The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (2023) is the sequel to The Serpent and the Wings of Night (2022). It is the final installment in the Nightborn Duet, which follows the romance of Oraya and Raihn, members of the House of Night. The Nightborn Duet is the first part of Crowns of Nyaxia, a planned 6-book series consisting of three duologies within the same fantasy world. Each duology follows one romantic coupling while simultaneously developing an overarching plot line that spans all six installments. Books three and four of the Crowns of Nyaxia series—the Shadowborn Duet—will follow a couple from the House of Shadow, while books five and six—the Bloodborn Duet—will explore the House of Blood.

The series also includes a novella and a full-length standalone romance which offer more insight into the world and its characters. Six Scorched Roses (2023) is a standalone novella that occurs just after the events of The Serpent and the Wings of Night. It depicts the romance between Lilith and Vale, two characters who come into play during The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror (2023) is a standalone novel following Sylina, an assassin sent to kill a vampire lord named Atrius, whom she falls in love with instead. This novel offers more backstory to the vampires of House of Blood, setting up the Bloodborn Duet.

The Nightborn Duet introduces the complex geographical, political, and social climates that shape the overarching plot. The two clans of the House of Night, the Rishan and Hiaj vampires, have been in a state of constant war with each other, battling for dominance and territory. At the start of the series, a Hiaj vampire, Vincent, rules the House of Night. To gain the throne, he slaughtered all other Nightborn vampires with the Heir Mark, an inherited claim to the throne exemplified by a physical mark on one’s body. However, he faces constant threats from the Rishan vampires and the House of Blood, who wish to overthrow him.

The Serpent and the Wings of Night ends on a cliffhanger in which Raihn, a Rishan vampire, reveals that he carries an Heir Mark, murders Vincent, and usurps his throne. His actions are complicated by the fact that Raihn and Oraya, Vincent’s adopted daughter, are lovers. Raihn’s betrayal turns Oraya’s love into hatred, creating character and romantic conflicts that remain at the forefront of The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. The themes of love’s complexity, the power in fear, and intense loyalty versus identity carry over the first installment of the Nightborn Duet into the sequel. Oraya still hears Vincent’s voice in her head, giving orders despite his death, illustrating how her loyalty to her father still hampers her identity. Love’s complexity only grows as Oraya battles with the love she still has for Raihn despite his unforgivable betrayal. Vincent’s rule over the Nightborn vampires prioritized fear as a way to retain power; although he wishes to change things for the better, Raihn employs these same tactics as King.

The Nightborn Duet is vital to the Crowns of Nyaxia series, as it introduces vital worldbuilding that will span all installments. The House of Blood Prince Septimus’s desperate actions to escape the Bloodborn curse, as well as his escape from punishment at the end of The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King, provide tension for the duologies to come. Mische’s murder of the Shadowborn prince and her soon-to-be adventures are more potential storylines the series will follow.