I'm a massive fan of the previous 2 books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and this was such a great book 3. We follow different characters and storylines, and it's incredibly refreshing. The pacing and storyline is great, and I absolutely loved Mische. Highly recommend

Having read and loved the previous three books in this series (two novels and a novella) i have so been looking forward to this. It absolutely delivers and has left me once again looking forward to the next one.
The whole Nyaxia series is a refreshing take on the popular fantasy genre thats is both dark and sumptuous.

It's a DNF !
For now at least I don't think that I can read this book on my phone ...
I'll wait until it actual release to try reading it again . Maybe the audiobook will be needed!

I was really excited to read this book, as Carissa Boarbent had become one of my favorite authors, and it did not disappoint. I love Boardbent's writing style, as compelling and full of beautiful quotes as it is. But I also loved Mische's story, her evolution and her struggle to reconcile her faith and her idea of what she should be with what she really was. Her background, her past and her fight to still have a future. It was everything I could ask for. And the love story... well, it was beautiful and full of raw emotion, just how Carissa Boardbent always makes them to be. So of course Asar and Luce have now a special place in my heart too. And that ending??? I cannot wait to read the next book.

A million thanks Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble and Netaglley for the eARC! <3

Can I give this 6 stars?

The first two Crowns of Nyaxia books were beautifully written, and this is no different.

This follows Mische from the first books, who I loved for her unending supply of cheer but thought was a little one dimensional outside of that. In this book, she really comes into her own and is a strong enough character to lead the book.

The writing in this is beautiful, the plot is well paced, and I cried multiple times. Soul destroying and totally worth it.

Rating 3.5*

This has been one of my most eagerly awaited releases of the year, and I genuinely shed tears of joy when I found out I was approved to read an ARC on NetGalley. Now that I’ve finished the book, I’m feeling very average about it. The Songbird and the Heart of Stone wasn’t a bad book by any means, but I also don’t find myself loving it either.

I am absolutely thrilled that we finally have the opportunity to delve deeper into Mische's character and backstory, and I truly enjoyed reading through her POV. Her continuous battles with her faith and the struggle against her inner vampire instincts are both captivating and deeply emotional. Mische and Asar's romance was charming and could almost be classified as a Grumpy x Sunshine dynamic, although Asar could benefit from having more depth to his character, which I felt was somewhat missing. Overall, I enjoyed Asar and learning about his own story as the Bastard Prince of one of the most cruel Vampire Kingdoms, but I keep feeling that we needed more from him.

The idea of Mische travelling into the underworld with a Bastard Prince had me hooked as soon as I read the blurb, nonetheless, the execution of the plot was a bit too much for me. This book was remarkably fast-paced, leaving me with very few chapters to catch my bearings and gather my thoughts. I enjoy fast-paced books, but at times, I felt as though I could barely keep up with the details. I adore Broadbent’s World Building in her books and her intricate details, however, there were times in this book Mische’s inner monologue often repeated ‘I have up trying to make sense of how this all worked, it just did’ regarding her travels to the underworld, I was extremely let down by the lazy tone of it all.

I don’t really want to discuss the ending at all because it has left me extremely unsatisfied. No sadness, happiness or excitement as the cliffhanger almost guarantees a second book, I didn’t really feel much of anything. This is new for me, as I always feel SOMETHING at the conclusion of a Broadbent book.

. Mische’s journey from loss and punishment to redemption, combined with her complicated relationship with Asar, kept me hooked. The plot was filled with tension, especially with the journey to the underworld, and the trials they had to face added a thrilling layer of danger.

The allure of darkness that constantly pulls at Mische, along with her growing forbidden attraction to Asar, created so much intensity throughout the story. Their bond develops slowly, but it never feels rushed, and the stakes are always high. The world-building was incredible, mixing mortals, vampires, and gods in a way that made the plot unpredictable and exciting.

I do wish we got some of Asar's point of view to understand his thoughts and emotions better, especially with his dark past. The ending, though, was simply amazing and left me eager for the next book. There’s so much more to explore in this world, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with Mische and Asar.

This review is based on the unedited version of the book, thanks to NetGalley.

This series just keeps getting better with each book! Mische is such an interesting character, she is literally a ray of sunshine to everyone she meets, Asar is the epitome of the broken brooding male. They both have so much baggage, an incredibly beautiful slow burn forbidden romance weaved seamlessly between the world building, plotting, murdering and angry gods! I loved every character; they are all so beautifully written and will live in my head for a long while! But that ending – I have no words! Stunning!

I really wanted to love this book as I have loved all her other ones..
An honest review I never thought I’d write.
I won’t say too much as this needs to be read and experienced by each reader but I struggled massively to get into this book, stay focused and engaged with the story.
It felt very slow, repetitive and lost its way a bit until the very end of the story. BUT that ending was fantastic and exactly what I wanted from the rest of the book. It had everything I love about her storytelling and I was definitely sucked in, I just wish the rest of the book was the same!
I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to read this before it’s released and I know my opinion is my own and some may absolutely love it ♥️

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by @carissabroadbentbooks

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟♾️

This book was everything!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for the E-Arc!

I definitely have a new favourite book!

The story of Mische and Asar is so captivating and heartbreaking.
I already thought „The Serpent and the Wings of Night” was fantastic, I loved „The Ashes and the Star Cursed King” and „Six Scorched Roses” was great, but
„The Songbird & the Heart of Stone” topped it all!

I was captivated from the very first page. I couldn’t stop reading and still think about it every day, even though I finished the book days ago. But I had to process everything before I could write a review.

Mische’s story and her unwavering faith in the god Artroxus is admirable, even though she was actually abandoned by him.
Asar’s life story is sad and brutal.
Both have their lives and baggage to carry. They couldn’t be more different and yet so similar.
And they both have a goal and need each other to achieve it.

„I have my faith, and l have the love of my god. That’s all I need.”

His thumb traced the scar on the swell of my palm.
„Right. Looks like love.”

Thank you so much @carissabroadbentbooks for writing such a great story! I can’t wait for the second or fourth volume, but I’ll have to be patient.

The Songbird & the Heart of Stone will be published on 19 November 2024 and I can’t wait for you all to finally read this book!!

4,25*


Thank you Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

The songbird and the Heart of Stone takes place in the same world als The Serpent and the Wings of Night. But you can read both spin off series separate from each other.

I’ve read The Serpent and the Wings of Night and the second book before I had the opportunity to read this book.
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone has the same writing style which made it easy for me to keep on reading. Both characters Mische and Asar are lovely, there are so many good character traits with both characters. The side characters were also well developed for this story. There was a good balance with the journey and chemistry between both main characters. There is some smut but it doesn’t pull you away from the story which I liked.

There is only one negative point which made me decide not to give it 4,5* and that's Mische took to much time to decide not to follow her God. He was awful and I can’t understand why someone like her wants to follow and dedicate her life to someone like him. The ending made it better and I can’t wait to read the second part of this spin off series.

In “the songbird and the heart of stone” we follow Mische as she’s on the brink of being executed for killing the heir to the Shadowborn throne. However she gets saved by Asar, the bastard son of the king and follows him on a journey in the underworld to resurrect the god of death. However both Asar and Mische are hiding secrets from each other, and they are going to choose eachother or the gods?

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was amazing. I love the author’s writing style, I always fly through her books even if they are quite long. I loved Mische and Asar as main characters way better than I did Oraya and Rainh, and I loved those two. Mische was so compelling and thoughtful and nice all the way through and I am very happy we got to know more about her and her tragic backstory. Asar was perfection not only as a love interest but as a main character himself.

The journey was also extremely fun, it kept me on my toes and I couldn’t put down my kindle because I had to know what happened next. The only flaw I can find is that it was a bit repetitive at times with the tropes used to change scene, but considering this was inspired by Dante’s inferno it makes sense. The ending was treacherous, but I didn’t expect anything less, I might need book two right away though and that’s heartbreaking.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

After loving the first two books in the series I was really excited to receive an Arc of this book from NetGally. The book dragged for almost 70% of the storyline. There were a lot of action scenes that felt quite repetitive and did not contribute anything to the character development or the tension between the two main characters Mische and Asar. I lost count about the use of the sentence *she fell into darkness* or something very similiar to this sentence. The only thing that made me want to continue with this series is the plottwist at the end of the book and the big hope that the next one will be again as exciting as the first two books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Crowns of Nyaxia series has always had my heart. It is one of my favourite series, and this newest edition has cemented that. This book is my favourite read of the year!!

I loved how loyal Miche was in the previous books, but her back story was mostly a mystery other than us finding out who had turned her. I was so happy to find out she was getting her own duology and what a story it is so far.

I love how well the story is weaved together between the present and also revealing her past. So we get the full story of how she came to be where we originally met her in the previous books, as well as seeing how her story continues after leaving the house of night.

Then we have the pleasure of meeting our male lead, Asar, a necromancer, bastard Prince of the House of Shadows. I'm a sucker for a dark and broody shadow daddy 😍

They embark on a mission with one goal in mind, with orders from 2 separate deities, which will result in very different outcomes. We see them venture through the layers of the underworld, each layer becoming more difficult to traverse with new challenges to face, relationships develop, and secrets are revealed.

Carissa has smashed it with this book and that ending!!! I can't wait for the next book to see where the story takes us next 🖤

Thanks to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the arc of this book.

With thanks to Pan MacMillan & NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved the Crowns of Nyaxia series so I was delighted to receive this ARC!

I adored learning more about Mische, and I think her character is possibly one of my favourites from the whole series so far. She’s a very raw real character, and the author writes her pain so well. Asar is also a very well written character, and I enjoyed the moments that he and Mische shared. Luce, of course, was a very good girl!

There were parts where the story seemed to slow down and drag, and I lost interest in those moments. I think it was because the way the plot is set out, it is bound to get repetitive at times. However I am glad I pushed through and persevered.

