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Cover of The Lion and the Deathless Dark

The Lion and the Deathless Dark

by Carissa Broadbent

🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy·Crowns of Nyaxia #5
4.2 on Goodreads (41)

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Ending

reveal ending

Why Read This?The one-sentence sell. What do you get for showing up to this book, even when it's hard?

Broadbent launches a devastating new duet in the Nyaxia universe — a grief-fueled bounty hunter and a silver-tongued vampire prince on a mission to kill the gods, with tension that cuts like a blessed blade.

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Lion & the Deathless Dark – the first book in the Bloodborn Duet. Some blood tastes like vengeance. Some blood tastes like grief. Some blood tastes like nothing at all. Under an eternal night, the world has been ravaged by ten years of war between humans and vampires. Kyrene scrapes by as a bounty hunter, bearing a blessed sword from the goddess of justice. But in the wake of a devastating loss, Kyrene commits a crime that makes her a target for mortals and gods alike – and she is still desperate for vengeance. Her only chance at survival – and revenge – is making a deal with her enemy, the silver-tongue vampire prince, Septimus, who offers her one final to slay the gods themselves. Together, Kyrene and Septimus must hunt the ultimate marks, all while navigating a web of prophecies and curses. Septimus is calculating and mysterious, masking secrets bloodthirsty enough to consume them both. Yet, most dangerous of all, Kyrene finds an unexpected kinship in him. But their growing attraction is deadly in a world where the only currency is blood. And Kyrene will stop at nothing to fulfill her ultimate to kill the goddess of vampires, even if it means sacrificing love for revenge.

book details below may contain spoilers. some hidden

At a Glance

Broadbent takes everything readers loved about the earlier Nyaxia books and plunges it into grimdark territory. Kyrene and Septimus have the kind of chemistry that makes you hold your breath during every interaction — she wants to kill his goddess, he wants her blood, and somehow the yearning is unbearable. The writing is cinematic and the plotting is masterful. First in a duet, so expect that cliffhanger to wreck you.

trope onetrope twotrope threetrope four

Book Details

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

Goodreads RatingThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.

4.15 ★ (41)

Page CountHow long the commitment is.

496 pages

PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.

2026

Primary GenreWhat type of book this is. Romance? Fantasy? A 400-page therapy session disguised as a thriller?

Fantasy Romance

PairingWho's falling in love? The gender makeup of your main romance. Helps you find your specific flavor of love story.

M/F

POVWhose head are you in? First person = deep in the feels. Third = watching from above. Dual = emotional whiplash (affectionate).

Dual POV

Romance PacingHow long until they kiss? Slow burn = 300 pages of tension. Insta-love = page 12 and it's already chaos.

Slow Burn

CliffhangerEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.

reveal ending

AudiobookCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

AvailableCan you experience this book while driving? Washing dishes? Working out while emotionally destroyed? Check here.

Yes

FormatHow fancy is the audio? Standard = one narrator. Full cast = theater kids went off. GraphicAudio = a MoViE iN yOuR mInD.

Single Narrator (unspecified)

NarratorThe voice in your ears.

Amanda Leigh Cobb, Steve West

Narrator Count

Single

TropesPlot devices and story situations that drive the romance. These are the circumstances that throw characters together or create conflict, not how they personally relate.

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
enemies to loversforced allianceforbidden lovevampire romanceimmortal/mortal romancerevenge romanceprophecy-driven loveadventure romance
RomanceMagicActionAngstWorld
Theme Constellation

Mood & Vibe

MoodWhat you felt reading this. Swoony? Gutted? Deliciously unhinged? The emotional fingerprint.

darkintenseepicromanticgrittyangstydangerous

Writing StyleHow the author writes - prose style, dialogue approach, and narrative voice. This is about craft and delivery, not emotional effect.

immersivedarkemotionalcinematicdramaticatmospheric

Story PacingDoes the story sprint or saunter? Fast = you'll miss sleep. Slow = you'll savor every word. Medium = balanced chaos.

medium

Emotional WeightHow much are you gonna cry? Light = fun feels. Moderate = real stakes. Heavy = bring tissues. Devastating = call your therapist.

