Written by: Sofia Tas-Castro
Image from A Bookish Blog
If you’re unaware of BookTok and some of its latest trends, the platform, otherwise
deemed as the side of TikTok that discusses all things books, has taken a liking to books labeled
as “Romantasy”. Typically meant for readers over the age of 18, these books take fantasy
settings and elements and combine them with a large romance element. The popularity of this
label stemmed from the rise of the A Court of Thorns and Roses Series by Sarah J. Maas and
continues to be used on BookTok and even on the platform Goodreads.
Carrissa Broadbents’ work, The Serpent and the Wings of Night, is one of the latest
additions to this category and as an avid enjoyer of things both fantasy and romance, I decided to
give it a read to formulate my own opinion on it.
As a disclaimer, I’m not a professional writer nor am I an expert on this new genre of
books. My opinions and thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt because what I may deem
enjoyable or not may not be the same for other readers.
Now onto the review!
The first thing I noticed was that Broadbent loves to use short sentences. While there’s
nothing inherently wrong with them, they can seem choppy and disrupt a reader’s flow of the
story. I often found myself finding ways the sentences could be merged together or rearranged so
that they would sound better and although I’m more prone to this type of action as a writing
student, the point still remains that they can ruin the immersion of the story.
The other detail I noticed was her descriptions of setting. One of the best ways to create a
sense of immersion for readers is to use the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.
Broadbent uses these wonderfully, particularly in her battle scenes, but I did find that in terms of
describing what places looked like, she could have done a better job. The setting almost felt
secondary to the story itself, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but fantasy as a genre requires a
detailed setting. It’s an invented world, in order for readers to buy into it providing as much
detail as possible where it is appropriate only serves to add to the experience.
Broadbent’s characters were engaging, with all of them in this competition called the
Kejari for different reasons, but it wasn’t until the end of the novel where the conflict brought out
their dimension. I do have to give her major props however: She did not rush the romance in her
novel. A common problem most writers have in this genre is insta-love, and Broadbent uses
moments of uncertainty and high emotions to create a palpable tension between the two main
love interests. They don’t immediately give into their desires, we as readers have to work and
continue with the story to see whether they will or they won’t.
I wouldn’t say this book is groundbreaking, nor would I say it’s the most beautifully
written. I wouldn’t even say it’s the most immersive. But what I will say is that it’s a fun read
with a great twist at the end. It has its flaws, but the writing gets better as the book goes on.
Overall, I’d say it’s an enjoyable read and would recommend it because of the story itself. I have
faith that the writing will get better in the sequel and Broadbent will continue to flesh out the
world she has created.
You must be logged in to post a comment.