To Kill a Kingdom

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 darkish Little Mermaid retelling…what more do you need to say?

Narration for this was spot-on. Stephanie Willis sultry voice was fantastic and she evoked the darkness that is Lira beautifully so. I absolutely loved her POV. Jacob York is satisfactory for the level-headed Elian. My issue is I wasn't always able to stay in this while listening. I think it was mostly during Elian's POV…I easily forgot that I was supposed to be paying attention. (((This may have been influenced by my free-cell addiction))) My other issue is I think the romance could have been...I don't know...tweaked. It felt a little forced, I guess.

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~MY RATING~
☆4.3☆STARS - GRADE=A-
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~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
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Plot~ 4.3/5
Main Characters~ 4.2/5
Secondary Characters~ 4/5
The Feels~ 3.8/5
Pacing~ 4/5
Addictiveness~ 3.8/5
Theme or Tone~ 4/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 4/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 5/5
Originality~ 4/5
Ending~ 4.3/5 Cliffhanger~ Nope.
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Book Cover~ Fabulous
Narration~ ☆5☆ -Stephanie Willis & Jacob York were both fantastic.
Setting~ Sea Kingdom of Keto
Source~ Own on Audible
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Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, gore, language, sexual assault/mentions of rape)

Pages: 342

Author Website

the store Link

I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley. Thanks! I also then went out and bought my own copy halfway through this book. All opinions are my own.

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?

Under the sea
Under the sea
Darling it’s better
Down where it’s wetter
Take it from me
Up on the shore Elian sails away
From his kingdom he doesn’t want anyway
While Lira is stealin’
Princes hearts while beatin’
Under the sea!

Okay now that I got that out of my system, let’s start this review! If you couldn’t tell from the song I really liked this book! I felt the character development was well done for the main characters, the plot kept me intrigued, the pacing was well done, and I also felt that the book did a great job at re-doing the tale of The Little Mermaid. For a book that was marketed as a retelling, it was completely it’s own.

That being said, this wasn’t a direct retelling. If you’re looking for The Little Mermaid, this isn’t it. Lira is bloodthirsty and brutal. But the author does do a hilarious job at including several little stabs at The Little Mermaid. The book is duel POV between Lira and Elian, and the e-copy I had from Netgalley did not have chapter headings. When the POV would change it took me a bit to figure out that a different narrator had taken control. Fortunately, this was fixed in the final version of the book. The book had some plot holes concerning language and how easy it was for everyone to be multi-lingual and the book didn’t do a good job at world-building. At one point a character was introduced with a circus background from a kingdom the reader was not introduced to and then it was never mentioned ever again. Homeboy disappeared out of the book. We also didn’t get any real development or connection with the side characters even with how lovable they seemed.

Verdict: Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I loved the story. Although it’s a stand-alone it didn’t feel too short and it was a beautiful high seas adventure tale.

I’m taking moment to show some love for this awesome book. I haven’t been excited about a mermaid book since Elizabeth Fama’s Monstrous Beauty, and that was a book I read in 2012.

So why am I so excited about this book? Think of it as dark version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. While Ariel falls in love at first sight with Prince Eric, this book introduces a siren named Lira, daughter of the Sea Queen, and it’s kill at first sight for Prince Elian, a dashing prince-slash-siren-killing-pirate. Basically they want to tear each other apart. Sounds deliciously morbid, I know, and that makes it so much more interesting. (Side note: I’m using the word ‘delicious’ to describe morbidity, what is wrong with me? ?)

Anyway, I love that this book didn’t just have a well-plotted storyline but also offered promising character growth for both protagonists. Not to mention a slow-burning, heart-pounding, super ‘kilig’ romance. The relationship between these two characters didn’t just come out of nowhere, and seeing as both characters view each other as threats to their kingdoms, the shifting of feelings from hatred, to understanding and to love, was oh-so-sweetly well crafted.

It was also no short on action scenes which I always look forward to in books.

I was also absolutely glad that it’s a stand-alone novel because this book was just perfect as it is. I don’t mind a prequel though. Couldn’t be more proud of Alexandra Christo and her debut novel, it just goes to show she’s an author worth watching out for upcoming books.

I'm so thrilled to say that I loved this book a whole bunch. It was dark and gorgeous and a bit of romantic too. I enjoyed all of it so much. The writing was gorgeous, the story was incredible. There is so much that I loved about this book. It's told from two point of views, Lira and Elian. With her a siren, and him a human prince.

And oh, I cannot even begin to describe why I loved this book so much. It was simply the best. I adored getting to know Lira. She has the hearts of seventeen princes in her home under the sea, one for every year she grows. She started killing them by herself when she turned twelve. And gosh, this girl is vicious. Loved her.

