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Sylina is a weapon forged in the fires of absolute devotion, having sacrificed her sight to the Goddess of Fate in exchange for the ability to perceive the world through mystical threads. As a member of the Arachessen, an elite sisterhood of assassins, her life is defined by rigid service and the singular goal of liberating her homeland from a tyrannical king. However, when a brutal vampire conqueror descends upon the shores of Glaea, the stakes shift from a localized revolution to an existential threat, forcing Sylina into her most dangerous mission yet.
Her task is one of calculated deception: infiltrate the vampire’s inner circle, earn his confidence by serving as his seer, and find the precise moment to strike him down. But as she navigates the shadows of his war camp, she discovers that the "monster" she was sent to slay is driven by a complex history that mirrors her own scars. The central conflict lies in the tension between her holy vows and the dawning realization that her target may not be the villain her goddess demands him to be.
The story is set within the broader Crowns of Nyaxia universe, specifically focusing on the kingdom of Glaea and the enigmatic Arachessen cult. The world-building centers on a unique sensory magic system: though Sylina is physically blind, she "sees" by interpreting the spiritual and physical vibrations of "threads" that connect all living things. This creates a tactile, atmospheric setting where the environment is perceived through intent and energy rather than light. The arrival of the Haka—vampires from a distant, harsher land—introduces a clash of cultures between the desperate, faith-driven humans and the seemingly unstoppable, immortal invaders who carry their own dark burdens.
Sylina’s initial arc is defined by a rigid, almost mechanical sense of purpose. Her development in the first half of the narrative focuses on the erosion of her absolute certainty. As she integrates into Atrius’s camp, she is forced to reconcile the dogma of her cult with the observable reality of the man she is meant to kill. The dynamic between Sylina and Atrius is built on shared isolation; both are perceived as tools by their respective societies. Their relationship evolves from a predatory cat-and-mouse game into a fragile partnership where trust is treated as a dangerous, and perhaps fatal, currency.
The novel utilizes the "enemies-to-lovers" and "forced proximity" tropes but grounds them in the high stakes of a political assassination plot. It subverts the traditional "Beauty and the Beast" dynamic by making both leads equally dangerous and "monstrous" in the eyes of the world. Rather than a simple tale of redemption, the book explores the "Duty vs. Desire" conflict with a focus on the heavy cost of religious or political faith. The "seer" trope is also given a gritty reimagining; instead of seeing a fixed future, Sylina’s sight is a burdensome, hyper-awareness of the present, making her vulnerability her greatest source of power.
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15 books in catalog
Bloodshed, political maneuvering, and the brutal cost of survival define the landscapes of modern romantic fantasy, where high-stakes conflicts extend far beyond matters of the heart. Fantasy author Carissa Broadbent has built a wide readership in this competitive genre by subjecting her protagonists to the grim realities of power, legacy, and systemic violence. She is widely recognized for The Serpent and the Wings of Night, an epic vampire tournament novel that launched her best-selling Crowns of Nyaxia universe.
Her expansive catalog blends high-tension epic fantasy plots with intense romantic arcs, establishing her as a prominent voice in contemporary speculative fiction across both independent and traditional publishing spaces.
Based in Rhode Island, where she lives with her husband, her son, a perpetually skeptical cat, and a badly behaved rabbit, Carissa Broadbent began writing dark, mercilessly grim stories around the age of nine. This early preoccupation with dark fiction eventually matured into a disciplined approach to epic fantasy world-building. Before transitioning into writing as a full-time profession, she worked in the healthcare industry. That professional background provided her with a nuanced understanding of human vulnerability, physical trauma, and psychological resilience—elements that deeply inform her character development and thematic depth.
Broadbent initially published her work independently, entering the literary landscape with self-published releases such as her 2017 novel A Palace Fractured. She steadily cultivated a dedicated fanbase in the indie fantasy community as her self-publishing earnings grew from covering routine utility bills to generating consistent four-figure paychecks. Her breakthrough reached a broader digital audience through platforms like BookTok, where readers praised her intricate world-building, high-stakes political intrigue, and morally complex characters. This grassroots momentum culminated in major commercial success and substantial reader demand.
Her rapid commercial ascent caught the attention of legacy publishers, leading to major deals with traditional houses including Tor Publishing Group and Pan Macmillan. In July 2023, Bramble, a romance-focused imprint of Tor, acquired her body of work to publish original installments in the Crowns of Nyaxia series alongside new traditional editions of her backlist titles. Now a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Broadbent's transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing is frequently highlighted in industry publications such as Publishers Weekly as a prime example of independent success driving major publishing partnerships.
Broadbent’s writing style is distinguished by its refusal to sanitize the harsh realities of war, oppression, and physical trauma. Influenced by the lyrical prose and nuanced exploration of femininity found in the works of Madeline Miller, her narratives focus on the psychological toll of conflict and the structural pressures placed upon women in patriarchal or authoritarian societies. Rather than relying on simple tropes, her work emphasizes complex emotional realism, where characters must grapple with moral compromises, trauma, and the heavy burden of survival in hostile environments.
Thematically, her stories delve into the psychological motivations behind both human and non-human behavior, examining why individuals seek authority and how legacy dictates personal agency. A recurring concept throughout her work is that love can be a dangerous vulnerability in worlds designed for cruelty and state-sanctioned violence. While her novels incorporate a substantial romantic thread, critics and readers frequently observe that her epic fantasy plots—complete with intricate magic systems and grim geopolitical maneuvering—are robust enough to carry the narrative independently of the romantic relationships.
Her character design consistently features resilient, complex female leads forced to navigate oppressive power structures. These protagonists are rarely unblemished heroes; instead, they are pragmatic survivors who use strategy, combat skills, and political cunning to protect their communities and claim their personal autonomy. By pairing intricate magical mechanics with intense character dynamics, Broadbent creates stories where emotional stakes and mortal danger remain inextricably linked.
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