Lira steal's princes' hearts. Literally. She lures them into a trance-like state with her siren song, and drags them down to the bottom of ocean where she rips out their hearts. After failing to steal Prince Elian's heart, the pirate prince also known as the "siren killer", Lira's mother, the Sea Queen, turns her into a human in punishment, and commands that she retrieve Elian's heart, or stay a human forever.

Are you getting Little Mermaid vibes from that description? Good, because there is a definitely Little Mermaid inspiration here, though it's definitely more Anderson than Disney (for examples, sirens turn into sea foam a few moments after they are killed). There's also some Greek mythology (I feel like this is the origin of sirens, but I only say that because of the Odyssey), but the influences, while noticeable, are integrated nicely, and the world-building game in this book is super strong. Elian and Lira travel to several different kingdoms, and each kingdom has its own flavor and customs. There's also some cool mythology around sirens vs. mermaids vs. mermen, and I really loved where she went with the mermaids in particular. It was a version of mermaids that I had never read before.

Elian and Lira are both complex but likable characters (if you like your heroes of anti- or bloodthirsty variety, which, I DO). Initially, Lira is a stone-cold killer. She was raised to be one, and the fact that she could be anything but a stone-cold killer after her upbringing is kind of magical. As the book develops, she learns more about humans and begins to *gasp* kind of like them. Her character development and growth are a main theme throughout the book, and Lira's maturation is slow enough to develop seems plausible.

Elian was also fine; he mostly serves as a foil to Lira, and it's fun to see his opinion of her change as he slowly learns more about her. There is a bit of romance between them, but as they are at odds for most of the book, its kind of a forbidden romance which is a trope that I love when done right (needless to say, it was done right here).

Amazing worldbuilding, great characters, no sequel - what's not to love? If you are into pirates or mermaids or lux worldbuilding, you'll enjoy this book. 4 stars - I really liked it!

Thanks to Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley for the eARC for review consideration. To Kill a Kingdom will be released on 06 March, but you can put your copy on hold today!

"To Kill a Kingdom" is a wonderful YA fantasy about a siren and a pirate. Told in alternating points of view, we follow Lira, a deadly siren known as the Princes' Bane, because she takes the heart of a prince each year, and Elian, a prince of Midas who would really rather be a pirate, hunting sirens throughout the waters around the 100 kingdoms. Lira is under her mother, the Sea Queen’s thumb, as are all the other ocean creatures, sirens and merfolk alike. Someday, she will receive the trident that has the eye of Keto and gives the user immense power with which to rule. For now, she must do her mother’s bidding- which includes taking the heart of a prince every year on her birthday. This is why she has 17 hearts buried under her bed.

In this story, sirens are beautiful while merfolk are a grotesque combination of fish with a little humanity. Sirens need their beauty to lure humans to their deaths- they sing and captivate them into drowning, taking their hearts just as they die. The hearts then lend them some power and become part of them. However, it does not seem that they need the hearts to live. The Sea Queen has tentacles and magical powers through the trident she carries (think Ursula in the Little Mermaid). She does not care for the lives of her subjects (including her daughter) and merely for the power she holds. Thus, she seems ready to get rid of her heir and keep the power to herself. Latching on to a small mistake of her daughter’s (taking a heart one month early), she imposes many punishments- the worst of which is to make her into a weak human and set her out to do the impossible- take a prince’s heart without her siren powers.

Although Elian is a prince, his life really happens on the sea with his loyal crew. He has a magic compass which can tell him if someone is being truthful and a magic knife that absorbs the blood of sirens and kills them quickly. When sirens die, they return to the sea (their bodies become sea water and sea foam), and this maybe makes them seem easier to kill to the Captain (Elian). Things are about to change when he finds a woman about his age floating in the middle of the ocean all alone. He immediately jumps in to save her, and finds that she is somehow less than grateful and a little spiteful.

Lira is trying to accomplish what her mother has asked her, but the longer she spends with the humans, the harder it becomes. She finds purpose in the quest they have set out on- to find the other eye of Keto, which could match the Sea Queen’s power and end her tyranny. Along the way, she also learns about her own humanity, which she was taught to suppress, and what it means to be human.

Overall, it’s a poignant and really fun fantasy that you can easily lose yourself in for a day or two (because you won’t be able to put it down)! The action builds until the end, and I thought at first that it might be a series, but everything is wrapped up in the end. I actually wish it could be series, because I loved the premise, this alternate magical world, and all the characters- primary and secondary- they were all very well crafted. I highly recommend this book for YA readers of all ages. Aside there is fantasy violence and deaths, there is one attempted sexual assault , but it is not too descriptive/does not get far. While it might be better for older readers, younger YA readers may also enjoy this enthralling fantasy novel.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I was pretty much over fairy tale retellings but this one just sounded so interesting, I had to give it one more shot, and luckily I was not disappointed. It was dark and thrilling and kept me guessing as to how it was all going to turn out at the end, that I found it hard to put down.  It is hard to believe that this is a debut and I hope to see a lot more by this author in the future.

