Series · fantasy romance

The War of Lost Hearts

The War of Lost Hearts series by Carissa Broadbent has 4 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Daughter of No Worlds (2020).

Books: 4 books
First published: 2020
Status: completed
Last checked: 17 August 2026

Start here: Daughter of No Worlds (2020) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Daughter of No Worlds (2020)

Reading order

No reading order has been recorded yet.

About The War of Lost Hearts

The War of Lost Hearts is Carissa Broadbent's debut trilogy, the self-published series that built her readership years before Crowns of Nyaxia became a phenomenon. It follows Tisaanah, a con artist and refugee with a rare, forbidden kind of magic, who strikes a bargain with Max, a mercenary general bound by a magical geas, to buy her way into the Orders — an elite, brutal magical academy — and save her people. What starts as a transactional arrangement between two guarded, morally compromised leads deepens into an epic-fantasy romance playing out against war, political intrigue, and a magic system built on blood pacts and stolen power.

Published between 2020 and 2022, the trilogy comprises Daughter of No Worlds, Children of Fallen Gods, and Mother of Death and Dawn, with the prequel novella Ashen Son filling in Max's backstory. After Crowns of Nyaxia's breakout success, Broadbent's earlier catalog found a much wider audience, and Tor reissued the trilogy in new editions to meet that demand. It is not set in the same world as Crowns of Nyaxia.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in The War of Lost Hearts?

Three novels — Daughter of No Worlds (2020), Children of Fallen Gods (2021), and Mother of Death and Dawn (2022) — plus the prequel novella Ashen Son (2022). The trilogy is complete.

What order should I read The War of Lost Hearts in?

Ashen Son (prequel novella, optional) followed by Daughter of No Worlds, Children of Fallen Gods, and Mother of Death and Dawn.

Is The War of Lost Hearts connected to Crowns of Nyaxia?

No — different world, different characters, and no crossover. Both are Carissa Broadbent fantasy romances but The War of Lost Hearts predates Crowns of Nyaxia and stands entirely apart from it.

What are the Valtain Preludes and Valtain Testaments?

Two earlier, unrelated Broadbent series that the author has since unpublished, calling them early work she'd need to completely rewrite before rereleasing. They are out of print and not part of any current reading order.

Is The War of Lost Hearts finished?

Yes, the trilogy concluded with Mother of Death and Dawn in 2022 and no further installments have been announced.