The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia #2) by Carissa Broadbent
In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.
The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.
When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.
But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.
Review: In this second installment in the series, everything has changed for Oraya and Raihn in the wake of the Kejari. Oraya feels horribly betrayed, is grieving the only family she has ever known, and is now a prisoner in her own kingdom. Worst of all is her new inability to trust Raihn, who is also hurting from what how he was forced to betray Oraya. But slowly, the two broach a new alliance in order to regain their kingdoms and defeat the enemies that seem to encroach them both on every side.
Love this series pivots from an enemies to lovers tale in book one to a marriage of convenience tale in book two. I also really appreciated that at last Oraya gets more insight into her origins and a better understanding of her father Vincent and why he interacted with her the way that he did. I was also intrigued by Oraya meeting her twisted and murderous cousin, the lone survivor of her father's vicious murder of his whole family years before.
However, on the whole, this book did not capture my interest in the same way that the first book did! Raihn and Oraya are still as closely drawn to one another, but I didn't think they had that much resolution from his betrayal other than Oraya just ultimately decided to let it go. I also missed Mische being a great part of the plot. She seemed like an afterthought in many ways in this book.
There's lots of gory, magical filled action in this book and some steamy scenes between the two main characters. I still have lots of unanswered questions about how Oraya can be half vampire and half human and what that means for her (and their) future.
Stars: 3
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