Quick Thoughts: Slaying the Vampire Conqueror (Crowns of Nyaxia #2.5) by Carissa Broadbent

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror

(Crowns of Nyaxia #2.5)

by Carissa Broadbent

March 27, 2025

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Review

I absolutely devoured Slaying the Vampire Conqueror! It’s my first book by Carissa Broadbent and I’m hooked! She’s a master storyteller. I can’t wait to read more of her books (aka the rest of the Crowns of Nyaxia series!).

What I Liked:

- the lore/history of the world

- smooth writing that kept me reading

- an intense story that was fast-paced and engaging

- the doomed lovers feel to the romance

- characters with depths

- both Sylina and Atrius kept me guessing on what they'd do

- Sylina following her mind and staying true to herself

- stoic and noble Atrius

- enemies-to-lovers

- riveting relationship development

   - the slow falling as Sylina and Atrius got to know each other

   - magnetic push and pull

   - his tenderness reserved only for her

   - her seeing his soft, tortured side

   - sexy and spicy

- so much devastation but also hope

- the “good” people winning

The Not So Much:

- only that I want more!

“Maybe it just meant that anger was the antidote to fear.” (p. 277)