Genre Fiction
![Carissa Broadbent - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B01N1NMBV6.jpg)
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (The Crowns of Nyaxia)
Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She's left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn's own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom-and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she'll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father's greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power - and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
Full of heartbreak, redemption, bloody intrigue, and heart-pounding action, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is the gutting second installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and the conclusion of the Nightborn Duet - perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She's left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn's own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom-and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she'll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father's greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power - and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
Full of heartbreak, redemption, bloody intrigue, and heart-pounding action, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is the gutting second installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and the conclusion of the Nightborn Duet - perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Readers Top Reviews
Ashley SawatzkyGe
"Hel, maybe the love scared me even more. To give someone that much of yourself. To give someone the power to destroy you." 5/5 Stars! 2.5/5 spice Fair warning my spice scale is my own, and I'm used to lots of spice, so my scale may not match yours. The angst! The grief. The guilt. The healing. The mystery. The love (in multiple forms!!). The court politics. The lies. The betrayals. Everything you want in a fantasy romance! Its here. But seriously the pain was real. This book hurt. The beginning was hard. But it was real and relatable and understandable. This entire journey was wild, and painful, and personal. We get our answers. We get the backstories. We get absolutely everything the first book delivered and more. But especially the pain. Seriously my heart is still bruised and will be for awhile. Absolutely in my top favourite series (Along with The War of Lost Hearts Trilogy). The dual POV was everything!! I wished TSATWON had it, so am ecstatic this book had it. When Carissa promised us begging and grovelling she MEANT IT! This duet was beautiful and dark, painful and healing. I am so sad to say goodbye to Oraya and Raihn as main characters, but am so excited this world isn't finished yet! Book 3 is coming in summer of 2024. If you loved The Serpent and The Wings of Night, if you love vampires, enemies to lovers, and fantasy romance you will love this duet. This finale was perfect
This was a great book! I obsessively refreshed the Amazon website on the night of April 14th just in case it was posted at a time zone that came earlier, I was so sad when it was released in the PST Time zone!
Chris Ashley Sa
I loved the first book, and was so excited to read the second one. It was an amazing novel and I cannot begin to explain how invested into the book I became. The writing and plot and pacing was perfect.
Chris Ashley
Great follow up to the first book, I enjoyed the story and the relationships that developed as well as Oraya’s journey
Heidi Chris A
"I was everything I was meant to be. My father's daughter. Victim and protégé. Greatest love and ruination" Just WOW!! I still have no words. This is a masterpiece of a book. I am still speechless. This book gave me all the feels and more. I felt like I was there with them. Felt every emotion from all the characters. I'm so glad we saw more of Raihns past and how that shaped him in not losing his humanity. I love seeing him so vulnerable with Oraya and how that vulnerability ultimately save them both. "Raihn. My downfall and my most valuable supporter. My weakness and my strength. My worst enemy and the greatest love I had ever known. " What can I say about Oraya. She is one tough FMC. Her love for her father was so conflicting to read because he really was not a good person, but in the end, his great weakness was his daughter and the love he didn't expect to feel for her. "I was expecting to kill you that night. But what I was not expecting was to love you so devastatingly much. " Yes, I cried in this chapter 😢 😭 but it was worth seeing Oraya finally come out of her shell and the shadow her father put her through. The character development was on point, and one thing that I took from her journey was that even though love seems like a weakness, it is the greatest strength we have above all. I also love the banter in this book. Even though it was heavy on all the feels, it made me laugh out loud at times. "Besides, if it all goes poorly, I just need to stay alive for a few minutes until you can save me all over again, and I'll even let you gloat about it all you damn well please" Finally, I will leave you with these two last quotes that left me swooning, "You have destroyed me," he murmured. "And I have hated every moment of it, too." "Yours, I ground out. " It's yours." My blood. My body. My soul. I had given her all of that a long time ago. I even had given her my life. And I'd do it all over again." Thanks, Carissa, for this masterpiece. Even though I received an ARC, this is my honest opinion. I already pre-order the e-book and will be buying the paperback version as well. It was that good. Highly recommend 👌.
