Uhm. Omg that ending?? Wtf just happened. I always say “i want a book where the main character dies” but now that i have one i do not like it????

2024 is the YEAR of the vampires and Carissa Broadbent certainly didn’t disappoint! After absolutely adoring the first duology with Raihn and Oraya I was definitely eager to get to know Mische better in her own story. And what a start it was!

Tasked with descending into the underworld to kill a god with a mysterious (and unsettlingly sexy) companion in Asar, Mische must learn what healing from her past looks like while figuring out what she wants from her future. The romance was (as usual) smoking hot and I loved her chemistry with Asar. Huge fan of a secretly soft MMC who will do anything for his LI! The slow burn was most definitely worth it. I loved the descriptions of the underworld and the vampiric elements and Carissa’s writing was as lush as ever. A great addition to an already addictive world. And THAT ENDING? Needless to say, I need the next instalment immediately.

Mische and her story were very captivating in the book. Her background had so many layers and honestly, some of the revelations were totally unexpected like Saescha and her death.
I loved the trope of Mische and Asar, and their little banter and chemistry buildup overtime.
I was looking forward to a little more world-building in the book, because I do not think that the underworld and Morthyn were 100% defined or making sense at times.
It felt like I was in a never-ending maze.
I also felt that the book was only dark, with no light in it. I understand that people like that trope, but for me honestly, I think that they deserved some break in between.
Also, the getting back part from the underworld was not clearly defined, and we were just moving forward inside it.
Ophelia was also a very good addition, but I felt that she was doing the same thing in the entire book, and there was not much connection to the story.
I loved Carissa's writing, and am a very big fan of Daughter of No worlds series, but I was not very impressed with Nyaxia series.
All in all, it is a very good read.

The book addresses lot of issues, like child abuse, partner abuse.

Thank you Netgalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble for giving me an opportunity to read the book prior to it's release. I hope my review helps others as well.

AH! This book was so good. I absolutely loved Mische. I liked the correlations to the Kejari that were in the different sections of the underworld. The ending was mind blowing. Can’t wait for the next book. Will have to post to my instagram soon with more cohesive thoughts because I’m just shell shocked right now.

After killing the heir of the House of Shadow Mische is sentenced to death - her only chance for redemption: helping the bastard prince Asar on his journey to the underworld and resurrecting the god of death himself. And another chance opens up for Mische. When she was turned Mische not only lost her family and her home, she also lost the love of the sun god she devoted her whole life to. In a secret meeting her sun god reveals himself and gives her one more mission - killing the god of death once and for all. But this would mean betraying Asar... and soon she realizes that this will probably the greatest task of them all.

I have to admit, after The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King I was a bit hesitant to read part 3 of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, because I thought part 2 was a little bit long-winded... but boy was I suprised with this one!

There were only hints of Misches backstory in the first two books and now we learn so much more of her and I loved every little detail of it. Her inner turmoil was so well described. On one hand her fierce love and devotion for the sun god that saved her and her sister from living on the deadly streets and on the other hand the burns and scars she wears because the god that used to smile upon her now sees her as a monster not worthy of being alive. I really have to apologize to Mische from book one and two, because I kinda thought that she was a one note character, but after learning much more about her, I fell in love. She shows so much positivity, optimism and strength - despite her tragic past.

And Asar was a really good match for her as well. He has a brutal backstory filled with blood, but now he's ridden with guilt and sees himself as a savior for lost souls. Such a complex character. He will really pull on your heart strings.
Asars and Misches dynamic was so good! Their relationship gave major grumpy x sunshine vibes and was everything you wanted from a good slow burn romance.

And a special shoutout to Luce - best animal companion ever!

The cliffhanger at the end was absolutely devastating - I can only hope that part 4 will be on NetGalley as soon as possible!

