The lion & the deathless dawn: characters, spice, triggers + more
If you enjoy the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent, and were wondering if Kyrene’s and Septimus’ story, starting with The Lion and the Deathless Dark, was worth continuing the series for, hand on heart, my answer is YES.
In this The Lion and the Deathless Dark book guide and review, I’m covering things that might be helpful: synopsis, main characters and supporting character list, including the sentient sword, spice levels, where to find those spicy chapters, trigger warnings and a refresher of the gods and their powers.
Please be sure to note that the FAQ section down the bottom will contain spoilers, so this is your sign to avoid reading further if you haven’t read The Lion and the Deathless Dark yet.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark synopsis.
From New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Carissa Broadbent returns with a brand new novel in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, The Lion & the Deathless Dark – the first book in the Bloodborn Duet.
Some blood tastes like vengeance. Some blood tastes like grief. Some blood tastes like nothing at all.
Under an eternal night, the world has been ravaged by ten years of war between humans and vampires. Kyrene scrapes by as a bounty hunter, bearing a blessed sword from the goddess of justice. But in the wake of a devastating loss, Kyrene commits a crime that makes her a target for mortals and gods alike – and she is still desperate for vengeance.
Her only chance at survival – and revenge – is making a deal with her enemy, the silver-tongue vampire prince, Septimus, who offers her one final to slay the gods themselves.
Together, Kyrene and Septimus must hunt the ultimate marks, all while navigating a web of prophecies and curses. Septimus is calculating and mysterious, masking secrets bloodthirsty enough to consume them both. Yet, most dangerous of all, Kyrene finds an unexpected kinship in him.
But their growing attraction is deadly in a world where the only currency is blood. And Kyrene will stop at nothing to fulfill her ultimate to kill the goddess of vampires, even if it means sacrificing love for revenge.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark characters.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark is told from the first-person lens of Kyrene, with a final epilogue narrated from Septimus’ POV. Like its predecessors, the story remains in first-person, with fast-paced plot and action, incredible platonic relationships and romantic tension, zippy banter and dialogue. The action kicks off right from chapter one and within the first 15 to 20%, I kid you not, I was a mess.
Anyway, below is a quick recap of our main characters, followed by a list of the major supporting and minor characters including sentient gods-forged objects.
Character art shared by author @carissabroadbentbooks via Instagram. Artist: @alicemariapower
Kyrene.
Kyrene is bold, reckless and brave bounty hunter, who also happens to be the Goddess of Justice, Shiket’s chosen one. Armed with her trusty and powerful sentient sword, she does both divine jobs and bounty hunting to take care of herself and her crew she’s accrued over the years, ranging from Valentina, who has an expensive medical condition, Mirie, an acolyte priestess and Marko, a mostly drunk guy who is just… there I think.
Prince Septimus.
Character art shared by author @carissabroadbentbooks and artist @suusliks via Instagram.
You may recognise Septimus’ name from previous Crowns of Nyaxia books where he first appeared in The Serpent and Wings of Night. Well this is his story and we get to see the vampire prince hidden behind the meticulous mask and the gears that whiz in his head. What’s his long game? This book reveals all, from the machinations of the House of Blood to the story behind the curse of their house and it’s kinda gut wrenching to be honest.
All main and supporting characters in The Lion and the Deathless Dark.
Here’s a list of major and major supporting characters in The Lion and the Deathless Dark.
⚠️ WARNING: This character guide will spoil some events and reveals of The Lion and the Deathless Dark. Read at your own risk, or feel free to spoil yourself as I'm not the boss of your life choices.⚠️
| Character name | Description |
|---|---|
| Zefiah | Kyrene’s motherly, god-forged, sentient sword who communicates telepathically and possesses immense divine power. One of Shiket’s six divine swords, she is ancient, bloodthirsty, protective and occasionally the closest thing Kyrene has to a responsible adult. |
| Valentina Hilgard | A self-taught 16-year-old machinist with immense skill and talent for crafting technological weaponry. She is a follower of Srana, goddess of machinery. |
| Mirie | A priestess and acolyte of Shiket who has befriended and chosen to follow Kyrene. |
| Marko | Kyrene’s drinking, gambling, weapons-and-violence-loving companion and fellow member of her crew. A chaotic but loyal ally who is generally where he should be when Kyrene needs backup... eventually. |
| Sylina | A seer and former assassin and acolyte for a cult who worshipped the Goddess of Fate. Despite being blind, Sylina can see in other ways. Significant other of Atrius. You can read her and Atrius’ standalone story in Slaying the Vampire Conqueror. |
| Atrius | Septimus’ Bloodborn cousin and highly accomplished military leader, with an unusual set of curly black horns on his head. Significant other of Sylina and a cinnamon roll. You can read his and Sylina’s story in Slaying the Vampire Conqueror. |
| Erekkus | One of the soldiers who accompanied Septimus’ brother, Prince Gaius, on his mission to serve Nyaxia across realms in the hopes of earning her forgiveness. The state we find Erekkus in in The Lion and the Deathless Dark is... not good. |
| Alric | Septimus’ younger brother. |
| Calista | Septimus’ sister. |
| Ilia | Septimus’ guard. |
| Oraya | The Nightborn half-human, half-vampire queen, formerly the FMC protagonist of The Serpent & the Wings of Night duology. |
| Queen Egrette | Queen of the House of Shadow. |
| Johnus | A vampire hunter that Kyrene flirts with in a pleasure house. |
| Shiket | The Goddess of Justice who chose Kyrene to wield Zefiah, one of her six divine swords, and serve her. |
| Srana | The Goddess of Machinery. |
| Kajmar | The God of art and beauty. |
| Ix | The Goddess of sex and fertility. |
| Nyaxia | The Goddess of vampires. |
| Acaeja | The Goddess of Fate. |
| King Thastias | Septimus’ ancestor who intended to betray Nyaxia, causing her to curse the House of Blood when she discovered his intentions. |
| Lukon | Srana’s general who leads her army of automatons. Lukon is part man, part metal, with metal arms and a half-man, half-machine face split down the centre of his skull. |
| Gaius | Septimus’ brother. (Mentioned.) |
| Mische Iliae | Queen of the House of Death. |
The gods and goddesses of The White Pantheon in the Crowns of Nyaxia series.
