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adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
✨️ undercover assassin
✨️ forced proximity
✨️ enemies to lovers
✨️ vampires
✨️ a curse
This was such a good standalone! The Arachessan and their ability to use the threads was a unique concept. Sylina was a relatable character with her humaness and how conflicted she was throughout the story. Atrius fell a little flat for me, I think he could have been a bit more in depth. The plot twist at the end was unexpected! 4.5 ⭐️
✨️ forced proximity
✨️ enemies to lovers
✨️ vampires
✨️ a curse
This was such a good standalone! The Arachessan and their ability to use the threads was a unique concept. Sylina was a relatable character with her humaness and how conflicted she was throughout the story. Atrius fell a little flat for me, I think he could have been a bit more in depth. The plot twist at the end was unexpected! 4.5 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Drug use
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, War
Moderate: Drug abuse
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
I enjoyed myself a lot reading this book and that enjoyment was increased due to the fact that I read it in the order it's supposed to be read in with the rest of the Nyaxia series. I thought this really gave a lot of information and set up for things that happen in later books within the series. I actually can't believe that this is technically optional reading.
But something that also shined in this book aside from the plot, were the characters! Since this was the first time we're really seeing the bloodborn vamps in a vulnerable way this allows us to see behind the curtain a little and makes me really excited for books 5 and 6 (not that I wasn't already excited before because I love Septimus).
But something that also shined in this book aside from the plot, were the characters! Since this was the first time we're really seeing the bloodborn vamps in a vulnerable way this allows us to see behind the curtain a little and makes me really excited for books 5 and 6 (not that I wasn't already excited before because I love Septimus).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, War
Moderate: Child death
This book is a soft DNF but I will definitely reread this book again in the future. Nothing wrong with this book, I promise. I ended up putting this book on paused & never look back because of other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out what makes some romantasy books hit all the right notes while others are just… fine. And then, I came across Brandon Sanderson dropping the perfect analogy: writers can either be chefs or cooks.
Chefs, as opposed to formulaic cooks, know why certain flavours work together, how to balance the spice, and when to throw in something to elevate the dish.
Carissa Broadbent is undoubtedly a chef. This is the 5th book I’ve read of hers, and can attest that she uses classic tropes like enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, Beauty & the Beast monster vibes and understands why they work, where to push boundaries, create layered compelling characters and how to build tension.
Take our FMC Sylina, for example. Sylina is a fighter. A survivor. She’s spent years trying to suffocate the parts of herself that don’t align with her faith, but devotion is a double-edged blade, and her cult isn’t quite the forgiving type. They won’t hesitate to chop you into tiny pieces if you break your vows. It makes for quite the dynamic when she’s sent to infiltrate a cursed vampire warlord’s army.
And Atrius, said cursed vampire warlord with big black horns, yep he’s horny 😏! But he’s less terrifying predator and more tragic cinnamon roll who just wants a hug but is too busy and too focused on the task at hand to ask for one.
And this is where Broadbent’s storytelling truly shines because what makes this book hit isn’t just the romance or the intrigue. She adds profound themes such as whether devotion is strength or a cage, whether fate is a force or a shackle. And it does it all while serving up a slow-burn romance with tragic backstories, women who are done playing by the rules, well portrayed differently-abled representation (Sylina has blindness but can still see using other means) and a story that cuts deep.
The re-release of this edition couldn’t have come at a better time, bridging the gap between The Songbird & the Heart of Stone and The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk, with the bonus Septimus chapter. Although you can technically read this as a standalone, or at any point in time in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Highly recommend picking up this edition of Laying, um I mean, Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, especially if The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk is on your radar.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Chefs, as opposed to formulaic cooks, know why certain flavours work together, how to balance the spice, and when to throw in something to elevate the dish.
Carissa Broadbent is undoubtedly a chef. This is the 5th book I’ve read of hers, and can attest that she uses classic tropes like enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, Beauty & the Beast monster vibes and understands why they work, where to push boundaries, create layered compelling characters and how to build tension.
Take our FMC Sylina, for example. Sylina is a fighter. A survivor. She’s spent years trying to suffocate the parts of herself that don’t align with her faith, but devotion is a double-edged blade, and her cult isn’t quite the forgiving type. They won’t hesitate to chop you into tiny pieces if you break your vows. It makes for quite the dynamic when she’s sent to infiltrate a cursed vampire warlord’s army.
