Crowns of Nyaxia

This series is comprised of 3 duets and 2 standalones (so far). Disclaimer: I have only read the Nightborn duet ( Serpent & the Wings of Night and Ashes & the Star Cursed King ) and the first book in the Shadowborn duet ( Songbird & the Heart of Stone ). I gave Nightborn 2.5 ⭐️ and the Shadowborn book 4 ⭐️ so I averaged for a series rating of 3.5 ⭐️. Alright onto my review!

I liked Nightborn but didn’t love it. The games and trials were interesting although I didn’t fully grasp why they were happening. The different vampire lines were mostly terrible with ZERO redeeming qualities. Not a lot going for the poor humans. I also wanted there to be more between Rhain and Oraya. He is SO obsessed with her, but whyyyyy??? She can barely form sentences. And he was too green flag, just constantly trying to rescue all the damsels in distress. It was a decent duology but the storyline felt unoriginal and the characters a little bland. I did appreciate the complexity between Oraya and Vincent for those wanting some daddy issues…

Shadowborn was much more in my wheelhouse. Mische is my kind of FMC 💪🏼 Asar recruits Mische in a mission through the 7 layers of the descent to the underworld. But they both have different intentions once they get there. The tension. Omg the TENSION. And Luce the dog 🥹 Loved the concept of each layer of the descent. It felt like games and trials but mix in some trapped lost souls and revenge arcs. I will definitely read book 2 in this duet. Someday 🫠

This was the series I realized I don’t love a heavy games and trials trope. I think I always kind of knew because I was never a Hunger Games fan….but maybe that was just the terrible Peeta casting. 😬

There were parts I really liked – I do feel like it was very fast paced and it had a great mix of character/relationship building, games and trials, spice and twists, but I struggled with Oraya (FMC). Is she a badass FMC we all love and root for or is she a whiny baby needing to be saved constantly? The back and forth made me nuts. Raihn (MMC) started out strong for me but ended up doing some really dick things while also still being way too much of a green flag??? If you are confused by this review – it’s basically like reading this duology.

The other interconnected duology that follows Mische – who is a much more enjoyable FMC – intrigued me, but I was burnt out with this series so didn’t bother. Is the Nightborn duet a fast little read with a lot of the tropes we love? Yes! Will you be entertained? Mostly! Will you also be annoyed? Probably…