Without my touch, people die. Screaming, burning from the inside out. A good person would want to save them.
I don’t.
In the empire of Khesere, magic rules. Those who can control it hold all the power, until that power turns on them and consumes them from the inside out. That’s where I come in.
I’m an Inert. The opposite of magic, and the one thing that’s sure to save a socerer’s life before their power burns them into pieces. I’m also a slave. Faceless, voiceless, and chained.
Now I’ve been given to the Lorem, the empire’s most elite group of sorcerers. Five men who represent everything that I hate in this world. They serve the emperor by carrying out his every whim. My enemies.
These men are nothing like I expected. Their hatred of the empire burns almost as bright as the fiery fate I spare them from. And every day that passes, they become less my enemies and more the love I always dreamed of having.
But the Emperor is looking for something, and as the Lorem search, his eyes fall on me too. The more magic I consume, the more he wants me for his own. My lovers will fight to keep me safe and in their arms, because if the Emperor takes me, he’ll never let me go.
Conquered is a medium burn reverse harem romance, which contains dark themes some readers may not enjoy. Content warnings are available on the author's website.
Devyn Sinclair writes steamy Reverse Harem romances for your wildest fantasies. Every sexy story is packed with the right amount steam, fiery hot men, and delicious happy endings.
She lives in the wilds of Montana in a small red house with a crazy orange cat. When Devyn's not writing, she spends time outside in big sky country, continues her quest to find the best lemon pastry there is, drinks a lot of tea and buys too many books. (Of course!)
This book was fantastic. It definitely tugs your heart strings. I felt so bad for Safiya throughout the whole book. She deserves so much better. When I reached the final chapter I was devastated. Can't recommend this book enough. Looking forward to reading book 2
So the writing itself isn’t terrible.. however it didn’t exactly pull me in either.. the words weren’t exactly jumping off the page. The world was definitely interesting, I think there was a lot of potential, and this could have been so so good, but it just fell short.. at least for me, anyway.
This is the most YA RH I’ve ever read.. the clit was referred to as “Astates Star” or something like that. Which was just weird for me. There’s no real heat, and there’s a huuuuge lack of passion.
The characters were just… boring. No life, no fire, no zest whatever word you want to use- they didn’t have it. In the beginning I really felt for Safiya, but it really didn’t go anywhere.. there wasn’t really any growth and by the end of the book (that I almost didn’t even finish) she was still the same scared, little mouse she was at the beginning. All the men are just soldiers doing what they’re told, pussyfooting around. If Safiya had zero growth, they went into the negatives for personal growth..
As I said, I think the story could have been amazing, but the whole running around the woods living in tents and looking at each other got old pretty quick. Especially when nothing was happening during all this time. Maybe if they stayed at the battle front things would have been more interesting..? 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I'm not entirely sure why I said yes when I was offerend this arc. The cover of course looks amazing, as most self-pub covers do, but the summary didn't really sound entirely as my thing. And yet, yet I grew curious. I grew curious about the world, where this story would go and I already read other books by Sinclair and liked those. So, eventually I decided that I was most likely gonna regret not getting it. It turns out I was right.
This book was amazing from the very first page until the very last. The atmosphere and the world were so incredibly well done, especially because Sinclair never loses herself in explanations or lengthy descriptions. She simply lets us experience the world. That means that in the beginning it's hard to follow what all the strange terms mean, but the more familiar with the world I got, the more all those terms started to make sense.
It's clear that this world has a rich mythology and an amazing history. Since the characters in this book were mostly traveling around looking for a magical artefact we learned quite a lot about said history and we got to see a lot of magical places. However, it still feels like there is a lot more to discover. It feels as if there is much more world to discover, much more Gods to get to know and much more culture to explore. I can't wait to do so in the next book!
And even though it feels like we don't know all the main characters that well either, it also feels like they've become very close friends to me. It's hard to explain. It's a feeling. The feeling that those guys can be trusted, that they each have been through quite a lot of pain, that they have so much more to show and tell us, but didn't dare yet. The same can be said about our heroine. And yet I love them and root for them to find a way to change this world and make it a better place.