I haven't read that many books about sirens, but I can say that I wish they were all like this one. Dark and vicious, the characters changing and getting even more awesome. This was everything I wanted from a story about a pirate and a siren. It was amazing. Though I must mention that the summary is a bit wrong, as Lira did not kill one of her own, she killed a mermaid, which they say is way less than a siren. She was not forced to kill the mermaid, she chose to. And that isn't even why her mother punished her either. Hmph. But even so, it was kind of close, and it was so exciting to read about. Lira was such a vicious and fierce siren. A killer. Yet she had a heart too, somewhat. She cared for her younger cousin, and I adored that friendship so much. Was great.

While Lira was amazing as a siren, I think I loved her more when she ended up as a human. Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen, whom is so like Ursula in the little mermaid. Full of tentacles and all kinds of cruel and awful. I hated how she treated Lira. And everyone else in the sea too. She is the reason for why Lira is killing a human prince once a year. Why every siren kills a human when they grow. So there is kind of a war between the sirens and the humans. Lira is vicious and cruel as a siren, but that is not all she is.

But when her mother turns her human, oh, how I loved reading about all that. Lira does not want to be a human at all. She almost dies, but is rescued by Elian and his ship in the middle of the ocean. I loved how they fought and argued and slowly became friends. It was the best thing. Elian does not trust her, and he really shouldn't. Lira is there to take his heart back to her mother. Only this time as a human and not as a siren. Lira was an amazing character to read about. Dark and full of murder. Yet she change a bunch too.

And I loved that the very much. She doesn't go all soft, but she starts to see things better, like she used to do when she was a child. And oh, it was all the very best to read about. This whole book was just thrilling. I also very much loved Elian. He is a prince, and I loved the small peeks at his royal family. They seemed awesome. But he spends most of his time at sea, with his ship. He hunts down sirens. And so Elian is a killer too. He's pretty dark at times, yet so fun and sweet too, and I adored reading about him. Very much.

There is not all that much romance in this book, but there is a little bit, and it was so stunning. I shipped these two characters so much. Lira and Elian were both awesome and they fit together so well. I mean, yeah, she lied about who she was almost the whole book, but even so. They were perfect together. And I loved reading about them, how they argued and teased each other and eee. It was written so well and it was gorgeous and I loved these two characters the very most. Sigh. I only wanted more kissing, haha.

There is a whole bunch of amazing characters in this book. I'm not going to talk about them all, just going to mention a little of them. Elian has a ship that he is captain of, with a bunch of people who are loyal to him. We get to know a few of them, and they were so much fun. And seemed so awesome. I loved how they protected him and cared for him. This book is all about Lira and Elian, but the side characters were important too, and were written so well. We don't see the sirens a lot, but they seemed so awesome too.

There is so much going on in this book. I'm not going to mention all of it, just talking about it a little. The story is about how Lira is trying to take the heart of Elian, killing him. And how Elian is searching for a weapon to finally kill the Sea Queen, and her daughter. I loved how these two characters started to care for each other. Though Lira does lie to him almost the whole book. But I didn't mind that too much. They were just so cute together. And eee, this story was incredible. I loved every moment of it. And want more.

I'm giving this lovely book five stars. Because I loved it a whole bunch and it was everything I wanted it to be. Eee. The characters were beyond stunning, and the story was so exciting. I mean, sure, there was a few things that bothered me a little bit, like I wish there was a little more of the romance. And I'm curious to know even more about that ending. But I also just loved this book. And I am feeling so happy about it all. Also, the ending was great. A bit rude, yet fully perfect too. I loved it so much. Whole book was great.

I think you should all read this book. Because To Kill a Kingdom was everything that I wanted it to be. Fun and dangerous and so good. The characters were written so well and I loved them to pieces. I wish there would be even more books with all of them, but yeah, this is a stand alone. Aw. But I really wouldn't mind more about them all, one day. Eee. Fingers crossed. Either way, I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you so much to the publisher for my copy via Netgalley. Now in a huge need of the print ARC too.

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books.

"I’ve made a mistake. It started with a prince, as most stories do. Once I felt the thrum of his heart beneath my fingers, I couldn’t forget it."

The siren queen is a bloodthirsty ruler who controls the ocean by keeping it's creatures in constant fear of her wrath. She's merciless and cruel and will not tolerate the people of her kingdom being anything less than vicious beasts. She will happily kill anyone who disobeys her or gets in her way - even her only child.