The story is told from both Lira's and Elian's point of view.  There might be slightly more narrative from Lira, but that is okay as she is the one whose character goes through the biggest changes.  I really liked that we got to see both sides of the story, and how both characters thought that they were doing the right thing to save their kingdoms.  There is of course a romance that develops between them, but it is slow to develop and it is done really well.  It is also not the main focus of the story, which was very refreshing.

Lira, as I said before, has the most growth as a character in this book.  Which is not too surprising.  Not only does she go from being a siren to a human, which understandably turns her world upside down, but she goes from being someone who her mother wants her to be, ie. ruthless and evil, to a young women who wants to make things better for both kingdoms.  Elian has a lot to do with this change, but their are other characters, namely the other pirates, that also help her on this journey.  

While Elian's change and growth is not as huge as Lira's it is just as important.  As he gets to know Lira, his views on how his world works also changes.  He also begins to see a world that is much different than what he originally wanted.  I also liked that Elian also had a duality to his life, he is both a Prince and a pirate.  He understands his duty as a prince, but he longs to live on the sea and continue his quest on the sea.  I really liked that they both had two different lives and that they both needed to reconcile those lives to be happy.

I loved the world that the author has created here.  There are many possibilities for future stories set in this world.  There are a lot of different kingdoms (I think there are 100) and they are each unique and have some fascinating characters populating them.  We only got to see a small fraction of these kingdoms, but each one was more amazing than the last.  I really hope that there are more books coming set in this world. 

Overall this was a great retelling of the Little Mermaid, that was dark and glorious.  It was fast paced with just enough twists to the story that it kept me guessing to the end.  I will definitely pick up other books by this author in the future.

* I got this book from the publisher and gave it 4.5 stars*
I really enjoyed this book a lot. I thought the plot was mostly very fast pace and engaging. I thought the end of the book had some slow parts but I still really enjoyed it. I thought the character and the world building was the highlights of the books. I really loved the duel POV that was got in the story and loved the morally gray characters that we met. I really loved the siren mythology that we were exposed too. I would def read more by this author in the future. It is the first mermaid/ siren book I read with a strong focus and it made me exited to read more!

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.

The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

What I Liked:

I hadn't known much about this book before I received it in the mail from the publisher, so I wasn't sure I was even going to read it. But the allure of sirens was too much for me to resist, so I decided to give it a shot. This story seems to be a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid, which, despite what people say, is actually a pretty empowering story of choice. I enjoyed that story, and I enjoyed To Kill a Kingdom. I'm also a huge fan of this being a standalone, because I love standalones!

This is the story of Lira, a deadly siren princess, and Elian, a deadly siren hunter. Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen, the siren queen of the ocean. Lira has the hearts of seventeen princes, and she is known as the Princes' Bane. When she kills an eighteenth prince a month before her eighteenth birthday, the Sea Queen punishes her transforming her into a human, and giving her what seems to be an impossible task: bring the heart of Prince Elian, notorious siren hunter and heir to the throne of Midas. Prince Elian is at home at sea, not in a kingdom. He hunts sirens because of their bloodthirstiness when it comes to humans. He doesn't suspect that the strange girl he saves from drowning is not only a siren, but the siren that has tried to kill him before, the infamous Princes' Bane. Elian agrees to let her stay aboard his ship, because she says she has crucial information that will help him on his quest to find the Crystal of Keto, which has the power to destroy the Sea Queen. He wants the siren reign of the sea to end. She wants to destroy her mother. They share a common goal, but what happens when Elian finds out who Lira really is?

This book is told from dual POV which I wasn't expecting! I thought it would be told solely from Lira's POV. But we get to read from Lira's first-person POV, and Elian's first-person POV, which was cool. I loved seeing the story progress from each of their perspectives. You can slowly see how their opinions of each other change, which was a gradual and subtle thing.

The story starts with Lira killing her eighteenth prince, but a month too soon. So she is punished, transformed into a human, and left at sea. Elian and his crew find her by chance, and pull her aboard. Little do they know that this is a siren-turned-human, and the very one that once tried to kill Elian.

Lira is bloodthirsty and power-hungry, a true siren princess at the start. She wants to appear inhumane and vicious, and she is definitely both of those things. Being transformed into a human and losing her siren powers isn't at all what she wants, but that won't stop her from taking Elian's heart. But the longer she spends with him on his ship, the less she wants to kill him - which she doesn't realize, at first. How did she go from wanting to kill him with no remorse, to saving his life not once, or twice, but three times? I liked seeing Lira's character development, from a spoiled and cruel princess, to a more human, empathetic girl. She still has all of her determination and will, but she starts to realize that Elian's heart isn't what she needs or wants, and doing what her mother wants her to do isn't the right thing to do.