4.8 stars. Damn. This was so much better than I was expecting. The culture, the world, the characters, the oppression Saf endures, the big boss villain… It was all so well written and I was absolutely glued to the pages from start to finish. It was darker than I expected too. Nothing is on page, nothing happens and nothing is really remembered on page either, but the hints at what was done to Saf are enough to be heartbreaking all the same.
It’s been a while since something like this has gripped me like that. I’m really hoping that continues into the other two books. I’m dying to know what the truth of everything is. How they resolve this mess we were left with at the end of this. Everything is just so engrossing, I want to know every detail.
PS: This was also single POV, which I normally hate, and though I was wondering what the guys were thinking at some points, I was content with just being in Saf’s head for the whole book. I think that’s the true test for me. I mean, I’m still hoping we get the guys’ POVs in the next books, but if not I’d still be reading and that’s really saying something, for someone who usually thinks single POV kind of ruins the book…
Inerts, like Safiya, are nothing and no one. Possessions stripped of their autonomy and their voices, meant to be used and abused however their magic bearing masters see fit. For the last three years Safiya has known nothing but cruelty and violence, her body and her ability as an Inert, vessels who absorb magic instead of creating it, used over and over again as she is passed from camp to camp.
All of that changes when she is given to the Lorem, the strongest sorcerers outside of the emperor himself, who surprisingly treat her with respect and offer her a modicum of dignity and the freedom that has been robbed from her when they can. The more time spent with the Lorem, Safiya remembers what it's like to be loved and cherished as she once was... But the emperor is watching. Safiya is now something he wishes to possess for himself, and that is all but a death sentence.
Conquered was freaking nuts and unlike anything I've ever read before. It's dark and Safiya's situation is beyond fucked up, but I am hooked and cannot wait for more of this series!
I loveee Safiya. What she went through was gut-wrenching and i was heartbroken for her. I love that the MCs were gentle despite supposedly being the cruel kalo. I love just how equally great the characters were 🫶🏼
The plot and world-building was great too 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼and that ending was just brutal! It’s been awhile since a book has me like this. Hehe Time to read the next one 😙🤞🏼
DNF 59% The men have no discernible personality. There was a whole power imbalance thing with the Lorem and Safyia. I mean, I got it at first, she’s a slave ofc they have the power. But then they did nothing to change it. They didn’t even try to remove the chains while the keeper was asleep or the gag to talk to her on moments alone. They were just ok with it? At one point they do take the gag and chains off and she begs one of them (I can’t remember which because they were all the same man in my mind) to not put them back on and he sighs and still does it??!!
At this point I was just pissed off and hated them all. There was barely any smut or character development.
This book was okay. I DNF’d it at like 80%…not because I didn’t like it. I just got bored. I was easily able to see how the series would end up playing out and so the story lost its appeal.
I have to admit, this is my very first story by Devyn Sinclair...and my, my did it blow me away!!! Conquered is the first book in the Inertia series. This was such an amazing story! The world building and character development was completely phenomenal. Safiya had such a rough life and has been through so much trauma. Since she was an inertia, she was viewed as a lower life form, a slave, that is viewed as property and not an equal. She's been beaten, broken, abused for a very long time. It's completely heartbreaking. Not gonna lie, I teared up a couple of times. Her men, the Lorem, swoop in to save and protect her. I mean, who WOULDN'T want five hunky men to be there for you. Anyways, I'm definitely invested and hooked. I can't wait to read more!!
This was a weird one to rate because it isn't a clear cut 3 stars. The first half was a 5 star and then the second part dragged until about 85% and was more 2 star and the last 15% was somewhere around a 3. Starting off it's such a great concept! If you're at all aware of the guideverse, that's basically what this is, just with different terminology. For those who don't know what the guidverse is, it's similar to Omegaverse (If you don't know what Omegaverse is, sorry, you'll have to look elsewhere to pull that thread) in that there are designations. There are magic users(kinda like alpha) and magic dampeners (kinda like omega). In this book, the Kalo (magic users) need an Inert (magic dampener) in order to ground out the build up of their magic, which they of course do through touch, most often times sex. If a kalo uses too much magic without grounding themselves they can implode whereas when an inert reaches their limit, if they don't stop drawing in magic they will shatter. The higher the rank of the designated the more magic they have or can absorb without imploding/shattering. Anyways, now that you understand the concept, let's get into what did and didn't work about this for me.
The heroine is a slave Inert. The ruler of the land, the Khasar is a conqueror who has made all Inerts his property and there is a bounty to find them and turn them in. They've basically been revoked of their personhood and are called "it" and forced to basically be free use slaves for the Kalo to ground themselves. I really liked this world building here, you get a really good picture of the misery and tension she feels at all times. She is sent with her Keeper, who is basically her slaver to the front line to serve The Lorem which are the top 5 highest magic users in the land. She's shocked that when she gets there, unlike everyone else she's been in contact with, they DONT immediately want to rape her. Instead, they come in and just touch her hand or her forehead and ground themselves this way. She has been made unable to speak due to an enchantment placed on her as part of her slavehood., so she can't really question why they're doing this. They refuse to let her Keeper call her and "it" and basically just treat her like a person. She doesn't know if she can trust it at first and so she's relieved, but wary that at any moment, the other shoe will drop and she'll be back where she was. I love a good bully romance, but it was nice for once that there were men who treated her like a queen after all the abuse she'd had. After a few days of travel, she's kidnapped by one of her old masters/abusers and the Lorem come and kill him and rescue her, this starts a sort of shift in her thinking and she slowly starts to trust them. Unfortunately, this is where the book started to lose me. The first issue was that there were just too many MC's. 5 is just too many to be able to feel connected or really get to know any of them as individuals, especially with the size of the book. You would need to at least make that part of the book 40% longer in order to really flesh out each of them as characters and considering it practically dragged anyways, that would be a disaster to keep interesting unless you're a phenomenal writer. It was so bad that 60% of the way through the book I couldn't even remember all their names and by the end of the book I could barely remember their names and couldn't remember who she actually had sex with and who had done what. They all had very thin, somewhat empty backstories and character building that was fine the first half of the book, but really started to show in the second half, especially since they were on the road the entire time on this vague mission. They all were almost instantly in love with her and it never really made sense why. There was a trauma bond for sure and some sort of fated mate quality to it that was never really explained, but maybe will be in future books. While at first I loved that they treated her well because it was really what the character needed, it soon started to drag because there was no push or pull, no tension or character development and it just felt like something needed to happen. It made me understand why a book can't have two people just be like "Hi I love you!" "Hi, I love you too!" it's sweet, but just not that interesting for 35% of the book. Since so much of her trauma was tied up in sex and the characters were one dimensional, the sex scenes just felt like a snoozefest to me. The whole romance/relationship part of this book just failed miserably. Things finally started to pick up when it's basically confirmed that the heroine is an infinite Inert, the only one in existence, which means she can take in infinite kol(magic) without shattering. This is her worst nightmare because she knows that means the Khasar will want her for himself and she'll be bonded to him for the rest of her life. The Lorem vow to do everything to protect her, but here we have yet another issue with the story in that they have no real plan. All the characters just seem to be flying by the seat of their pants and so their promises seem very empty considering almost all of their families have been killed by the Khasar already. They couldn't save most of their families, but somehow, someway they're going to save some girl they just met? Okay, let's see how that goes. Then the Khasar makes an appearance and orders them back to the frontline. This is where I realized the story was fundamentally flawed for me specifically. They reach the front lines and in the 3 chapters we get to see and interact with the Khasar, he's FAR more interesting than all 5 of the MC's combined. Sure he's evil, but he has personality! He's cold, calculating and callous, but also a little bit charming. You wonder what he's planning. He's kinda described, physically at least, in a way that reminds me of Commodus from "Gladiator" (young Joaquin Phoenix). He's also more powerful than all 5 of the Lorem and much more intelligent. They all seemed like little boys who were running around trying to make sure Daddy doesn't get angry. This is such a turnoff for me, especially in a romance book. I want to feel like the MC's are the biggest, baddest around, not scared errand boys. After all the promises they made to the FMC about protecting her and never letting her fall into his hands, it was pretty pathetic that they took her to him in the first place instead of just running then. Then when he ordered them to go fight, they just left her alone at camp, knowing he was there and just...trusted him when he said they could keep her for now. It was so blatantly obvious he was going to take her. Then the FMC, in her SECOND stupidest moment ever (the first being in a flashback when she SANG IN PUBLIC with soldiers hunting her kind down) decides to attempt to run away again and starts SCREAMING their names even though they left, just so she "could tell them she loved them one last time". She got like 10 feet 😂🤦🏼♀️This fucks things up in a couple ways. Up until this point, the Khasar knew the Lorem weren't being entirely honest about her abilities, but he didn't know that they a) had removed the enchantment that kept her from speaking, which was a direct violation of his orders b) were in love with her and vice versa. (it's punishable by death to love an Inert because they're not supposed to be people). So in yet another moment of emotional lunacy, she basically condemned them all to death. If she'd just kept quiet and did what she was supposed to, yes, he would have still taken her, but at least then the Lorem would have had a larger advantage and been able to plan a rescue attempt without actively being hunted down. That's where book one ends with them on the run and her being taken by the Khasar and me feeling incredibly disappointed that a story with such amazing world building and potential fell flat. I'm still super interested in the world and the story and curious how it ends, but if I'm being honest, I'd rather there be a romance with the Khasar, which is definitely not going to happen, so there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of motivation for me to keep reading. I know that I'm sorta biased against RH's to begin with, but this is one book that I really think needed to be either a single MC or possibly a menage, if both characters were well developed. I started the second book, but when my issues with the first book were amplified in the second book, I decided to call it quits for now. My curiosity in the story and world may pull me back at some point, but for now I think I'm good.
I really appreciate this book and its interesting world building! A lot of originalty here, action, steam, and suspense!
We follow here Safiya who is an Inert. Her power is to ground kalo who detain magic but need to be grounded otherwise they would burn to death. Safiya lives in a world ruled by a ruthless emperor, the Khasar. Under his rule, Inert are nothing but things destined to ground kalo and being abused. They don't have any right and Safiya being the most powerful Inert, she's chained and watched by a Keeper. But when she's assigned to a powerful group of kalo, the Lorem, her life changes and she begins to hope.
I like Safiya and how resilient she is. This girl has been through hell and she's still brave and didn't give up (totally). Some of her story may be triggering so be careful! 🙇🏻♀️
The guys are interesting characters and there is a bit instalove here. They're not what they seem. In a world where everyone suffers from the Khasar cruelty, they understand more than everybody what Safiya has been through.
The book ends on a cliffhanger but luckily the next one has already been released! It promises to be darker and I already feel bad for Safiya😢
4.5 - When I first heard about this book I reeeally wanted to read it right away, but I had also heard that it ended on a hell of a cliffhanger. I’m soooo glad I waited. I’ll tell you, the last 15% of this book had me more on the edge of my seat than I’ve been in a long time, therefore I’m so glad I can pick up the next one as soon as I’m done writing this review. That just goes to show how invested I am.
I had two small issues. 1) Since this is a series, I felt like the love connections could have been more drawn out. It was a little fast for me, but not enough to bother me too much. 2) The MMCs needed to be either introduced slower or more distinct, probably both, because I’m still not sure who is who.
Houveram pontos positivos no livro, que foram os motivos que me fizeram prolongar a leitura até os quase 70% do livro, sendo eles: • Achei bem interessante a questão de a mocinha ser impedida de se conversar, porque trouxe algo diferente dentro das problemáticas de se abrir e de desenvolver a relação amorosa entre a mocinha e seus parceiros. • Gostei bastante da história acontecendo ali, ainda mais quando percebi que o livro já se iniciava num momento em que a guerra já vinha acontecendo, coisa que normalmente acontece perto do meio para o fim dos livros. • A fantasia criada dentro do livro é muito bem feita, interessante e detalhada, de forma que você consegue ver o empenho da autora, já que só a fantasia em si já te faz ficar viciada no livro. Quando combinada com o desenvolvimento de mundo, torna a história bastante envolvente e viciante, prometendo um potencial gigantesco de fantasia. Mas infelizmente falhando, por conta da forma como foi trabalhada as relações amorosas da mocinha. • Não consigo dizer o quão revoltando foi ler todos, exceto os mocinhos, se referindo à mocinha como "it", algo que conto como positivo por conta de a autora ter sabido colocar isso de uma forma que causasse revolta, que mexesse com nossas emoções.
Pontos negativos que me fizeram abandonar a leitura: • Achei o desenvolvimento das relações amorosas da mocinha com os Lorem muito apressada e também acontecendo do nada. Eles mal tem contato com ela, apenas a tratam bem, como um ser humano, e isso por si só já parece ser motivo para ela se abrir completamente pra eles, aceitando beijos, toques e coisas bem mais profundas que começam sem nem mesmo haver um tempo de desenvolvimento da relação e para eles se conhecerem, e que piora ainda mais quando eles a levam para as tendas deles e já começam a pegação do nada. O que seria aceitável, se não se tratasse da história de uma menina que é uma escrava, que dentro dos seus abusos está o sexual, situação que ela vem passando por três anos, e eles, de certa forma, sendo aqueles que estão no cuidado de manter ela nas algemas. Como do nada ela supera o trauma desses abusos, e com algumas palavras mansas e um pouquinho de tratar ela normal, ela já está pronta pra só ter alguns tremores aleatórios de medo, mas depois já ir para algo mais sexual? Não faz sentido. • E enquanto estamos falando dos abusos que ela sofreu, acho que todo autor tem o dever de trabalhar aquilo que ele ou ela se propõe a colocar dentro do seu livro, ainda mais quando se trata de um tema tão problemático. E eu senti que não houve um trabalho por parte da autora em contar ao leitor sobre os traumas, ajudar a mocinha a lidar e superar eles, iniciar novas relações mais lentamente, até que haja a confiança em seguir em frente aos poucos e então os mocinhos ficarem juntos. Tudo que eu vi no quesito de trabalhar o assunto, foi ela falando de alguns sustos, tentando se convencer de que eles são bons, depois em alguns momentos que ela resolve que quer deixar isso pra trás e logo depois já inicia a questão de se abrir sexualmente para os Lorem. E digo mais, não teve nenhum aspecto que pudesse "desculpar" essa conexão automática, nenhum vínculo de parceria, nenhum chamado da natureza, nada. O que me fez, enquanto eu lia, achar tudo muito forçado, corrido e até mesmo falso, o que é bem triste, considerando que o livro tinha um potencial gigantesco de ser maravilhoso, já que a criação de mundo/fantasia, beira o impecável. • E talvez por conta dos dois tópicos anteriores, a relação entre a mocinha e os Lorem acaba não trazendo emoção, não faz o leitor se conectar e torcer por eles, já que não nos envolve. Acho que o que melhor explica é que o harem dela não tem paixão, calor, parece mecânico. • Outro aspecto que me incomoda muito, e que ainda cabe dentro desses tópicos, é que o leitor nem mesmo tem tempo de conhecer as personalidades de cada um dos mocinhos, de forma a conseguir diferenciá-los e entender cada um, o que só prova o quão apressado o livro é. • Algo que não muda muita coisa, mas achei bem desnecessário, afinal não tem sentido, é renomear o clitóris. Muitos termos diferentes, que já é o caso dessa história, acabam criando confusão na cabeça do leitor, então se torna supérfluo renomear algo que não terá peso para a história. • A maioria dos arcos e problemáticas criados vão sendo resolvidos muito facilmente, sem peso, o que tira um pouco do mistério e vontade de ler o livro. • Tudo acontece muito rápido, fazendo com que os acontecimentos não tenham peso e deem a sensação de serem apressados e mal trabalhados. • Não houve crescimento, até onde li, de nenhum dos personagens, todos eles continuando da mesma forma, seguindo as ordens do governante. Não houve nem mesmo um pensamento de revolução, de lutar contra tudo aquilo que eles estavam passando por. A mocinha continuou da mesma forma também, apenas aceitando a possibilidade de voltar a ser escravizada e abusada, como se ela tivesse esquecido de tudo. Foi literalmente um "perda de memória na base do pau". • Os mocinhos tinham discursos que não batiam com suas ações. Em que diziam fazer tudo por ela, gostar dela e afins, mas não movendo nenhum dedo para mudar o possível futuro delas, apenas aceitando o que estava por vir.
Obs: lido em inglês.
Personagens principais: Safyia/Valéra, Tristan, Adrian, Roan, Mor, Kestrel e Meriah.
3,5☆ Sorprendentemente bueno. Hay construcción del mundo, una fantasía bien hecha y un sistema bastante bien desarrollado, no me lo esperaba pero se agradece. Y aunque el enamoramiento se siente un poco apresurado, se entiende, no me desagrada.
Conquered, the first book in the Inertia series by Devyn Sinclair is a medium burn reverse harem fantasy/paranormal romance that was impossible to put down! Sinclair truly outdid herself with this amazing new magical dystopian type world full of phenomenal characters and a storyline that sucks you right in! What can I say—Sinclair is a master at world building and this one was no exception!
In a world where magic runs strong through those “blessed” with the ability to channel it, it can also burn and destroy the users if left untampered, so those strong enough to will the mighty power (Kalo) have basically taken control of the world and enslaved those with the power to absorb and burn the magic safely—the Inert. So when a tyrannical new leader with unlimited power takes over the lands, it’s no surprise that instead of being honored like they once were, the Inert are now enslaved. Having lost all rights, privileges, their families, their names and even their voices the Inert are treated like possessions to be used when needed and are oftentimes abused and mistreated.
Safiya, our beautiful FMC with a tragic past, is one of the Inert living in captivity for three years before finally being “given” to the Loren, five of the strongest Kol wielders around. Fearing they will be just as brutal, if not more as the previous Kalos that used her, she soon discovers these men are different than she imagined and Safiya finds herself drawn to them—and the safety and promises these five gorgeous men bring with them. Because they too understand what it is to lose everything and be forced to do the unthinkable…
In a tragic world where all hope was once lost, I loved how these five men were able to slowly build Safiya back up to realize she did have worth—even if it couldn’t last forever. I loved the slow build of their connection mentally, but how their magic seem to know right away that they were meant for each other. The level of detail Sinclair put into making this magical futuristic world and creating such fantastic characters and a story with such an intriguing plot definitely makes this a must read for any fantasy slow burn RH lover! And that ending?!? I need the second book like NOW!!! Utter perfection!!!
In a broken world where power/"Kol" is everything, nothing is of importance unless the Emperor/"Khasar" says so. Being an Inert (someone who expels the Kol), Safiya is a slave with no voice, no dignity and no future. Being passed around from different Kalo's (people who can hold power) and expelling their Kol with whatever mean they need or see fit in forcing her, she has finally come to the realization that after 3 years of this life, she has shielded herself and learned to cope. When she meets the Lorem (5 most powerful Kalo's, under the Khasar) things take a turn she did not expect.
Adrian, Kestrel, Mo, Roan and Tristan still believe in the old world, of when their wasn't so much war and Inert's were not slaves. When people didn't have to fear of looking over their shoulders. When they are gifted with a new Inert, Safiya didn't expect the kindness. She didn't expect to be treated as a human being...what's more is when she starts to develop feelings for these men, she never expected them to develop feelings back. When their journey takes them through different trials and tribulations their illegal bond only grows stronger.
When word is around that the Khasar is in need of a powerful Inert, everyone knows Safiya is the one. Can the Lorem keep her safe? When these feelings turned into more, were they all prepared for the outcome of what loving an Inert can do? Can the Lorem stop this war, keep their girl and turn the world back to the way it was before??
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I couldn't stop turning the pages. This is a great story that I need more of. Safiya's story is so heartbreaking that you cant help but sympathize with her. I have such high hopes for our FMC and am excited to see how this all plays out! I'm hoping for more character development between Safiya and the guys in the next book. I understand the circumstances, but it still feels like they barely know each other and I get more insta-love vibes.
*Overall 5/5 *Heat? 2/5 *Med/Slow Burn *First person POV (Safiya only) *Triggers (check before) *Ends on cliffhanger
Warning: There are some triggers in this book, rape, sterilization, abuse, manipulation, and slavery.
Why do my favorite authors like to ravage my soul? Conquered is the first book in Devyn Sinclair's Inertia series, it's a high fantasy reverse harem that is filled with magic and danger. This has to be the darkest book Devyn has ever written. She hits a lot of serious issues in this book.
The story is told from Valera's perspective, she's a slave and Devyn doesn't lighten that aspect because this is a fantasy, Devyn projects a very real picture of slavery. Valera's life is not her own, she can't even dress herself, she's treated as an object and not a living being with intelligence, emotions, and a soul, referred to as it, instead of she. Valera is a fighter, she's survived years of abuse without giving in to the misery that is her life. She finds the beauty in the little things and still manages to have a kind heart after all the trauma she's been through.
In this world, the Inert absorb extra magic from magicians who are called Kalo. The Kalo that Valera encounter in this story isn't like any she's come across. Tristan, Roan, Kestrel, Moreadh, and Adrian (Tristen's twin) are all good men whose power haven corrupted them. They treat Valera with respect, shows her kindness, and much more. I love the way they love Valera, it shows in everything they do.
Devyn created some magic with this book. It's filled with unique magic, gods, and ancient ruins, and is rich in culture. She does a fantastic job with the lush descriptions of feelings, scents, places, and politics. The magic system is so detailed and the ancient sites had vivid histories connected to them. And then there is the threat of the Khasar (King) that is looming over the entire continent that he's conquered. The king is pure destruction and greed and his presents is like death looming and he wasn't even present. It was all very impressive.
Conquered was a fantastic read but it has left me emotionally raw. It wasn't a light read but it was worth it. The ending of this book has left me completely and utterly devastated. Like, why? I need the second book as soon as possible to heal my soul, I can't wait to find out what happens in Captured.
Ennesimo libro che parte tra grandi speranze e si infrange in un nulla di fatto. Tra l'altro i primi capitoli presentavano una storia con un potenziale enorme, purtroppo nel resto del libro non succede praticamente niente. Avrei compreso e giustificato la monotonia della trama, se l'autrice avesse impiegato tutto il primo libro a costruire il mondo in cui si svolge la storia, compresa la situazione geopolitica, visto che questo è un mondo occupato da qualche anno da un sadico tiranno. Se avesse caratterizzato bene i personaggi, raccontandoci anche del loro background, di come sono stati costretti a entrare nelle fila del nemico. Se avesse costruito il legame che unisce Safiya ai 5 stregoni in maniera naturale e graduale, invece ci ritroviamo lei innamorata di loro perché sono stati gentili e non l'hanno violentata, e loro innamorati di lei nonostante per quasi tutto il libro le sia impossibilitato comunicare a causa di una magia che le impedisce di parlare e scrivere. Tra l'altro per quasi tutto il libro sono in viaggio, con Safiya sulla carrozza insieme alla sua guardiana e loro a cavallo che fanno strada, Ma quello che mi ha convinta a non continuare questa serie è stato quando la protagonista racconta a uno degli uomini ( non so chi, sono praticamente irriconoscibili l'uno dall'altro ), di essere stata stuprata da mezzo esercito e 3 righe dopo fanno sesso. Come ti viene in mente di mettere una scena di sesso subito dopo che la tua protagonista ha raccontato di essere stata violentata da diverse migliaia di uomini? E' una cosa che mi ha fatto ribrezzo. Ho chiuso tutto e cancellato il libro dal mio dispositivo.
Safiya is an inert, the opposite of magic and the only thing that can save a magic wielder from burning from their magic. She's also a slave, faceless and voiceless in the direction her life takes. She's given to the Lorem, a group of sorcerers who serve the emperor, and represent everything she despises. At least, until she spends time with them and realizes she may actually be in love with them. But the emperor has his sights set on her as she consumes more magic, wanting her for himself. Will she be torn away from the men she's grown to love, or will they rise up against their emperor?
Devyn Sinclair is back again with a new book and I am living for it! This author knows how to deliver a book that packs a punch, with a dark reverse harem romance that keeps you wanting more.
Safiya has a heartbreaking story, and her life undeniably less than great. But the romance she gets to have with her men was steamy and also sweet. They come to care for her and want to protect her, even from the emperor **swoon**.
I loved the pacing of this story. We have enough action throughout so there is never a lull and we get an even amount of spice to plot.
Mind your triggers and be warned this does end on a cliffhanger!
I'm going to be honest and say the book summary did not really interest me, but after seeing this book recommended in a social media book group I decided to give it a go. I'm SO glad I did! I was absolutely absorbed with the story and while I felt a little confused by the world building I realized it was slightly confusing because it's so different than anything else I've been reading lately which left it as a HUGE plus for me!
Would recommend if you like: 🔹 Paranormal/Fantasy Reverse Harem Romance 🔹 Harem of powerful and protective men 🔹 Abused FMC who is overcoming her trauma 🔹 Evil dictator big baddie 🔹 Magic users with unique magic systems 🔹 Treasure hunt-esque storyline 🔹 Beefy book 1 (talkin' 500+pgs! Yes, please!) 🔹 Some spicy scenes that are NOT fade-to-black but are also not overly graphic
I 100% rate this 5 stars! Also the editing was SO GOOD. I'm someone who can get totally derailed by constant typos or poor grammar and I honestly did not notice any issues in this book so bravo for that!
