You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by stpe6480
Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent
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
3.75
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