Blutmond am Sternenhimmel

Home · Editing Services · Blog · Free Quote · Deutsch

A deadly tournament, a vampire king and his adopted human daughter: The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent is one of the best-known romantasy books with vampires. We analysed reviews online and summarise what readers love and what they criticize.

Diese Rezension auf Deutsch lesen

At a glance

  • Author: Carissa Broadbent
  • Published: 2022, new edition 2023 by Bramble
  • Series: Crowns of Nyaxia, book 1
  • Genre: Romantasy with vampires
  • Tropes: Enemies to lovers, slow burn, tournament
  • Goodreads: 4.25 out of 5 from more than 820,000 ratings

What is it about?

Oraya is the adopted human daughter of a vampire king. She enters a rare tournament with five deadly trials held in honour of the goddess Nyaxia. To survive, she must form an alliance with the rival vampire Raihn while war brews in the House of Night.

What readers love about The Serpent and the Wings of Night

  • The world: Three vampire houses and a rich mythology are seen as a major strength.
  • Slow burn with tension: The alliance between Oraya and Raihn develops carefully from distrust to feeling.
  • Father and daughter: Several reviews name the complicated relationship between Oraya and the king as the best element.
  • Pace: Despite its length, trials and quiet moments alternate well.
  • Surprises: The ending surprised many readers.

What readers criticize

  • Too little depth: One review finds the world and characters superficial and gives it only 5 out of 10.
  • A rushed romance: Some readers would have liked more build-up.
  • Trials without impact: According to critics, the tournament chapters are short and overloaded with explanation.
  • Many houses: At first it is hard to tell the vampire houses apart.
  • Characters behind the plot: Some feel the plot takes priority over the characters.

Content notes

We did not find an official list in our sources. Reviews mention fights to the death, a lot of blood, some explicit scenes and sexual violence in the heroine’s past.

What writers can learn from it

  • Trials need weight. A tournament is only as exciting as what is at stake for the character.
  • Introduce factions gradually. Several houses at once overwhelm readers.
  • Side relationships can carry a book. The father and daughter relationship shows how much a strong secondary relationship can do.

Conclusion

The Serpent and the Wings of Night is dark vampire romantasy with a tournament, slow burn and a strong father and daughter story. Readers who like dark worlds and slowly growing love are in the right place. Readers expecting a lot of depth in every character may be disappointed.

Sources

For this overview we analysed the following reviews and articles:

Ratings as of November 2026.

Writing romantasy yourself?

In an edit we check whether your trials carry real stakes, how you introduce factions and whether your side relationships pull their weight. Try our sample edit: 20 pages for €99.

Get a free quote

Legal notice and privacy policy are available in German: Impressum · Datenschutzerklärung