In The Descent To The Underworld, A Bride Of The Sun Must Choose Between The Light Of Her Redemption… Or A Dark Love That Defies The Gods Themselves.

I recently finished reading The Songbird and Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent. This is book #3 in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

  Rating: 4.25/5 stars

"Mische lost everything when she was forcibly Turned into a vampire – her home, her humanity, and most devastating of all, the love of the sun god to whom she had devoted her life. Now, sentenced to death for murdering the vampire prince who Turned her, redemption feels impossible.

But when Mische is saved by Asar, the bastard prince of the House of Shadow with a past as brutal as his scars, she’s forced into a mission worse than execution: a journey to the underworld to resurrect the god of death himself.

Yet, Mische’s punishment may be the key to her salvation. In a secret meeting, her sun god commands her to help Asar in his mission, only to betray him… by killing the very death god she’ll help resurrect.

Mische and Asar must travel the treacherous path to the underworld, facing trials, beasts, and the vengeful ghosts of their pasts. Yet, most dangerous of all is the alluring call of the darkness – and her forbidden attraction to Asar, a burgeoning bond that risks invoking the wrath of gods.

As her betrayal looms, the underworld closes in and angry gods are growing restless. Mische will be forced to choose between the redemption of the sun or the damnation of the darkness."

As someone who’s always loved Mische, it was such a pleasure to read her story.

I was completely obsessed with the dark underworld setting and the multiple trials they had to complete in Morthryn under the orders of Nyaxia and Atroxus. Mische has known plenty of struggles in her life and that has never stopped her from being a guiding light for everyone in her orbit, she’s such a sweetheart. Asar has his own struggles too, shunned by his family and deemed an outcast for his necromancy magic but that hasn’t stopped him from being someone who’d give up anything for those close to his heart.

The slow burn was killing me in the best way and I just knew they’d be able to break down each others walls in a way others couldn’t. Also, I must say that I would defend Luce— the little skeletal animal companion with my life.

The only complaint I have would with the uneven pacing, some of the slower moments in the middle kind of lost me but by the end I was back and beyond invested in the story. I loved how Asar helped her discover what true love should actually look and feel like and the yearning was everything I hoped it’d be. The way Mische always accepted and understood him from the start spoke volumes.

The last 2 sections: Soul and Death had me in such a chokehold, I read it all in one sitting. The betrayal, the reveals, the redemption.. All of it just hit me in a way i didn’t expect. I grew to love Mische and now Asar even more— their romance felt very raw, healing and genuine.. it was beautiful. Now, I have to mention that ending!? Just know it definitely made me lose my whole entire shit and is the reason for the extra .25 in the rating. I was actually screaming and dying internally and I need the next book in my hands immediately.

Check out Songbird and the Heart of Stone, and discover what happens in the descent to the underworld.

Happy Reading :)