5 sparkling stars. Duck, catch, or let it hit you -- I'mma throw this book at everyone with the highest praise for three main reasons:

(1) It will be universally enjoyed because it has a little something that will appeal to all: mature retelling of "The Little Mermaid," an adventure/action story, a slow-burn romance, complex characterizations, and dry humor.

(2) Interesting anti-heroes. Lirah and Eilan are both unabashed killers, so we get to see them recover their humanity over the course of the book.

(3) Solid writing that drips with patience and experience.

THE STORY
Lirah is a siren and princess under the fearful Queen of the Sea; Eilan is a human prince of the most powerful kingdom on land. Both are champions of their race, and both are leaders of the hunt to kill the other race.

About a third of the way in, Eilan's and Lirah's paths cross by chance when the Sea Queen punishes Lirah with a human disguise. Cue the suspicion, bickering, pirating, secrets, slow-burn attraction, and battles.

THE GOOD
1) I don't enjoy stories about pirates or sea creatures, and yet this book managed to be a pirate/mermaid book without being a pirate/mermaid book, if you know what I mean.

2) The writing and approach to storytelling was solid. There's the direct approach to YA fantasy storytelling like in generic books like Ever the Hunter or Everless -- nothing wrong with that. Then there's the "wisened" approach to more mature YA fantasies like Shadow and Bone, The Winner's Curse, and Reign the Earth. It's a tone and a feeling, and a roundabout way to convey expository information on our characters/settings without outright saying it.

"What's the point of such things anyway?" asks Halina. "There's barely a person alive who doesn't speak Midasan. We're at the center of the world, Your Highness. Anyone who can't be bothered to learn the language simply isn't worth knowing."

--------

"You want me to stay in here until Eidýllio?”

“I want you overboard,” Elian says. “But it’s not like I can make you walk the plank.”

“Your chivalry won’t allow it?”

Elian walks to a nearby wall and pulls back one of the drapes to reveal a circular switch. “We lost the plank years ago,” he says. Then, in a voice much lower: “And I lost my chivalry around the same time.”


3) Lirah is not a pure character and we don't try to pretend otherwise.

I blinded her, not so long ago, with the blunt end of a coral piece. Now, whenever she blinks, her right eye stays open. Thinking back, I can't remember why I did it. Maeve said something, perhaps. Did something that I disliked enough to punish her. Really, she could have done anything and it wouldn't have mattered, because most of all I just wanted to hurt her. For whatever reason and no reason. I wanted to hear her scream.

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[Lirah] looks like a portrait, with deep copper hair pulled from her star-freckled face, only confirming the fact that she isn't capable of lying low. Not saying whatever crosses her damned mind. Lirah can keep secrets but she can't, by any stretch of the imagination, keep peace. While [Eilan] has ample practice in pretend, there's too much fire in Lirah's eyes for such things. Some people burn so brightly it's impossible to put the flames out.

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"You should be careful," I tell Yukiko. "The thing about taking something that's not yours is that there will always be someone out there ready to take it back."

"I suppose I'll have to watch my back, then."

"No need," I tell her. "I can see it perfectly."


4) Eilan's and Lirah's bickerings were everything.

"Well?" he asks.

"I didn't think I was going to be interrogated."

"Did the cage not give it away?"

"I didn't see a cage." I arch my neck, peering behind him as if I hadn't noticed my looming prison. "Your charm must have masked it."

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"You know the routine," he tells them, climbing back onto the deck. "Everything sharp or deadly in the bag." He looks at me. "Think you'll fit?"

--------

“Poison?” I muse. “Were you keeping that around for your future wife?”

“It’s not lethal,” Elian says. For a killer, he seems oddly offended at the idea. “And no.” He pauses, then turns to me with a half smile. “Unless you were my wife.”

“If I were your wife, then I’d take it.”

--------

Maybe the weight Eilan carries is born from the shackles of a royal life and a kingdom that is both unwanted but needed all the same. It's something I can understand. Another similarity between us that I'd be blind not to note. In the pits of our souls -- if I amuse myself with the notion that I have a soul -- Eilan and I aren't so different. Two kingdoms that come with responsibilities we each have trouble bearing. Him, the shackles of being pinned to one land and one life. Me, trapped in the confines of my mother's murderous legacy. And the ocean, calling us both. A song of freedom and longing.


THE BAD
1) Having both Lirah's and Eilan's narratives be in the same first person voice was confusing at the start of each chapter.

2) Really? We couldn't have leveled up the romance even a little?

3) The last chapter dimmed the experience for me, probably because I was hoping/expecting one thing and it ended with another instead.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Is this a standalone? Is there a sequel? These are questions I must know.

