I love the Crowns of Nyaxia series and have devoured the first two books and novella and now Slaying the Vampire conqueror which might just take the lead to be my favourite book in this universe! Sylina and Atrius are now top of my list for most entertaining fantasy couples.

The mystery, intrigue and suspense intertwined with themes of duty, honour, religion and politics really kept the plot interesting and drove the characters forward, making their romance believable despite their enemy status'. The world in which Carissa builds this story is rich with an amazing and believable magic system based on the gods of their world.

There are some amazing moments and with its fast pacing, entertains throughout never leaving the reader bored. It also has some super emotional themes and events that I must admit made me shed a tear or two whilst reading as Carissa is an expert at drawing a reader in to empathise and build emotional ties to her characters.

I cannot rate this book highly enough and I would recommend it to any enemies to lovers spicy fantasy fans.

Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me to read this ARC via NetGalley!

Let me start by saying this book was incredibly addictive. It was one that I kept thinking about, and I used any opportunity to read it that I could. I love a strong FMC, morally grey characters, enemies to lovers, and a slow burn romance, so this book hit the jackpot with all of those tropes. This book was an amalgamation of all of my favourite things and it absolutely did not disappoint. The world building was incredible and I love that this book can be read as a standalone, but further context is given by the other books in the series.
The FMC felt a bit confusing at times, as her morals seem to switch multiple times, but overall it was generally consistent. The slow build up to the romance was great, although it did appear that Sylina was very quick to switch from guarded and defensive, to fancying the pants off of Atrius in what felt like a short space of time.
Overall, I did enjoy this book and Carissa gave us another great story, so I can’t wait to read more from her

Rating: 4/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

It felt predictable overall, but was still an enjoyable ride. I was fascinated by the magic system and the sisters.
I appreciated how the themes morality and justice was brought up. But really that it's. It was well written, and while I felt for and liked the characters individually, and could see the fondness between them, I'm not sure if I particularly cared about or was at all engrossed in their relationship beyond the plot. I think it was an interesting fanatasy with a romance subplot. But I wouldn't call it romantasy, because it focused on so much more than that.
This was my first Clarissa Broadbent book, and I'm a fan of her writing in general now, so I'm keen to look into more of her work. However, I think this book doesn't work too well as a standalone, and you would need to be reading the rest of the Nyaxia world series to really care about this one.

I cannot get enough of the world of nyaxia and this story was no different. Sylina and Atrius were damaged but complex characters and I was rooting for them the whole way through. In her usual way Carissa has me feeling all the emotions at least it’s not long to wait now till fallen and the next instalment.

Part of the nyaxia world but can be read as a standalone.

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is action-packed, tension filled and captivating.
I absolutely loved the badass FMC who is morally grey and simply put bloodthirsty! The MMC is a man of his word for sure and also morally grey. The banter between them is great and tension intense. The romance is definitely the highlight for me. Sometimes this genre does diverge from the plot for the romance, which is fine by me usually. But I found these parts of the larger world so so interesting I wanted more from the plot, battles and general politics.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

What can I say? Carissa is just a powerhouse and can do no wrong.

If there’s anything I love, it’s a dark brooding grumpy vampire who is but a cinnamon roll deep down.

This was high stakes, captivating, sexy and just addictive! Obsessed.

Ps. Isn’t the new cover just to DIE FOR?!? 🤤 🔥

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & the author for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Going into Slaying the Vampire Conqueror, I was excited for a dark, broody romance with high-stakes intrigue—and to be fair, the book delivers on that front. The world is rich, the tension is palpable, and Carissa Broadbent’s writing has an undeniable allure. But somewhere along the way, I realized I was enjoying the story more in theory than in execution.


Let’s talk about Sylina—our assassin-seer who is technically blind, except she can see through magical threads? The concept was cool, but it never fully clicked for me. And then there’s the whole mission-gone-wrong setup, where she gets herself kidnapped by the big, bad vampire warlord, only to… kinda join another cult? It was giving side quest spiral, and I wasn’t always sure if I was supposed to be impressed or concerned.


This was my first Carissa Broadbent novel, and while I never felt lost in the world (despite possibly jumping into the universe out of order), there were moments where things just didn’t add up the way I hoped. Still, there’s a lot to admire—the writing is atmospheric, the romance has some solid tension, and if you love enemies to lovers, you’ll probably find a lot to enjoy here.