And Atrius, said cursed vampire warlord with big black horns, yep he’s horny 😏! But he’s less terrifying predator and more tragic cinnamon roll who just wants a hug but is too busy and too focused on the task at hand to ask for one.
And this is where Broadbent’s storytelling truly shines because what makes this book hit isn’t just the romance or the intrigue. She adds profound themes such as whether devotion is strength or a cage, whether fate is a force or a shackle. And it does it all while serving up a slow-burn romance with tragic backstories, women who are done playing by the rules, well portrayed differently-abled representation (Sylina has blindness but can still see using other means) and a story that cuts deep.
The re-release of this edition couldn’t have come at a better time, bridging the gap between The Songbird & the Heart of Stone and The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk, with the bonus Septimus chapter. Although you can technically read this as a standalone, or at any point in time in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. Highly recommend picking up this edition of Laying, um I mean, Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, especially if The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk is on your radar.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan | Tor Bramble for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Colonisation
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thanks NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending me this arc!
I love Carissa Broadbents writing and if you are considering reading this one, you probably do, too.
This novel is set in the familiar world of the crowns of Nyaxia series - reading this series, however, is not necessary to enjoy the book, it just gives you a bit more context.
Sylina is a devoted follower of Acaeja, goddess of fate. After a traumatizing childhood she has dedicated her life to the goddess and joined the Arachessen, a cult-like following of Aceaja which follows the goal of making sure fate turns into reality. Joining this sisterhood demands sacrifices to prove loyalty to the goddess, which is the reason Sylina had to give up her eyesight as well as her past identity. Now, Sylina navigates the world by sensing threads and using these connections of fate and information to be able to "see" things her past self would have never been able to. This makes her a perfect assassin, now tasked with one big goal: to kill the Vampire conqueror who strives to take over her Sylinas native country of Galea. Her task seems simple: infiltrate the army as a seer, earn the conquerors trust and get close enough to kill him when the time arises.
However, as she joins Atrius' forces, she cannot help but notice that this brutal solider may not be the villain she expected. The once clear cut mission of killing Atrius is threatened not only by Sylinas connection to him, but more so by the unexpected moral questions that arise with their progress through the country. But the Arachessen are not tasked with moral judgement but with following the instructions of their goddess without questioning her motives. This forces Sylina to make a difficult decision: trust the goddess of fate she dedicated her whole life to or make a moral judgment of her own based on the facts presented to her. Either way, the decision may cost her dearly - maybe even her life.
I love Carissa Broadbents writing, so absolutely no notes on that.
Sylina is a complex and interesting character with a lot of backstory. We may not immediately understand every decision of hers, but her cult-like upbringing is a fascinating aspect of her character. Sylina is skilled, deeply flawed and has immense personal growth in this novel.
Atrius is pretty similar to the other love interests we met in Broadbents books. He is tall, handsome and has a disturbing past which leads him to the decisions he makes now. Whilst I do get his reasoning and am impressed with his moral code, his openness to critique and his reluctance to certain things, he still is a conqueror of another country. Again, I get his reasons and I kinda am a sucker for the "it pains me deeply but I have to do this" character but the conqueror-citizen of conquered state-dynamic is one I just don't feel comfortable with.
Relationship whise, I enjoyed following Sylina and Atrius whilst wishing we could have spent more time with them, seeing as there were lots of time skips.
The overall plot was good. I did not expect this outcome and was pleasantly shocked by it. The resolution to it made sense. I liked the structure of a moving army and the tactics behind it. I was especially pleased with the fact that vampirism was not really a plot point - it made sense for the overarching plot but the discussion of vampires-humans in the setting and relationship would have felt forced and is something we've read countless times before.
The world building was absolutely stunning. I really don't know how she does it every time. The magic system of the Arachessen, as was with every fellowship of the gods we saw in this series, was innovative, fun to read, unique to the goddess of fate and a great way to experience the story - not through Sylinas eyes, but through her magical senses. The world of Galea may be a bit overdone, which goes hand in hand with the "the conqueror is actually maybe not the bad guy" thing I already criticized, but I adored the dystopian settings of the different cities, the detailed descriptions of the buildings and the relationship between the citizens and its rulers. There is a lot of world building in this book and still I wished it to be more, it was, as always, breathtaking. I cannot wait for the release to go looking for fan art for it.