When Princess Lira, also known as the legendary Princes' Bane, fails in ripping out the heart of the golden prince who sails the seas murdering her people, her mother is more than disappointed. The sea queen sees her daughter as week and unworthy of ever being a ruler of the ocean. Still, she gives Lira a nearly impossible task to redeem herself, if only just to see her fail and hold on to the crown a while longer. She turns Lira into what they all hate most - a human. The queen gives her until the winter solstice to finish what she started, but this time, with out the use of her siren abilities. Should Lira fail again, she risks losing more than just her royal birth right, but her life, too.

Prince Elian, heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world, feels most at home not within his court but abroad his great ship the Saad, among his loyal crew members. While he loves his kingdom, he doesn't want to inherit his father's crown and rule it. He has an unquenchable thirst for adventure and has made ridding the world of sea monsters to protect the humans his personal mission - especially the most fearsome of them all: The evil sea queen who wants to control both sea and land and the legendary Princes' Bane who lives to prove she can be more ruthless than her mother and rips the hearts out of every prince she can.

"My monster found me and I’m going to find her right back."

Gambling everything he can to aquire the whereabouts of a weapon that could help him wipe out the monsters once and for all, Elian rounds up his siren-hunting pirate crew and sets sail on another deadly mission. When he discovers a girl drowning in the middle of the sea, he and his crew are skeptical to say the least. However, when Lira tells them she can exchange valuable information about the object they're hunting down, for a place on the Saad, the captain (prince) agrees. Not wanting to leave room for failure, and having bartered almost everything valuable enough for the sake of his mission, he takes his chances on the mysterious girl he rescued (but keeps a watchful eye on her, of course). What if Lira only sees this as a better opportunity to prove herself wicked enough in the eyes of her mother? What will the prince do when he finds out that his newest crew member is actually the beast that once tried to kill him and is his mortal enemy? Both prince and princess put their lives on the line and risk everything for what they believe in. So, whose side will win?

“That’s the thing about risks,” Kye says. “It’s impossible to know which ones are worth it until it’s too late.”

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is a YA fantasy stand alone that revolves around a war between the royals of the sea and land. This is sort of like a re-imagining of The Little Mermaid, but really, this story stands apart from it in so many ways.

I really love Alexandra Christo's writing style! The world building was amazing and I absolutely love the world the author created. While there are hints of the fairy tale The Little Mermaid woven into this story, the author makes it her own. I thought the made up language, all the kingdoms and their histories, plus the back story of how the war began between the sea goddess and the original 'human' families were really cool. I also really enjoyed how the sirens and mermaids are depicted: the sirens aren't just 'mermaid like' with only their magical songs to deferentate them - they're more closely related to humans but have powerful tails, fangs and claws with two colored eyes and can be the most brutal creatures of the sea. The mermaids are these inhuman, morbid looking creatures that can unhinge their jaws to swallow ships whole and the males of their species are practically demonic and are used as soldiers for the queen's army. The sea queen weilds magic and has tenticles instead of a fin, sort of like Ursula. All of the people from the other kindoms had their own characteristics that set them apart from the others, like magical ablities, legends and well known reputations.

This book is written in alternating POV's from Lira's and Elian's perspective, which I enjoyed. I seriously loved both of these characters! Lira is fearless, bold and and full of fire. Elian is adventurous, brave, and sees himself more as a pirate than a prince. I loved all the sassy, witty and sarcastic banter between these two (and the other characters, too), I definitely laughed out loud over some of the dialogue. They start off as enemies but they slowly evolve into something much more. The secondary characters were likeable and I found myself getting attached to them, too.

The ending was great, but I was sad to say goodbye. From start to finish, To Kill a Kingdom is full of action, adventure and excitement and I could not put this book down. If you have a love for The Little Mermaid, brutal sea creatures and Princes who are more pirate than royalty then I highly recommend this book to you. I enjoyed every minute of it and you can bet that I will be picking up the next book Alexandra Christo publishes.