That said, I don’t think I’ll be picking up the sequel. While the story kept me intrigued, I just never connected with the characters enough to feel invested in what happens next. I can see why Broadbent has such a devoted following, and I DO want to try her other books, but this one just didn’t fully sink its fangs into me.

I want to immensely thank the publisher for asking me if I was interested in read and review this book in advance.
I loved every single book in this series and Slaying the Vampire Conqueror is no exception.
This story shares so much suffering and misplaced faith with the previous ones I totally adored Sylina since the very first chapters. This character is more than actual, since we're living in a world where often people manipulate reality and create fear to make people believe and act in a determined way. Leaders search for obedience, no matter the cost, justifying their actions as right, while they're often condemning people to death, calling it "sacrifice". This book shows exactly that, in a very original and heartbreaking way.
I also adored how much Carissa stresses the possibility of a coexistence between different races, and seeing Sylina starting to trust and get along with Atrius and her vampires was gradual but beautifully handled.
And can we talk about the chemistry between her and the "Vampire Conqueror"? 5 stars.
I don't want to spoiler you, so I'll keep it simple, but if you're a fan of the series you won't be disappointed. That said: WHAT WAS THAT SECOND EPILOGUE?! ç_ç

*Arc*
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was so lucky to get to read this before it’s re-published date next week! I hadn’t read the original indie published version so cant comment on any changes but i can say that i loved it!🖤
@Carissa Broadbent knows how to write great stories! Everything she writes i will EAT up because damn - the main characters were great from the beginning, i fell in love with the side characters, the twist in the plot *chefs kiss* and the links to the rest of the world she’s built is so subtle but amazing when you know

This is a standalone novel so you don’t have to have read any of her other works but the characters are appearing in the next crowns of nyaxia book which im very excited about🤞🏻

I would recommend this series to anyone & will be harping on about it for a while! Thankyou so much @Pan Macmillan UK for letting me read this early 😭

Fun vampire book and I like the whole idea of seeing when not seeing. It was a pretty cool concept honestly but I expected the book to be a bit of stronger fantasy.

I loved this book so much! Compared to the other nyaxia books this was definitely unique!

Hate to lovers
Vampires
Good world building

I also liked that you can read this separate from the other books and still understand!

Well I kinda opened the ebook and just didn’t stop reading 😗

Carrissa has done it again!! I absolutely devoured this!!

I love stories from other continents from this world and that we get to read their stories before we see them in the ‘main’ books!!

This was beautifully written and I loved every single sentence! Not once was I bored and all I wanted to do was keep on reading about these two 😍
Their relationship build up was AMAZING and I loved that there was no miscommunication at the end and instead it was wrapped up nicely and just how the characters would act.

I love how with each novella or separate book we get a look at different gods of the pantheon, it really broadens the world and makes for such good reading experience with the main duologies in the series!🤩

Now I know we still have Fallen to read but I’m so ready to read about Septimus in the next duology 🤭

I’ve been in a reading slump but this book pulled me back in. Having read the first two books in the Crowns of Nyaxia series, but having a long break between reading those and this one I was worried that I wouldn’t grasp the world. Luckily, Broadbent’s world building and hints made it easy to remember the world and the complexities. The relationship between Atrius and Sylina was fascinating to read and I enjoyed the aspect of the cult which Sylina is part of, and the fact that as a lead she has no eyesight but relies on ”threads”. It’s rare you read books with a vision impaired lead and it made this book all the more fascinating. At times the pacing was quite quick and I’d have liked more depth, greedy as I am, but hopefully Atrius and Sylina will appear in future books and then I’ll get even more insight into their interesting relationship.

The Crowns of Nyaxia strikes again! I love everything written by Carissa, and this did not disappoint. I just want to stay in this world forever! Also live laugh love a murderous FMC

Might come back to this someday, but at the moment, this just isn't holding my attention at all and I'm not retaining anything.

I don't really feel anything for the characters and it's feeling quite repetitive.

✨️6/5 stars as always✨️

Carissa Broadbent just writes the most beautiful prose. She writes in a way where every now and then you put the book down just to admire the writing.

The story was well paced, Atrius is my new favourite vampire (sorry Asar), the romance was a great slowish burn and I stress-read the last 10% because as soon as the White Pantheon/Nyaxia puts their nose in the story you know it's going to be awful.

