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[katara]

Slaying the Vampire Conqueror by Carissa Broadbent

Series:
Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers

Genre:
Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Vampires, Mythology, New Adult, Paranormal, High Fantasy, Supernatural, Dark, Spicy Romance, Standalone Series, Enemies to Lovers

Publication Date:
April 27, 2023

Read Date:
May 1st, 2023

Date Finished:
May 1st, 2023

Rating:
5 out of 5

Blurb:

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.

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. It is an installment of the heart-pounding fantasy romance series, Mortal Enemies to Monster Lovers. If you like forbidden romance, dark curses, bad*ss heroines, and morally-gray heroes, you’ll devour this sexy, addictive series.

Review:

I have not read any of Carissa Broadbent's books so I was a little hesitant to pick this one. The book starts out a bit slow. We do get some historical background for our female lead and glimpses of our male lead's past. But we also get some mythology woven into the story and I loved that a lot.

Vivi was plucked from the streets, made to give up her former life, given a new name of Sylina, and integrated into the Sisterhood of Arachessen, who many consider a cult, as an assassin. It is during one of her duties that she meets Atrius, albeit briefly when he and his warriors of vampires come ashore on the beaches. This forces Sylina to draw back from her plans and return to the Salt Keep. There, she is given a new job: get close to the vampire conqueror who is conquering their homeland and kill him.

As Sylina manages to infiltrate Atrius's army and become his seer, she finds she can no longer carry out her duty to kill him and now her heart is in danger of falling in love.

This book was an amazing read. The characters. The Mythology. The history. All this created by the author was amazing. I loved every bit of the book that I found hard to put down once the storyline really started getting interesting. Atrius and Sylina were beautiful together and I loved their interactions. I would love to see more of them later in the future.

Now I am not familiar with their world. Well, the vampire part of the world but I did hear that this is kinda connected to her series, Crowns of Nyaxia. I do plan to pick up the duology series just so I can understand this world a bit better.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I cannot wait to see what the next author brings to the table.

[ 460 ]

[katara]

The Savage Beasts of Salem by Cate Corvin

Series:
N/A

Genre:
Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Werewolves, Fated Mates, Dark, Abuse, Reverse Harem, Supernatural, Monsters, Spicy Romance, Insta-Love, Standalone, Why Choose

Publication Date:
December 9, 2022

Read Date:
May 3rd, 2023

Date Finished:
May 3rd, 2023

Rating:
4.8 out of 5

Blurb:

In the village of Vostok, no one enters the forest. Only the Beasts of the Wood prowl there, keeping us prisoner from the rest of the world.

As a Vessel, an ordained maiden of the church, I consume the sins of the village to free us from their hunger—at the cost of my own life.

But when the Beasts slip through my defenses to call me to the forest, they tell me this is not what my life is meant to be.

That the Vessel was never meant to consume them, but to live free alongside them—free of the church, free of the priests who have kept me locked up since the day I was born.

Free to give in to the primal desires of the Beasts.

I am no maiden, but their witch… and they demand the village answers for its crimes.

But breaking free from my chains might be the worst mistake I ever made.

Because it’s not the Beasts out there I fear.

It’s the vengeful beast inside me.

The Savage Beasts of Salem is a standalone dark fantasy romance novella, with monstrous, possessive werewolves, knots, and a heroine who embraces her feral side. For mature readers only.

Review:

I am not sure if the author intended this book to be a mix between The Handmaid's Tale and the movie Into the Woods. It is not a bad thing really because it fits the mood of the book. Our characters have been warned to stay away from the woods. Told that there were monsters in the woods that could harm them, even going as far as to kill them.

Our female lead, Salem, is abused daily by the Father of the church. Forced to drink food and tea to cleanse the village of sins. Women of the village are forced to marry men who abuse them and wear veils to cover their faces. They are not treated as equals, This seems to be the same for Salem. She is forced to do things because she is different from the others =- white hair and something inside of her that wants out. But one
evening she sneaks out to retrieve some herbs for one of the girls and finds herself faced with one of the wolves. He is not particularly happy to have her within his domain and tells her she is no longer allowed within. Unfortunately, she is caught by the Father and whipped. Something in her snaps and she runs off to the woods where she finds that the Werewolves they were afraid of are not exactly as they are portrayed.

I loved this book. I loved Salem and her harem of werewolves. There were times I wanted to smack her in the beginning because she did grate on my nerves. Although I understood her mentality of protecting the others, she also should have fled when she had the chance. Those werewolves would have been possibly able to do something, maybe even help in a way. But Salem does grow a bit toward the middle of the book and I was happy with that.

I would love to see more from this universe. Perhaps Freya?

[ 461 ]

[katara]

Demeter & Persephone by Justine Korman Fontes, Steve Kurth (Illustrator)

Series:
Greek Myths & Legends

Genre:
Mythology, Graphic Novel, Greek Mythology, Hades and Persephone, Romance, Ancient Greek Literature, Roman Mythology, Ancient Roman Literature, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Folklore

Publication Date:
December 1st, 2006

Read Date:
May 3rd, 2023

Date Finished:
May 3rd, 2023

Rating:
3.9 out of 5

Blurb:

This graphic novel tells the story of Demeter, the Greek goddess of the harvest, and her daughter, Persephone. Demeter rules over a perpetual summer on earth, where crops, trees, and flowers grow in abundance. Persephone, young and beautiful, unknowingly attracts the attention of the lonely god of the Underworld, Hades. Hades kidnaps Persephone, and a frantic Demeter searches in vain for her daughter. Finally, Demeter retreats to her temple in mourning. The goddess's sorrow causes the crops to die and the ground to freeze. The first winter falls over Greece. As people begin to starve, the other Olympian gods and goddesses try to convince Demeter to accept a marriage between Persephone and Hades. But Demeter will not give up her daughter forever to the Underworld. Finally a compromise is struck: Persephone will stay with Hades for half a year (winter). When she comes back from the Underworld to spend half a year with her mother, spring returns to earth.

Review:

The myth of Hades and Persephone has always been a favorite of mine. There have been so many tales even now the whole myth is being reimagined even in romance novels. Always made the two of them fall in love, but I always wondered if he did love her in such a way. I could only fathom that his desire to have her had been that his life below had been lonely. All the other gods had their other half beside them. Hades had no one other than Cerberus and Charon, but never a queen. So, I can imagine that the moment he had seen her that he decided then and there she was the perfect goddess to take up the role of his queen. Now tales always seem to be uncertain about the number of seeds Persephone consumes. One says three and others say six. It just depends on who you hear the tale from.

This novel follows the format of the myth surrounding Hades and Persephone. He sees her, goes to Zeus for permission, and carries her away from the ground above using the tactic of a beautiful flower to draw her away. In the Underworld, she sees Hades's world through different eyes. Meanwhile, her mother is searching high and low for her missing daughter, even going as far as to cast herself as an old crone looking for help. We do get a glimpse of another myth of Demophoon (another myth for another day). To make this story short, Demeter and Persephone reunite and of course, Persephone must spend a third of the year with her husband.

I had no idea that this graphic novel ever existed until just now. I was surprised to come across and yes, I had to have it. I liked the tale but it always felt underwhelming. The art and style were nice. I think the only thing I have against this was the fact that the whole who got what between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades drew lots. Zeus did not decide who got what. If one is going by myth, then this should have been a bit of an accurate account. I think that is the only thing I have against this novel.