Q&A: Carissa Broadbent, Author of ‘Children of Fallen Gods’

We chat with author Carissa Broadbent about Children of Fallen Gods, which is the second installment in The War of Lost Hearts series and follows Tisaanah, a former slave who enters an apprenticeship with reclusive warrior Maxantarius Farlione to learn powerful magic and protect her community from impending war. But as the chaos grows closer, betrayals and battles push the duo toward a harrowing conclusion with world-ending stakes.

Hi, Carissa! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Gosh, what a simple yet intimidating question! I’m an author of fantasy novels with a big pinch of romance (“romantasy!”), and that’s by far the most interesting thing about me. I’m best known for my series The War of Lost Hearts and The Crowns of Nyaxia. I’m usually writing or thinking about writing or cursing my inability to write, and when I’m not doing that I’m likely chasing after my two-year-old.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

It’s just always been something I did! I began storytelling when I was in elementary school, maybe 9 or 10 years old, always fantasy and often surprisingly dark (oops). I kept it up through my early teenage years and then abandoned it for a while when school became more demanding, but I’m glad that I always held onto the spark and came back to it as an adult.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: Chapter books? Nancy Drew books!
• The one that made you want to become an author: Probably something Goosebumps back in the day!
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynne Jones is my most-reread book of my life.

Children of Fallen Gods is the second installment in your War of Lost Hearts series and it’s being rereleased after previously being indie-published! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Epic, fantastical, & lots of pain. (5 words exactly!)

For those who haven’t picked up Daughter of No Worlds, what can readers expect?

Daughter of No Worlds is the start of an epic romantic fantasy trilogy, following a young magic wielder after she escapes slavery and travels to a distant kingdom in the hopes of joining a powerful organization of magic wielders. However, in order for a chance at joining, she is forced to undergo an apprenticeship with an ill-tempered and unwilling teacher, Maxantarius Farlione – a disgraced soldier with a dark past. As war breaks out, the two of them are drawn into treacherous machinations. It’s got lots of war, magic, and action, but also a sweet, slow-burn romance against the backdrop of all that darkness.

And for readers who have, what’s to come in the sequel?

It’s… a lot darker! In Children of Fallen Gods, our characters are dealing with an all-out war and the many moral horrors that come along with that. We also have a new POV in this book, a Fey warrior, Aefe, who is also dealing with her own brewing conflict across the sea, far away from Max and Tisaanah. It’s twistier, darker, and more action-packed than the first book, and I’ve had to apologize for this ending more than any other in my career, so… make of that what you will!

Where did the inspiration for the War of Lost Hearts series come from?

Daughter of No Worlds was a very unique writing experience for me, in that I wrote it completely for myself outside of any deadlines or external pressures. I will likely never get a writing experience like that again! At the time (and, honestly, still now), I was really struggling with the state of the world and how hopeless it seemed to make any kind of positive change. Tisaanah and Max formed in my head first as representations of two different approaches: Tisaanah, representing people who are wiling to engage with flawed systems in the hopes of ultimately doing good, and Max, representing those who remove themselves from flawed systems completely, but then can’t effectively enact change. The rest of the plot and the nuances of their characters grew organically from there.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?

I loved getting to dig deeper into the truly morally grey characters in this series. I’ll avoid getting into specifics to avoid spoilers, but there are several characters in this series who were both the most interesting and most challenging to write, and I really did not know quite how their stories would end (or what kind of endings they deserved) up until I wrote the final pages of the final book. Children of Fallen Gods is the book that brings these arcs to the forefront, and it’s my favorite thing about this particular installment.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

Children of Fallen Gods still remains the most challenging book I’ve ever written (and I’ve now written about twelve of them!). I wrote this while balancing a very demanding day job and very intense deadlines that turned out to be especially intense during the pandemic, which of course I had not predicted when I originally chose my intended release date in early 2020. So there were lots of logistical life hurdles that were really emotionally difficult to deal with, and then, on top of that, Children was the most complex book I’d ever written from a storytelling perspective at that time. So there was a lot I was teaching myself as I went about craft and figuring out how best to structure this story, which intertwined three different POVs through a fairly epic plot. I ended up rewriting the first half a few times, but I’m pleased with how the book ended up! Sometimes the best way to learn is to just go through it.

The finale, Mother of Death and Dawn, releases in March. Can you give a little tease as to what’s to come?

I have written seven books since Mother of Death and Dawn but I still think it may be the book I’m most proud of! You can expect it to be the most epic and action-packed book of the series, with a lot of emotional moments. You’ll meet some characters who have been mentioned but haven’t appeared, and everyone we’ve traveled with so far will – for better or for worse – get their ultimate ending. I hope you love it if you decide to pick it up!

What’s next for you?

I just wrapped up copy edits on the next Crowns of Nyaxia novel, The Lion and the Deathless Dark, which is coming out August 2026. After the holidays I’ll be diving straight into the grand finale of that series!

Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2026?

I’m a bit behind on this series, but I’m eager to read the latter two books of the Empire of the Vampire series by Jay Kristoff! I’m also very excited for the follow up to Brigid Kemmerer’s Warrior Princess Assassin.

Will you be picking up Children of Fallen Gods? Tell us in the comments below!