I'm not saying I really enjoyed this book, but I really really enjoyed this book. Kalo's (think of them as magic-users), use Kol, but if they use too much it can burn them from the inside out. So in come the Inert, someone who can ground the Kol used by the Kalo and disperse it within themselves. The Inert were one revered and loved, but now they are nothing but slaves. I was pulled into this world from page one and I let it drag me kicking and screaming with each page I turned.
The FMC, we find out is called Safiya has a heartwrenching story. She's been used and abused by many Kalo, treated as nothing but an animal. I mean even then animals are probably treated better in the fact they get names. The Inert don't, they're objects to be used and nothing more, their voices stolen from them. That is until Safiya is given to the Lorem, a group of elite Kalo. Powerful men, who can use a lot of Kol, but need a stronger Inert to be able to handle their groundings.
I loved each guy in this, they are all so different. Their personalities, their backstories. Just everything about them. It kept me intrigued as they tell their stories to Safiya in their own time, each having a different story about why they are where they are.
There is a cliffhanger ending, but I honestly can't wait for the next book in the series. I will be getting it as soon as it's available because I can't wait to dive back into this wonderful world created by the author, Devyn Sinclair
Safiya (FMC) is an inert which basically makes her slave to Khasar. Their power hungry Ruler. The result of which means that shes passed from pillar to post to help the Kalo control the excess energy Kol which is a dangerous problem for them. Its also an opportunity for the majority of the people shes sent to too abuse her. She literally has no say in any of it mainly because they took away her ability to speak.
So when she ends up in the hands of the Lorem - Tristan, Kestrel, Mor, Adrian and Roan (an elite band of soldiers) she finds a different kind of treatment from them. One of care and kindness. I liked the relationship that they had. It was sweet and endearing even if they were constantly having to watch their steps in case they were found out. This was a pretty good read and that cliffhanger ending was just knockout! I loved it
Quite an interesting world here, where power is everything and the Khasar's word is law. The concept of having Inerts, individuals who are enslaved with the sole purpose to expel the Khol, was interesting, but at the same time heartbreaking as they were being treated as mere objects.
Safiya has been passed from one person to another, where her power has been exploited. I was infuriated with the fact that most referred to her as 'it' - outrageous. When she is given to the Lorem, things feel different for the first time as the five warriors see the person behind the veil and for the first time in years, she starts to feel like a human being.
I am interested to see where all of this goes and whether the Lorem would be able to keep the post powerful Inert away from the clutches of the Khasar.
I haven't read many books by this author but i have to say that this one is a unique one! I have to say that in the beginning of the book i had a bit of a difficulty getting into it as i was not understanding what i was reading but slowly i started understanding and getting into it. It's really a brand new story about Inertia and Kol filled with magic and strange lands. It has triggers so read the warning before you do. Fast paced with lots of action this story is one to hold you captive in its pages. I truly read it in one sit and i can't wait for the next book
A different type of book on magic where the character is able to absorb the magic of others. Safiya is known as an inert she is a slave and despises those who use her. However she meet 5 sorcerers who change her mind. This book has it all. Can she find her happiness or will the emperor keep her for himself and use her to build his power.
4.5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed Conquered! My heart absolutely broke for Saf, what she’s been through and continues to face as an Inert, constantly fearing the possibility of being forced to serve the Khasar. The five Lorem were such a great addition, and I loved how they connected with her over their shared trauma. It made their bond feel so much deeper. The ending was a bit predictable, but overall, I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.
This is such an intriguing read. I found myself drawn into this incredible world that the author has created from the very beginning. Set in an empire where magic rules and those who hold and control magic have all the power unless it takes over and consumes them. That’s where our mc comes into the picture. Safiya Is a slave and an inert who is the opposite of magic and so saves the sorcerer before they are destroyed. It’s an intriguing dark fantasy reverse harem read that’s full of danger, full of tension and also a little medium romance. The five men in the harem are also intriguing and captivating and I look forward to getting to know them better in the next book.