So why did I not give 5 stars? Well, the conqueror thing made me uncomfortable, but that is personal preference I guess. Additionally, I found some of the dynamics between Sylina and Atrius repetitive of those of other couples in the series. I know there are only so many ways one can write a vampire-human dynamic in a war-like setting and don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it, but it just felt pretty reminiscent at this point.
Overall thoughts: Stunning world building, unique magic system, solid relationship and a great writing style. You can enjoy this book with the added context of the crowns of Nyaxia series, which will probably reference the characters of this one in the third duet concerning the house of blood, or read it as a standalone.
I definitely recommend picking this one up if you love romantasy, intricate world building and a great time!
I love Carissa Broadbents writing and if you are considering reading this one, you probably do, too.
This novel is set in the familiar world of the crowns of Nyaxia series - reading this series, however, is not necessary to enjoy the book, it just gives you a bit more context.
Sylina is a devoted follower of Acaeja, goddess of fate. After a traumatizing childhood she has dedicated her life to the goddess and joined the Arachessen, a cult-like following of Aceaja which follows the goal of making sure fate turns into reality. Joining this sisterhood demands sacrifices to prove loyalty to the goddess, which is the reason Sylina had to give up her eyesight as well as her past identity. Now, Sylina navigates the world by sensing threads and using these connections of fate and information to be able to "see" things her past self would have never been able to. This makes her a perfect assassin, now tasked with one big goal: to kill the Vampire conqueror who strives to take over her Sylinas native country of Galea. Her task seems simple: infiltrate the army as a seer, earn the conquerors trust and get close enough to kill him when the time arises.
However, as she joins Atrius' forces, she cannot help but notice that this brutal solider may not be the villain she expected. The once clear cut mission of killing Atrius is threatened not only by Sylinas connection to him, but more so by the unexpected moral questions that arise with their progress through the country. But the Arachessen are not tasked with moral judgement but with following the instructions of their goddess without questioning her motives. This forces Sylina to make a difficult decision: trust the goddess of fate she dedicated her whole life to or make a moral judgment of her own based on the facts presented to her. Either way, the decision may cost her dearly - maybe even her life.
I love Carissa Broadbents writing, so absolutely no notes on that.
Sylina is a complex and interesting character with a lot of backstory. We may not immediately understand every decision of hers, but her cult-like upbringing is a fascinating aspect of her character. Sylina is skilled, deeply flawed and has immense personal growth in this novel.
Atrius is pretty similar to the other love interests we met in Broadbents books. He is tall, handsome and has a disturbing past which leads him to the decisions he makes now. Whilst I do get his reasoning and am impressed with his moral code, his openness to critique and his reluctance to certain things, he still is a conqueror of another country. Again, I get his reasons and I kinda am a sucker for the "it pains me deeply but I have to do this" character but the conqueror-citizen of conquered state-dynamic is one I just don't feel comfortable with.
Relationship whise, I enjoyed following Sylina and Atrius whilst wishing we could have spent more time with them, seeing as there were lots of time skips.
The overall plot was good. I did not expect this outcome and was pleasantly shocked by it. The resolution to it made sense. I liked the structure of a moving army and the tactics behind it. I was especially pleased with the fact that vampirism was not really a plot point - it made sense for the overarching plot but the discussion of vampires-humans in the setting and relationship would have felt forced and is something we've read countless times before.
The world building was absolutely stunning. I really don't know how she does it every time. The magic system of the Arachessen, as was with every fellowship of the gods we saw in this series, was innovative, fun to read, unique to the goddess of fate and a great way to experience the story - not through Sylinas eyes, but through her magical senses. The world of Galea may be a bit overdone, which goes hand in hand with the "the conqueror is actually maybe not the bad guy" thing I already criticized, but I adored the dystopian settings of the different cities, the detailed descriptions of the buildings and the relationship between the citizens and its rulers. There is a lot of world building in this book and still I wished it to be more, it was, as always, breathtaking. I cannot wait for the release to go looking for fan art for it.
So why did I not give 5 stars? Well, the conqueror thing made me uncomfortable, but that is personal preference I guess. Additionally, I found some of the dynamics between Sylina and Atrius repetitive of those of other couples in the series. I know there are only so many ways one can write a vampire-human dynamic in a war-like setting and don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it, but it just felt pretty reminiscent at this point.
