The Slayer's Song

by T.M. Chavez

All monsters must die. Or so the Order demands.
As a Slayer of the Ardent Blade, Vane Valkinar has never hesitated to name evil and cut it down.
When vampires killed his fellow Slayer, Tory, vengeance became his only anchor, leading him to a vampire bound to the monster who murdered her. He expects answers, then execution.
But the moment she says her name, his plan falls apart, for Meira is a casualty of the same night everything was taken from him.
She wants her freedom. He wants her master’s head. But neither of them expected to want each other, too.
To save her, Vane must defy the Order he’s served all his life and risk something more dangerous than exile. Because the longer she stays at his side, the harder it becomes to remember she was meant to die by his hand—and the more he longs for a life where she never was.
He already failed Tory. He won’t fail Meira.

327 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2026

Reviews

[Dark Books]

Favourite quotes:

“All my life, I’ve lived it for someone else. Everyone else’s wants and needs were always put over my own.”

“Promise me that you will follow your heart, not your sword.”

“This is some shit profession you’ve got, by the way”

“Please ride me into oblivion”

***
ARC Review. No Spoilers.

It's been a while since I read this book and I'm so happy it's finally here to be found and talked about! It has become one of my all-time favourites!

This book was something completely different from what I expected and in all the best ways!
The first thought I had after finishing (besides trying to stop crying) was how lucky I am that so many beautiful and heartbreaking stories keep finding me.

This story touched a question that sits very deep in me, one I’ve been struggling with myself. Seeing these characters carry that weight and transform it into something else was exactly what I needed at this moment.
I felt sad, joyful and… tired, because I couldn’t let myself sleep until the book was finished.

The world itself is unique. The worldbuilding unfolds in a perfect rhythm, with no classic vampire myths or familiar elven magic. This universe has its own rules, its own system of life and the writing is smooth and captivating.

The book isn’t thick, yet it felt like reading 900+ pages of a soul’s journey.
At first, I expected something like dark Buffy vs. vampires, but make it male. What it turned into instead completely surprised me.

A slayer. A powerful one. Marked by visible and invisible scars, buried pain and a mission. In a cruel world, a heart that, deep down, longs for warmth. Walking difficult paths doesn’t always feel like growth, but sometimes it’s exactly what makes a person stronger...
The past is lost, yet the future feels like a place being prepared for someone else.

MMC Vane… I honestly feel like I could just hug him and hold on tight. His history, his heart, his strength and… talent. I wish fate had been gentler with him, had cherished his soul more… but then he wouldn’t be the man he is.

Meira, the FMC… I’ll just say this: she is a mirror and a crossroads. A light in the darkness, shaped by humor, personality and realness.

Vane and Meira together… They are salvation and liberation. Heights and depths. Fire and water. Epic and right. They are one.

This is one of those books where it’s hard to believe it’s a debut. And I feel incredibly lucky to carry it now, both in my mind and in my heart.

Thank you @booksirens for this ARC - this. Was. Epic.

Dark Fantasy Romance • Supernatural • Enemies to Lovers • Revenge • Humans / Vampires / Elves • Slow Burn • One Bed • 1st person POV • Debut • 18+ / TW

⭐ 5/5 | 🌶 1/5

[Cotta_Catto]

Pros:
- action and adventure
- enemies to lovers
- has a map < 3
- easy to 'hear' the characters' voices
- okay pace
- age gap : 3
- rich backstories
- good world building
- has some good banters : >
- has some funny scenes : >
- has wholesome scenes and ending ♡ v ♡ )

Cons:
- the mmc and fmc (I'll explain later)
- has lots of events and can be tedious to read but you can read it by chapter- i do think it was well written for the most part
- not really a con but check the trigger warning in author's note... because some events can be really graphic (honestly thats a pro for me lol. I have an active imagination... and having some events play like short videos in my head is a plus for me but yeah check your triggers)

Anyway.. the story is good and i do think the adventure aspect is awesome... tho... i think the pace picked up at the second half. And i do not know if it's a good or bad thing.

There's a lot of awesome fight scenes!!!
The unraveling of the past was done well.
But the trauma bonding 💀

"How many more people do i have to bury?"
Oh poor baby

Okay.. my problem with the main characters is inconsistency. Maybe it's just me, but even tho it's easy to hear their voices, it felt like they changed half-way through. I mean yeah that can happen through trauma bonding but by the second half of the book... they felt like different people. Like the trauma bonding part isnt fleshed out and it kinda just happened so it felt weird. The build up to their 'relationship'/ romance felt rushed for me. And that sucks because the chatacters drives the narrative and ... it just felt weird.

