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A review by whatsheread
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT by Carissa Broadbent brings you more vampires, and I am once again thankful that vampires are popular again. These are proper vampires - beautiful killing machines who look at humans the way we look at cows and not a sparkle in sight. There are three sects of vampires, each with a different power. Magic exists in this world, and goddesses grant favors. I am in love!
Nestled among them is the very human Oraya. How she comes to live among vampires, not as food, but as a princess, is only a fraction of the story. THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT occurs many years after Oraya's adoption, but Ms. Broadbent allows us to experience Oraya's life growing up in a vampire court through interludes, short chapters that begin each section. Not only do we get insight into Oraya's past, but we can also see where Oraya's youth and innocence helped form her current opinions and loyalties.
All this comes into play as Oraya participates in the Kejari, a once-every-two-hundred-years contest among vampires. What follows is your typical storyline wherein Oraya partners with another vampire who just so happens to not meet her expectations. The Kejari itself is exciting and suspenseful, even if it is a bit predictable. The sparks occur in the last few chapters as Oraya and her partner reach the final battle. The truth will out, and the consequences are spectacular.
While I didn't find THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT as compelling as Fourth Wing, I still had a lot of fun reading it. Scary vampires, political intrigue, lots of secrets and deliberate misdirection, and one lone human, fierce and every bit as lethal as the vampires that surround her - there is a lot to love here. The ending upset me if only because I didn't share her feelings about what happened, an attitude I suspect Ms. Broadbent deliberately sought to make her readers feel. With the final book in the duology set for a June 2024 release, we don't have to wait long to find out the rest of Oraya's story. I can't wait!
Nestled among them is the very human Oraya. How she comes to live among vampires, not as food, but as a princess, is only a fraction of the story. THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT occurs many years after Oraya's adoption, but Ms. Broadbent allows us to experience Oraya's life growing up in a vampire court through interludes, short chapters that begin each section. Not only do we get insight into Oraya's past, but we can also see where Oraya's youth and innocence helped form her current opinions and loyalties.
All this comes into play as Oraya participates in the Kejari, a once-every-two-hundred-years contest among vampires. What follows is your typical storyline wherein Oraya partners with another vampire who just so happens to not meet her expectations. The Kejari itself is exciting and suspenseful, even if it is a bit predictable. The sparks occur in the last few chapters as Oraya and her partner reach the final battle. The truth will out, and the consequences are spectacular.
While I didn't find THE SERPENT AND THE WINGS OF NIGHT as compelling as Fourth Wing, I still had a lot of fun reading it. Scary vampires, political intrigue, lots of secrets and deliberate misdirection, and one lone human, fierce and every bit as lethal as the vampires that surround her - there is a lot to love here. The ending upset me if only because I didn't share her feelings about what happened, an attitude I suspect Ms. Broadbent deliberately sought to make her readers feel. With the final book in the duology set for a June 2024 release, we don't have to wait long to find out the rest of Oraya's story. I can't wait!