A while back I picked up Six Scorched Roses by this same author and I enjoyed it immensely. It embraced some of the cliches of vampire romance novels but it did this in such a way that I was comfortable instead of rolling my eyes. I enjoyed this so much that I went ahead and snagged the novel The Serpent and the Wings of Night.
I’m not gonna lie.
I struggled through the first chapters of this book.
The main character made me twitch every time they mentioned how dangerous the world was that they were living in, and how fragile they were compared to the vampires she lived amongst. Seriously. It was at least once a page and I was starting to feel like the author was beating me over the head with it and I nearly put the book down. But because I loved Six Scorched Roses, I continued.
And I am glad that I did, because somewhere in the middle of it I started to realize that the mantra of weakness and danger was supposed to be there. It was drilled into the main character’s head by her father, and was a means of controlling her, and it was very satisfying to see when our little serpent began to see that control for what it was.
So, my proverbial hat’s off to Ms. Broadbent. That was masterfully played.
The world created was interesting, even if I found her pantheon a little confusing at times, and the action was brutally engaging. The vampires weren’t the undead that I grew up with, so I didn’t have my normal repulsion of them — aka, they’re alive, it’s just a weird kind of undying. I loved rooting for the characters and the romance built very nicely. I will note for my friends who read these reviews that it is an adult novel with adult scenes.
At any rate, it’s a good book with an interesting slant on vampires and a lot of heart-pounding action.
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