Synopsis:
From New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Lion & the Deathless Dark – the first book in the Bloodborn Duet.
Some blood tastes like vengeance. Some blood tastes like grief. Some blood tastes like nothing at all.
Under an eternal night, the world has been ravaged by ten years of war between humans and vampires. Kyrene scrapes by as a bounty hunter, bearing a blessed sword from the goddess of justice. But in the wake of a devastating loss, Kyrene commits a crime that makes her a target for mortals and gods alike – and she is still desperate for vengeance.
Her only chance at survival – and revenge – is making a deal with her enemy, the silver-tongue vampire prince, Septimus, who offers her one final to slay the gods themselves.
Together, Kyrene and Septimus must hunt the ultimate marks, all while navigating a web of prophecies and curses. Septimus is calculating and mysterious, masking secrets bloodthirsty enough to consume them both. Yet, most dangerous of all, Kyrene finds an unexpected kinship in him.
But their growing attraction is deadly in a world where the only currency is blood. And Kyrene will stop at nothing to fulfill her ultimate to kill the goddess of vampires, even if it means sacrificing love for revenge.
Review:
I was sent an early copy of The Lion and the Deathless Dark in exchange for an honest review.
Before reading this I was a certified Septimus hater, and I was desperately hoping that Broadbent would be able to change my mind. I’d always seen him as a villain in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, always being a bit creepy or trying to take things from others. I’m thrilled to say that I’m now a huge fan of Septimus. I basically fell for him at the same time as Kyrene.
Kyrene is a phenomenal morally grey FMC. It seems like she should be a hero as she carries a sword from the Goddess of Justice, however as we know the gods in this world aren’t all good, and Kyrene has her own side bounties to contend with too. She’s a fantastic match for Septimus as they make such a dark couple.
As always the yearning is stunning. Broadbent writes such incredible slow burn romance and this is no different. You watch Kyrene go from hating Septimus to loving him so fiercely. The ending was absolutely heart-breaking and it’s going to be so hard to wait for the next book.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark really ups the stakes. You don’t need to have read the other two duologies or standalones to read this but I would highly recommend it as everything links and the characters keep appearing. This story is massive, we’re talking hunting gods, killing gods and trying to save this world, but not everyone has the same version of ‘saving’.
This is a deliciously dark book, bringing together the two darkest characters of the series so far to literally kill the gods.
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