The Lion & the Deathless Dark

Carissa Broadbent’s The Lion and the Deathless Dark is the fifth novel in the six-book Crowns of Nyaxia series. This fantasy universe comprises three interconnected duologies: Nightborn, Shadowborn, and Bloodborn. Each follows different protagonists within a world shaped by rival vampire Houses, a sprawling, apocalyptic war between humanity’s gods—the White Pantheon—and the vampire goddess Nyaxia’s plan to destroy humanity. While building on this cosmic struggle for power, The Lion and the Deathless Dark also functions as the first installment of the self-contained Bloodborn Duet, which centers on a new primary romance between the human divine warrior Kyrene and the vampire prince Septimus. This structure allows the novel to be accessible to new readers while still advancing the series’ main plot for established fans. Understanding this book’s dual role—as both a continuation of a series-long war and the beginning of a more intimate, character-focused duet—is key to appreciating its narrative scope. It balances the introduction of a new central relationship with the weight of an established world on the brink of collapse, leading to a two-part story that will resolve its own arcs while impacting the entire series.

The Lion and the Deathless Dark explores the impact of events in book three, The Songbird and the Heart of Stone, in which the protagonist, Mische, killed Atroxus, the sun god, to prevent the creation of a permanent sun that would destroy vampires. The sun god’s death plunged the world into lasting darkness, allowing vampires to move freely and leaving human territories more vulnerable. The Bloodborn Duet introduces Kyrene, a human warrior who has not appeared in earlier novels, and pairs her with Septimus, a vampire prince whose schemes have influenced previous conflicts, particularly in the Nightborn Duet. Septimus’s claim that he caused the sun’s fall and the worsening war reflects his indirect involvement in the wider chain of events.