This was my most anticipated book release of 2024, and it absolutely delivered! What a beautiful book, and such a strong continuation of the story in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Mische was one of my favourite side characters from the previous duology, and Carissa Broadbent has truly done her justice here. I felt so connected to Mische's journey throughout the book, and I am even more excited to see how it continues on after this!

Carissa has such a wonderful way of crafting a fantasy world through her words; I felt thoroughly immersed and connected to every aspect of the story. I felt stuck between wanting to read as quickly as possible, and wanting to hold off so I could savour the story as long as possible - that's when you know you have a great book!

In my opinion, Carissa Broadbent has well and truly earned her place as one of the top fantasy/romance authors. I could not recommend this book, this series and, honestly, every book Carissa has written, more!

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan for this ARC that I received via NetGalley. I was greatly honoured for the opportunity to read this ahead of time and share my views.

‘But she only knows how to love things she can fix, and there is no fixing you, is there? (…) Or perhaps that’s why you would be so perfect for each other. A girl who can only love broken things, and a boy so broken he can only love what he cannot have. A Perfect match.’

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone follows Mische and since reading the first book she has been my fave character so you bet I was super excited for her own book! And in this book, you will fall even more for her and the new Male Lead - Asar Bloodborn. Asar is exactly what I love in book boyfriends - quiet, kept to himself, sense of justice, appreciative of little things/details, does not go out of his way to do bad things and does not use his trauma/past as an excuse to be bad - he is good and I LOVE GOOD GUYS!

I loved the purgatory theme, how they go through levels and how it allows us as readers to completely submerge into the complexity of the characters, their past, present and future; their fears and hopes. I also think Mische is definitely the character to go onto this journey. There are a few plot twists and I loved every turn and twist in the plot.

Carissa’s writing always hits the spot, she’s so talented in her story-telling and I simply love to devour her words! I found this book to approach traumas in a very sensible and considerate way. This is definitely my favourite book from The Crown of Nyxia and I cannot wait to read the next instalment!

adpr Many thanks to the publisher for this e-arc! All opinions are my own 🥰

Emotional damage.

That's it. That's the review.
I am joking.

So in this book, we follow Mische who we meet in the two previous books. As you probably know, the first two books were set in the House of Night and in this duology it is in the House of Shadows.

Warning : If you haven't read the two former books, i highly recommend you to stop reading this. I will mention information that was learned in said books.

So, as we know, Mische was a priestess of Atroxus (the god of the sun) and she was turned by the heir of the shadow kingdom against her will. And she killed him. You go girl.
Mische is this incredible full of optimism vampire and she is so perky and I loved her the second that I met her.

But, as mentioned above, she murdered an heir and so she is on the run. Unfortunately, she gets captured and is to be executed.

Thankfully, the bastard of the king, Asar, saves her to help him accomplish a mission for Nyaxia. And at this point, the story unfolds.

Now. I- I love Asar so so very much. He is this closed, broody character, but as time goes by, I started to relate to him in a way that i didn't see coming. And it broke my heart. I just want to give him a big hug, but luckily, Mische does it for me.

In this book, we are discovering a new environment and the description was beautiful and so descriptive. It amazes me how well this was done. Especially since we encountered new entities, and usually for me, it's hard to grasp all the new information in a world i already know but the way the author did it was smooth and she did not info dumped her readers. I respect that so much.

The romance is wonderful and as always, i feel like she is one of the few authors who, when they write a fantasy book with romance in it, doesn't put the plot aside for it. It is effortless

What I really appreciated in this book is how cohesive it is with how the story ended in
The Ashes & the Star Cursed King. It was really fluid and logic how this book started, and the plot was so obvious. I enjoyed the little connections/ mentions that the author did with Slaying the vampire conqueror. I really recommend you to read it, even if there is a very small mention of the events in that book, it's so much better when you know everything that unravels. Mainly because the ending of STVC is spoiled in this book.

