"Time is cheap for vampires...Humans mouran time, because it's the only currency that really matters in a life so short."

"A spider swung from beam to beam, crafting a silver silken web. It was a chaotic thing, near-invisible threads strung messily into the shadows, functional but far from beautiful. Like fate itself, I supposed."

GENRE: Fantasy
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
FORMAT: Physical
Would I recommend to others?: In summary, YESS & the lengthy version: YES OF COURSE

Short Review:
This is book two in Crowns of Nyaxia and I loved it almost as much as the first book! In this book, we follow the adventure of Oraya and Raihn after the betrayal that occured at the end of book one, which

Spoiler

DID ANYONE SEE IT COMING?! I did not think Raihn would end up being the king despite hints with his heir mark.

I loved this book and how Broadbent continued the adventure of both Oraya and Raihn by introducing multiple POV in here. You truly get to see both of their sides & learn more about the morally-grey character, a.k.a Raihn. We also still delve into the themes that were focused in the first book, which are learning to accept oneself & loving ourselves with out flaws.

"I would always regret this. Breaking Oraya. That was a sin that I'd never be able to atone for." - Raihn

In this book, we learn the real strength of Oraya, why Vincent picked her and as the first book stated, we come back and wonder how Vincent let Oraya live, when he knew just how powerful she was. However, I definitely didnt brood over the fact that vincent let her live, with the many mistakes he had made honestly. This book definitely shows how our environment can limit our growth and make us feel less confident.

I had asked him why he never took me flying. And I remembered now, as clearly as if he was standing in front of me all over again, what he had said:
The last thing I wanted was for you to think you could and start throwing yourself off balconies.
I choked out, "He knew."
He knew. He always knew.
It wasn't about protecting me. He didnt want me to jump because he didnt want me to find out I could catch myself."

I CANT WAIT FOR BOOK THREE, which doesnt follow Oraya & Raihn but still continues in this amazing world.

Long Review, which includes mild spoilers with quotes:
Oraya & Raihn's Relationship

"Our Magic, her Nightfire and my Asteris, surrounded us like thickening clouds, light and darkness, heat and cold. Every strike I blocked reverberated through my entire body, despite Oraya's small size - she threw that much into each one." - Raihn

"Sometimes, I felt like I knew Oraya better than anyone I had ever met. Sometimes, she was the most confounding mystery. Now, she was both - her hidden pain so obvious, and yet her trembling grip around her blade a question that I didn't know how to answer." - Raihn

"My Nightfire flared at my blade and Raihn's Asteris surged at this, our light and dark intertwining."

Oraya's Internal conflict about Raihn & just everything else in her life

"When I had fought Raihn in the armory, I'd so hated to be reminded of how well we knew each other, how seamlessly we fought together. Now, wielding my blades rather than that clumsy sword, the ghosts of our final battle in the Kejari surrounded us. The ache of my muscles faded away. The two of us hurtled across the training ring together as if locked in a dance. I hated this, and I loved it. It was something solid to grab onto, something mindless and painful in all the physical places I could handle. And yet, every one of Raihn's strike reminded me of the familiarity we'd once had. Reminded me of what he had used it to do."

Lahore, a place in Crown of Nyaxia that represents power & weakness
I decided to include Lahore as a location as it places a primal part in the plot, being Vincent's home & a place that was still recovering from his ugly act to claim the throne. We get to meet Evelaena in Lahore and see the impact of Vincent's act:

"Lahore was that kind of place. The kind of place that the world just moved on without.

"I was broken. Just like Lahore was broken. I was just as broken as this city and its ruins and ghosts. Just as broken as Evelaena and her two-hundred-year-old scar and her twisted obsession with the man who gave it to her."

"I saw myself in Evelaena as clearly as if I was looking into a mirror. Both of us built & broken by the same man. She had prayed for fate and gotten feckless luck. I had hinged my life on luck and gotten secrets. I got power. She got nothing. But at least she could get revenge."

Vincent & who he truly was:

"Loving someone else is a dangerous thing," she said. "Even for vampires. More dangerous still for a king. Vincent knew that. He was never going to open himself up to more weakness. And he already had exposed himself enough with the love he had for you." - Jesmine

"Men & their secrets," she said. "We spend a lifetime trying to unravel them, and once they're gone, we're still at their mercy." - Jesmine