**** I received an ebook copy of this title via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ****

I really enjoyed To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo. I was so looking forward to this.
One of My daughters favourite Disney movies growing up was the little mermaid and although this was about vicious Sirens and not cute princess like mermaids I was clapping my hands together in glee so excited to start this.
Stealing a prince's heart has a whole new meaning when it is literally ripped out of your chest.
This book is a vicious tale of Killer Sirens, An evil sea witch of a mother, and a whole ship of sirens hunters led by a royal prince, Prince Elian who has made it his mission in life to rid the seas of these killers and in particular the Prince's Bane, None other than Princess Lira herself along with her sea witch of a mother.
So after Princess Lira is punished by being made mortal and sent into the mortal world with the task of bringing her mother the Prince's heart by her birthday it's a whole new world with new experiences and emotions she finds herself feeling.
And after Prince Elian saves a strange girl in the ocean from drowning and brings her aboard his ship this Prince and Siren's journey are ready to collide for an altogether better future for all.
So, this is aimed at the YA community in general and as I said earlier is a completely engrossing read.
And although a romance between Lira and Elian is anticipated the story here is more action based than romance based and is also completely clean in nature.
But be aware this is definitely not a sweet Disney story, There is actually a fair bit of violence involved here.
To "Kill A Kingdom" actually reminded me a whole lot of an Old Sinbad movie in as much as there on a quest they need to fulfil and that there are beasts beneath the ocean that are common knowledge to all, as is the magic that rebounds in this world.
I adored all the magical kingdom lore we got to experience here.
There were no great plot twists, but they weren't really needed.
There was plenty of imagination and visual pictures portrayed by this author that I found this didn't need any fancy twists at all.
Also, I would like to say I loved the cover image for this story it was so beautiful I'd have picked this up for that reason alone.
so, Yeh, this is a thumbs up from me, a great new imaginative YA novel which gives a whole new twist to an old favourite.
I was provided with an ARC of "To Kill A Kingdom" By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

A sure sign that a stand-alone novel has succeeded? Making this series-phobe want sequels! Alexandra Christo has crafted an engrossing world in To Kill a Kingdom as she paints an altogether more sinister rendition of the familiar tale about a lovelorn sea creature. Often, fantasy novels can fall into one of two categories: those whose world-building seems to take place as they progress, everything beyond the immediate narrative hazy and indistinct; and others that feel fully realized from the opening pages, even before details start emerge. While the entire dark history of sirens and their conflict with man unfolds gradually over its 350 pages, the mythology at To Kill a Kingdom's core hovers always hovers in the background, assured and complete.

Christo's prose finds beauty in the gruesome and the feral. Mermaids with jawless mouths full of sharks teeth, barbed nets for catching sirens, and the collection of innocent hearts beneath the sand all take on a macabre appeal. A tale with kingdoms hanging in the balance cannot lack for blood; Christo dispenses it gracefully, even as her main players shift from spilling it for pleasure to necessity. Said kingdoms above and below the waves come alive with inviting details that mask the cutthroat politics at their centers. To Kill a Kingdom is a novel that's easy to get lost in, with a rhythm that surges and retreats like the the tide.

Perspectives alternate between Lira and Elian. The siren princess is undoubtedly the more compelling of the two; a simpler reading might describe her character arc as the difference between good and evil, although I believe the core of it actually concerns subservience and independence. The curse of a human body may banish Lira from her aquatic home, but it also removes her from the tyranny of her mother's reign. Any moral developments are secondary to the journey of a girl discovering her voice, developing the strength to form and express her own opinions about the world. It's a tale of empowerment subtly wrought. That there are wide-ranging repercussions from the emergence of a strong young woman is, perhaps, a knowing nod towards readers who see themselves in Lira.

Elian, by comparison, falls a little flat. His own struggle between princely duty and the calling of a pirate's wayward life lacks the urgency of Lira's conflict. In all fairness he's certainly no slouch; considering the complexity at play in Lira's chapters, nearly anyone else would struggle to measure up.

One thing that particularly endeared me to this book is its shunning of the insta-love trope all too common in young adult fiction. The development of feelings between Lira and Elian happens gradually, fed by their growth and development as characters rather than an awkward need for romance no matter the context. Those put off by the prevalence of love triangles and instant infatuation will find their relationship a refreshing change of pace.

All in all, I greatly enjoyed To Kill a Kingdom. Christo's writing entranced me from her stellar opening sentence to the final word. YA fantasy has gained a triumph of a protagonist in the siren princess Lira. Filled as it is with pirate, mermaids, and magical artifacts, her personal journey should resonate with young readers beginning to discover who they are outside the boundaries of family and home.

"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.

3.5 stars

Based on review copy

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.

This is a thrilling debut from Alexandra Christo, taking a unique perspective on The Little Mermaid. It’s rather rudimentary to compare TO KILL A KINGDOM to The Little Mermaid because apart from some basics on characterisation, there really is little similarity.

Firstly, in a sea of YA fantasy series, I want to shout from the rooftops that this is a full and rounded standalone. Yes, I said standalone and I felt complete by the end, so it does what it says on the tin.

