The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk by Carissa Broadbent — Book Review and Content Warnings

Author: Carissa Broadbent

Genre: Paranormal Romantasy

Series: Shadowborn Duet #2, Crowns of Nyaxia series

Age Rating: Adult

Synopsis

Mische made the ultimate sacrifice to save those she loves – and plunged the world into an eternal night. Now, imprisoned by the gods and obsessed with revenge, Asar is desperate to find her again. What will they sacrifice to find their way to each other again and to defy the power of death?

Content Warnings

General Rating: Adult (18A / R / TV-MA)

• Spice Rating: Severe—Open door scenes in chapters 19, 32, 48, and 52.

• Violence Rating: Severe—Blood and injury detail, death, wraiths, zombies, paranormal and sword violence, war

• Profanity Rating: Severe—59 uses of f*ck, 15 uses of sh*t

• Other Trigger Warnings: religious trauma, discussion of grooming and sexual assault, off-page torture, animal death

Overall Rating: 3.75/5 (4.3 on Goodreads)

Fast-paced, high stakes, and grim tone with a glimmer of hope. Mische remains a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark plot, while Asar’s gentle heart gives me hope for the portrayal of men in romantasy books. Reduced rating for a personal disinterest in paranormal fantasy.

What I Liked

• Mische’s sunny character: While the circumstances of the book dim that light (part of the high stakes of the plot), Mische is a delightfully optimistic character in a genre oversaturated with grim, battle-hardened heroines.

• Asar’s devotion to Mische: Broadbent gives me hope for the portrayal of men in the romantasy genre! He is gentle and kind to Mische, if misunderstood by many others for his role as the Wratih Warden.

• Emotional stakes: At its core, The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk is about Asar and Mische’s love for each other. The political tension rises and the gods insert themselves into the mortal realm, but the essence of the plot is still about Asar and Mische’s relationship.

  “We will fix it,” I vowed. Even though I was looking only at her. (246)

What I Didn’t Like

• Choosing the life of one over the lives of many: Broadbent is careful to not paint this trope too broadly and delves into the nuances of Asar and Mische’s decisions, but at the end of the day, Asar’s choice to ascend to divinity is about saving Mische. I find this a somewhat tedious trope.

• Wraiths, Undead, Vampires, Gods, Oh My!: While the previous Nyaxia books were centred around the vampires of Obitraes and briefly touched on the pantheon of gods, this one was heavy on expanding the pantheon, other paranormal creatures, and mortal-adjacent realms. I preferred the simplicity of Broadbent’s previous books more than the complexity of gods-mortals interactions and travelling to other realms in this one.

Themes and Reflections

• Mortality and Immortality: Which is better? Mortals are portrayed as living fully into their emotions and mortal experiences, while the gods are removed and detached from it all, viewing mortals as little more than insects scurrying along the face of the planet. Empathy, it seems, is only a mortal virtue. This theme invites the reader to reflect on the essence of humanity.

  The god stared one more time down at it. At the woman who reached for him. But such were the concerns of mortals, and he was not one of those anymore. (508)

• Religious Trauma: Mische wrestles with the trauma of her childhood as an acolyte of the god Atroxus. She deconstructs her faith in the gods while reconstructing her faith in the virtues of humanity. The reader is invited to reflect on the concepts of religion and spirituality.

  Faith wasn’t just about a church and a god. It was about your connection to those who shared that belief with you. (330)

• Sacrificial Love: This is a common theme in the fantasy/romantasy genre, and it is one that resonates with many readers. It asks: How far are you willing to go for the people you love? Are there limits on your sacrifices, or will you give everything?

  “Maybe greatness should come not from the sacrifices you make, but the ones you refuse to.” (330)

Writing Style

Carissa Broadbent delivers in her typical emotionally intense and fast-paced action writing style. She bends the romantasy tropes by writing a gentle, kind, and scholarly male protagonist and a warm, lighthearted female protagonist. Neither are warriors at heart, yet they step up to the plate for the sake of their world and each other.

If you’re looking for a fast-moving, emotionally charged read in the paranormal romantasy genre, The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk will scratch that itch!

Tropes

• Gods and mortals

• Ascension to divinity

• Choosing one over the many

• Fated love

• Sacrificial love

Books Like This

• The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

• The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen

• Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco

Publisher Info

• Publisher: Bramble

• Release Date: August 5, 2025

• Read on Kindle Unlimited, also available for purchase on Amazon

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