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone is a book who deals heavily with death and acceptations. The whole book is a path, a journey for Mische to do, and reading about everything that she went through broke my heart. The conclusion of this journey was sublime and I am looking forward for the next book.

And the end ? THE END KILLED ME.

This was chaotic and tense and horrific and beautiful and painful in all of the best ways.

I loved Mische in the firs two books, so much so that I didn't doubt her own book would become one of my favourites and I wasn't wrong. Her story is so beautiful and heart breaking and inspiring.

This book is so wildly different from books 1 & 2 and at first, I was a little unsure how that would end up working out, but it was hands down the best in the Crowns of Nyaxia series so far.

The only downside of books like this - especially when it's an arc- is that I have even longer to wait now until the next book. Because that ending? THE EPILOGUE?

Carissa Broadbent only gets better and I cannot wait for book 4.

It's now August and I've read Songbird three months early, you know what that means? I now have three months extra waiting for the second book in this duet and I am in a world of pain.

Songbird had a stripped down cast of characters. I didn't realise I was ready for a break from court politics, but I ended up pleased to find this installment was outside of those courts and in an underworld of its own. This was a journey of journeys and a quest of quests where blood, sweat and souls were at stake.

How was Mische, you ask? Mische was raw, flayed open at the seams and vulnerable. It was so damn good to get to know her so much deeper. Her origins, past and her darkest secrets. She was still the compassionate vamp we'd come to know. The two other main characters of Asar and Luce, well, you are not ready for how rich and great reading these two were.

The romance was exquisite, slow-burning and forbidden. I am not over what I have read in terms of connection, chemistry and completion. This couple dominated the pages in their reluctant respect of one another through forced proximity.

I am ready to know what the world above was doing during this installment. What the dramatic plot points and ending will lead us to. Carissa Broadbent has followed up the first duet with a mind-blowing start to the second and I am in fandom with this world.

Thank you to Bramble and PanMacmillan for the review copy.

*2.5 stars
I am gutted 😞

I wanted to love this so badly, but this was such a disappointment!

I can't go into what this is about too much, given that it's the third book in a series, but it follows Mische who we meet in the first book and her journey through a place with a grumpy vampire. And feelings may or may not grow between them! Super vague, but I don't want to spoil.

Unfortunately, this book was super boring. Every leg of the journey felt exactly the same, including an extremely similar battle about 5 times. I also felt like we didn't get to know the love interest very well. I don't really know much about him and I've just spent 400 pages with him, soooo yeah. Mische was developed from the previous books and we got a lot of her backstory, which was great, but unfortunately I just found it boring overall! I frequently found my mind wandering and had to reread sections quite often.

It did have a cliffhanger though, so I will read the next one, but I would say the original duet is much better!

Broadbent’s writing swept me into a dark, mesmerizing world where every twist and turn felt like a punch to the gut. Her portrayal of Mische’s inner turmoil and forbidden attraction to Asar made my heart race and ache. The romance is as forbidden as it is electric, and the tension between them had me on the edge of my seat. As the story unfolds with trials, ghosts, and divine machinations, I found myself torn between hope and despair, eagerly turning pages to see how Mische’s choices would unravel. This book not only solidified my love for the series but also left me emotionally raw and yearning for more. I’m already counting days of the next book.

Not only do I think this is Carissa Broadbent's best work yet, it's also my favourite fantasy read of the year so far!

Carissa is fantastic at blending fantasy and romance, not allowing either of them to overshadow the other. I loved that there has been a very distinctive setting for each of the duologies in this series so far. First the Kejari and now Morthryn, the prion/ underworld. The setting is so richly described that it is easy to envisage.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about moving on from Raihn and Oraya, but boy am I in LOVE with Mische and Asar. We learned so much about Mische's past, and most of it was horrible. The trauma and abuse that she faced as a human was quite chilling at certain points, and I recommend any readers look at trigger warnings before reading. Mische's character growth in this book was admirable and she has very quickly become a favourite of mine.