Sirens are the name of the game in this book and Lira is a scrappy, fierce and murderous siren princess known across the world as The Princes Bane. Her mother, the Sea Queen is her nemesis but she is bent to her mother’s will. The Sea Queen is a rather frightening, violent dictator without ethics or scruples. Lira, initially with little to recommend her, undertakes a change about which I don’t want to say more. The character development was superb.

“The crew said her hair was as red as hellfire.”

“The Princes’ Bane is the greatest monster I’ve ever known, and the only one who’s escaped death once I’ve set my sights on her.”

Elian is more pirate than Prince of Midas, on a self-inflicted crusade to rid the world of sirens. There’s a lot more to like about Elian and he cuts a swarthy, heroic figure. The ship the prince operates from, holds a crew of friends, protectors and loyal sailors, they made for good reading. When Elian and Lira eventually cross paths, it’s not pretty but it’s explosive, violent and hateful.

“It’s you.”
“Look at you. My monster, come to find me.”

The story took hold of me from the first chapter and was a thrilling voyage across oceans and into unusual lands. I was interested throughout and dying to see what would happen. The romance is subtle but still kicks a punch, nevertheless, it doesn’t overwhelm the story.

“Me, my ship, and a girl with oceans in her eyes.”

I had a little niggle in this book regarding how the dialogue was written, my problem being that it is consistently unclear when the dialogue character changes, which stops your flow while you work out who’s talking. However, this is just a niggle and wasn’t a major issue.

I am truly excited about this debut, it’s uniqueness and strong writing of characters and story direction. YA fantasy lovers are going to rave over this, I’m sure.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

Reviewed for Jo&IsaLoveBooks Blog.

To Kill a Kingdom has an enemies-to-lovers story without focusing on the romance. It is about a siren and a siren hunter, both killers, who start to unlearn the hatred they have for the other. Lira, a siren who has been killing princes every year on her birthday, and has earned the name of Prince's Bane has been cursed by her mother, the tyrannical Sea Queen (who is sort of like Ursula, but more evil and definitely not winning any Mother of the Year awards) to become human and snag the heart (literally - not like romantically) of the golden prince of Midas, Elian, who is also a siren hunter/pirate in his free time. Elian, unwittingly lets his own target onto his crew, while hunting for a mythical artifact that would take down the Sea Queen.

The plot hinges on the nurture/nature narrative for Lira - she has been brought up as a killer from her childhood and her mother regularly tries to remove any trace of empathy from her. Lira feels a bit conflicted about it, but she also revels in the power she has from the fear. To say she is feral is an understatement. So, when Elian saves her from drowning, she is less thankful and more attack-ful. Elian, for his part, doesn't trust her fully, but he also requires her knowledge to get to the artifact he is searching for. Slowly, however the animosity between them erodes to a mutual respect for the other, and then ultimately into affection. It is a slow-slow-burn romance, ya'll, and that is only because romance does play a part in the climactic scene. Otherwise, the main story is all about them re-evaluating their life choices while having a pirate adventure on the seas.

While the story is told from an alternating dual perspective, the voice is not distinct enough to make sense of which character is speaking unless there are contextual clues. It becomes doubly confusing when they are both in the scene. There is a commonality in their circumstances, as they are both royals with the burden of royal duties to bear, only that Lira actually wants to rule and Elian prefers having adventures on the seas instead. The build-up is slow, and the plot devotes time to developing their characters from beyond blood-thirsty siren and self-righteous prince, and the mirroring of their natures. The story mostly is devoid of action, until the climactic scene, which I felt was too drawn out - it could have been shortened/edited for better flow with the rest of the plot.

The relationships between the characters is a highlight of the book, though, and it places an equal importance on other kinds of love, not just romantic. For Elian, his crew is his family, and his love for them is what drives his decisions at some points. For Lira, the love she has for her cousin, is what keeps her from becoming another version of her mother. But it's not all deeply emotional - it also shows a lighter side to their relationships. Elian and his crew frequently tease each other, and though he is their prince, they still have a more casual relationship. He and Lira also trade insults, but after reading Daughter of the Pirate King, it is as fun, or as enough.

Overall, a good retelling of the Little Mermaid, with various nods given to the original and creative twists of the thematic elements. But more importantly, an exploration of blood feuds and forging a path to peace.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review from Hot Key Books, via Netgalley.

How do I love this novel? Let me count the ways.

First off, I’d like to put it out there that The Little Mermaid, in all its iterations but especially the Disney animated film, is my favorite story of all time. The sacrifice, pain, heartbreak, MERMAIDS, attractive sailor types... there’s nothing about these stories that I don’t love. Everyone who knows me knows just how obsessed I am with this tale and with mermaids. I was practically primed to love TO KILL A KINGDOM.

And I did.

This novel takes the story we all know and love and injects quite a bit of darkness and reality into it. No really. I said “reality” when walking about a story of mermaids and sirens and Sea Queens.

It’s very emotionally real, touching on the main characters’ shortcomings, fears, and sacrifices. It’s the way these characters act, not who they are or even what they say, that show us who they truly are and why they’re fit to be in places of power. Even Lira, the siren, who begins the book as a prickly, practically-heartless and hate-filled automaton. I couldn’t help but love these two.

And speaking of love, I was at the edge of my seat for the slow-burning relationship in this novel and was 1000000% here for it. Honestly, my only real complaint about this book is that there wasn’t enough romance for me. Which is a good complaint to have because it was so well done as it is.

But I have to say that my FAVORITE part of this novel is how it so subtly throws in elements of the classic Disney movie as it goes along. A fashion choice here, an iconic scene disguised as something else/distorted there... A lot of the fun and intrigue of reading TO KILL A KINGDOM is being able to spot these glorious little nods and waster eggs. The best part is that they’re so well-done and integrated that they don’t feel like nods or inside jokes at all. They fit perfectly within the story the author is trying to tell and it’s glorious.

Basically, I LOVED this book. I’d read it again in an instant and will be telling everyone I know (especially the Disney fans) about it. THIS is the cinematic retelling I want to see on the silver screen in the next couple of years. Hollywood, you can cancel all of the rest of them. (Really.)

*Be sure to read my full review of TO KILL A KINGDOM on Hypable*

You all, I buddy read this with FOUR of my closest book friends, and we all five starred this amazing story. Please, go treat yourself and preorder this book. Please. Do you like killer sirens? Angsty romance? A+ witty banter? Vivid fighting scenes with mind-blowing imagery? One of the best and strongest protagonists I’ve read about in a long while? And all these things in a standalone? From a debut author? Seriously, we’ve been blessed.

And I can safely say that there is no better feeling than picking up an ARC that is not exceptionally hyped, and that you’re not expecting anything from really, and you come out absolutely loving it. This was perfection and one of the best reading experiences I’ve had all year. I can’t wait for you all to love this book, too, come March 6th.

“I have a heart for every year I’ve been alive.”

This is a magical standalone that surrounds two very different people that are both next in line for two very different crowns:

➽ Lira - AKA: Prince’s Bane, the most feared siren of all time. She has a collection of seventeen royal hearts. She is also the daughter of Sea Queen, who rules the sea kingdom, Diavolos. Yet, the Sea Queen is abusive, a manipulator, a tyrant, and not willing to relinquish her throne anytime soon for Lira.
➽ Elian - AKA: Siren Hunter. He is a royal prince, but also a cutthroat sea captain who sees the world on his ship, The Saad, with his crew. His family rules Midas, the city of gold, and they want nothing more than for him to give up his pirate life and to finally be king. Also, Elian and his entire family are brown-skinned.

“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 out to us both. A song of freedom and longing.”

In this world, humans fear the sirens that lurk below the water. And under the ocean, sirens are forced to bring back a human heart during the month of their birth and present it for all to see. But our dear Lira has taken to only the hearts of royals. This story is very loosely inspired by The Little Mermaid, therefore, I’m sure you guys can somewhat guess how these two’s paths cross. But after Lira upsets her mother, the Sea Queen wants to find a new way to ridicule and humiliate her, so what better way than to force her to steal the most royal heart of all, but also forcing her to do this task as a human, and while no longer having her siren voice to lure humans towards her.

And what kind of prince in waiting would Elian be if he let this damsel in distress drown in the water? I mean, until he rescues Lira and realizes how much of a damsel in distress she really isn’t. You all, this was some of the best banter I’ve ever read in any book, ever. And you guys know that hate to love romance is the trope that I love more than any other. And this angst? Perfection. These two might honestly end up being my favorite partnership of 2018. From actually laughing out loud, to swooning, to crying, to everything I felt for these two, and all I want is more.

I was astounded by the worldbuilding and how seamlessly it was crafted and presented. Honestly, this entire story’s imagery was so impressive. The last battle was so visually breathtaking, I feel speechless. The last few chapters were perfection, and I feel so honored that I was able to even experience them. Me and Jules both were absolutely astonished by that last battle and how visually pleasing it was to the mind. I honestly could picture this being a movie immediately.

And this book tackles some pretty serious topics, too. We see parental/adult abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting in this book a lot. Kids only want to be loved, especially from their parents, and it takes a lot to realize that sometimes the people who are supposed to protect you and unconditionally love you just blatantly don’t.

