Synopsis:
She was commanded to kill him with a single strike to the heart. She didn’t expect her own to betray her.
Sylina has sacrificed everything for her goddess–her soul, her freedom, her eyes. Life in service to the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate, has turned Sylina from orphaned street-rat to disciplined killer, determined to overthrow Glaea’s tyrannical king. But when a brutal vampire conqueror arrives on their shores, Sylina faces an even deadlier adversary. She’s tasked with a crucial mission: infiltrate his army, earn his trust… and kill him.
Atrius is a terrifying warrior carving an unstoppable path through Glaea. Yet when Sylina becomes his seer, she glimpses a dark and shocking past–and a side of him that reminds her far too much of parts of herself she’d rather forget. Sylina’s orders are clear. The conqueror cannot live. But as the blood spilled by Glaea’s tyrant king runs thicker, her connection with Atrius only grows stronger. A connection forbidden by her vows. A connection that could cost her everything.
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone fantasy romance set in the Crowns of Nyaxia world, full of heart-wrenching forbidden romance, dark curses, and epic battles – perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and the From Blood and Ash series.
Review:
I was sent a copy of Slaying the Vampire Conqueror in exchange for an honest review.
It’s safe to say I’m a fan of Carissa Broadbent and the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is a standalone in this universe, but don’t write it off as I’m pretty sure it’s going to be important later down the line – Broadbent does confirm that we will be seeing more of Sylina and Atrius in later books.
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is action-heavy, and it makes it a strong read. Sylina is an acolyte of Arachessen, basically a cult who follow the Goddess of Fate, they give up their eyesight and instead can ‘see’ through the threads of fate. It’s a cool concept and pretty much allows for Sylina to still be able to see throughout the book, so her blindness doesn’t really affect much. It’s arguably a plot hole as the ‘threads’ sight at the start of the book feels quite different from the one at the end. Atrius is of the House of Blood, a house we’ve encountered before but this time they felt a lot more human, rather than the more barbaric house we’ve met before.
I really did enjoy their romance. They’re both very strong and powerful people, and their romance felt like it happened naturally. Yes, you know they’re going to get together, it’s the whole point of the genre, but there’s something fun about watching the relationship unfold knowing that eventually they’ll get there. It’s not the sizzling romance from some of the other books, but I was rooting for them.
The story definitely stands on its own. Atrius is attempting to conquer Glaea, and the story follows Atrius as he sweeps across the kingdom. Sylina is tasked with stopping his march, but it becomes apparent that maybe this conquering force isn’t as bad as her people think it is. I really enjoyed seeing a lot of Glaea through this story, from it’s various warlords to it’s interesting cities. Broadbent has made sure that while the kingdom is cohesive it never feels like you’re in the same place.
We do get some new/built-upon goddess lore which I’m always here for. Plus we meet some of the goddesses and it made for a really great climax to the book. They’re a constant backdrop to the universe and I love any & all glimpses we get of them!
I’d say that this is a weaker book in the series, but I think it’s going to be important later down the line so it’s definitely worth reading. Broadbent introduces and wraps up the story really well in just 350 pages, while setting up for some important worldbuilding developments.
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