I hope in the next installment we will get to learn more about Asar's past, it is touched upon in this book but there is so much more to explore, I cannot wait for the conclusion of their story.

A girl who can only love broken things, and a boy so broken he can only love what he cannot have.

Mische left Oraya and Raihn only to be captured by the House of Shadow whose prince she killed. She is only saved from execution by Asar - the Wraith Warden and scarred heir. He requires her for a mission from Nyaxia, the goddess of vampires, to go the underworld.

Mische (pronounced Meesh-uh - definitely not been pronouncing it right lol) was chosen by the sun god before being Turned. Now she feels abandoned by her god, the magic burning her when she calls on the sun, burning her vampire self.

I loved her journey of accepting her self and present situation.
Similar to Oraya’s arc, Mische must grapple with her past and the love she thought she had, the devotion she felt, and the love she felt she didn’t deserve.

Mische is was a priestess. A scholar. A bringer of the light. Yet, she has experienced so much blood and death and trauma but still greets the world with smiles, chatter, and unrelenting kindness.

I knew she was a favourite from the first time she appeared in The Serpent and the Wings of Night!

As if it wasn't the most compassionate thing someone could do for another being. As if even attempting to help those who were so helpless to all others wasn't such an act of bravery.

Broadbent knows how to write delicious slow burn. Normally, I don’t typically enjoy romantasies as the romance being at the forefront frustrates me in circumstances that make no sense. Yet, Broadbent keeps the tension high, doesn’t rush the development, and doesn’t add any unnecessary scenes or drama that recent books trying to hit a troupe list do.

Let him unravel. Let me see what he looked like in the ruins of all that self-control. Let him drown my grief and my sadness beneath the exquisite sin of his touch.

If you need any more convincing, there is a dead wolf companion called Luce who is probably Mische and Asar’s biggest (most annoying) matchmaker.
Also, there is a sentient magical death prison.

Thank you to Pan MacMillan for providing an arc in exchange for a review!

I'm absolutely devasted that it's over. I adored this book, even more than Oraya and Raihn's duology; which I honestly didn't think was possible.

Watching Mische desperately clawing her way to her supposed redemption was utterly heartbreaking. She's such a beautiful soul and her self-hatred was so incredibly tragic to behold. I adored the way Asar worshipped her throughout.

This book was very atmospheric and had a constant feeling of impending doom, which felt almost claustrophobic at times. I felt like I was at their side throughout their journey deep into the underworld. With each new layer, I became more and more invested in their tangled path.

These are two complex tortured souls, and I so desperately want them to achieve their happy ending. This really was a triumphant return to the Crowns of Nyaxia world.