“Love is a word we scarcely hear in the ocean. It exists only in my song and on lips of the princes I’ve killed. And I have never heard it from my mother’s mouth.”

And there is such an important and constant theme of how a new generation can change the world. Which is a message that everyone in The United States should be behind right now. As I’m typing this review, high school kids are changing our world, because the baby boomer generation that’s in office currently think it’s more important to protect assault rifles over innocent kid’s lives. Seriously, these teens, who this book is marketed for, won’t be teens for long. They will be voting, they will activists, and they will be changing the damn world for the better. Do you know how powerful it is for them to have books like this? With themes like this? Seriously, this was probably my favorite thing in this book where there was so much to easily love.

This story also beautiful emphasizes the importance of found families. Blood is nothing more than blood. The people who choose to unconditionally love you, support you, protect you, those people are your family. Madrid, Kye, Torik, Kahlia, I fell in love with all of the side characters. And this book beautifully depicts how important it is for you to choose who is worthy of your time and love.

“How strange that instead of taking his heart, I’m hoping he takes mine.”

Overall, this was honestly just a joy to read. The writing was lyrical and beautiful. The world building was fantastic and so impressive, especially for a standalone. The romance was absolutely perfect. Also, my Odyssey loving heart will read any and all books about sirens luring men to their death. I loved being on this adventure and journey alongside Lira and Elian. I absolutely cannot wait to see what Alexandra Christo does next, and this debut novel of hers is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read.

What should you expect?

- Epic dark retelling: Action. Adventure. Deceive. Betrayals. Danger.
- Villains you'll love to hate: Lethal mermaids. Killer Sirens. Monstrous, multi-tentacled Sea Queen!
- Unlikely Heroines and Heroes: Pirates. Siren hunters. Thieves!
- Diverse Kingdoms and cultures!
- Myths and Magic!

Ready? 1.. 2… 3... Close your eyes and DIVE!

Because, you will absolutely LOVE this adventure!

Riding the waves of the Diávolos Sea on this lyrical writing is just an splendidly, bloody adventure!

The writing is dark but elegant. Modern but also oddly evocative, like the sound of crashing waves. It will take you back to a time of Pirates and sea legends with an imagery worthy of a travel coastal magazine! You will swear you can smell the ocean! ?

Like this quote...

"When the light breaks across the shore of Eidýllio, there’s a flash of pink that shatters the sky. The sun gleams against the horizon, encircled by a miraculous hue of diminished red, like melted coral."

OH, YES! TAKE ME AWAY!

And once you dive into the mysterious icy depths of the Diávolos Sea, and find yourself in the sea Kingdom of Keto... What should you expect?

Would a bubbly chorus of colorful dancing crabs and flounders welcome you with a...

? ???? "Under the sea, Under the sea, Darling it's better, Down where it's wetter, Take it from meeee"? ????
Nuh-huh. None of that here! THIS WORLD IS AWESOMELY BRUTAL!

So, you better run and hide! NOW.

Because humans hearts are the special on today's menu!

And know that you are safely hiding behind a coral, hush and watch!

Who is that magnificent, otherworldly creature combing her long hair with a seashell?

A Siren? or Mermaid? Aren't they the same anyway?

Nuh-huh.

One of them is a monster with...

"More fish than flesh with an upper body to match the decadent scale of their fins. [They] have stretched blue husks and limbs in place of hair with a jawlessness that lets their mouths stretch to the size of small boats and swallow sharks whole. Their deep-blue flesh is dotted with fins that spread up spread up their arms and spines. Fish and human both, with the beauty of neither."

Say hello to the mermaids!

Should you be afraid of them? Yup. I would stay hidden if I were you! They are fascinated by humans! They will keep you alive just long enough so they can follow your ship and collect the treasures that fall overboard. Then, they will kill you and eat your heart. Because they think that if they eat enough of them, they may become human themselves.

But you know who you should definitely stay away from? The other one, the beautiful one. The Siren. A Coldhearted killer, with eyelashes born from iceberg shaving and eyes of two different color. The right eye the color of the sea they were born into. And lips painted with the blood of sailors.

Take Lira, for example. "A magnificence forged in salt water and reality" and no other than the daughter of the Sea Queen. Lira is definitely NOT a cutesy Ariel ?‍♀️ that will give up her rightful place as the heir to the Keto's throne to marry a prince and live happily ever after.
Nuh-huh. None of that here!

