Miriam Elen

Author: Carissa Broadbent

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: Oraya has been fighting to survive as a human in a kingdom of nightmarish vampires for almost 20 years. Now, she enters the deadly tournament known as the Kejari, where she will face off bloodthirsty vamps in a set of trials in an effort to win a favour from Nyaxia, the goddess of night. Though not nearly as strong or fast as the creatures she is up against, Oraya has her own set of skills that will take her far in the competition. In the process, she stands to face the full force of her magic, team up with an enemy, and uncover secrets to do with her controlling father figure — the Nightborn King.

My Review of The Serpent & the Wings of Night

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Plot

This was a fast-paced book which was almost entirely plot-driven. Each chapter had something to offer and we were continuously guided through the story in an efficient way. Perhaps too efficient… the author comprimising other aspects of the story for the plot.

You may think you’ve read this story before but the ending isn’t that predictable. I was pleasantly surprised at not having guessed it halfway through.

Characters

The characters are ok. And therein lies the issue. As a characters gal, and someone who thrives off the complex weaving of connections and the depth of relationships, this didn’t hit the spot.

Does the main character fall in love? Yeah, but am I convinced? No.

Does the main character have a ruling daddy that adores her dearly? Yeah, but again, I don’t feel it.

Writing

Since starting to write these reviews, I’ve come to realise that I am VERY AWARE of the overuse of phrases.

As a writer, you want the audience to get a sense that a relationship is built a certain way and a phrase is used to convey this. But man, it grates on me when I notice a pattern and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes every time Reihn said “there she is“. I understand it’s meant to be cute, but it was not pulled off here.

Considering that annoying little repetetivness, the fact I wasn’t made to care about the characters and their relationships all too much, and the limited world-building, I’d say the writing fine/average.

World-building

Personally, I would have appreciated a bit more depth in the way of world-building. Especially since the plot is about two groups of vampires who loathe each other and are in a war over the kingdom, yet we don’t really know why. And the basic information given about the city we’re in isn’t much to construct an image of the realm.

Vibe

“A vampyric hunger games” is how others have described this as a quick summary, and though that’s a stretch, it gives you the right vibe. It has scenes of violence and betrayal, as well as of friendship, love and loyalty… your usual fantasy energy. It certainly leans on dark topics so may not be a good match for sensitive readers.

I think I’ve mentioned in a previous review that dark and grungy isn’t my thing, but I was satisfied with this kind of dark epic fantasy. As we are focused on Oraya, Reihn and the Kejari, with only a few visits to the actual city, this didn’t feel overly grimey to me, which is a win.

A final note: the audiobook

To finish the review, I want to note that the audible version may not be for everyone. And that the method of reading this book is the reason I am giving it a 2 star as opposed to 3 stars. (As unfair as that may be to the author, it’s how I feel).

The narrator was a little overly dramatic for my liking, and I wasn’t a fan of how she acted out certain bits. The delivery of the book is a huge part of how you take in the information and process the emotions behind the words, and for me, the upbeat American narrator made it feel like we had conflicting interpretations of certain scenes.

When I finished The Serpent & the Wings of Night and decided to see how the sequel would go (I wasn’t too comitted to the series at this point), I was greeted with the cringiest male voice I’ve ever heard and IMMEDIATLEY turned it off. I said it on Instagram and I’ll say it again here… it gave me the biggest ick I have ever icked.

So that’s why I have given up on this series (for now) and why I have cancelled my audible subscription indefinitely (yes, seriously. I’m scarred).

Please let me know what you think of The Serpent & the Wings of Night and the rest of this series in the comments! Do you disagree with my view of it?

Follow me on Goodreads to see my other reviews. Or check out my last review here, which was for We Hunt The Flame.