The Serpent and the Wings of Night Audiobook & Text to Speech Guide (2026) — Carissa Broadbent's Vampire Romantasy
The Serpent and the Wings of Night — Carissa Broadbent
First published: August 16, 2022 (self-pub) · Dec 5, 2023 (Bramble / Macmillan relaunch)
Pages: 504 (paperback)
Goodreads: 4.26★ (777K+ ratings) · view
Audiobook runtime: ~17 hours · Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb
Series: Crowns of Nyaxia #1 · Oraya + Raihn duology arc with expanding universe
Historical significance: Pre-Fourth Wing vampire-romantasy self-pub breakout
The vampire romantasy Fourth Wing fans didn't read yet — but should have. Skip the Libby 2-6 week queue with Kindle + free CastReader AI TTS →
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is Carissa Broadbent's Crowns of Nyaxia #1 — originally self-published August 2022, before Fourth Wing's May 2023 romantasy explosion, and re-released by Bramble / Macmillan in December 2023 after BookTok discovery. Oraya, the human raised by vampire King Vincent, enters the Kejari tournament to the death to earn a goddess-granted wish. The 4.26★ Goodreads rating and 777,000+ ratings reflect sustained 3+ year audience compounding — one of the most durable adult romantasy successes.
This guide covers the 17-hour Amanda Leigh Cobb narration, Crowns of Nyaxia series scope, tournament-round pacing strategy, and every free / paid path.
Why Serpent's Pre-Fourth Wing Origin Matters for Audio Listeners
Adult romantasy's 2023-2025 explosion traces largely to Fourth Wing (May 2023) and subsequent momentum. But Serpent predates this — launched as self-pub in August 2022, it established audience demand that Fourth Wing validated at scale.
| Title | Original publication | Category leadership |
|---|---|---|
| The Serpent and the Wings of Night | Aug 2022 (self-pub) → Dec 2023 (Bramble) | Vampire-romantasy benchmark |
| Fourth Wing | May 2023 | Dragon-romantasy flagship |
| Onyx Storm | Jan 2025 | Fourth Wing series continuation |
| Quicksilver (Callie Hart) | 2024 | Fae-and-alchemy romantasy |
| Phantasma | Sep 2024 | Horror-romantasy variant |
For romantasy-genre completists, Serpent is the vampire-category title that establishes what the subgenre can do. For audiobook listeners coming from Fourth Wing and wanting adjacent vampire-category material, Serpent is the direct crossover recommendation.
Three Listening Modes
- Fourth Wing crossover mode — you've finished Fourth Wing / Iron Flame / Onyx Storm and want next-adjacent vampire-romantasy. Serpent is the primary recommendation.
- Tournament-structure mode — you prefer structured-round books over open-quest fantasy. The Kejari rounds organize the commitment into clean sessions.
- Crowns of Nyaxia universe mode — Serpent + Ashes + expanded-universe books as multi-year commitment. Own-forever path via Kindle + CastReader is optimal.
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
| Platform | Cost | Narration | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audible credit | 1 credit | Amanda Leigh Cobb | Strong credit value at 17h |
| Audible à la carte | ~$17-22 | Amanda Leigh Cobb | Single-purchase first-listen |
| Audible Plus | Not typically included | Amanda Leigh Cobb | Check current rotation |
| Libby (free library) | Free (2-6 wk wait) | Amanda Leigh Cobb | Normalized mature-release queues |
| Hoopla | Free, instant | Varies | Inconsistent availability |
| Spotify Audiobooks | Over monthly free allotment | Amanda Leigh Cobb | Requires ~2h top-up |
| Kindle + CastReader | $6-9 ebook + free AI TTS | AI (Kokoro) | Cheapest multi-book own-forever |
Option A — Audible (Cobb-Narrated Canonical)
Amanda Leigh Cobb's narration on Serpent is a material audiobook strength — her register fits Oraya's wary, sharp first-person POV, and she delivers the vampire-court atmosphere without over-dramatizing. At 17 hours, credit value is strong; à la carte $17-22 is reasonable. First-listen on Audible preserves the trained-narrator dimension that AI TTS approximates but doesn't fully match on first-pass.
Option B — Libby (Free, Moderate Wait)
Libby waits for Serpent in April 2026 are 2-6 weeks — reflecting the book's post-surge queue normalization combined with continued Crowns of Nyaxia series demand. Libraries have added copies since 2023, so waits are shorter than current-year releases. Libby + Cobb narration free is the optimal price-performance first-listen for most listeners.