What a fantastic debut from Alexandra Christo! Her writing has careful thought, deep character analysis, and maturity of speech. It's not the most emotionally powerful or deep book out there, but it's an easy YA fantasy for every person to enjoy and get sucked into.

Ever since I read Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant a few months ago, I've been really into books about mermaids. But not like sissy girly mermaids.

KILLER MERMAIDS.

Which are technically referred to as "sirens" in both books. This is my second killer siren book and I have to say I liked it almost as much as Into the Drowning Deep. It's far more about the characters than the science / discovery, because in To Kill a Kingdom, everyone knows that sirens exist and that they are deadly, and many cultures either avoid the sea or have developed methods of hunting and killing sirens. In short, there is an ongoing war between humans and the sirens. Honestly almost read to me as an adult version of The Little Mermaid, where, except instead of being a cute, slightly rebellious mermaid princess with a crush on a prince who wants to be human, the main character (still a princess) is the most savage, bloodthirsty siren of all and is turned into a human as punishment.

She still has a crush on the prince though ;)

I will say though, there was some comically cringy YA language, but it was few and far between and this is a YA novel so you kinda have to expect that. But like...

"The newly sunlit water parts for him. He has eyes like vast pools and a jaw made from shipwrecks and broken coral."

Lol. Seriously though, this isn't Twilight, that stuff is actually very minimal. I just thought that passage was funny enough I had to mention it.

I loved everything about this; it's exactly the type of YA I like to read. The plot clips along nicely, the romance element is not cringey or overdone and the ending is *very* satisfying. The characters are dynamic and believable, especially Lira. Gotta love a book where the protagonist is a little bit nasty (actually a LOT nasty) but then struggles to redeem herself. The world-building is on point but not over the top, and it's not a series!! I never thought I'd be excited about a book not being in a series, but this is a wonderful standalone and I'm so impressed that this is a debut. 4.5 Stars.

This book was so good! So, sooooo, good! I just wanr everyone to read it!

This here isn't your typical Little Mermaid retelling. There's no sweet princess with romantic ideas about the human world. No innocent prince looking for love.

Instead, we get Lira, a cruel siren princess who takes pleasure in ripping the hearts of princes right out of their drowning bodies. We also get Elian, a daring young prince who has devoted his life to hunting and killing sirens.

They are both rough around the edges, both willing to do whatever they deem necessary, and both unafraid to get their hands a little bloody. When fate thrusts them together what we get is a book worth of verbal battles as they use their wit to draw each other out. We get tension and action, we get slowly building friendships and even slower building romances. Basically, we get a lot of awesome things that you are just gonna have to see for yourself.

The author's writing style is truly beautiful. It's fluid and enchanting and I cannot wait to see what else she writes in the future because I'm officially a fan. I loved how she wrote the narrative and especially how she wrote the dialogue between characters. You could tell how close they all were and how their relationships were built. And the conversations between Lira and Elian were absolutely golden!

The characters themselves were equally magnificent. Yes, Lira and Elian were amazing, we know that, but it wasn't just them, it was everyone else too. All of the characters we meet are fleshed out, well-rounded characters. They have wants and needs and personalities that don't revolve around just making the plot happen. Basically what I'm saying is that they were all real characters and not just convenient plot devices, and I loved them all.

Then there was the world in which this story took place. It was unique and intriguing. I loved the way the author incorporated so many different myths into the story, seamlessly weaving them into her world without distracting from the main storyline. For example, Midas myth with the city of gold was great, as were the myths of the other royal families. Also, just putting this out here, this world was extremely diverse! You really do get the sense that it's a whole world being created, not just the stereotypical, magical version of England or France or some other big European country that we've all grown uncomfortably accustomed to in YA fantasy.

Overall, I really liked this book, in case you hadn't yet noticed. But, all my gushing aside, this was an extremely well written, highly imaginative retelling, and it was so much better than I ever thought it would be.

My one complaint, because I wouldn't be me if I didn't complain about something, is that the chapters weren't labeled. The book had dual POV and it didn't always evenly alternate between Lira and Elian, so sometimes I would get to the third paragraph in a chapter before I realized which character I was reading from. Other than that, I must say kudos to you, Alexandra Christo. This was one heck of a debut.

**I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.**

This was everything I hoped it would be. I was BLOWN AWAY by Alexandra's talent. Her writing does not read like this is a debut novel. It was so lush and wonderful and the way she weaved this tale made it almost impossible to put down. Do you ever read a line in a book and just think "dammmmn that was good. Let me go and read that again."? This happened so many times. Alexandra- you just got yourself a new stalker. A forever fan. A loyal follower. I can't WAIT for the next thing this woman writes.

Someone asked me how closely this follows The Little Mermaid. My answer was this:

If Ariel was actually a siren (not to be confused with a mermaid) named Lira who is infamous for ripping out and collecting princes' hearts by luring them to their death with her siren song and her mother was like Ursula, and ruler of the sea, and Eric is actually a prince called Elian who has no desire to be King and would rather spend his time sailing the seas in search of sirens to kill because of a lifelong feud between humans and sirens and Lira is cursed by her god awful mother and turned human and in order to return to the sea she's tasked with taking Elian's heart....then yea..it kind of is similar?

BUT. Alexandra's twist on the tale is beautifully creative and totally unique.

If you like forbidden - enemies to lovers - romance, the slowest of slow burns, pirates, savage heroines, awesome world building, some brutal action, fantasy, and a dash of drama thrown in, READ THIS. I honestly went into this with such high expectations and I was SO pleasantly surprised each one was met.

I ADORED THIS BOOK!

3 stars

Princess Lira is siren royalty and has been conditioned by her mother, the Sea Queen, to be ruthless and is revered across the sea. But when she kills one of her own, she is punished and transformed into a siren's hated enemy--a human. Without song, she must deliver siren hunter and prince Elian's heart to the Sea Queen to regain her standing.

Prince Elian loves the sea more so than his kingdom, and although siren hunting is unsavory, it's his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the sea, she has more than meets the eye and promises to help him end sirenkind for good. But Prince Elian doesn't know if he can trust her.

I was so excited for this one and was absolutely thrilled to be approved for it. After seeing all the glowing reviews and reading the summary and falling in love with the premise, I was ready for some vicious siren human relations and a The Little Mermaid retelling.

But I'm in the minority here, and this one just didn't really float my boat across the high seas. It just kind of stayed docked at shore for the whole journey.

I enjoyed the plot and premise a lot, but I had some issues with the story that detracted from the reading experience and made it unenjoyable, especially during the first part.

In the beginning, around the first 100 pages, the writing style just felt so awkward to me. I know a lot of people didn't mind this (see: all the amazing, raving reviews), but there were elements to the writing style that made the narrative feel kind of forced and took away from the passion and intensity as well as the storyline and characters.

I got used to it as I read on, but it felt almost stilted and I don't know if I just managed to adjust to the narrative flow or something changed with the writing style as I read further on.

The narrative got really weird sometimes near the dialogue. It's hard to pinpoint the problem sometimes, but it felt like what happens before and after a piece or a couple of pieces of dialogue doesn't always line up cleanly or was foreshadowed at the beginning of the line.

For instance, in a scene where the prince and his crew are interrogating someone for information about the sirens, the dialogue begins with him questioning the man, and then it ends with everyone laughing, but it felt like there was no transition between the two moments--there wasn't really any signal that the prince was amused. There wasn't enough mixture between the narrator stating what's happening, describing things, and personally analyzing them, and so I felt like these elements of the narrative were kind of separated.

This might be a little confusing to understand, but a lot of the time it's either description with a tiny relation on how the character "likes this" or "has some relation to that" or it's personal angsting about their morally grey areas--there wasn't really an overlap between the different "types" of narration by the character. It felt like it was kind of divided between "description/exposition," "stating of what's happening," and "analyzing what's happening."

It didn't feel genuine to me.

Obviously, a lot of other readers didn't have a problem with this so I feel like this is just a uniquely me issue, or maybe everyone is able to ignore it? I just feel like the way the story was told didn't balance description and personal musings/angst well enough and it felt a little forced to me.

Or, maybe it was just the fact that it was told in present tense. The present tense and I have a long, disastrous history. There have been tons of stories that I totally enjoyed present tense, while there are others where it just affected the narrative style for me and I ended up not liking the book mostly based on the tense. The most similar example for this is Spindle Fire where the tense hindered the story and made the narrative stilted for me.

I definitely ended up noticing the present tense throughout the whole story, despite the fact that I wanted to enjoy the story, not recognize the tense the whole time. It got better and the dialogue issue smoothed over, but I don't really know what happened during those first pages that made the writing so unenjoyable for me.

The other critique I have, and this applies to the whole novel, is that it's confusing trying to distinguish between who's who in each chapter because their voices are so similar.

There's no label like "Elian" or "Lira" and not only did this contribute to me forgetting the character's names (something that unfortunately happens often with me and first person), but it also made it confusing because there was no pattern to the changes in POV except that they switched with every chapter.

It's just that their voices were so similar, especially how they were in this morally grey area, that it took at least a couple of paragraphs to tell who's who, making it a little confusing if you read fast.

But after those first 100 pages, I ended up getting a lot more into the story. The plot is fun and it's very much a journey/adventure, which I always love reading. I also didn't really mind the characters and their internal conflicts--although I might have wanted it to be different execution-wise, I enjoyed reading about them as people and the conflicts they possessed.

It was also paced well and it never really lagged, although the beginning took a little bit to get to the juicy parts and the action.

There could be a lot of reasons why I didn't enjoy the writing style, but it ended up being not the book for me in this aspect and it detracted from the reading experience for me.

That's not to say that others won't like it, and after reading all the reviews, I know a lot of people really did enjoy this. I'd say give it a shot because there's a good chance you'll end up being part of the majority.

I think, after comparing my experience to others, that if this story appeals to you, you should definitely give it a shot. It just came off as a little funky to me, and that might just be because I'm not as compatible with Christo's writing styles as other people are (i.e. how I had lots of trouble with Zora Neale Hurston but grew to love her writing).

My experience with this book is one of many and although I didn't enjoy it as much as other people have, that doesn't mean that it isn't a good book.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo


First of all, let me thank Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends for the chance to read and review this book: To Kill a Kingdom pre-release. As always, these thoughts are my own. This review is spoiler-free and no main plot points are revealed.

I give this story 4.5 stars.



Synopsis:

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?

Plot:
As you probably worked out if you read the synopsis, this book is a sort-of retelling of the Little Mermaid. I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting much when I started reading, but . . .

I really truly loved this story.

Character:
Lira is very stabby. I like that about her, all the way through her character arc. She grows, she changes, but her sass and stabbiness stick with her through the entire story and I really love that.

SPOILER WARNING.



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I really love Lira's transformation. I love her transition from murderess > captive > crewmate > friend. It feels so realistic and I was afraid this would turn out to be a typical love story where the heroine changes totally and unexpectedly but THIS WAS REALISTIC. And I loved it.

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I was a little confused at the first few lines in each book because it's not clear right away who is the POV character. If they had added the character names beneath the chapter headings, there would have been no confusion at all.

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Worldbuilding
The world of the sirens and the world of the humans is deep, thoughtful, fun (there are some nice references to other myths and storied lands) and I loved the bastardization of Greek that went on in some names (I studied Koine/ ancient Greek extensively in college) I loved the touch with the mermaids (which are NOT sirens) and I loved the hint of magic.

If you loved the Little Mermaid, or if you were dissatisfied with it, this book is for you. I loved it!

To KIll a Kingdom will be released on March 6th, 2018, but I've heard it's already in some stores so go find it and buy it!

Imagine The Little Mermaid, but with Ariel as a prince-killing siren. Lira’s banished from the sea and cursed to live on land as a human after she kills one of her mother’s subjects. Her task is to kill the prince who moonlights as the siren-killing pirate. If she can rip out his beating heart before her time is up, and bring it back to her mother, the Sea Queen, she can return to her people.
“Technically, I’m a murderer, but I like to think that’s one of my better qualities.”

One thing I really liked about this story is that everyone was a killer. Ever since she was old enough to hunt for hearts on her birthday (a ritual of the sirens), Lira has always chosen princes. Elian has taken it upon himself to travel the seas, hunting sirens. While Lira is known by the humans as Prince’s Bane, Elian is known as The Siren Killer. Both of which have seen, and been responsible for, their fair share of deaths. I just liked that this story didn’t focus on “perfect” characters. Instead we have a group of people who do what they need to do in order to survive.

While the majority of the story is of Lira as a human, trying to gain the trust of Elian and his crew in order to get close to them, she isn’t really a damsel in distress. Yes, she is completely out of her element. After all, she’s used to being this massively powerful being in the ocean, and instead if stuck being this feeble human. However, she doesn’t roll over and play dead. This girl goes down fighting. While she may not have claws for nails, and razor-sharp teeth, this isn’t going to stop her from going balls to the wall crazy during a fight, and I loved it. As time goes by, you can see Lira start to show a little bit more humanity, but she still retained some of her wildness.

The story is also in Elian’s POV as he commands his ship, his crew, navigates between royal politics and the laws of the sea. Even though he has taken it upon himself to rid the world of sirens one at a time, he doesn’t particularly enjoy it. Vile creatures they may be, he still doesn’t relish taking a life. However, when the Prince’s Bane kills one of his friends, he puts all of his efforts into finding her and putting her down for good. So, I was always on pins and needles wondering how he would respond when Lira’s true identity came to light.

If you are worried about this being some sort of whimsical romance between star-crossed lovers, have no fear. The romance is pretty low-key. A lot of the story focuses on their adventure. There’s a legend that there’s a stone that holds the sister power to the stone that the Sea Queen has in her all-powerful trident. Elian hopes to get the stone in order to kill the queen and her people once and for all. Lira hopes to use it to overthrow the Sea Queen and free her people from her mother’s tyranny. There are so many things that need to fall in place before they can even dream of getting their hands on the stone though. Let’s just say that a lot goes on during their adventure.

To Kill a Kingdom was full of adventure, danger, death, loyalty, friendship, and a smidgen of love. I loved watching this rag-tag group slowly learn to trust each other. You got to witness the sudden shift in Lira as she goes from being a siren to a human, and what that means emotionally for her. I also loved that we got to see the Sea Witch/Queen in all her tentacle glory. She was ruthless, vicious, and sadistic… and I LOVED it. If you’re looking for a good retelling of The Little Mermaid that is a bit on the darker side, then look no further! You won’t be disappointed with this one.

A retelling of The Little Mermaid?? I’m there.

Princess Lira is daughter to the Sea Queen and known as the Princes’ Bane. With her collection of only royal prince hearts, many throughout the land fear her. When she commits an unthinkable crime in the sea world, her mother punishes her by turning her into a human and giving her the task of killing the Midas Prince–without her song. Meanwhile, Prince Elian would much rather be on his pirate ship killing Sirens rather than acting like a Prince. He’s on a mission to rid all the kingdoms of Sirens. When their paths meet, these two royals on opposite sides of a war must decide whose fate they really fight for.

Ok so I did enjoy this–with some reservations. I love The Little Mermaid retelling aspect because it’s one of my favorite stories. The viewpoints switch between Elian and Lira and though I enjoyed hearing from these two characters, I wasn’t so enthralled with them. Lira, simply due to her nature, was a tough character to root for and while she has redeeming qualities, for the majority of the book I was torn about her.

Elian in contrast is very much the self-sacrificing hero you can get behind, but at the same time his actions in never wanting to act the prince were a bit annoying and selfish. Ok. I get it. You’d much rather be out on the ocean doing what you want. Well, we can’t always do what we want, buddy.

Like I said, I enjoyed these two, especially when they were bantering with one another, but I wasn’t completely behind them as characters. The rest of the supporting cast was amusing, but there wasn’t much to them either. I would have liked to have seen a bit more development with the secondary characters. Even the villainous Sea Queen was a bit predictable and trite. Cruel and sick in the head, but trite.

Plot wise, it moved pretty well and I especially loved the world building. Seeing the variety of kingdoms and cultures really had me wanting more! I loved learning all the history behind the different kingdoms and I’m hoping we get a prequel! The ending wrapped up nicely (almost too nicely for my taste) and I read this while on a cruise so it was the perfect read for my surroundings!

Overall, I enjoyed it. I just would have asked for a little more (besides the obvious) from the characters.

Lira is the heir to the crown of the Ocean to rule as the Sea Queen but her mother currently occupying the throne is abusive and evil seeking control and never allowing for the weakness of love. Lira a once proud Siren who steals the hearts of royals will find herself thrown onto land to learn the meaning of love and loyalty on her own two feet. A Pirate Prince, Elian of the land of gold, a siren killer is searching the ocean for the Princess’ Bain the deadly Siren who has taken so many royal hearts. Who will overthrow a kingdom? You’ll find out in this great read! My thoughts and spoilers: I really enjoyed this read it was fun and enchanting, I enjoyed how dark it was in the beginning. I only wish it stayed that dark throughout and that there wasn’t so much of this immediate attraction that occurs between Lira and Elian where he is somehow entranced by her. Obviously this does feel very influenced by a twisted Disney tale of the little mermaid. I haven’t read the original Hans Christian Anderson tale to compare, but the similarities between the Disney version are striking. Overall I found the read enjoyable.

To Kill a Kingdom is a deliciously dark atmospheric read that will have you captivated from the very first haunting chapter.

Set in a world of sea life, danger, deceit and treachery, this debut novel is sure to capture your attention and give you an unsuspected thrill ride as you dive both below the waters and on land in this tale riddled with both classic lore and a new darker take on sirens, mermaids, and the great unknown.

Riddled with complex characters, witty banter and characters with depth, this is a tale that will surely suck you in and have you wanting to sail the seven seas right along with it.

Unpopular Opinion Alert

This is going to be an incredibly popular book. Between the cover, the summary, the mermaids/sirens and the angst-driven love, this is a book certain to please many, many people.

I am not one of them.

Which was incredibly disappointing, because I was bowled over by the first sentence—and the deliciously dark first chapter. It went downhill from there. That start sputtered into a painfully grinding middle, with a really boring plot and poor world-building. Perhaps it's because I'm tired of Sarah J Maas Syndrome, where authors wring the emotional daylights out of each paragraph, every sentence, every word to heighten the tension, angst and drama. For example:

"It's nothing like the soft and tentative tryst we shared under the stars. It's wild and burning, something newly territorial in it. His lips crash fiercely against mine, hot and soft, and when I feel his tongue slip against mine, every animal part of me comes alive. It's inside of him, too. The predatory impulse. We claim each other, right here on the edge of war.

"Elian drags his hands through my hair and I clutch him, pushing and pulling him closer against me. Even no distance feels like too much. his hand tightens on my jaw, and we're a tangle of fingers and teeth and the world obliterates around us. It's all stardust.

"I bite his lip and he moans into me. We devour each other, gasping desperate breaths until we exhaust the air."

Pretty much every sentence reads something like that passage. Overwrought. Overdone. Stick a fork in me.

Speaking of our two lovebirds, aside from Lira's unique background, they were pretty standard YA heroes. Replace them with, say, Mia and Jules from Unearthed or Guari and Vikram from Crown of Wishes, and you wouldn't notice a thing. And Elian? I'm not certain why he keeps calling himself a pirate, when he isn't very...piratey. He kills sirens, steals treasure of some sort (for a cause?) and wastes other pirates under his king-dad's stamp of approval. That's called...having a letter of marque. Better, even, when you are a freaking crown prince. Less said about the one-dimensional secondary characters, the better.

So let's talk world-building. I know some people gasped and clutched their pearls in outrage. Chill. This is my unpopular opinion. You are more than welcome to enjoy this book. On the one hand, we have an incredibly diverse world split between ocean and land (with Egyptian-inspired main kingdom...despite a prince who wears a dress shirt like European royalty), with 100 kingdoms scattered throughout the world and one ocean kingdom. On the other, while I appreciated the diversity in cultures represented, they posed some rather, um, interesting logical conundrums. Swords vs guns vs knives, for example. We've got all these swords and knives and spear-guns, and then out of nowhere—boom—guns. And SONAR. Say it with me: SONAR and SWORDS and SAILS.

And my final thing about the world building. From what's seen in the universe, communication is pretty quick and thorough. So here's my main problem. This is where belief became unsuspended.
Everyone knows the siren known as the Prince's Bane kills princes. Everyone also knows she only kills during one month out of the year. So why—why do these numbskulls keep sending their princes onto the sea during that month? Oh, btw, there are also airships!! Air. Ships. Ships that literally fly in the air and bypass the ocean filled with prince-killing murderesses So what if they're mechanically faulty—you'd think that with something that vital (protecting your heirs to the throne) in daily peril when traveling overseas, kingdoms would be rushing to get those magical mechanisms. Logical, right?

Okay, long rant over.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

* Review will be posted on 02/26/2018 on Wrensreads and on 02/27/2018 on Goodreads

“<i>I have a heart for every year I’ve been alive.</i>”

<u>Release Date</u>: 03/06/2018

<img src="http://wrensreads.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_0775-1024x766.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="766" class="alignleft size-large wp-image-3355" />

Hi, my name is Wren and I am a firm believer in mermaids and sirens. How are we to know that mermaids don’t live deep down in the bottom of the Pacific? We haven’t explored 97% of the ocean, so you can’t tell me that I am wrong.

My sister and I have always had an obsession with mermaids. Whether we are talking about selkies, sirens, water kelpies or mermaids themselves, we have always been team them. When they popped up on the live action Peter Pan (Jeremy Sumpter Sumpter Sumpter) and they were evil, I fell in love with them more. When Pirates of the Caribbean came out with their fourth movie and I heard there were mermaids, you can bet your bottom dollar I was in that theatre.

So it is 102% safe to say, that books with mermaids or sirens or anything involving the creatures of the deep are automatically on my TBR. What is not safe to say is if they are actually going to be good or not. And let me tell you my fellow merlovers, there are some pretty questionable books out there involving our friends of the ocean.

But, <b>To Kill A Kingdom</b> was <u>not</u> one of them. I am half tempted to change my front door to the cover of this book I love it so much. Maybe a banner hanging off my balcony to announce to the world that this book is the bomb dot com would be a better option. Or maybe I will create a fin to the colors of the cover and just have it as an ice breaker with non-book people.

Too much? <b> Or not enough? </b>

Lira is the princess of the sea and goes by the name <b>The Prince’s Bane</b> with those with feet. She is a siren, which is drastically different than a mermaid, and a siren’s job is to take hearts. Lira has a heart for every year she’s been alive, and they <i>are all prince hearts</i>. That’s right folks, this princess has hearts of only princes, and I don’t mean that figuratively.

Lira is such a great, strong and independent protagonist. Or... antagonist depending on how you look at it. It is such a refreshing feeling when you find a… er... main character that is strong besides the abuse that she receives. Her mother, the queen of the sea, is the epitome of an abusive parent, <b>so trigger warning for those of you mermaids who have been through some traumatic and horrible things</b>.

This story touches on family a lot. There is family that wants something different for you, there is family who mistreats you, and then there is family that accepts and supports you. Family does not always have to be blood, and that is important here. Family is filled with the people who love and support you and have your best interest at heart. Sometimes those who are blood-related to you, don’t make the cut.

