✓ Mood-Profiled
The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King 2023
Carissa Broadbent · 544 pages
I'm a 544-page romantasy with war, established couple, vampire energy and 4/5 heat. Fast-paced pacing that won't let you put me down. I don't do fade-to-black.
Mood
Dark & Epic
Spice
4/5 — Spicy
Pacing
Fast-paced
Length
544 pages
Ending
Satisfying — happily ever after guaranteed
Heat level
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ Spicy
Things I'm into
War
Established Couple
Vampire
THE COMPATIBILITY CHECK
Should you swipe right on The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King?
♥ Swipe right if…
✓You want on-page heat that's earned, not skipped — spice 4/5
✓You love books that don't pull punches and go to uncomfortable places
✓Romance is the backbone, not a subplot — and it delivers
✓You want a big, immersive read you can disappear into for days
✓You trust books that 1.8M+ readers rated 4.49/5
✕ Swipe left if…
✕You need clean or fade-to-black romance — this book earns its 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
✕You want literary prose or beautiful sentence-level writing — this is genre fiction and proud of it
✕You want something quick — this is 544 pages and it knows it
✕You want a series you can binge — this is a standalone
✕You need light, feel-good reads right now — this goes dark
CONTENT NOTES
⚔️ Violence
⚔️ War setting
🌶️ Explicit sexual content
🖤 Dark themes
THE FULL PROFILE
What this book is really like — from a full read-through, not the back cover.
Core identity
GenreRomantasy
Dominant moodDark, Epic, Romantic
Romance styleExplicit — on-page heat
ToneDark and intense
What to expect
Pages 1–136Setup, meet-cute (or meet-hostile), world established
Pages 136–272Tension building, proximity intensifies, walls start cracking
Pages 272–408Chemistry reaches breaking point, stakes escalate
Pages 408–544Payoff + spice scenes + resolution
After finishingRecommending it to everyone you know
QUICK ANSWERS BEFORE YOU COMMIT
Everything you want to know before you swipe right
Is The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King actually spicy?
Yes — spice level 4/5. The heat is explicit and a significant part of the story. Definitely not fade-to-black.
What's the vibe of The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King?
Dark, Epic, Romantic with war and established couple energy. Think Romantasy that knows exactly what it is and delivers hard.
Is The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King a standalone?
Yes — The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is a complete standalone. No series commitment required. Pick it up, finish it, move on (or reread it immediately).
What are the content warnings for The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King?
Content notes include: Violence, War setting, Explicit sexual content, Dark themes. We flag these so you can make informed choices, not to scare you off.
What kind of reader is The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King perfect for?
If "war + established couple" in a romantasy with 4/5 spice sounds like your kind of book, you'll love this. Check the mood bars above to see if the vibe matches yours.
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Every Sort By Cravings guide is written after a full read-through — not scraped from publisher blurbs or Amazon summaries. We map tropes directly from the text, cross-reference BookTok and Goodreads reader reactions, and calibrate heat ratings against reader consensus. Read our editorial standards.
📚 Last reviewed: March 2026 · Guide verified against current edition