The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent has been on my MUST TBR list ever since I was fortunate enough to be part of Readalongs for the first two books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series and fell in love with the Nightborn Duet that told Oraya and Raihn’s story. This 3rd book in the series and first book in the Shadowborn Duet focuses on the story of Mische and Aras.
Whilst Aras is a completely new character to me, Mische did feature in the original Nightborn Duet books, but whilst I was taken by the backstory and her role in that story, I was a little doubtful as to whether or not Mische was a strong enough character to focus as protagonist in the next duet…well, I’ll tell you now, I was totally WRONG!
Mische was a devotee and follower of the Sun God Atroxus, her life was dedicated to him from the tender age of 8, becoming pretty much a bride of his…
“Because this is what I was taught that love was – something you hurt for, something you bled for. You give your god your life, your blood, your virgin body…”
Until Mische’s life was destroyed after she is attacked and made vampire by Malach, whom she does kill in previous books. Mische finds herself captured and sentenced to death for killing Malach, who was a vampire prince but is given an alternative to aid the prince’s bastard half-brother Asar in his travels to the Underworld to bring back to life the God of Death!
Of course nothing is that simple, particularly when it’s written by Carissa Broadbent. Why would a quest through the dangerous, dark and destructive Underworld be enough, having to face demons and wraiths and more, when there are so many other perils that can be faced, including the command to perform a duplicitous and fatal mission by the Sun God himself, Atroxus?
Broadbent once again delivers a masterclass in weaving plots within plots, stunning and immersive worldbuilding and characters you could truly die for! Never mind just how tortured and guilt-ridden said characters are, each with their own sub-plot and mission, and of course all of the best tropes…albeit slightly subverted from bed to bath! (IYKYK)
The plot itself is carried across multiple sections and paced to perfection, whilst not constant action, the story carries you through the most intense violent scenes that had me gripping the book as I read them, to scenes of such devastation, or perfectly balanced heartfelt moments and tenderness, that truly had me in tears at some points. Yes, there are most definitely feelings, not just of the romantic kind, both Asar and Mische’s back stories are truly enlightening and bring greater depth and understanding to the story that I totally fell for them both.
And finally, I have to mention Luce – the resurrected ghost dog! Any author who can bring a dog to life and paint a relationship of such mutual love and adoration between said dog and their master, is an author I will read again and again!
There is no middle book syndrome here whatsoever, Carissa Broadbent has once again proven how rightly and perfectly she has earned her title as Queen of Romantasy with The Songbird and The Heart of Stone. And my only regret is how long I will now have to wait for the next chapter in Mische and Asar’s story!

Thank you so much Pan MacMillan, Bramble, Book Break UK and Netgalley for the arch of The Songbird and The Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent in exchange for my honest and unbiased review!

By far my favourite vampire book of 2024


AND nobody told me that this book was so hades and Persephone coded?

The most perfect slow burn romance, which a smidge of spice!

I truly think that this is my favourite book by the author yet and I can’t wait for the second book of this duet! My only regret is not being able to read it again for the first time!!

*******************

After murdering the vampire who turned her, Mische is waiting to be sentenced when the prince states he needs her to resurrect Alarus for Nyaxia. In order to do this they have to venture through the underworld causing Mische to relive all of her past and her secrets.

- This is the tale of how a chosen one falls. She does it screaming, clawing for her old life with broken fingernails. She does it slowly, over the course of decades -

I absolutely devoured the first two books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series and I’ve had The Songbird and the Heart of Stone pre-ordered since it became available . So when I saw this eARC arrive in my inbox I just about wept. I knew I was going to love this and I was not wrong.

I don’t know how to write this review without all of there spoilers because THIS and oh my gosh THAT and THEN THIS! But seriously, Mische and Asar and their journey.. gosh damn. Just gosh damn. Enemies to lovers. Sloooooow burn. Gods. Trauma. Wraiths, the underworld, the most adorable ghost dog.. I can’t.

- This isn’t what love should feel like. “Show me what it should feel like,” I whispered. The blade fell. My sentence was written. We crashed together into beautiful damnation -

Dare I say, I think I liked it even more than Oraya and Raihn’s story. I said it. I did. Mische is just sublime, she’s funny and broken and the epitome of smile and crack a joke to plaster over the cracks (hard relate!) I loved her so hard.

Of course, now I need to wait a thousand years to find out what happens after that ending so there’s that 😣

Seriously, add this to your TBR. It’s phenomenal.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Bramble, Pan MacMillan and Carissa Broadbent for gifting me this eARC. My review is voluntary and written honestly.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This book tore my heart out then put it back together just so that it could tear it out all over again 😭

I wasn't sure what to expect from a Mische storyline- I loved her in the first 2 books of the series but I had concerns over whether she was a strong enough character to have a book of her own. Why on earth was I worried?!

While a lot of this book is slow paced the development of the characters is fantastic. I enjoyed the journey through the Underworld, with flashbacks to Mische being chosen by the sun god. It was an interesting way to tell us the character back story.

I'll be honest, I'm furious at how the book ended. This is not the ending I was hoping for but I guess I'll just have to wait for the next instalment!