Final Rating:
Date of Completion: 12/05/2023
Published by: Podium Audio
ISBN: B0BW18F8LC
Cover:
While this design is not particularly striking, there is something oddly appealing about it. The story’s genre is also nicely conveyed, especially with the elaborate font used for the book title.
Writing:
The story unfolds from Oraya’s point of view in a simple writing style that is easy to follow. Although the numerous action scenes and characters are vividly detailed, the soft world-building lacks the rich details that would have brought it fully to life. Besides this, much of the world-building is told and not shown, which left me wanting more from the fascinating concepts involving vicious vampires, deities, magic and a complex political system.
You cannot accomplish anything in this world without power.
Storyline:
Despite an intriguing prologue, I struggled through the initial chapters as the world and characters were uneventfully established. However, once the tournament began, I became invested in the brutal, action-packed storyline and Oraya’s complex struggles. The storyline is then gradually dominated by angst (and smut), which eroded my interest so much that I remained unphased by the numerous twists within the climax.
Main character:
It may have taken me a little time to warm up to the protagonist, Oraya, but her character is delightfully complex. She is shown to be caring and desperate to make a change, yet her fierce ambition is limited by her weakness as a human. While this made it easy to root for her character, I also wished she did not have to constantly rely on the men in her life and had experienced some character growth.
Love was a sacrifice at the altar of power.
Secondary characters:
With only a few secondary characters playing significant roles, most have little depth or do not make much of an impression. Vincent was the first to attract my attention due to his complex relationship with Oraya and how this adds depth to the story. Then there is Raihn, who slowly worms his way into my heart, even though much of his character is told and not shown.
Romance:
At first, I loved the cute romance that develops as the characters open up and trust each other. I even enjoyed their teasing and chemistry despite finding their banter somewhat awkward. It was not until the romance took over the storyline and became predictable that I lost interest in it. Also irritating was how the romance progressed due to the final twists, as this made it hard to keep rooting for the characters.
Narration & Audio:
The narration by Hollie Jackson seemed fitting for the story and Oraya’s character. However, the audiobook could have used more intensity and vocal variety to make it more engaging.
All things considered, I was underwhelmed by ‘The Serpent and the Wings of Night‘. Even though I was intrigued by the fascinating world and action, I wanted these aspects, and the characters, to have more depth. Another action-packed story with constant danger, twists, and romance to check out if you liked this is Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
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