Crowns of Nyaxia in Order: Carissa Broadbent's Series Guide (2026)
How to read Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia in order — the Nightborn Duet, the Six Scorched Roses novella, and the Shadowborn Duet — with the best starting point.
Carissa Broadbent’s Crowns of Nyaxia is one of the standout dark-fantasy romance series of recent years — a richly built world of vampires, gods, and blood-soaked trials that began as a self-published phenomenon before its traditional-publishing breakout. The series is structured as a set of linked duets set in the same world, which makes the reading order a common question. This guide lays out the complete path.
The short version: start with The Serpent and the Wings of Night and read the Nightborn Duet first.
Crowns of Nyaxia at a Glance
| # | Title | Year | Arc |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Serpent and the Wings of Night | 2022 | Nightborn Duet #1 |
| 2 | The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King | 2023 | Nightborn Duet #2 |
| 3 | Six Scorched Roses | 2023 | Novella (bridge) |
| 4 | The Songbird and the Heart of Stone | 2024 | Shadowborn Duet #1 |
Best starting point: The Serpent and the Wings of Night — the first book of the Nightborn Duet and the gateway to the world of Nyaxia.
Start Here: The Nightborn Duet
The Nightborn Duet follows Oraya, the adopted human daughter of a vampire king, who has survived in a world that sees her as prey by being more ruthless than the monsters around her.
#1 — The Serpent and the Wings of Night (2022)
The Serpent and the Wings of Night throws Oraya into the Kejari, a deadly tournament held in honor of the goddess Nyaxia, where the prize is a single wish from the goddess herself. To survive, Oraya must form an alliance with Raihn, a rival competitor and exactly the kind of vampire she has been raised to distrust. The book establishes the mythology of Nyaxia, the politics of the vampire houses, and the dangerous slow-burn at the center of the duet. It ends on the kind of turn that makes the second book mandatory.
#2 — The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (2023)
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King completes Oraya’s story, resolving the conflict and the romance that the first book set in motion. Together, the two Nightborn books form a complete arc and should be read as a pair.
The Bridge: Six Scorched Roses
Six Scorched Roses (2023) is a short novel set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world that connects the two duets. It follows a new character whose story bridges the Nightborn and Shadowborn arcs, and it is best read after The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King and before the Shadowborn Duet, where it sets up elements that pay off in the next books. While shorter than the main entries, it enriches the world and is worth reading in sequence rather than skipping.
Continue with the Shadowborn Duet
#4 — The Songbird and the Heart of Stone (2024)
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone opens the Shadowborn Duet, following a new protagonist whose story unfolds in the same world and connects to the events of the earlier books. Reading the Nightborn Duet and Six Scorched Roses first gives this duet its full context, so it should come after them in the reading order rather than serving as an entry point.
How to Read Crowns of Nyaxia
The recommended order is: The Serpent and the Wings of Night, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King, Six Scorched Roses, then The Songbird and the Heart of Stone. Each duet centers a different protagonist, but they share the world, the mythology of the goddess Nyaxia, and connective threads that reward reading in sequence. Start with the Nightborn Duet, slot the novella in afterward, and move into the Shadowborn Duet from there.
A note on a common mix-up: Carissa Broadbent also wrote the earlier War of Lost Hearts trilogy (beginning with Daughter of No Worlds), which is a separate series set in a different world. If you are specifically reading Crowns of Nyaxia, start with The Serpent and the Wings of Night.
Why Crowns of Nyaxia Stands Out
What sets Crowns of Nyaxia apart in a crowded dark-romantasy field is the seriousness of its world-building. Broadbent built a coherent mythology around the goddess Nyaxia and the rival vampire houses, and the deadly trials that structure the Nightborn Duet feel like they belong to that world rather than being grafted on for spectacle. The duet format is also part of the appeal: each pair of books tells a complete, focused story for a single protagonist, so the series delivers satisfying arcs without the bloat that can creep into longer sagas. The linked structure means devoted readers get the pleasure of a shared world deepening across multiple stories, while each entry point stays manageable. It is a series that rewards reading in order, where every duet enriches the next.
If You Love Crowns of Nyaxia, Read These Next
Broadbent’s blend of deadly trials, vampire politics, and dark slow-burn romance pairs well with several favorites. For another gold-soaked, morally complex dark romantasy, read Gild by Raven Kennedy. For the dragon-rider adult romantasy that shares its high-stakes-competition energy, try Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. And for a viral dark-academia romantasy, Quicksilver by Callie Hart is a strong next pick.
More Romantasy Reading Guides
- Books Like Fourth Wing: 11 Romantasy Reads for Dragon-Rider Fans
- Plated Prisoner Series in Order: Raven Kennedy’s Gild to Gold
Affiliate disclosure: Links to Amazon on this page are affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This does not influence our editorial recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the Crowns of Nyaxia series?
Read the Nightborn Duet first — The Serpent and the Wings of Night, then The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King — followed by the novella Six Scorched Roses, then the Shadowborn Duet beginning with The Songbird and the Heart of Stone. All are set in the same vampire-and-god world of Nyaxia but follow different protagonists across linked duets.
Is The Serpent and the Wings of Night a standalone?
No. The Serpent and the Wings of Night is the first book of the Nightborn Duet, continued in The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King. It tells the first half of Oraya's story, which is completed in the second book, so the two should be read together as a pair.
Do I need to read the Nightborn Duet before the Shadowborn Duet?
Yes, it is strongly recommended. The Shadowborn Duet follows a different protagonist but is set in the same world and follows events connected to the Nightborn books. Reading the Nightborn Duet and the Six Scorched Roses novella first gives the Shadowborn Duet its full context and avoids spoilers.
Where does the Six Scorched Roses novella fit?
Six Scorched Roses is a short novel set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world that bridges the Nightborn and Shadowborn duets. Most readers read it after The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King and before The Songbird and the Heart of Stone, where it best sets up the Shadowborn storyline.
