A review by nclcaitlin
The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent

3.75

A girl who can only love broken things, and a boy so broken he can only love what he cannot have.

Mische left Oraya and Raihn only to be captured by the House of Shadow whose prince she killed. She is only saved from execution by Asar - the Wraith Warden and scarred heir. He requires her for a mission from Nyaxia, the goddess of vampires, to go the underworld. 

Mische (pronounced Meesh-uh - definitely not been pronouncing it right lol) was chosen by the sun god before being Turned. Now she feels abandoned by her god, the magic burning her when she calls on the sun, burning her vampire self. 

I loved her journey of accepting her self and present situation. 

Similar to Oraya’s arc, Mische must grapple with her past and the love she thought she had, the devotion she felt, and the love she felt she didn’t deserve. 

Mische is was a priestess. A scholar. A bringer of the light. Yet, she has experienced so much blood and death and trauma but still greets the world with smiles, chatter, and unrelenting kindness. 

I knew she was a favourite from the first time she appeared in The Serpent and the Wings of Night!

As if it wasn't the most compassionate thing someone could do for another being. As if even attempting to help those who were so helpless to all others wasn't such an act of bravery.

Broadbent knows how to write delicious slow burn. Normally, I don’t typically enjoy romantasies as the romance being at the forefront frustrates me in circumstances that make no sense. Yet, Broadbent keeps the tension high, doesn’t rush the development, and doesn’t add any unnecessary scenes or drama that recent books trying to hit a troupe list do. 

Let him unravel. Let me see what he looked like in the ruins of all that self-control. Let him drown my grief and my sadness beneath the exquisite sin of his touch.

If you need any more convincing, there is a dead wolf companion called Luce who is probably Mische and Asar’s biggest (most annoying) matchmaker. 

Also, there is a sentient magical death prison. 

Thank you to Pan MacMillan for providing an arc in  exchange for a review!