Elian is similarly afflicted by duty and expectation, but in his case, he doesn't want any of it from the start. He doesn't want to be the heir to the Midas throne, and he wants being a prince. He'd rather be captain of his ship full-time, and live at sea. Elian hunts sirens to protect his people. He has a noble heart, and yet he is every inch a pirate prince. He is charming, cunning, roguish, sneaky, and daring, and he has no concern for his safety. I loved his quick wit and humor, and his selflessness. He sacrifices everything for everyone else. He is a warrior and a pirate and a very clever prince.

Elian and Lira together? They are hilarious, like fire and ice. They bicker and clash from the moment they meet. Lira is determined to hate him (obviously), and Elian doesn't trust her (she is a stranger at sea to him), and yet they slowly begin to like each other. There is plenty of banter and exchanges of wit, and some subtle tension between them. The romance is there, though very subtle, but I liked seeing it unfold. Elian and Lira are a cute and fierce pair - but equally strong and equally capable.

The climax of the story is two-fold - finding the Crystal of Keto, and of course the big confrontation with the Sea Queen. I won't give any details, but the climax has a lot going on and everything happens very quickly. The author does a good job with the pacing of the story in general, but I did find the climax to be very quick, and then the ending occurred.

The author did a great job with the world-building and storytelling. Like I said, I think this is loosely based on The Little Mermaid, with Lira being Ariel (turn "Ariel" backwards and you basically get Lira, and Elian and Eric start with the same letter). I loved this! This story is wholly its own though, with Lira being a siren (not a mermaid - there is that distinction), and Elian being much more than a one-dimensional love interest).

The ending is a good one! A tiny bit bittersweet though not in the way you're probably thinking. It's a happy ending with a shred of bittersweet too it. I thought it worked well for a standalone, and I hope this story stays a standalone. I love how everything wrapped up!

What I Did Not Like:

The only big complaint I have is that I think the author or publisher (whoever makes this decision) should have labelled chapters with whomever was narrating that chapter. There is no clear indication per chapter, and since both characters have first-person POV, it was sometimes difficult to initially discern who was narrating the chapter. Sometimes I had to flip ahead to see whose name would be mentioned (Elian, or Lira) and that is how I would know who was narrating the chapter (whoever's name wasn't the one mentioned). It just would have been easier if it were clearer who was narrating the chapter, like having the name at the very beginning of the chapter.

Would I Recommend It:

I do recommend the book, especially to fans of unique YA fantasy! This book is very interesting and I was never bored while reading it. It also wasn't too romance heavy (a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences), though the romance was definitely there by the end of the story. And it's a standalone novel, so there is low commitment! It's definitely worth the read!

Rating:

4 stars. I'm very content with this book! To Kill a Kingdom is riveting, thrilling, and romantic - definitely a book I'd reread and recommend to my friends. If you're looking for a standalone story with a clever pirate prince, a fierce princess, and a bloodthirsty villain, look no further. I'm excited to read more by this author!

This was a refreshing take on The Little Mermaid. It was a bit more mature, and adventurous. I think the world was developed nicely, as well as the characters. At times the pacing felt a bit rushed, but overall, it was quite enjoyable.

I finished this book last night and waited until today to post my review because I have some feels that needed to work themselves out first.

To Kill A Kingdom is a dark and twisty retelling of The Little Mermaid. Or rather, a backwards retelling. To Kill A Kingdom is about Lira, a sign revered across the sea for how ruthless she is in taking the hearts of princes. When she disobeys her mother, the Sea Queen, she is transformed into a human until she can bring Prince Elian's heart to her mother to prove her worth.

What Lira doesn't anticipate is what she learns along the way of what it means to be human and how corrupt her sea kingdom truly is. The depth of her character and how she evolves over the length of the book was astounding to me. There was no one point to me where she just suddenly changed, she learned throughout the story and changed over time which I truly loved.

There was a little romance in the story but it was by no means insta-love, which is a trope that I truly dislike so I appreciate the effort to let the romance develop over time. And the characters themselves were incredible. I want more books, and I want spin-off books that focus on supporting characters. I hope there is a sequel that delves deeper into the sea kingdom because I desire MORE world building, even though there was so much in this story!

This book deserves all the stars, and it definitely gets 5 from me!

3.5 stars

Review date: March 8; 2018
Review link: https://dulivre.blogspot.com/2018/03/book-review-to-kill-kingdom.html
Plot: To Kill a Kingdom is being marketed as a Little Mermaid retelling, but I would consider it "inspired by" The Little Mermaid instead. Siren Lira was known as the Princes' Bane for her affinity for princely hearts. She was turned into a human as a punishment and coincidently was found by a prince who made it his life's work to kill any and all sirens.

I didn't know what to expect with To Kill a Kingdom, but I was pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the journey along with Lira's self-realization. To Kill a Kingdom was a relatively slow-paced book, which I don't typically have a problem with, but To Kill a Kingdom was missing explicit rising action. I found it too easy to put the book down and wasn't as invested in the story or its characters as I was expecting.

Characters: Lira was a fascinating main character to follow: she was deadly and had no remorse for the lives she disrupted. Her leading man was Elian, the was just as interesting as Lira, if not more. As the prince of Midas, he had certain duties to fulfill but his heart was with the ocean and his ragtag group of pirates. My one complaint about To Kill a Kingdom was that it was told from the first person perspective of both Elian and Lira with no clear markings of when the perspective it would change. I believe the lack of perspective change was the reason I couldn't fully lose myself in the novel because half the time I had no idea whose perspective I was following.

Along with Elian, we got to know his loyal crew and I enjoyed learning about their pasts and seeing their interactions with each other. It was easy to fall in love with them and at times the group gave me Six of Crows vibes.

Worldbuilding: Christo's world was imaginative and I would love to return to it and learn more about different aspects of it. The main kingdom was Midas which was loosely based on the tale that we all know and love. All of the other kingdoms had their own defining markers and political ploys that I craved to learn more about. The distinction between sirens and mermaids/mermen was unique as well and makes me excited to see what new worlds Alexandra Christo crafts in the (hopefully near) future.

Short N Sweet: To Kill a Kingdom was an impressive debut, but I just had higher expectations.

Let me say, first and foremost, that I am such a total sucker for books revolving around the ocean, whether it involves pirates, mermaids, sirens, sea creatures, or any mix of those things. When I first heard about this story of a vicious siren chasing down a pirate prince who slays her kind, it skyrocketed to the top of my list of most anticipated releases for 2018. I had every gut feeling in the world that I was going to positively adore this novel, and as you’ll see in my review, I was not disappointed.

IT’S THE PRINCES WHO HOLD THE ALLURE. IN THEIR YOUTH. IN THE ALLEGIANCE OF THEIR PEOPLE. IN THE PROMISE OF THE LEADER THEY COULD ONE DAY BECOME. THEY ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF RULES, AND BY KILLING THEM, I KILL THE FUTURE. JUST AS MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME.

→ Lira ←
While the story alternates between two perspectives, the first one that we are introduced to is Lira, also known as the Prince’s Bane for her cruel slayings of princes. As the daughter of the Sea Queen, her task is to rip the still-beating heart from one prince on each of her birthdays. My favorite thing about Lira, right off the bat, was the fact that she wasn’t some gooey, sweet young girl on the inside; she is unapologetically vicious and coldhearted, which we quickly see is the end result of a lifetime of abuse from her mother.

TECHNICALLY, I’M A MURDERER, BUT I LIKE TO THINK THAT’S ONE OF MY BETTER QUALITIES.
Lira’s interactions with Elian, once she finds herself stranded on his pirate ship, are the definition of enemies-to-lovers behavior: she’s feisty, angry, mean, and conniving, without ever going overboard enough to become genuinely unlikeable. The fact that she has such a difficult home life awaiting her under the sea makes it hard to view her as an outright “villain”, and at many times, I found myself struggling to determine who I wanted to root for: the cutthroat siren, or the vengeance-seeking prince.

IN MY HEART, I’M AS WILD AS THE OCEAN THAT RAISED ME.
→ Prince Elian ←
Early in the story, we learn that Lira isn’t the only one trying to live up to their parents’ expectations; while Elian’s family wants him to embrace the kingdom and his future throne, all the young prince wants is his ship, his crew, and the ocean breeze in his sails. I have a total soft spot for these sorts of pirates, whose days are filled less with pillaging and plundering, and more with adventures, heists, and a healthy appreciation for families that are composed not of blood, but of loyalty and friendship. Elian is the single most lovable pirate lord I’ve ever read about, and his crew is an extension of that. They are so fun, snarky, and loyal to a fault.

ROYALTY CANNOT BE UNMADE. BIRTH RIGHTS CANNOT BE CHANGED. HEARTS ARE FOREVER SCARRED BY OUR TRUE NATURE.
Much like I enjoyed the three-dimensionality of Lira’s spiky exterior, I loved the fact that Elian could have so easily been degraded to a run-of-the-mill “good guy”, but is instead a fantastic antihero. He’s clever, a little callous, and capable of fantastic scheming and thievery. He’s a prince, and arguably the lesser of the evils in this batch of characters, but the author never lets us forget that he is still a pirate – not a hero. (I’d also like to take a moment to point out here that Elian is either black or biracial – we know that his father is black, but his mother’s ethnicity is never confirmed, as far as I recall – which I thought was a fantastic reprieve from the stereotypical “Prince Eric”-inspired guy in stories like this.)

“I’D BE FLATTERED,” I SAY, “THAT YOU WOULD LOOK FOR AN EXCUSE JUST TO HOLD MY HAND.”
“PERHAPS I’M JUST LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO SHOOT YOU.”
→ romance ←
There are three things that I absolutely never get tired of in romantic subplots: 1) good, witty banter, 2) enemies-to-lovers tropes, and 3) slow burns. This book checks all three of those boxes magnificently. The back-and-forth chatter between Lira and Elian is so fun and sharp, and the way they shift from distrust and a touch of loathing to something more is so delightful to watch. I was rooting so hard for both of them not only to succeed, but to find a way to succeed together. Best of all, this particular dose of enemies-to-lovers doesn’t breach into abuse territory or a gross power imbalance, as these tropes are so prone to falling into in a lot of YA/NA titles.

EVERY QUEEN BEGAN AS A SIREN, AND WHEN THE CROWN PASSED TO HER, ITS MAGIC STOLE HER FINS AND LEFT IN THEIR PLACE MIGHTY TENTACLES THAT HELD THE STRENGTH OF ARMIES.
→ sea lore ←
I don’t think I could pick just one favorite thing about this story, but if I had to make a list of the traits that would tie for first place, the lore would absolutely make it into that tie. The sirens aren’t depicted as some frail, beautiful creatures; while gorgeous, they’re otherworldly, haunting, wild, fanged things who show no mercy and are powerful enough to wipe out grown men with a single blow. The mermaids are differentiated solidly from the sirens, as inhuman, grotesque creatures with unhinged jaws and bizarre bodies – they’re fabulously creepy and dark, and I loved every single interaction with them.

THE TRUTH OF WHAT I AM HAS BECOME A NIGHTMARE.
While this story never feels like a simple retelling, there’s one aspect that definitely paid homage to some very old and well-known stories, and that is the Sea Queen. The backstory given explains that the power of becoming queen turns sirens into these terrifying, tentacled beings that are incredibly powerful and magical. Lira’s own mother wields her power with pure brutality, and while I won’t spoil for you the curse she places upon her daughter, it’s a delightful twist on the classic tale and made me downright giddy.

I’VE BECOME SO USED TO BEING BRUTAL, THAT I ALMOST FORGET IT DIDN’T BEGIN AS A CHOICE.
→ final thoughts ←
As I mentioned in the preface of this review, To Kill a Kingdom was, hands down, one of my most anticipated releases of 2018, and not a single sentence of it disappointed me. I was captivated from the very first page, and am so delighted to have been granted the opportunity to read it early. I buddy read it with a few friends, who I’ll link to below, and if it tells you anything about how wonderful this story was, every single one of us 5-starred this book at the end of the reading. I think I was only a few chapters into the ARC when I pre-ordered my finished copy, because this is a beautiful stand-alone that I could easily see myself picking up over and over again.

Content warnings: abuse, violence, murder, self-harm, sexual harassment.

All quotes are taken from an unfinished ARC and may differ from the final publication. Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Now, that sure was a dark and twisted tale! To Kill a Kingdom was one of those books that hooked me in from the first page, and did not let my attention waver one bit. I have to say, this is quite possibly the best YA fantasy book featuring sirens that I have read. If you like your books bloody, full of revenge and with excellent banter, To Kill a Kingdom is the book for you.

This book is loosely based on the Little Mermaid. Think darker, twistier and even shippier. The heart and soul of this book is mostly definitely Lira, vicious Prince's Bane of the sea. I loved how blood-thirsty and cruel she could be because of her nature as a siren. I knew going in that I had to expect a somewhat protagonist, but I was still taken aback by her viciousness. I have to say, I'm quite enjoying this trend of dark main characters in YA fantasy. We don't only get to see just her dark side though - that would be boring - the author also explores her human side when she's cursed by her mother to become the one thing she hates more than her mother, a human. I loved watching her become more in touch with her human side, and battle with the two sides to her personality. Of course, even as a human, she remained fierce, sassy and not someone to mess with. Lira's story of growth was phenomenally written, and it's one of the best parts of To Kill a Kingdom. 

I also easily fell in love with Elian, Prince and Siren Hunter. I mean, what a combo! The guy was as ruthless as Lira in his own way. He was fiercely determined, had a love for his ship and his crew, and had a secret soft to him that only emerged around certain people. The guy had moves and knew how to charm people easily. He and Lira don't start off on the right foot given that they are at complete opposites here, but I shipped them from their very first scene together. There was so much banter and hate-to-love vibes here, and I was absolutely dying at their dynamic together.  I was worried about how Lira's secrets would affect their relationship as they got closer and closer, but Alexandra Christo handled it really well.

Besides the fantastic characters and romance, the world building in To Kill a Kingdom was also glorious. I loved learning about the history and lives of the sirens, as well as the different countries within the world. The world building was weaved so beautifully into the story, and it never felt overwhelming, although it ended up feeling like a very vibrant part of the story. The plot too had me on the edge of my seat. I love books that revolve around adventures and treasure-hunts. Here Elian and his crew, together with Lira, are on the search for a crystal with the power to kill the Siren Queen, Lira's mother. Danger, betrayal and twists await them on their treacherous journey, and you know that's bound to be entertaining. 

I seriously devoured this book! And I appreciated even more that it's a standalone, which meant it was very satisfying to finish the book. This debut novel was a stunner, and I can't wait to see what Alexandra Christo has up her sleeves next!

This story was so much fun to read! The world, characters, and plot were established very well and the story unfolded naturally. The romance worked perfectly, the pacing was great, and the writing was strong.
I loved seeing the basics of The Little Mermaid and the various clever scenes that pay homage to the original, but this is its own unique story.

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo was already on my 2018 TBR radar, so I need to give a big THANK YOU to netgalley.com for gifting me an ecopy in exchange for my honest review.

“Some people burn so brightly, it’s impossible to put the flames out.”

This book caught my attention after reading the publishers synopsis on the back cover. It gave me Little Mermaid feels intertwined with the true mythical siren cruelty. As a Disney-lover and fantasy reader I have always dreamed of actually being a siren, so this book actually tugged on my heart (get it! Tugged on my heart because sirens feed on hearts)

The meat: The story begins by easily bouncing between the main characters’ point of views with each chapter shift. You learn of their histories, passions and curiosities; until their passions cause their paths to collide. Prince Elian Midas (yes, that is a reference to the King Midas fairy tale) is not only curious about the sirens that plague his ocean, but also hunts them down. Princess Lira is not only the beautiful red-headed siren of every sailors dream, but also hunts and collects the beating hearts of princes sailing on her kingdom’s waters. After Lira fails in her awful mother’s eyes she is forced to rely on her enemy’s help to survive and return home. But there is something strange about this random girl Prince Elian finds floating in the open ocean. Whos loyalty belongs with who?

Two rival worlds. Two rival kingdoms. Two rival heirs unknowingly drawn together.

“What bitting comment she would come back with and how it would sink into me like a perfectly wonderful kind of poison.”

I awarded this book 5/5 stars. This book had me not wanting to finish it for all the right reasons. From less than halfway in I was hoping the story would never end. The book had moments of fast-paced and slow-paced action along with adult language and gore. The author has an amazing talent for creating a world full of characters so vivid you are instead watching an action packed movie rather than simply reading a book. I wouldn’t be surprised if Alexandra Christo came out with a novella to accompany this novel. I know I’ll be on the look-out for one.

#ToKillAKingdom #netgalley #TheLittleMermaid #RomeoandJuliet #KingMidas #sirens #mermaids #mermen #pirates #onehundredkingdoms #100and1 #ya #youngadult

Mermaids, sirens, and pirates, oh my! This was pitched as a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid, and dark it was! Let me say that it was more akin to the original Little Mermaid, by Hans Christian Andersen. It was so wonderfully bloody and intense.

Lira, the main character, is a siren hell bent on killing princes, because that’s her thing. You know, we all have our thing and hers is taking the heart of princes… She is a ruthless killing machine earning the nickname “Prince’s Bane.” Heck yes. Enter Prince Elian, who’s mission in life is to end all sirens, most importantly the Prince’s Bane. Oh yeah, it’s getting good now. What happens when you put two of the worlds top killers together? Sparks fly. Literally and figuratively.

I loved them working together because they furthered each others character development. They slowly, through their murderous intent, started thinking about peace, and what the world would look like without the Siren Queen. I would say Lira had a stronger turn around than Elian. Elian at least had emotions and felt things where Lira started out with only pure savagery. Could have been their upbringing since Lira’s mother literally had no emotions except wanting power over the whole world.

Why I gave this four stars: It was too easy to put down. I didn’t think about it constantly like I do five star reads. I also wanted a little bit more world building because it sounded extremely interesting and vast. I mean, there were 100 kingdoms! But the plot, the character development, and the writing were phenomenal!

All in all, I highly enjoyed this book! I thought the writing was really well done! It wasn’t overly flowery and yet it wasn’t plain. I thought it was a satisfying standalone with keeping it open enough to possibly have more books in the future! At least, I hope so!

If I could give this book 6 stars I would. Honestly I loved this book because I’m a super fan of the little mermaid but this was more murderous, vicious and deliciously real.
I loved the descriptions giving of all the sea creatures involved. Mermaids and mermen, the sirens and sea queen. Just it was all fabulous and so descriptive. Most books would need a trilogy for all the action packed into this one but this one told it all in one book so fabulously. Honestly it was amazing.
Adventure and pirates and mermaids. What more can you ask for??
One of my favorite books I’ve read ever.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of this book!

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow!

I forced myself to stay awake until 1 AM, bleary eyed, fighting off sleep, all while my heart was pounding so hard because I just HAD to know how this book ends.

You guys, I am shook.

This book has everything I love: Mythology, sirens/mermaids, royalty, kingdoms, pirates, hate-love romance, sarcastic, witty banter, adventures, epic battle scenes, POC representation, and strong females.

I didn't know much about To Kill a Kingdom other than hearing it was a "Little Mermaid retelling but instead of saving the prince, the mermaid has to kill him." Well, replace mermaid with siren, and that's pretty much what we have, except it is so much more.

Lira is a siren, dubbed the Princes' Bane. She takes the hearts of royal humans on her birth month, with hopes that someday she will rule the kingdom of Diavolos. However, her mother, the Sea Queen, is an absolute tyrant who would rather kill her own kind (and daughter) before giving up her throne. The Sea Queen gives Lira the ultimate punishment for accidentally killing a mermaid: Lira is turned into a human, and she must bring back Prince Elian's heart.

On the flip side, there's Prince Elian of Midas, captain of The Saad, and siren hunter. He would rather spend his life traveling by sea, hunting sirens, than be forced to take the throne and spend the rest of his life, literally, grounded. Elian is presented with an opportunity to find treasure that could perhaps end all sirens. But first, he comes across a drowning woman in the middle of the ocean...

Naturally, this is where Lira and Elian's stories converge. Told in dual narrative, we are pulled into an epic journey that's filled with witty banter and an angsty hate-love romance that kept me wanting more. I am floored this is a standalone, because I kept thinking, "how is this story going to wrap up within 384 pages!?" BUT, I can honestly say I am so thankful this book is no more than a standalone. It is perfection the way it is. Christo's writing is so gorgeously woven, and she wrapped up everything beautifully. I found myself getting emotional over Lira's inner moral battle, her rising humanity, and her defiance toward her mother. I related so much to these characters, albeit they were so morally grey. I appreciated so much how this wasn't a typical damsel-in-distress fairy tale.

Guys, I have nothing bad to say about this book. Usually I like to format my reviews by splitting up "The Good" and "The Bad" into bullet points, but I can't do it with To Kill a Kingdom. It is amazing the way it is.

This is my favorite book of 2018 so far, and I have a feeling it will be in my top five of the year. I hope you pick up this book and enjoy it as much as I did. To Kill a Kingdom releases March 6, 2018.

CW: self harm

I was really looking forward to this book because so rarely have I seen a story with sirens that are not physically more like mermaids, beautiful beyond belief and more like typical mermaids. I liked the promise of a bloodthirsty princess that hunted princes, even of the prince that has been seeking revenge for humanity.

The Good

There was clearly a lot of time spent on the look of the worlds we visit in this story. From the underwater kingdom of Keto to the land kingdom of Midas, everything was very detailed, refined in a manner befitting the inhabitants of each whether it be shells or gold. For my part I preferred the underwater kingdom, frightening as it might be because there was more a sense of peace there than in Midas. The beauty, whether traditional or brutal, that existed in Keto was amazing. Lira’s scales, the eye differences that mark the sirens, all of it had a murky kind of attraction that I enjoyed.

I liked how the author drew parallels between Lira and Elian. Coming from two different worlds, you might think they’d have nothing in common but there were elements that tied them together before they ever met. These elements weren’t direct side-by-side comparisons, more structure wise with different coverings.



The Not-So-Good



CW DISCUSSION

I’m surprised to not have seen any other reviews touching on the self harm aspect of the book. It only occurs once, so perhaps it wasn’t picked up on, but there is a scene where Lira uses jellyfish to inflict pain upon herself and talks about how doing so muddies her mind and takes her away from her present. These are the hallmarks of self harm and just because she’s using methods that a siren might use rather than a human doesn’t mean it isn’t potentially as damaging.

END CW DISCUSSION



An observation I had about Lira and Elian is that while I liked them, I noticed that their voices were very similar and initially I didn’t realize that the point of view narrator had switched between them. If I weren’t aware that one was on land and one was on sea, there was very little differentiation between the two. I wondered if this was done deliberately to enhance the similarities between them, the princess and the prince, but by the end I couldn’t be sure whether it was that or carelessness.

Elian, while he had some good qualities, also turned out to be a fool in a major way. In order to bring these two together, the author threw Lira into his path via almost drowning in the ocean when she’s been turned human. The circumstances of finding her in the middle of the open ocean, naked and yet not harmed by the cold, wearing a necklace that he admits is only possessed by monsters…I really couldn’t see how he didn’t figure out what Lira was. She spoke the language of the sea, for crying out loud, and it was already stated that no human knows how to speak it. Even his crew were wary about her when this was revealed, but Elian disregarded their concern. There were huge red flags flying left and right, yet not once did he clue in.

Then there was the romance between Elian and Lira. It was so mindbogglingly uninteresting that I really wish it had been dispensed with completely. There was no real connection between them and the whole “Elian is immune to the siren’s song because Lira gave him her heart” was cheesy in the extreme. It felt like Lira was this strong and powerful siren and Elian’s presence took that away. I think this would couple would end up on my list of least liked in all of YA.

As for secondary characters, the crew members of the Saad, Elian’s pirate ship, were very one dimensional. There was some banter tossed about, very familiar lines, and I just couldn’t care about any of them. Heck, I’m not sure I could name all of the ones who were actually named. They were very much relegated to the role of supporting cast and while they allowed Elian to run about and do what he wants, their presence was negligible.

