Epeolatry Book Review: The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

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​Title: The Songbird & the Heart of Stone
Author: Carissa Broadbent
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Bramble
Date: 19th November, 2024

Synopsis: Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire–her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische’s punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the god of death.

Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. But most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness–and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods grow restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness.

Greetings, Reader! Just when this review comes out, we should be right around that spookiest time of the year, Halloween. What better way to celebrate than with a fresh take on class monsters like Vampires! So, sit back and get comfy with your bucket of candy because I have a treat for you.

The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent is a continuation of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. As the first book of the Shadowborn Duet, it follows Broadbent’s first two books in the series. That being said, you can pick up this book and start reading without the need to read the others (though, they’re great, too). 

The story follows Mische, a young woman captured by the vampire House of Shadow. In exchange for her life, she agrees to help Asar, a bastard vampire prince and brother of the vampire who Turned her. Mische’s history unfolds in small excerpts at the beginning of each book of the novel. A devotee of the Sun God, life isn’t always grand for a God’s Chosen one. Mische’s travels bring her face to face with her past like she never expected. Those she thought long dead suffer in the underworld, and she must learn accountability for her actions.

The goal of Mische and Asar’s journey is to raise a fall God, and Broadbent fleshes out the magical system needed to accomplish that feat. The world of The Crown of Nyaxia grows ever larger as the complex layers of the underworld are explored. This was easily my favorite part of the novel, getting to see the detailed inner works of the realm.

There is a small amount of spice in this novel. Mische and Asar romance builds with tension pouring off the pages. Nothing feels force or unnatural, but genuine and real. Knowing that there will be another book to continue the Shadowborn Duet, I am very much looking to see what’s in store for these two lovers.

A beautiful story of learning to face your demons, metaphorically and physically, The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent is a strong and expansive addition to the Crown of Nyaxia series. Fans of enemy-to-lover, expansive worlds, high fantasy, and epic journeys will want to grab this novel. I highly recommend it.

/5

Available from Amazon and Bookshop.

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