(This 'savior' - 'survivor' dynamic is like the dynamic of Rosen and Ian in the webtoon comic 'Your Eternal Lies' ... ah but that comic is very slow pace compared to the one in this book but the slow pace worked for that comic. I just kinda wished the pace for Vane and Meira was somewhere in between since it's too fast now but it is still an adventure book so... it would've been okay to just slow it a little more not all the way to the pace of Your Eternal Lies)

I kinda hated that Vane lowkey became a simp or a glorified male lead. Like where's his past self? Where's his ticks and psychological unconscious responses in the first few chapters 😭
I really wanted to rate this 4 stars but their change was off putting. Sorry.
I'll rate this 3.5 stars

So yeah all things considered, my favorite characters are Alowuin and Feylyn 💀

My favorite scenes: Feylyn scene and errr drinking while exploding lol ahahaha
: 3
~~~~~~~~~~

My favorite quotes/dialogues/lines:

"I came here to kill a monster. So why did these townfolk look at me as if i were one?"
- Vane

"The thing about beauty is that no two people perceive it the same way"
- Ruven

"Her barbed words were like shards of glass and i didn't care at all for the reflection that stared back at me in the fragments"
- Vane

"A man who listens more than he speaks tends to put the needs of others before his own"
- Meira

"I've always admired your strength, Vane.Not just in your ability to wield your sword, but when you choose to lower it"
- Winstad

"She was my violin. I was her bow. And her music is just as sweet, if not sweeter"
- Vane

"A man's own selfishness construes and shifts his perspective"
- Emrys
~~~~~~~~~~
I received a copy via Booksprout and this is a very volitional review.

[Stina Bradley]

The Slayer’s Song by T.M. Chavez was an adventure inked between pages, one of those stories that pulls you in before you even realize you’ve stopped breathing. The book opens by following our MMC, Vane, a slayer, and the title is exactly what it promises. He is paid to hunt and protect people from dangerous creatures, but there is so much more to him than his blade. Vane is broody, rough around the edges, and often downright mean, yet beneath that hardened exterior is a man drowning in grief. His mourning adds an emotional depth to the story that made him feel real and layered, and I found myself completely invested in his journey. He wasn’t just a warrior fighting monsters, he was fighting himself.

One of my favorite things about this book was the world-building. I love when authors create worlds that truly feel new, not just recycled versions of places we’ve already seen a hundred times. And yes, I know people say all fantasy does this, but that simply isn’t true. This world felt fresh. The creatures were unfamiliar, intriguing, and sometimes unsettling, and the setting felt like somewhere I had never visited before. Chavez’s imagination shines here, making the world feel vast, dangerous, and alive.

The romance is present, but it never overshadows the story, which I appreciated immensely. It weaves naturally into the plot instead of overpowering it, allowing the adventure, mystery, and emotional growth to remain at the forefront. The pacing keeps you turning pages, and just when you think you know where the story is headed, it surprises you.

If you’re looking for a book that will take you on a true adventure, pull you into a new world, and keep you guessing with its twists and turns, The Slayer’s Song is absolutely worth picking up. This is a story for readers who want danger, heart, and discovery all wrapped into one unforgettable journey.

[Frances Liberti]

Our story opens with the Witcher…I mean, the Slayer doing just that.

Okay, so obviously the story almost instantly gave Witcher vibes (from someone who has not read the books, and has only seen the show when it came out…however long ago that was). I received a copy of this books through a Goodreads giveaway and honestly didn’t remember anything about what made me enter so I went in to the story almost completely blind. And I wanted more from the story. With it existing in a fictional, fantasy based world, I wanted to know more about it, the history, the cultures, the belief systems. Tell me about the nuances of society that has multiple species. Tell me about the curses in more than just a throw away sentence or two. Is it a pansexual world but only heterosexual couples are ever mentioned? I just wanted more of the world.

I felt the book, for the most part, had a very slow pace…but a lot of action and truly, very little time within the story actually passing. I felt no chemistry between our two main characters. And for being called “Slayer’s Song,” there was no music until 3/4 of the way through the book.

So yeah, it was a good book. But I wanted more.

[Bailey Nichole]

“Buried beneath the weight of bloodlines and blades” - Our hero thus emerges

It doesn’t read like a debut novel. Theres complex characters, good pacing, and solid action. We as readers are really thrown into the thick of it, but the following chapters have a familiar ebb and flow of fighting, backstory, and a budding romance.

I do think that I expected it to be more about the destination rather than the journey, but it was woven so well that im not disappointed in the slightest.

THATS IT??? THATS HOW IT ENDS????? No destination at all and ends on a cliffhanger. I will need the next installment immediately thank you very much. I am heartbroken that the relationship between the two twists the way it does at the very end, but it was worth the journey and HOPEFULLY there will be time to rebuild in a sequel.

