Carissa Broadbent's books simply work for me.

I devoured the first book in the series, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, in a couple of days about a month ago, thrilled to soon find out that the second book was coming out in April. I don't want to spoil The Serpent and the Wings of Night (read it instead!), but it closes on a massive cliffhanger - betrayal, usurping, and devastation. This series' first and second books focus on Oraya and Raihn, living in Obitraes, a vampire world made up of three houses - Night, Shadow, and Blood. Oraya and Raihn are both from Night (as this duet in the series focuses on), but they realize they come from different factions of the same house. Both participated in the Kejari - a competition in book one where those from the houses fight to the death to get whatever they want from Nyaxia, their goddess and the one who created all vampires. After the events of Kejari, Oraya is truly left traumatized, hurt, and angry. Power has shifted in the kingdom, and this book two now focuses on the new power, political challenges in the other houses, and of course, the tumultuous relationship between Oraya and Raihn.

This second book flowed well and it kept me at the edge of my seat, constantly curious about alliances and betrayals. The characters were so dimensional and developed. I thoroughly enjoyed Oraya, a fighter - fierce, resilient, and strong, yet oh-so bad with words and emotions, wholly hardened and afraid of vulnerability after growing up with a father and King who kept her sheltered from others. Raihn was brilliant - strong and passionate, yet softer than I feel many fantasy male characters are portrayed. The other characters were also fantastic- Mische was one of my favorites.

While I still would have given this book a high rating without the beautiful story of Oraya and Vincent, it is what made it a 5-star read, in my opinion. Oraya was grappling with the devastation of the Kejari and the lies from her upbringing, and couldn't successfully deal with her emotions around her father. Vincent was one of the most layered characters I've read about in a while - so complex and flawed while still loving his daughter with all his might, which wasn't ideal in a vampire world exuding carnage. Their relationship and how it was explored and shared was a beautiful touch to this duet that deeply fulfilled me while reading. I feel like father/daughter relationships are frequently discussed in the fantasy book world, but this was the first one that felt real and developed. It was such an incredible storyline and so absolutely beautiful it nearly moved me to tears.

Broadbent takes you on a ride with this book - from family ties to battles to politics to friendship, even to a hint of compromise. Some reviewers have shared that they didn't necessarily think this book was as action-packed as the first, noting that reason for a lower review. I don't know, it wasn't the Kejari, but there was a lot of action in this and a lot of war strategy on the table. I think it was brilliant combining some battle scenes with strategic insights and also an exciting sub-plot with various gods and magic. It is more character-driven than the first one, and I got why this novel needed that component, so it didn't impact my rating. I also felt the romance between Oraya and Raihn, even after everything they went through. 

I believe we'll have to wait a bit for the third in the series, but I plan to read plenty of more Broadbent books until then.