Overall thoughts: Stunning world building, unique magic system, solid relationship and a great writing style. You can enjoy this book with the added context of the crowns of Nyaxia series, which will probably reference the characters of this one in the third duet concerning the house of blood, or read it as a standalone.
I definitely recommend picking this one up if you love romantasy, intricate world building and a great time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a enjoyable side story to the Crowns of Nyaxia series. The characters had good chemistry and I really enjoyed the plot line to this. I’m excited to see how they get introduced later on in the main series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Addiction
Minor: Death of parent
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall: 3.75/5
Writing quality: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World building: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5
This book. It was deliciously good. The FMC was capable, complex, and badass while still showing rarer vulnerable moments. Moments where she's had to reconsider everything she's known, everything she's felt, everything she's aspired to be. She does it in a very human way that I really appreciated. One character described her quite aptly:
"Beautiful. Mysterious. And an obvious, clear-as-the-fucking-moon mistake."
Then there the MMC, the Vampire Conqueror, who is known to highly skilled, ruthless, and determined to take over as many city-states as he can get his hands on. He plays dirty and kills anyone who gets in his way. But is that really true?
"Is there any amount of discipline that will stop you from crawling to water in the desert?"
The two get to know each other when Sylina is sent to assassinate Atrius. It wasn't a full enemies-to-lovers trope. It was more feelings of unease, doom, uncertainty, and a whole lot of vulnerability as they slowly revealed more about their true character. As their understanding of each other became clearer, their relationship shifted from opponents, to something like allies, to a beautiful romance.
"You shouldn't be here," This time he spoke against my mouth- not quite a kiss but the promise of one. I whispered, "Why?" "Because you make me ravenous."
I was SO ready to dive into book 2 to see how their relationship and influence in their lands progressed, and was quite devastated to see that it's a standalone. Carissa, how could you toy with me like this? This is the biggest reason I gave a 3.75 despite the wonderful characters and Carissa's always intriguing writing style. Sometimes the plot felt normally paced, and other times it felt like we were blitzing through to the end. The loose ends were tied up nicely without us actually seeing the long-term effects of the events in the book. I appreciate standalones, but the world and characters and politics were so rich that I think it would have greatly benefitted being a duology so there would be time to fully explore those themes, or even a 600+ page standalone book. Maybe I'm greedy. Who knows. But either way, it was still very much worth the read.
Writing quality: 4.5/5
Characters: 4.5/5
World building: 4/5
Spice: 3.5/5
This book. It was deliciously good. The FMC was capable, complex, and badass while still showing rarer vulnerable moments. Moments where she's had to reconsider everything she's known, everything she's felt, everything she's aspired to be. She does it in a very human way that I really appreciated. One character described her quite aptly:
"Beautiful. Mysterious. And an obvious, clear-as-the-fucking-moon mistake."
Then there the MMC, the Vampire Conqueror, who is known to highly skilled, ruthless, and determined to take over as many city-states as he can get his hands on. He plays dirty and kills anyone who gets in his way. But is that really true?
"Is there any amount of discipline that will stop you from crawling to water in the desert?"
The two get to know each other when Sylina is sent to assassinate Atrius. It wasn't a full enemies-to-lovers trope. It was more feelings of unease, doom, uncertainty, and a whole lot of vulnerability as they slowly revealed more about their true character. As their understanding of each other became clearer, their relationship shifted from opponents, to something like allies, to a beautiful romance.
"You shouldn't be here," This time he spoke against my mouth- not quite a kiss but the promise of one. I whispered, "Why?" "Because you make me ravenous."
I was SO ready to dive into book 2 to see how their relationship and influence in their lands progressed, and was quite devastated to see that it's a standalone. Carissa, how could you toy with me like this? This is the biggest reason I gave a 3.75 despite the wonderful characters and Carissa's always intriguing writing style. Sometimes the plot felt normally paced, and other times it felt like we were blitzing through to the end. The loose ends were tied up nicely without us actually seeing the long-term effects of the events in the book. I appreciate standalones, but the world and characters and politics were so rich that I think it would have greatly benefitted being a duology so there would be time to fully explore those themes, or even a 600+ page standalone book. Maybe I'm greedy. Who knows. But either way, it was still very much worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence
Minor: Animal death
slow-paced
An interesting story but it was a lot longer than i expected.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail