I received a copy of the fantasy romance book The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent from NetGalley. This fantasy romance (romantasy) book is the third of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. It follows the story of Mische, a priestess turned vampire and an illegitimate prince of the House of Shadow, Asar. This is the first book of the duology of Shadowborn. I haven’t read the previous duology of the series, so I started this as a standalone, and I don’t think it affected my understanding of the story.
Mische has been a devout priestess since childhood when she was chosen by the God of the Sun. She is forcibly turned into a vampire by the prince of the House of Shadows. Now, she is imprisoned by the house for killing their prince, and she is awaiting her sentence. Unexpectedly, the illegitimate prince of the house of shadows, Asar saves her from a death sentence and brings her along with him. He needs her help on a mission to resurrect the God of Death. Mische doesn’t understand how, after years of being deprived of her magical power, now her God has allowed her to wield it again. She is happy to be alive, yet she is scared about what Asar’s mission means for the mortals and fears a war among the Gods.
The story takes on an adventurous turn when Asar and Mische, along with Luce, Asar’s pet dog, and two others’ venture into the underworld to gather relics. Mische does not know much about the scarred prince Asar other than the stories she heard of him. She is curious about him, and he seems to be intrigued by her too. Asar is the definition of a grumpy and broody male characters. He is very internal; it takes a while for his depth to be explored. I liked how Mische and Asar’s bond developed. It did not happen from the get-go. As they understand how similar the pain of their pasts is, they truly start understanding each other. They have so much chemistry, and I loved their relationship and how they helped each other accept themselves with their pasts. Their romance wasn’t explored heavily in the first half, but the second half pays off to the build-up, and it’s so worth it. They make sense together.
The plot and the characters of the book kept me hooked from the start. I loved the fantasy world created in this book. Mische and Asar are complex characters and also have relatable qualities to them. Mische struggles with her past as a priestess, where she helped people, and her present reality as a vampire. Her struggle with her identity and faith plays a major part in her motivations in the story. Both these characters struggle with their past. While Asar builds walls, Mische tries to be hopeful. I thought that their bond and romance were the emotional core of the story. Asar might not say much, but his actions do the talking for him.
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent is an engaging fantasy romance book. I liked how the fantasy is inspired by mythology, and the setting plays an important part in the story. I loved Mische and Asar individually as well as together. I am excited to read the second book. I loved reading this story; it kept me hooked from the start.
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