heavy

Energy RequiredCan you read this on a Tuesday after work, or do you need a full Saturday and three cups of coffee? Low/Medium/High.

high

VibesOne perfect sentence that captures the essence. Like: 'Fae politics meets forbidden romance with zero chill.'

revenge arcmorally complex

Characters

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

FMC ArchetypeWho is she? The female main character's core identity/role. Assassin? Healer? General Badass?

warrior/fightergeneral badassvengeful / revenge-drivenhuntersurvivor

MMC ArchetypeWho is he? The male main character's core identity/role. Your exact flavor of book boyfriend.

vampire lordmorally gray MMCanti-herobrooding princesecretly soft

Relationship DynamicsThe interpersonal dynamic between the main characters. How do they relate to each other? This is about character energy and connection style, not plot situations.

enemies to loversreluctant allies to loversforbidden lovemorally gray x morally graybanterpush and pullhe falls first

Spice Details 🌶️

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
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Spice Level 4

Spice StyleNot just how much spice, but what kind. Emotional intimacy? Explicit but vanilla? Plot-driven heat? Know your flavor.

Blood-soaked and intense — the intimacy mirrors the power dynamics between hunter and vampire, charged with danger and the knowledge that desire could literally be deadly when blood is currency.

Getting SteamyGentle kinks. Fun but nothing too crazy. The appetizer, so to speak.

tensionpossessive/protectiveeye contact intensitydirty talk (sweet/playful)

Bringing the HeatFor those who know exactly what they came for. This is where you find your exact brand of chaos. The good stuff.

blood playbonding/claiming/markingrough/aggressive intimacypossessive
Browse more books by spice level →
This stuff might hit different. No shame in needing to know what's coming. (11)▼
spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal
graphic violencedeathtraumareligious traumabloodwargriefloss of loved onesrevengemorally gray choicesgod-slaying themes
Browse books by content warning →

World & Setting

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

World TypeWhat kind of world are you stepping into? High fantasy = full secondary world. Urban fantasy = magic in modern cities. Portal = starts here, goes there.

grimdark / dark fantasy

Primary SettingWhere does the story physically take place? Court intrigue = palace. Dark academia = campus. Cozy witch vibes = small town. This is about location, not world rules.

A world under eternal night ravaged by human-vampire war

Fantasy CreaturesWhat supernatural beings populate this world? Fae courts, vampire covens, dragon riders, or just regular humans doing their best.

vampiresgods/deities

Reading Context

spoiler protected·tap tags to reveal

Emotional PayoffWhat you get for showing up. The catharsis, the growth, the 'I'm a different person now' moment. This is why the hard books are worth it.

the angst deliveredbook hangover incomingferal brain activatedtension finally satisfied

Best Time of YearSeasonal mood rings for books. Summer romance reads different than winter gothic.

anytime

When & Where to ReadContext matters. Some books are Beach Trip energy, others are 3am Bedtime spiral-reads. Trust.

at nightrainy weekendcan't sleep

Crowns of Nyaxia

The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)

#1 The Serpent and the Wings of Night (Crowns of Nyaxia, #1)

Six Scorched Roses

#1.5 Six Scorched Roses

The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)

#2 The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King (Crowns of Nyaxia, #2)

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror

#2.5 Slaying the Vampire Conqueror

The Songbird and the Heart of Stone

#3 The Songbird and the Heart of Stone

The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk

#4 The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk

The Lion and the Deathless Dark

#5 The Lion and the Deathless Dark

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Quick Facts

Spice LevelThe heat scale. 0=wholesome, 1=kisses, 2=fade-to-black, 3=tasteful spice, 4=explicit, 5=you need a cold shower. Know thyself.🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️steamy
PagesHow long the commitment is.496
PublishedWhen this hit shelves. Helpful for tracking vibes by era.2026
GoodreadsThe crowd's verdict. Take it with salt, though. Some masterpieces are polarizing.4.15 ★ (41)
EndingEnding type: HEA = forever happy (you'll cry happy). HFN = happy for now (open to interpretation). Bittersweet = complicated feelings. Know what you're signing up for.reveal ending

SeriesThe series this book belongs to and where it falls in the reading order.

Crowns of Nyaxia #5
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