The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk (The Shadowborn Duet, Bk. 2)
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Overview
The instant #1 Sunday Times bestseller from BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent delivers a high-octane avalanche of action and romance in this stunning conclusion to the Shadowborn Duet.
Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save the people she loves. The cost? Plunging the entire world into eternal night. Now she is gone, and the darkness she left behind is spreading.
Asar is not handling it well. Imprisoned by the gods and burning with the need for revenge, he has one singular obsession: finding Mische again. Whatever it takes. Whatever the price.
Then a goddess offers them something neither expected — a final path to redemption, and back to each other. The mission is impossible by any reasonable measure. Together, Asar and Mische must seize the power of the god of death itself, so that Asar can do the unthinkable and ascend to true divinity.
Their journey cuts across mortal and immortal realms, pulling in old allies and forcing uneasy truces with ruthless enemies. The underworld is teetering on the edge of collapse. The gods are mobilising for war. And somewhere beneath all of it, ancient betrayals are still unravelling.
Asar and Mische have survived impossible odds before. But in a game played by vengeful gods, survival was never the hardest part. The hardest part is deciding what — and who — you are willing to sacrifice for the power to defy death itself.
Because some debts run so deep that even love may not be enough to repay them.
"An exquisite mix of deep romance, lush world building and tense action." - BookPage
Series Information
Series Name: The Crowns of Nyaxia
Series Reading Order
The Crowns of Nyaxia series is a planned 6-book series comprising three duologies and two standalone novels. New readers should begin with The Serpent and the Wings of Night, followed by The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King, which together form the Nightborn Duet. The optional novella Six Scorched Roses can be read after The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Next is The Songbird and the Heart of Stone, then The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk, which form the Shadowborn Duet. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is an optional standalone novel that can be read after The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. The series is ongoing with two more books planned for the Bloodborn Duet.
Book 1, Nightborn Duet - The Serpent and the Wings of Night
Optional Novella, 1.5 - Six Scorched Roses
Book 2, Nightborn Duet - The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King
Optional Novel, 2.5 - Slaying the Vampire Conqueror
Book 3, Shadowborn Duet - The Songbird and the Heart of Stone
Book 4, Shadowborn Duet - The Fallen & the Kiss of Dusk
Book 5, Bloodborn Duet - The Lion and the Deathless Dark
Reviews and Author Praise
"Danger, intrigue and a hell of a lot of blood are splashed across the pages of Carissa Broadbent’s gripping fantasy romance."
— BookPage
"Majorly addicting"
— Marie Claire on The Serpent & the Wings of Night
"Fans of dark romantasy won’t want to miss this."
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[A] haunting, action-packed political fantasy with a doomed romance at its center, full of heartbreak and intrigue."
— Library Journal, starred review
"If you are a fan of dangerous fantasy worlds, bloodthirsty vampires, swoon worthy romance and a completely terrifying deadly competition, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is going to be a book you will love."
— Book Briefs
Topics and Key Themes
Narrative Tropes
Enemies to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Grumpy/Sunshine
Slow Burn
Touch Her and Die
Key Themes
Love versus divine sacrifice — Asar defies imprisoned gods to reclaim Mische at any cost.
Darkness as consequence — Mische's selfless act plunges the world into eternal, spreading night.
Ascending beyond mortality — stealing death's power means risking everything that makes them human.
Ancient betrayals unraveling — hidden godly treachery reshapes the war between mortal and immortal realms.
The price of impossible debts — some sacrifices cut so deep that even love cannot fully repay them.
Who is this book for?
Primary Genre: Dark Romantasy
Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 4/5: Very Spicy
Turning up the heat! Multiple steamy scenes with clear, descriptive detail and strong chemistry. Romance and spice share the spotlight here.
Fans of Sarah J. Maas and Raven Kennedy will enjoy the slow-burn enemies-to-lovers tension, richly built immortal realms, vengeful gods, and emotionally devastating romance that defines Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia world.
About the Author
Carissa Broadbent is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Crowns of Nyaxia series. She has been featured in Elle and Publishers Weekly, and her books have been reviewed in Library Journal, Marie Claire, Popsugar, and Vulture, among others. She writes novels that blend epic fantasy plots with a heaping dose of romance. She lives with her husband, her son, and one perpetually skeptical cat in Rhode Island.
Similar Authors
Sarah J. Maas, Raven Kennedy, Callie Hart
Reader FAQs
The book balances both, but romance and character emotional arcs drive the story. The fantasy elements — immortal realms, warring gods, and underworld politics — are richly present but serve the central relationship rather than overshadowing it.
Both feature slow-burn enemies-to-lovers dynamics and high-stakes immortal worlds. Broadbent's prose tends toward darker emotional territory and a tighter dual focus on two leads, with less sprawling ensemble plotting than Maas's longer series.
It is deeply emotional. The story centres on sacrifice, grief, and the cost of love under impossible conditions. Readers should expect sustained internal conflict and emotionally heavy scenes alongside the action and romance.
The book is written for adult readers. It carries a high spice rating, contains dark themes including death, divine violence, and sacrifice, and is not recommended for younger teen readers.
The book contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence, dark themes surrounding death and sacrifice, and emotionally distressing scenarios. Readers sensitive to depictions of loss or morally complex choices should approach with that in mind.
Info
ISBN: 9781250367815
Published Date: August 5, 2025
Publisher: Bramble Books
Language: English
Page Count: 556
Size: 8.50" l x 5.75" w x 1.75" h
Category
Fiction