Book Review: The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King

I read the second novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent last week and loved it just as much as book 1 – The Serpent & the Wings of Night.

The novel picks up very shortly after the ending of The Serpent & the Wings of Night. While Oraya and Raihn had started off as enemies/rivals in the beginning of book 1, they had become allies and even ventured into becoming lovers, before everything went awry. Now, Raihn is king of the Nightborn House and leader of the Rishan. Oraya and Raihn married at the end of book 1 because it was the only way to save her as she was marked as Vincent’s heir and leader of the Hiaj.

Oraya and Raihn’s relationship is complicated for a good portion of The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King as they both still have feelings for each other, but Oraya can’t forget that Raihn killed Vincent. Raihn needs Oraya to help him rule and keep peace in the Nightborn house. However, even though Raihn is now the king, that doesn’t mean everyone accepts him and there are traitors amongst them. Can Oraya forgive Raihn? Can they work together to save the Nightborn house?

I loved this book and was impatiently waiting for Oraya and Raihn to not be mad at each other anymore – or rather for Oraya to not be mad at Raihn – and get back together already! The love Raihn and Oraya have for each other is so deep and beautiful. The storyline, action, romance, everything was so good. I also think Carissa does an amazing job of creating these layered characters with grey areas. Vincent for example did a lot of bad things in his lifetime, but he was still a father-figure to Oraya and she acknowledges multiple times that she should hate him for the secrets he kept and pain he inflicted on others, but he loved her and took care of her.

The book was so good and I can’t wait for the next book and to find out what house it’s going to focus on and what couple! Also, I’m so happy that I read the Six Scorched Roses novella before this so I would know the background story of Vale and Lilith before they arrived in this book!

Read this series if you want a spicy fantasy romance with the enemies to lovers back to enemies to lovers and marriage of convenience tropes.

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