The ending was a twist I did not see coming, and I think it’s very well done. It’s made me excited for the next book in this series.

Spectacular, give me 14 of them rn😩 The best Carissa Broadbent book so far, I swear, I love everything here

this had very much the Divine Comedy vibes in the best way possible, the atmosphere is unmatched

Mische and Asar - I love them even more then Oraya and Raihn, the slow burn was so perfect. And Luce 🤌 we love a man with skeleton dog

and the twist at the end🤭 THAT WAS THE BEST TWIST I READ IN A WHILE I'M SPEECHLESS idk how I'll manege not talking about it to anyone for the next two months

Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.

Carissa Broadbent really did it again with The Songbird & the Heart of Stone. It's a captivating novel set in the same world as The Serpent & the Wings of Night. This time we don't follow Oraya and Raihn but Mische, a beloved character we met already. We learn more about Misches past and her religion.

Mische wakes up in the hands of enemies but soon is going on a quest for the God of the Sun - with the brother of the Vampire she hates the most.
We see her evolving and overcoming trauma. We see her deal with her religion which gave her good experiences but not everything that shines is gold.

Carissa takes us with this novel into a part of the world that we didn't know about - the Realm of the dead God of Death. I think here she could've done a bit better regarding the world building but it's okay.
I had difficulties staying with the stories during Ashes but The Songbird captured me wholly.

I'm almost never surprised by twists and turns of stories and for the most part, it was the same here but a huge plus point for a character I didn't expect.

I really look forward to seeing where Misches story brings us.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the ARC. Highly recommend!

5 stars - fantasy romance part of the crowns of Nyaxia series.

Mische was an acolyte of the sun god Atroxus, and had the gift of light until she was forcibly turned into a vampire by the prince of the shadow born. After murdering the prince at the end of book 2, we start her journey with her being captured by the princess of the shadow born, but ultimately saved by the exiled prince Asar in order to journey to the underworld for the goddess Nyaxia. Mische mysteriously has her light power returned and a visit from Atroxus with a new secret mission. Asar, meanwhile has his own mission from Nyaxia.

After being introduced to Mische in the first two books, she was my favourite character other than Oraya and Raihn, so I knew I would absolutely devour her story due to her complicated back story. Misches character development is insane - we get to see her childhood beginnings with her sister and her enrolment into the sun gods church, with backflash chapters, and her journey with her inner struggles and her difficulties accepting genuine love and friendship.

I loved the development of Misches and Asars relationship and thought it was rightly paced, given the timeline. From enemies, to friends then to lovers it felt genuine and real.

The underworld was gruesome and complex and I enjoyed learning about the different realms and the people within. I fell in love with Leuce and hope she is ok given Asars and Miches whereabouts at the end of the story.

The ending was jaw dropping, and I should have known given book 1, but I can’t believe it ended the way it did and how long I now have to wait for the next instalment!

Overall highly recommend if you enjoyed the first two books or even as a standalone. I have loved all of the authors works that I have read, she has a way of captivating the reader from the get go and developing such loveable characters.

"his features begged to be immortalised in stone or paint"

this book was unbelievable in more ways than one.

The story! *chefs kiss*
The Characters! *chefs kiss*
The ending! *chefs kiss*
The epilogue! *chefs kiss*

The book follows Mische, who struggles with what she wants vs. who she is. We learn of the hard cards she has been dealt through her life and what struggles she has had to face with her faith. Her character is full of so much hope and courage even with the life she has lived.

and then Asar.... he is incredible. He is written so well you fall in love with him and forget about him being the supposed 'villain' of the story. He is said to be the 'heart of stone' but all I can see is a heart of pure gold. He means well in everything he does, he wants the best for those he cares about even if it doesn't necessarily follow the rules of life and law.

The writing and in-depth background work put into these characters is ASTRONOMICAL - Carissa Broadbent has a way with words and character development that I have rarely seen before. The world creation is incredible and deserves such high levels of praise.

I have so many quotes highlighted that I desperately want to share but don't want to ruin the first hand experience for anyone!

It's safe to say I loved every second of this book and can not wait for the 4th.

Thanks so NetGalley for the ARC and allowing me to provide an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of ‘The Songbird and the Heart of Stone’.
I absolutely loved the Crowns of Nyaxia series so I jumped at the chance at reading the next instalment that focused on the character of Mische.
Firstly, the call backs to the previous books were lovely, hearing familiar names gave me a little jump of joy every time it happened.
Mische, from the get go is such a complex and interesting character and the book was fantastic at delving into that. Then we get to meet Asar and he is equally (if not more) complex and overall a fantastic character.
I loved the journey of this book and the development between the characters and plot. However I felt uncomfortable with the relationship between Mische and the god, I appreciate that has a lot of reasoning for Mische’s behaviour and her character development, but I still couldn’t shift the uncomfortable feeling I got while reading those bits. The story was also a bit repetitive at points but it didn’t bother me too much because I was already so invested in the story.
The ending of the book was 10/10, what a cliff hanger! Very excited to read the next book and delve back into Mische and Asar’s story.