When Lira gets her prince’s heart too soon (not on her birthday, per usual) the queen is furious with her daughter and means to put her in her place. That situation brings in our next contestant: <b> Elian, the Prince of Midas</b>.

Elian doesn’t want to be landlocked, and takes matters into his own hands. He knows about the terrible creatures called sirens and he knows what they do to people. So, he makes a crew that sole purpose is to sail the ocean and kill sirens. He’s basically Nikolai: a pirate who happens to be a prince (and if you don’t know this reference, go pick up Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, like, yesterday please). His crew is snarky, crude and right up the alley of wren-obsessed.

When Elain is told there is a way to rid the world of their most hated fiend (sirens), especially that Prince’s Bane, he does not rest until he has done just that. Elain is like a fox: he is smooth, calculating and able to maneuver his way out of any situation without a single scratch (well, almost).

“<i>’Poison?’ I muse. ‘Were you keeping that around for your future wife?’
‘It’s not lethal..and no… unless you were my wife.’</i>”

And yes, the book is full of snarky and sarcastic and witty things.

Then we have our trusted side characters, Kahlia, Madrid, Kye, Torik, and many others, that just helped bring this story to life. I felt as if I was a part of this collective family. Each of these characters brought something new to the story and I will forever hold them close to me.

This book is so magically put together, I don’t believe it even has seams. There is no world-vomit. The world is built beautifully throughout the book as you need to know it. And believe me, the picture that these words created in my head is an image I am keeping for a rainy day. Christo was made to write and create.

The last battle scene was so vivid and beautifully done that I couldn’t have stopped reading if I tried. There is so much to the last scene that it left my actually sitting up in my bed, reading as fast as I could to make sure that my loves were going to be okay.

“<i>Me, My Ship, an da girl with oceans in her eyes.</i>”

To not make this any longer than it already it, this beautiful standalone novel warmed my siren-heart to tears. I absolutely loved the strong female characters, the swoon-worthy male characters, the diversity and the wit of this book. This is something that I will be raving about for the rest of my short-life.

Stay beautiful, sirens.

<i>The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.</i>

This was an amazing underwater fantasy-adventure that had me holding my breath the entire time. Get it? Underwater. Holding my breath, intense? okay...

This scaley book follows two characters, the first one being Lira who is a siren princess and who basically kills princes for a living. HOW DARK AND COOL IS THAT!? Which then introduces our second character, Prince Elian who is known as a siren hunter. (obviously you can already see the confrontation here..) There is war brewing between the humans and sirens within this world which creates a perfect storm and of course it's up to Lira and Elian to stop this madness..... with their kinda angsty love. BUT IT'S SO GOOD.

This book is nearly 400 pages which in turn gives us a nice chunk of time to spend in this dark whimsical environment. There was a lot of action and revelations and things occurring. The plot was incredibly fascinating. The uniqueness of the characters and world-building scored all of the points for me. Basically this is an excellent book of magical kingdoms, intoxicating backstory darkness, and stakes that fly quite high.

You may be familiar with the red-headed mermaid from Disney movies, and while Lira is also a red-headed princess of the sea, she is not a mermaid. She is a deadly siren, a bewitching creature of the sea that uses its voice to lure sailors to their doom. As the Prince's Bane, Lira specializes in capturing the hearts of princes from the one hundred kingdoms. Leave your notions of timid mermaid princesses behind, because Lira packs a serious punch regardless of whether she's on land or in water. She is glorious in her savagery as a siren in the water, and sassy and unafraid as a human on land.

One of my favorite parts of To Kill a Kingdom is the camaraderie between the crewmates aboard Prince Elian's ship. They each have distinct personalities and engage in witty banter that at times made me roll my eyes and at others, chuckle out loud to myself on the train. To be able to pack backstories into each character in a standalone novel is tremendous, and goes to show that there wasn't a single throwaway line in this book. Christo does a fantastic job of making every word count.

My favorite character of all though? The Sea Queen, master of the seas and queen of the sirens. She is a version of Ursula from The Little Mermaid movie, multiplied tenfold in her wickedness. She's got an incredible headdress crown-thingy, a pointy trident, tentacles, and an awful attitude about everything. Pretty much the perfect villain. 

I want a whole series of dark retellings by Christo, after seeing what she is able to do with The Little Mermaid!

I rate To Kill a Kingdom 5/5 stars!

To Kill a Kingdom releases on March 6th, 2018 and you can pre-order it now!

Once upon a time, there was a rebellious, but sweet 16 year old girl who came upon a ship in the middle of the ocean and saw a handsome prince. Little did this girl know that one day she would save his life and learn what it meant to fall in love. Only problem was she wasn’t human, but a mermaid.

Unfortunately, the story above is the sweet Disney version and when reading, “To Kill a Kingdom”, though a retelling of sorts of The Little Mermaid, it isn’t as lovable or cheery.