Option C — Kindle + CastReader (Multi-Book Own-Forever)
For Crowns of Nyaxia series tracking:
- Audible credits across Serpent + Ashes + expanded titles = 4-6+ credits ($60-90 equivalent)
- Audible à la carte equivalent: $68-110 total
- Libby: free but repeated borrow cycles across multiple books
- Kindle each book $6-9 + free CastReader AI TTS = $24-45 total for series, own forever, unlimited re-listens
Setup:
- Buy Kindle Serpent ($6-9; Bramble frequently discounts to $3-5)
- Open in Kindle Cloud Reader
- Install CastReader Chrome or Edge
- Press play — AI narration + paragraph highlighting + auto-page-turn across 504 pages
Tradeoff: Cobb's vampire-register narration on first-listen is distinctively good. Recommendation: Libby or Audible for first-listen of Serpent + The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King (the duology arc), then CastReader own-forever for re-listens and expanded-universe Crowns titles (Slaying the Vampire Conqueror etc.).
Option D — Spotify Audiobooks (Requires Top-Up)
At 17h, Serpent exceeds Spotify Premium's 15 free audiobook hours per month by ~2 hours — à la carte top-up needed. Acceptable for single-book path but not ideal for multi-Crowns commitment.
Crowns of Nyaxia Series Listening Math
| Title | Runtime (~) | Audible credit? | Kindle + CastReader? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Serpent and the Wings of Night | 17h | 1 credit | $6-9 Kindle |
| The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King | 18h | 1 credit | $7-10 Kindle |
| Slaying the Vampire Conqueror | 10h | 1 credit | $6-8 Kindle |
| Further Crowns titles | Varies | 1 credit each | $6-10 each Kindle |
| Serpent + Ashes duology | ~35h | 2 credits | $13-19 total |
| Serpent + Ashes + Slaying | ~45h | 3 credits | $19-27 total |
Own-forever multi-book path is clearly dominant for Crowns universe listeners.
TTS Settings for Serpent on CastReader
| Setting | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Base voice | Cool sharp mid-register female, literary-register | Oraya's wary first-person POV |
| Raihn character (if distinct voice) | Low mid-register male, vampire-register | Vampire romantic lead |
| Kejari round scenes | 1.0x speed; high-focus listening | Tournament combat detail |
| Speed | 1.0x for Kejari rounds; 1.25x court-politics & romance | Combat-vs-dialogue pacing balance |
| Highlighting | On | Vampire-pantheon + house-name proper noun density |
| Auto page turn | On | 504 pages |
| Pronunciation overrides | Oraya, Raihn, Nyaxia, Kejari, vampire house names (Hiaj, Rishan, Nightborn) | Series-specific vocabulary |
| Send to Phone | For 17h + Crowns series commitment | Multi-book cross-device continuity |
Content Considerations
The Serpent and the Wings of Night is adult vampire romantasy. Unabridged on audio:
- Explicit sexual content (Crowns of Nyaxia is firmly adult-romantasy register)
- Violence (Kejari tournament combat, vampire-court political violence, on-the-page kill scenes)
- Dark themes (death-tournament stakes, vampire-court coercion, loss / grief)
- Romance intensity (peak in final-round and post-tournament scenes)
For mixed-company listening, discretion needed in peak-combat and romance scenes; headphones recommended for full experience.
Buying & Borrowing Links
- Audible edition — $17-22 or 1 credit
- Libro.fm — indie-bookstore support
- Libby / Hoopla — free with library card
- Spotify Audiobooks — requires top-up on monthly free hours
- Kindle edition — $6-9 for own-forever
- Bramble / Macmillan — publisher page
- Carissa Broadbent author page — author site
Related Reading
- Fourth Wing — dragon-romantasy flagship crossover
- Iron Flame — Fourth Wing series continuation
- Onyx Storm — Fourth Wing book 3 pacing reference
- Quicksilver (Callie Hart) — fae-and-alchemy romantasy peer
- Phantasma — horror-romantasy category peer
- A Court of Thorns and Roses — foundational adult romantasy
- Listen to Kindle Cloud Reader — CastReader OCR bypass
- Audible Alternative Free — multi-book series listening economics
Seventeen hours of vampire romantasy through the Kejari death-tournament — or 35+ hours across Serpent + Ashes and further Crowns of Nyaxia universe expansion. Carissa Broadbent's self-pub-to-Macmillan success established vampire-romantasy as a viable adult subgenre before Fourth Wing validated it at scale. Amanda Leigh Cobb's Audible narration carries the vampire-court atmosphere; Libby offers normalized-wait free access; Kindle + CastReader handles the multi-book Crowns universe commitment at lowest total cost. Choose the path that fits Fourth-Wing-crossover, tournament-structure, or full-Crowns-universe reading intent.
