If you have closed the final pages of Carissa Broadbent’s magnificent tale of Oraya and her vampire king, and found yourself quite unable to return to ordinary life, you are not alone. The heart, you see, once it has tasted such exquisite longing between enemies who become something far more dangerous to each other, refuses to be satisfied with anything less extraordinary.
Fear not, dear wanderer of shadowed kingdoms. What follows is a carefully curated collection of tales that shall spirit you away to realms equally treacherous and romantic, where fierce heroines carve their own destinies and morally grey heroes lurk in the most enchanting of shadows.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
Here is a story that understands what it means to be underestimated. Violet Sorrengail, fragile of body but fierce of spirit, is thrust into a war college where cadets either bond with dragons or perish in the attempt. The training is brutal, the politics deadly, and a certain commanding presence named Xaden Riorson proves to be both her greatest threat and most intoxicating temptation.
The dragons alone would make this tale worth the journey, but it is the slow-burning tension between enemies forced together that shall remind you why you fell so deeply for Oraya and Raihn.
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
In this beloved tale, we meet Poppy—the Maiden—who has spent her entire existence shrouded in rules and restrictions. She may never be touched, never be looked upon, never experience pleasure. Such prohibitions, naturally, make the arrival of the enigmatic guard Hawke Flynn all the more catastrophically wonderful.
The forbidden romance unfolds with delicious patience, and like our dear Oraya, Poppy must discover that everything she has been taught may be beautifully, terrifyingly wrong.
The Book of Azrael by Amber V. Nicole
A thousand years past, Dianna surrendered everything to save her sister, answering the call of a monster worse than any nightmare. Now she serves as weapon to a cruel king, bound by chains of love and loyalty. When her path crosses with Liam—the World Ender, tormented and isolate—together they may either save creation or doom it utterly.
The enemies-to-lovers tension crackles with danger, the world-building sprawls magnificently, and Dianna’s moral complexity rivals that of any vampire tournament contestant.
Gild by Raven Kennedy
Auren lives in a cage of gold—quite literally. The favored possession of King Midas, she has convinced herself that the bars which imprison her are also her protection. But when war comes and she is torn from everything she knows, Auren must confront the most terrifying question: what if the monster she fears is the one she has loved all along?
This dark reimagining of the King Midas myth explores captivity and awakening with unflinching honesty, wrapped in prose as glittering as its golden heroine.
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
In a merciless desert realm where water means survival, Saeris Fane has learned to steal, to hide, and above all, to keep her strange alchemical abilities secret. When a mystical gauntlet hurls her into the frozen Fae realm of Yvelia, she finds herself bound to Kingfisher—a warrior with silver-touched madness and schemes of his own.
The enemies-to-lovers tension burns slow and hot, the banter cuts like a blade, and the world-building enchants at every turn.
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Sera was born with one purpose: make the Primal of Death fall in love with her, then destroy him. A simple enough assignment, one might think—until the Primal proves to be nothing like the monster she expected, and his touch awakens desires she was never meant to feel.
This prequel to the Blood and Ash series delivers arranged marriage tension with the exquisite cruelty of impossible choices.
The North Wind by Alexandria Warwick
For three hundred years, an endless winter has gripped the land, held at bay only by a weakening magical barrier. The sole remedy? A mortal bride for the North Wind himself—an immortal whose heart is said to be as frozen as his realm. When Wren’s sister is chosen, she offers herself instead, bargaining her life against impossible odds.
Beauty and the Beast meets the myth of Hades and Persephone in this atmospheric slow-burn that rewards patient hearts.
A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne
When Reia’s village offers her as sacrifice to the monstrous Duskwalker who protects them from demons, she expects death. Instead, she finds Orpheus—ancient, lonely, wearing a skull for a face—who has spent centuries searching for a companion whose soul he might claim for his own.
For those who loved the monstrous elements of vampire romance, this Beauty and the Beast retelling offers something delightfully different: a hero who never becomes handsome, and a love that transcends conventional forms.
Rhapsodic by Laura Thalassa
Callie is a siren with a problem—namely, the magical bracelet of favors she owes to the Bargainer, a man who can procure anything for a price. For seven years, he never collected. Now something dark stirs in the Otherworld, Fae warriors vanish, and the Bargainer has returned to call in every debt.
The history between these two burns with unfinished business, and the fae world Thalassa builds sparkles with mystery and menace alike.
House of Beating Wings by Olivia Wildenstein
Fallon is a halfling—half-fae, half-human—scorned by the faerie court that should be her home. When an oracle reveals she might become queen if she frees the crows, she embarks on a treasure hunt for ancient relics, never suspecting what winged demon she is about to release, nor that she shall become his obsession.
Love triangles, Italian-inspired fae courts, and political intrigue abound in this series that rewards readers who enjoy complex romantic entanglements.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
No list of this nature would be complete without the tale that launched a thousand romantasy obsessions. When Feyre kills a wolf in the forest, she is dragged to the faerie lands to pay for her crime. There she encounters Tamlin, masked and mysterious, and discovers that the wall between worlds hides secrets far darker than she imagined.
If somehow this treasure has escaped your notice, remedy the oversight immediately.
Court of Ravens and Ruin by Eliza Raine
In a world where the fae play deadly games with mortal lives, a heroine discovers that survival requires becoming something other than prey. Dark magic, political machinations, and a romance that blooms amidst chaos make this a worthy companion to any vampire tournament tale.
Nocticadia by Keri Lake
For readers who crave their darkness undiluted, this gothic romance offers atmosphere thick enough to cut. Secrets hide in shadows, passion flares in unexpected corners, and nothing is quite what it seems.
Black Sunshine by Karina Halle
Here we find vampires of a different sort—this contemporary paranormal romance follows a woman who discovers the creatures of the night are very real, and one in particular has designs upon her fate. For those who miss the vampire element specifically, this delivers.
Frost by C.N. Crawford
When a mortal woman finds herself entangled with fae royalty, she must navigate courts of ice and intrigue while her heart pulls her toward the most dangerous possible alliance. Sharp wit and sizzling tension make this a swift, satisfying read.
Final Thoughts
The magic of The Serpent and the Wings of Night lies not merely in its vampires or its tournament, but in that breathless alchemy between a heroine who refuses to be prey and a hero whose darkness conceals depths of devotion. Each book upon this list captures some element of that spell—whether through monstrous heroes, deadly competitions, forbidden passion, or heroines who forge their own fates against impossible odds.
Choose your next adventure, dear reader, and may you find yourself gloriously lost in its pages.