Christo has a brilliant imagination. She took a very beloved story and made it so so so dark, but also very entertaining. I haven’t read a book ever that the setting in parts was a kingdom at the bottom of the ocean. Her descriptions of these fantastical sea creatures were very vivid and also very gruesome. I liked the adventure and I honestly liked all of the characters! For once in a long while, I didn’t hate the romance!

With the good comes some bad. There were a few things that bugged me. This book essentially is from a duel-perspective. Personally, I thought the book would have been more understandable if she would have had the two characters (Elian and Lira) names at the beginning of each chapter. Several times I was guessing whose perspective I was reading from and it took me about two paragraphs to figure it out sometimes. Lastly, I couldn’t wait for the exciting climax of the story, and I felt sometimes there was a lot of telling and not showing.

But...

The plot was too creative and fun; I can truly say I really enjoyed this!

Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me to review an advanced copy! Buy To Kill a Kingdom when it comes out on March 6, 2018!

This arc was provided to me for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars

Seeing a retelling of The Little Mermaid getting published excited me and terrified me at the same time. But Alexandra Christo did not disappoint! To Kill a Kingdom had an adventure, sirens, mermaids, pirates, and some romance, all of which makes for the perfect book.

To Kill a Kingdom is focused on two individuals Lira, a deadly siren, and Elian, a prince turned pirate. They have a chance meeting which ends in chaos and thus sets up the events for the book. The romance is my favorite kind, a nice steady slow burn which had me dying by the end.

The entire storyline had me wanting to trade my life with a dangerous siren and I don't even like the ocean. It was such a fun and exciting take on the beloved Little Mermaid.

The one downfall of this book is that lack of labeling on the chapters. I wasn't expecting it to switch back and forth between the two characters. It just took me a moment to realize whose I was reading.

A few minor bumps in the road but overall a wonderful novel. I look forward to reading more by Christo and cannot wait to see where the next adventure lies.

Deadly Sirens, murderous pirates, and a forbidden romance. I really enjoyed this book! "To Kill a Kingdom" follows the siren princess, Lira, who is turned into a human as punishment by her mother and tasked with taking the heart of Prince Elias, the notorious siren-killing pirate. There are areas in which I feel that the plot was rushed and character development was sacrificed -- but nothing that overwhelmingly ruined the book for me. The first quarter of the book moved slowly, but the second half of the novel was fast-paced and, to be honest, I couldn't put it down. Lira was not always a likable character, but that's what made her human. Overall, this was an excellent debut by Alexandra Christo and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. A dark and refreshing new take on sirens and a slow burning romance!

I cannot even begin to put into words the amazingness that is To Kill a Kingdom. Wow. I need more. How is it over. Why is this a standalone. I feel like I have been starting a lot of my reviews this way but y'all 2018 IS ROCKING IT.

We've got a dark and twisty rendition of The Little Mermaid and IT IS TO DIE FOR. I die. I just die. Lira is fierce, brave, strong, and emotionally/mentally/physically abused by her mother. In this take her mother is the sea witch that turns her into a human. There are A LOT of twists on the original tale.

This is not some poor, tricked princess who has to make a prince fall in love with her. It is savagery and deceit. It is finding yourself after someone convinced you you needed to be something else. It is empowerment. It is personal strength and believing in yourself.

I received a ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I may have screamed (just a little) when I seen that my arc request was approved! I've been drooling over the synopsis for months and then the cover!?!? Gorgeous!!

I loved this book, it has all my favorite things! Adventure, banter, sass, love and betrayal! and ya'll the banter! I was grinning so hard throughout the book! It was perfection!

I loved that it has dual povs. Although Lira's "voice" was by far my favorite. She's a siren princess that has killed 17 prince's. She's bloodthirsty, and fierce with a voice that can render you powerless in a note and the strength to rip your heart out of your chest. But in a instant she's changed from siren royalty to weak and human and she doesn't take the change well.

"My fins are gone. My mother has damned me. I want to die."

Having her strengths stripped from her is a rude awakening but doesn't stop her from making threats at every turn. Some are empty while others she follows through with swiftly. She adapts to being human in her own way,

"You can't just kill everyone you don't like."
"I know that," I tell him. "Otherwise you'd be dead already."

Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. I was a bleary eyed zombie the next day but didn't care, it was worth it! I had to know what happened! The plot flows so beautifully, and between that, the banter, and the secrets hanging over their heads be prepared to become obsessed.

"What do they sing where you're from?"
For some reason, Lira finds this amusing.
"Nothing you would appreciate."

I highlighted so many quotes, it would be impossible for me to choose a favorite. 100 % recommend, I can't wait for this book to be released so I can buy the physical copy. I loved it!