While people flock to Rebecca Yarros and SJM for their Romantasy, I sprint to Carissa Broadbent, and this book reminds me why I do that!

The Setup: The Songbird & The Heart of Stone is a captivating addition to the Crowns of Nyaxia series, blending fantasy with a poignant romance that delves into themes of redemption, identity, and the complexities of faith. The narrative follows Mische - a former acolyte and priestess to the sun god Atroxus - who grapples with her transformation into a vampire, a change that has severed her divine connection and left her yearning for redemption.

Condemned for slaying the vampire prince that "Turned" her, Mische's fate turns unexpectedly when Asar, the enigmatic and scarred bastard prince of the House of Shadow, intervenes. He enlists her in a perilous mission to the underworld, tasked with resurrecting the long-dead god of death, Alarus. In their trek to the underworld, the journey is fraught with treacherous trials, haunting specters from their pasts, and, somehow, healing from past times.

The path to the underworld mimics a version of the circles of Hell (and possibly other religions that I don't know), so with each step, we get to see the group take on more of the dangers of the underworld through action-packed sequences. In addition to Mische and Asar, there is also the loyal guard Elias, Chandra, another sun acolyte, and Luce, Asar's resurrected canine companion. They start their journey in a grandiose castle called Morthryn and soon travel to the depths of the underworld where ivy is frozen, dust lines their shoes, and not a living thing is in sight.

What I Loved: What a fun ride. Is it a story that involves trekking through "hell" to get to the underworld to complete a task? If yes, like this story, then count me in! I thoroughly enjoyed most of this book and flew through it. Broadbent's general writing is somewhat atmospheric but not overly fluffy or preachy, and this book follows that typical prose, which I enjoyed. The vampire world intertwined with humans and gods is generally intriguing, and I did appreciate this third book in that world. Mische was a fun read in the first two books, albeit as a side character, so I adored seeing her point of view in this novel. Torn between her lingering devotion to Atroxus and the reality of her vampiric existence added complexity to Mische's character, making her journey toward self-acceptance compelling (and relatable). Mische was a unique character as well. She was in past books and continues to be here, full of smiles and laughs, genuinely seeing the best in people even if it led to traumatic events. She was incredibly layered, and you felt Mische's presence on the page. I would love to be her friend.

Asar's stoic exterior concealed a tumultuous history, and his evolving relationship with Mische provided a tender counterpoint to the story's darker themes. Therefore, I enjoyed their romance a lot. Did it make a ton of sense how they met? Not really. However, when they started their quest, when the relationship bloomed a bit more, I couldn't help but smile at the pages. The romance wasn't forced, and I thought it was well done. Leave it to Broadbent, though, to always make me question reading about vampires and...blood...

Most importantly, though, I loved this book's underlying theme of healthier love. This theme is not spoonfed to you, but we watched as Mische battles an incredibly toxic love - yes, in this novel, relating to a god and a religion - and the after-effects that toxicity has on someone. In my opinion, Broadbent did a phenomenal job of having that be a part of someone while not necessarily letting it define them. I thought it was quite a thoughtful exploration of religious and familial trauma.

Lastly, as I already mentioned, Broadbent has a way with words. The prose is both lyrical and accessible, painting vivid images of the underworld's eerie landscapes and the complex emotions of her characters.

Why Not Five Stars? I loved this book, per usual, with Broadbent's novels. However, I will say that I do think the world-building wasn't quite there. In this novel, we had gates in the underworld that needed to be held together by House of Shadow magic, and there were also wraiths (ghosts) in the underworld that the same magic could banish. This magic was not explained; it confused me about Shadow's magic system in general. Broadbent decided to prioritize other pieces of the plot and romance instead, which I still think worked, but I was left with some questions.

Lastly, while Mische was a fantastic character with incredible depth and nuisance, I struggled to see how Asar was much different from Raihn (the male character in the first two Crowns of Nyaxia books) or even Max from Broadbent's other series called The War of Lost Hearts. Don't get me wrong, I still liked Asar, and the poor thing also went through a lot, just like every other main character in these novels, but I didn't feel the depth as I did with Mische. I suppose Raihn was more extroverted than Asar, but I still didn't feel the difference. Still, he was an intriguing character with an interesting background story, and I look forward to reading more about him in the next book.

Overall, I just loved this book! Is it the finest piece of literature there ever was? No. And that's not the intention. I was engrossed in this story and loved diving into the pages to go to the underworld with Mische and Asar.

(Spoiler around this just in case)

Lastly, I chose to ignore "when my hand slid between us to curl around his legnth through his trousers - gods, it was incredible, so thick I couldn't curl my hand around it -..." Like yeah right.

I'm looking forward to reading more!