The Hunger Games meets vampires in the stunning second book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series by Carissa Broadbent, sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Serpent and the Wings of Night. Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power. In the wake of the bloody tournament known as the Kejari, Oraya is now a prisoner in her own kingdom and grieving the only family she ever had. She’s left with only one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn, the vampire who betrayed her. The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood has dug their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside. When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom – and seeking her revenge against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness an ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets. With enemies closing in on all sides, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall . . . Filled with heartbreak, redemption, dark magic and bloodthirsty intrigue, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is a compulsive dark fantasy from Carissa Broadbent.