king. Without hesitation, he asks Nyaxia to restore the full power of the Rishan King to him. His first act? To strike down Vincent, claiming the throne and ending the man who had ruled her life for so long.
But the shock doesn't end there. In the wake of Vincent’s death, an Heir Mark materializes on Oraya’s own skin, revealing the truth of her lineage—she is Vincent’s biological daughter. Now, with the vampires turning against her, seeing her as a threat to Raihn’s new rule, Raihn does the unthinkable. To protect her from those who would kill her, he forces her into marriage, binding them together in a union meant to secure her safety—and his control.
Now, as the new queen-in-waiting to the Rishan throne, Oraya must navigate a glittering court of fanged smiles and veiled threats. The price of survival? Keeping her enemies closer, especially Raihn, who may want her heart almost as much as her death. Amidst the court whispers and the looming shadow of war, one thing is certain: Oraya is done playing by anyone else’s rules.
The main themes of The Serpent and the Wings of Night are woven into its dark, intoxicating world of power, sacrifice, and identity. At its heart is the theme of survival—Oraya’s life is defined by the need to outlast a world where weakness is fatal, whether it's navigating the cutthroat politics of vampire society or battling in the deadly trials of the Kejari. This fight for survival extends to her relationships, where trust is a rare luxury and betrayal always looms close.
Another central theme is sacrifice. Both Oraya and Raihn are forced to make impossible choices, each losing parts of themselves along the way. Raihn’s ultimate self-sacrifice, and Oraya’s later sacrifice of her wish to save him, highlight how far they will go for each other, even when it’s at their own expense.
Power and identity intertwine throughout the novel, especially as Oraya confronts her origins and her place in a world that views her as an outsider. The discovery of her true lineage challenges everything she’s known, and Raihn’s struggle with his own inherited power forces them both to question who they are beyond the roles they’ve been cast in.
Finally, there’s the theme of love and loyalty, complicated by shifting alliances and secrets. The bond between Oraya and Raihn is built on a delicate balance of trust and deception, passion and violence, leaving them constantly questioning whether love can survive in a world where power is the ultimate prize.
So does this fantasy novel live up to the hype? In our—not so—humble opinion, yes it does! Mysterious and sexy love interest? Check. Slow burn, edge-of-your-seat, romance? Check. Amazing heroine who turns into a Goddess of death? Check! Standing proudly among “A Court of Thorns and Roses”, ‘Fourth Wing’, ‘From Blood and Ash’, this new adult fantasy series is here to stay!
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Yes, The Serpent and the Wings of Night features a strong enemies-to-lovers dynamic. Oraya and Raihn begin as reluctant allies in the deadly Kejari competition, filled with mutual distrust and the knowledge that they may eventually have to kill each other. Their relationship slowly evolves as they face trials together, but the tension of rivalry, betrayal, and underlying attraction fuels their journey from enemies to lovers.
Yes, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is part of a duology, with one novella positioned between the two main books—The Serpent and the Wings of Night and the Ashes and the Star-Cursed King”. While the duology concludes the story of Oraya and Raihn, there will be additional books released under the Crowns of Nyaxia umbrella. These future installments will explore different characters and storylines within the same richly crafted world.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night contains several dark themes and scenes that might be triggering for some readers, including:
These elements are woven into the dark fantasy setting, so reader discretion is advised.