Guess I just sit here now and wait patiently for the fallen and the kiss of dusk. *impatience intensifies*

Carissa Broadbent could hit me over the head with her keyboard and I would say thank you. Wow. What a masterpiece this was, to get so much into a book that can stand on its own?! To explore grief, addiction, desperation so beautifully?? I’m in awe. Atrius and Sylina will now always hold a special place in my heart, and the fact they are going to play a role in the crowns of nyaxia series later on makes me SQUEAL with excitement and nerves. Take a bow Carissa, take a bow 🙇🏽‍♀️

“‘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.’”

Leí el primer libro de esta saga cuando salió hace años, y la verdad es que extrañaba muchísimo la narración de Carissa y lo épicas que son sus historias. Cada vez que la leo, solo puedo pensar: "Ya lo ha vuelto a hacer, menuda escritora tan increíble." Su capacidad para crear romantasys autoconclusivos que realmente valgan la pena siempre me asombra. Si te gustó Six Scorched Roses (su novela 1.5 de Crowns of Nyaxia), este libro también te va a encantar.

Una de las cosas que más me ha sorprendido es cómo, a pesar de ser un libro relativamente corto, el worldbuilding es completamente inmersivo. Desde el primer capítulo te atrapa y te sumerge en su universo sin esfuerzo, haciéndote sentir que formas parte de este mundo lleno de dioses, vampiros y humanos.
La trama política es uno de los aspectos más fascinantes, ya que amplía la perspectiva que teníamos sobre este universo y nos muestra nuevas capas de la relación entre las deidades y las distintas facciones.

Y, por supuesto, los protagonistas me han ENCANTADO. Son todo lo que necesitas en un romantasy: enemigos, badass e increíblemente magnéticos. yo leía y me quedaba en SHOOOOCK con la prota femenina!!! MENUDO PERSONAJAZO! (Y ncesit más desarrollo de Atrius, lo he adorado, pero me falta saber MÁS de su historia)

“I don’t think it was an offer. Offers can be accepted or rejected.”
“You can reject it.”
“But you’ll kill me after.”
He didn’t say anything. Just gave me a grim little half-smile.

Literalmente terminé la historia y solo pude pensar: "Necesito más de ellos." (Lo mismo me pasó con SSR, no os voy a mentir, jaja). La dinámica entre ellos es intensa y adictiva, con ese equilibrio perfecto entre tensión y química que hace que no puedas soltar el libro.
ADEMÁS, si te has leído el libro sabrás de quien estoy hablando, pero ESE PERSONAJE SECUNDARIO? necesita un final feliz, punto. No puedo vivir sin que Erekku tenga su final feliz. (si te gustó Lucien en el primer libro de ACOTAR, Erekku te va a encantar<3)

No quiero hacer muchos spoilers, pero si de verdad queréis sumergiros por completo en la saga más famosa de Carissa Broadbent, ¡leed este libro! Es una historia que logra ser épica, emocional y completamente absorbente en pocas páginas, y que sin duda deja con ganas de más.

“Close your eyes, child, and you will see an entire world.”

I knew I would love this before I’d even started, Crowns of Nyaxia is one of my absolute favourite series. But I am glad I’ve only just read it now, so I already had an understanding of the world and houses. I mean I would have loved it regardless but this story and the characters you meet add to the richness and complexity of the Nyaxia universe. Plus some you realise you’ve already met 👀

Sylina and Atrius 💕 I really enjoyed Sylinas POV, warring within herself with what she believed was right and allowing herself to really see the conqueror she had sworn to destroy. I related to Sylina in the way of thinking you were where and who you were supposed to be only to have situations arise that made you reevaluate and set you on a different path. She really went on an emotional roller coaster. But I’m glad she decided to make her own decisions and back herself. Here’s me trying not to give too much away 😂 but let’s just say dont believe all the stories about Atrius, you’ll love him just like I do.

The world was incredible, the story was intriguing and twisty and I love how it’s all connected back, I cannot wait to read The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk next to see how the story continues!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror completely sank its fangs into me, and I loved every second of it! Carissa Broadbent delivers again with a story full of high stakes, forbidden longing, and two characters who stole my heart.

Sylina is fierce, loyal, and utterly compelling, while Atrius is the perfect mix of terrifying and tragically complex. Their dynamic? Utterly addictive. I couldn’t get enough of their slow-burn tension and the unraveling of their truths. Plus, the deeper dive into the gods? SO GOOD. I think this might be my favourite in the series so far!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan, and the author for this ARC! Slaying the Vampire Conqueror releases on the 25th—you don’t want to miss it!