Slaying the Vampire Conqueror (Crowns of Nyaxia #2.5) by Carissa Broadbent
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: This is such a fun standalone novel set within the same universe as the very popular Crowns of Nyaxia series! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would even argue that this whole series is SO much better than other much more bestselling and well-known series that just had a new release recently but that I won't name.
This novel follows Sylina, who was taken in as a child to join the Arachessen, a cult of the Goddess of Fate. In exchange for their care, she has sacrificed her physical sight for a much more all-knowing type of magical sight, and been trained to become a disciplined killer, who follows orders at whatever cost. Sylina had good reason to make this choice to join the Arachessen, after suffering greatly through a traumatic and loss-filled childhood. The fact that Sylina is blind, but relies on a second sight, where she senses the life "threads" of other living things to navigate through life was an interesting and unique take that I haven't seen before in a fantasy book. I wasn't entirely sure how it worked, but I also am not sure readers were supposed to.
I love that Sylina and Atrius, despite all the odds, bond with one another over their innate desire to do good and be merciful. Both have suffered greatly and have no interest in senseless suffering of innocents. While this is technically enemies to lovers, it didn't feel quite that extreme, since Sylina was ordered to kill him but had no personal issues with him. The two seem drawn to one another almost immediately. I liked the quirk of Atrius's that he never acts a direct question but instead states an observation or fact to prompt information he wants. It just made him feel a little more unique and made his character stand out. I did wonder how this was going to work out long-term though, given Sylina is a human and Atrius is an immortal vampire.
I do wish more detail had been given about Atrius's back story! It is hinted at over and over, but his life story is not shared in this. It was hard for me to believe that Sylina can fully commit or feel like she knows him without knowing him better. While she shares a lot about her life and he inadvertently learns a good bit about her childhood, she is left largely in the dark. On a similar note, while I can't say I exactly predicted the great plot twist, it also was not at all unexpected. However, I wish this whole plot twist had been a little bit more fleshed out. How and why did this person come to be in power?
Finally, just a comment on this magnificent cover art, that shows Atrius in all his glory. My children had a lot of thoughts on this including: "Why does that man have horns?," "It's a little bit scary," and "It looks like the Descendants." Funnily enough, halfway through reading this on my kindle, the cover art was updated and removed the image of Sylina and Atrius embracing.
Stars: 4
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