Trigger warnings:

- self harm

- Suicide

- Child abuse

- Sexual assault

Thank you to Booksirens for this free ARC that I have willingly and happily written this review for.

[Abigail Archer]

Review of advanced copy received from the other.


OMG, this book!!!

It reminded me a bit of Percy Jackson with how fast-paced and action-packed it is, and also of Daughter of Smoke and Bone with its complex characters and love interests that are, well… enemies.

This book had me crying and giggling at the same time. I absolutely loved Meira’s witty personality and Vane’s calm, collected demeanor. Their opposing traits added so much depth and tension to the story!

My all-time favorite tropes are slow burn and enemies-to-lovers, and I’ve always been drawn to Elves, Vampires, and Wolves. So it’s no wonder I was completely hooked—this book had it all!

The author’s writing style is clean, elegant, and incredibly engaging. I never once felt bored while reading.

If you’re into action-packed stories with enemies-to-lovers romance and supernatural elements, adding this book to your TBR would be doing you a favor!

[Ayla]

I really enjoyed this book even if it took me quite a while to read. But that had more to do with my daily life than anything else.

It was interesting and the author painted up the world and its surroundings beautifully. From detailed descriptions of the world and the scenery to the characters emotions and actions

The start was a bit slow but never boring.

I was a bit bummed about the ending though that's why it didn't reach all the way to 5 stars. But then again it didn't really need more either. Everything was that was going to happen for the story to end was explained.

I received an advance reciew copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I guess I would love for there to be a sequel but at the same time I'm not sure it's needed… But I am patiently waiting for more books feom this author no matter if it's a sequel or something else!

[consumedshadow-mysticmc]

This delightful debut novel kept me entertained and suitable amused right up until its end. T. M. Chavez carefully weaves together characters that feel real and easy to connect with. I especially liked how accepting and adaptable the leading male character Vane was in this story. The poor guy has been through so much, and still manages to maintain his humanity and kindness.

Meira and Vane are unlikely companions that really bring the narrative to life. I am looking forward to reading more of their adventures.

***** I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I received the copy through BookSirens.*****

[Anna Longsdorf]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. I’m really excited to see where the author takes this story in the next book. While I thought the writing was a little simple, it was very easy to read and I finished the book in 3 days. I think the dialogue could use some tweaking to make it sound more genuine. I love the character arcs for the FMC and MMC. Chavez is a very talented author and I’m excited to follow her career.

[Jennifer E Blizman]

An unusual take on fantasy, pairing a vampire and an elf, The Slayer's Song tells the story of an unlikely duo finding each other, losing each other, and finding each other again. I found the main storyline a bit slow, but thought the interweaving of the backstory of Vane to be well done. I did enjoy the twist at the end and am intrigued to see where the story goes in the next book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[T.M. Chavez]

I am the author, and therefore, my opinion is biased. I wrote what I love, and my hope is that many will love it, too.

[Grem Reeds]

An ARC was freely provided to me by the author - thank you!

A good debut with a lot of heart, but I feel needs some more meat on the bones. But, oh, the bones are there, and they're solid.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4) | 🌶️ (1)

Please keep in mind that although ARCs don't often change much, if at all, before publishing, this review is based on pre-released content.

This clocks in at 320 pages/80k words, and I would have devoured this within a weekend even if it had been a 200k+ work. Normally, for my issues with the story, I'd rate it at three stars - but the bones, the effort, and story are all so clear, I can't drop another star. I love it, I just want more! I'll be re-reading when it's properly published, and despair over the fact that I'll then have to wait an indeterminate amount of time for the sequel.

The writing is solid, the fight scenes are tight as hell. The characters are clear, the main faction(?) is developed a decent amount - I hope we come back around to it in the next book(s) to learn more!

A lot of past and current trauma of the main characters is expressed, and it was done so well. General trauma, SA, self worth, and more - the characters use it as a tool, and it's something I don't see done well often, so I was delighted.

On the other hand, in general the book reads closer to YA, subject matter aside. I'm not quite sure what it was that made me feel that way, but it was there. It may be related to the following.

Onto the bones vs meat part, and why I would normally have dropped the rating to three stars, but have chosen not to. I felt most things were too quick. The word "rush" doesn't quite fit; it evokes the feeling that an author didn't care. The story isn't shallow! The bones were there: the plot points, the twists and turns, the emotional and character growth, the drama. I still... I'm finding it hard to explain. I felt more like I was reading an outline, rather than a fully fleshed out story. Still, the love the author has for this story and the characters, the care they take with this story, comes through every page.

This is a debut, and so I'm looking forward to following along and seeing the story, and author, grow.

The Slayer's Song has a planned publication date of September 15, 2026!