Here’s my problem with the book overall. I liked the characters well enough on their own, especially Lira when she was being particularly vicious. Elian was alright though he was by no means my favorite. That said, I think To Kill a Kingdom was better at characterization that is was at actual storytelling. The first fifteen percent of the book really dragged, being heavy with details that were not told in an effortless manner. It felt more like an info dump and that made the book suffer.

Once the action begins, once Elian knows what treasure he’s seeking and Lira is human and trying to get home, it didn’t get any better. The action was dragging and taking entirely too long to get to a point. There were side quests and whatnot that didn’t feel at all important to the core of the story and yet these were given more page time than anything that would get us to the end. The revelations of identity, the battle between the “good guys” and the Siren Queen, none of that happens until 83% of the way through and then everything rushes to the end. I felt more interest when Lira and Elian were fighting a thief named Rycroft aboard his ship than in the final showdown, which seems really off.

The more I write about this book, the more I realize how disappointed I was. The premise was amazing, but the execution just made me sad.

Spellbinding fantasy adventure, delicious worldbuilding, and a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance. This book has it all!

[Disclaimer: I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.]

Waffling between 3 and 4 stars, but giving 4 because I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

*****SEMI-SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT*****

Despite being completely predictable, it still managed to have enough action and suspense to carry it. I do think that too much time was spent in the various stops along the way and not enough time actually on the mountain, but if there had been more pages devoted to the mountain then the book would have ended up too long for my liking.

There is a lot to like here - a reworking of siren mythology; two protagonists who learn enough through their journeys that they realize they don't want to be who they were anymore; an interesting same-sex marriage of royals; and pirates. I wasn't surprised by much, but it was fun all the same.

If I were to criticize this book in any significant way, it would be the chapters. They were written from either Lira's or Elian's perspective. Most of the time you don't know who is speaking for a few sentences or even paragraphs. One chapter it took an entire page before it was revealed which perspective it was from. It would have been much more helpful (and left me much less confused) if the narrator's name were in the heading of the chapter. I also thought that some of the action was a bit too drawn out - it felt like I was reading and watching it in slow motion, when it was supposed to be moving along a lot faster.

Overall, a pretty good book. Predictable but interesting. I liked the way we get to watch redemption progress. And I'm a sucker for a happy ending.

What kind of book do I read after I've read this gem!? I'm in a book coma, so hard to choose what's next because this book was AMAZING! The minute I saw it was available to be previewed it was a must! What's not to love about a female siren who rips the hearts out of princes? I loved the romance, the pirates and the fact that it was a different twist of the Little mermaid. The other thing I liked was the fact that the book was a stand alone. Too many series, too little time to read them. I have never read a story by this author and was completely satisfied with this book, now off to find another book written by this author!

I've been obsessed with The Little Mermaid for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories involve me pretending to be Ariel; either in a parade, around my house, or sassing relatives with "etiquette" I learned from the film. My love for the story and the character has followed me into my adultlife and while the Disney classic will always be beloved to me, it evolved into me loving mermaids, and the mythology behind them as well as the original fairytale.

To Kill A Kingdom takes the concept of The Little Mermaid as well as the base story and characters and turns everything on its head. Gone are the mermaids who want to save humans such as Prince Eric, and instead they're replaced with deadly sirens who want to murder human princes and steal their hearts.

Enter a ruthless siren princess, Lira, as she readies to inherit the title of Sea Queen from her tyrannical mother. Eager to make her proud, Lira would do anything. However, after she angers the Sea Queen and feels her wrath, Lira is turned into a human and winds up drowning in the middle of the ocean where she's rescued by a passing ship. To make matters worse, the captain of the ship is the fiercest siren hunter known in the world, and he's suspicious of Lira immediately.

Lira must earn the prince's trust and find a way to earn back the favour of her mother unless she wants to remain a human forever, and leave her people to the ruthless rule of the Sea Queen.

Again, I was completely captivated by this take on The Little Mermaid. I could see the familiar guidelines from the original fairytale but this was fully adapted into its own thing.

To Kill A Kingdom is told from two different perspectives: Lira as well as Prince Elian aka the captain of the ship. It goes back and forth, paralleling their journeys to becoming the rulers that the people around them need them to be as well as gives interesting insight into each of them.

There's definitely some YA tropes that are found within the book like, I found some of the characters changed a little too quickly in some ways, but I feel that with this being a standalone story that doesn't continue on in other books, it was forgivable. Unless you want a behemoth YA book, I think it's necessary to cut some of that characterization down a bit.

Because again, it is a standalone story, there were other characters that I really wanted to explore more, like Madrid, but we didn't really get around to that.

That being said, those are small things that I definitely can overlook in the grand scheme of things. To Kill A Kingdom was a lot of fun and I had a great time reading it and learning about the characters within.