This is probably going to be help to know who the gods and goddesses are when you read The Lion and the Deathless Dark as we do have some appearances as well as mentions of other gods and their lore.
| God / Goddess | Association / Ability / Affinity |
|---|---|
| Acaeja | Goddess of fate and spellcasting |
| Shiket | Goddess of justice |
| Nyaxia | Goddess of death and mother of vampires |
| Srana | Clockwork goddess of machinery |
| Ix | Goddess of sex and fertility |
| Vitarus | God of the harvest |
| Ijakai | Goddess of animals |
| Zarux | God of sea and sky |
| Kajmar | God of illusion and performance |
| Alarus | God of death |
| Atroxus | God of the sun and king of the White Pantheon |
Review: The Lion and the Deathless Dark by Carissa Broadbent.
View my review and follow me on GoodReads here.
Spice level: 🌶🌶 - 2.5 to 3 out of 5 chillies, slow burn, open-door, explicit spice.
Well I didn't expect a book about vampires and zombie vampires to rip my heart from my chest, tear it straight down the middle, then put through a meat grinder till it's nothing but a pile of bloody emotional mulch and much of it within the first 20%, but here we are.
If you like cute animal companions, sorry you won't get that here, but you will get a motherly sentient talking sword so there's that, and if you’re like “bro, not sure how to feel about inanimate talking objects as characters,” trust me, Zefiah (the sword) is brilliant in all the literal and figurative ways.
Septimus + Kyrene's story delivered big time.
Raging cliffhanger, wouldn't expect any less.
Is this my favourite book of the series yet? Possible equal tie with Serpent.
View my The Lion and the Deathless Dark review & follow me on GoodReads here, if you like to yap about books.
The Lion and the Deathless Dark FAQs.
SPOILER ALERT:
Some answers WILL spoil The Lion and the Deathless Dark if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.
Is The Lion and the Deathless Dark a series?
Yes, The Lion and the Deathless Dark is book five in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, by author, Carissa Broadbent.
What are the content and trigger warnings?
Violence
Discussion of slavery
Discussion of cannibalism
Drug and alcohol use
Grief
Suicidal ideation
Confinement
Blood
Blood drinking
Sexual content
Death
Injury and injury details
Cursing
Body horror
Death of parent (off-page)
Pregancy
Pregnancy loss
What are the tropes for The Lion and the Deathless Dark?
Vampiric MMC x Human FMC
Enemies to lovers
Gods slaying
Vampire curse
Chosen one
Forced proximity
What is the age rating for The Lion and the Deathless Dark?
The Lion and the Deathless Dark is classified as adult, so ages 18+, due to adult themes and sexual content. Please also see the trigger and content warnings listed above.
Is The Lion and the Deathless Dark spicy?
Yes The Lion and the Deathless Dark is spicy with slow burn steam and mild spice and a couple of explicit open door scenes towards the end.
What is The Lion and the Deathless Dark spice level?
Spice level: 🌶🌶
2.5 to 3 out of 5, slow burn, explicitly detailed open door spice in one or two chapters and some very spicy and steamy scenes before that. Yes there is a ‘cave scene’ equivalent in this too.
What are The Lion and the Deathless Dark spicy chapters?
Find the The Lion and the Deathless Dark spicy chapters below, as well as their heat rating.
Chapter 25: 🌶️
Chapter 30: 🌶️
Chapter 41:🌶️🌶️
Chapter 52: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
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The Wolf King | The Night Prince by Lauren Palphreyman
A Fate Inked in Blood | A Curse Carved in Bone by Danielle L. Jensen
One Dark Window | Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig
