A review by revengelyne
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 This book has been all over BookTok since I first discovered the app over a year and a half ago. Many reviewers say this book has the best presentation of vampires. Now, I have read many books, both fantasy and bodice rippers with the vampire theme prominent in their main characters, but here we have a human female as our main lead. A young woman named Oraya filled with rage toward the vampires because they had killed her family long ago. She would have probably even died that night if it had not been for a vampire king named Vincent who ends up taking her in as his adopted daughter.

The King did not know then that his greatest love would be his ruination - nor that either would come in the form of a tiny, helpless child

Vampires are normally known for their arrogance and maybe Vincent did believe himself untouchable or that the child he raised, trained, and saw as his own was too weak of a human to do anything against him. But we never know anything he is thinking, what he is doing, or much about him except what we get from our main female lead.

Oraya is human in her world. A world where humans are treated as nothing more than blood banks and cattle for the vampires. When she was twelve, she was almost killed until she was found by Vincent. He saved her and took her to his home. I loved the chemistry they had. You could see he loved her in his way. He taught her to survive his world and even saw her as his own. So, when she enters the Kejari tournaments she is pitted against other vampires in a set of brutal games in which she will have to survive to win.

It is here we meet Raihn, who offers Oraya an alliance and a nicer place to stay that would offer her far more protection than the greenhouse she was at. I enjoyed that their romance was slow and the chemistry between them burned deeper than the tournament itself. I was happy to see that was not something instant but that the romance was slow and steady offering up steamy moments between them whenever they were together.

I love fantasy romance novels with vampires at its core. The Serpent and the Wings offers an intriguing and refreshing take on the classic vampire love story. The novel is full of thrilling action, steamy romance, and intricate world-building that will keep readers hooked from beginning to end. The author does a fantastic job of balancing the fantasy elements with the romance, creating a captivating story that will keep readers wanting more.