The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent A Crowns of Nyaxia Novel is Book One of the Shadow Born duet. The book follows The Nightborn Duet.
This fantasy novel of romance, magic, power struggles, betrayal and survival takes the reader into a world of vampires, gods and treacherous creatures.
“This is a tale of how a chosen one falls.”
Mische lost everything when she was forcibly turned into a vampire. She lost her home, her humanity and the love of the Sun God to whom she had devoted her life.
Mische has been sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who turned her.
Asar Voldari, The Wraith Warden and illegitimate prince of the House of Shadow, saves Mische. But it’s on the condition that she accompanies him on a mission into the underworld to resurrect the God of Death.
To get from the Mortal World to the Underworld there are five difficult and dangerous worlds to travel through. Mische and Asar must work together combining their skills and magic to survive. They both discover their preconceived perceptions of each other are not correct and a forbidden attraction and relationship develops between them.
Unbeknownst to Asar, Mische has been given a chance of salvation and her own secret mission by her god of the sun.
Mische is forced to choose between faith and love. Can they really trust each other, who will betray who and who will survive? There is plenty of action and suspense as the story develops to a climactic ending.
I was not familiar with the previous books and initially found the story hard to get into. But as the story progressed, helped by Mische and Asar’s memories and reflection on past events in their lives, it became easy to invest in their characters and wonder what the outcome would be for each one.
Mische and Asar are excellent strong characters, growing along their journey. Luce, Asar’s skeleton dog is also a wonderful character.
I found the layout of the Underworld in the front of the book most helpful to follow their journey and I advise reading the glossary at the end of the book first to understand the Houses and the characters.
There is a note in the front of the book advising that some content may be difficult for some readers due to violence, sexual content and discussion of grooming and child abuse.
I love that Carissa Broadbent refers to her books as “Romantasy.” I enjoyed this and I know anyone who reads this story will find it hard waiting for book two in this series. Let’s hope the wait is not too long.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading The Songbird and the Heart of the Stone by Carissa Broadbent. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
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I love to read, any book on any topic. I now love ebooks as they are easier to store, I was running out of bookshelves! My other interests are family, gardening and our beautiful King Charles spaniel dog who is my reading companion.
Wow!! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Songbird and the heart of Stone.
First impressions which may annoy some but the cover is absolutely gorgeous and instantly draws you in!
The layout of the Underworld in the beginning of the book is very handy and when I finished I found the glossary which would be handy to read first!
This book was exceptionally written and I honestly cannot wait for the next instalment! I would highly recommend this book!!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read The Songbird and the Heart Of Stone.
First off, I loved the cover so it is a book that I would have automatically picked up at the store.
I had not read the first two books in the series but it was great as a stand alone book.
I am not usually a fan of this genre but it was nice to get away from my usual books.
I liked the characters, especially Mische. She has been through so much in her life but she still gets back up and keeps on going.
I really enjoyed reading about the dark underworld and all of the trials they had to complete.
I found it to be a well put together novel and a very enjoyable read.
Thank you again,
An interesting read and one I would not normally enjoy but this I did. The characters of Mische and Asar lead us on a journey of intrigue. Darkness, ghosts of past, attraction and betrayal.
All of this leads to an intriguing story.
Not having read any of Carissa Broadbent’s books this one has opened my eyes to look further.
Great read!!!
The Songbird & the Heart Stone is a gripping fantasy about Mische, a girl turned vampire who’s sent on a dangerous mission to the underworld. Caught between her loyalty to a god and her growing feelings for the mysterious prince Asar, Mische faces betrayal, danger, and self-discovery.
This book has so much to love: amazing characters, epic adventures, and a storyline that keeps you hooked. If you’re into fantasy with a mix of romance and deep themes, this one’s a must-read.