Yes, Lira likes princes very much. She likes to hunt them and rip their hearts. ❤

A heart for every year she has lived, to be exact. This vicious princess celebrates her birthdays stealing human hearts. Not metaphorically speaking, in a romantic way. She.literally.rips.human.hearts. Veins, arteries, hanging, blood gushing [You get the idea, huh?]. And if you dare to ask Lira why, she'll hiss in your ear... "Because hearts are power, and if there is one thing my kind craves more than ocean, then it's power."

And by now you are also feeling bad for the next prince that crosses Lira's path, right? NAH! Maybe you shouldn't. Maybe Lira will meet her match this time: Elian! The siren hunter, pirate prince that is as smart and ruthless as she is!

"I scrape my fangs across my lips. What does he think could possibly have the power to destroy me? It’s a fanciful notion of slaughter, and I find myself smiling. How wicked this one is, stripped of the innocence I’ve seen in all the others. This is not a prince of inexperience and anxious potential, but one of war and savagery. His heart will be a wonder to behold."

And... It's swooning time!

Time for some AWESOME "I-want-to-hunt-you-and-kill-you-while I slowly-fall-for-you" slow-burning romance between sworn enemies. ❤

As Lira and Elian try to outsmart each other with fun dialogues that are a scrumptious milkshake of sarcasm and wit, you won’t know if you want them to kiss or kill each other!

BUT you WILL board their ship and embark with them on this nautical adventure across the splendorous Hundred Kingdoms world Alexandra built, with a fantastic array of diverse dwellers, myths, and cultures!

I’m a little picky when it comes to retellings. They’re all the rage these days, and while some put a brand new spin on a familiar story, others… don’t. Too often, I feel like I’m reading something I’ve read before, and I anticipate what comes next far too easily. That’s why it was so refreshing to read Alexandra Christo’s debut novel To Kill a Kingdom. Sure, it’s (sort of) a retelling. A young, beautiful girl with flaming red hair who lives in the sea and is turned into a human… Sound familiar? But in this story, that lovely girl is actually pretty wicked. And her charming prince? Not the particular brand of charming you might expect…

While this is sort of a Little Mermaid retelling, it’s much, much more than that. Lira is a siren who collects the hearts of princes (seriously, she buries them in her bedroom), and Elian is a prince who also considers himself a pirate — a siren-hunting pirate. Can I just tell you how much I love Elian? LET ME COUNT THE WAYS. If you’re a fan of Leigh Bardugo’s famed privateer prince, Nikolai Lantsov, I suspect you’ll feel similarly.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the story, because this is such a delightfully delicious read and I would hate to spoil anything. But WOWWWWW. Adventure, romance of the angsty variety, incredible imagery, clever references to familiar stories and myths, and such a remarkably original twist on this type of tale. The writing is superb. I’m usually awful at highlighting or jotting down quotes, but this book had so many fantastic ones, I couldn’t help myself.

I’m still trying to decide how I feel about the ending. And don’t even get me started on the fact that this is a standalone. It’s just my luck… I’ve read books lately that aren’t standalones but that I feel should be, and I’ve read standalones that I feel should be part of a longer series, or at least a duology. ALAS. But honestly, I didn’t have any major issues with this book, and it exceeded all of my expectations with flying, vicious, heart-wrenching colors.

Even if you’re not usually interested in retellings, I would really recommend giving this book a shot. It is, without a doubt, one of the most compelling, original, and well-written retellings I’ve ever read, and I will be eagerly anticipating future books from Christo.

Thank you to Macmillan for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

OMG, how is this book not a big thing already? I totally blame the lack of publicity this book got on the fact that it came out on March 6th with a thousand other books. I mean, it was astonishing the number of YA released that day. LOL

All I can say is To Kill a Kingdom deserves your attention and love.

Honestly, I was never a big fan of Ariel and the Little Mermaid. When I think of Disney princesses, she’s one of the last ones to come to mind. So, imagine my surprise when I read the blurb and go, Ohhhhh, Ariel has turned dark and I like it.

To Kill a Kingdom is the story of Lira, a siren princess that lives to kill princes and steal their hearts to prove to her Sea Queen mother than she’s strong and powerful and cruel enough to take her place when time comes; and Elian, a human prince who lives to kill sirens. You know where this is getting, right?

Lira is a badass siren, but she shows a link to her humanity from the start, and it comes in the form of her also siren cousin. Elian is also a badass, and his charm is partially due to his respect and friendship with his crew of pirates.

This is how we meet Lira:

“I HAVE A HEART for every year I’ve been alive.
There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom. Every so often, I claw through the shingle, just to check they’re still there. Buried deep and bloody. I count each of them, so I can be sure none were stolen in the night. It’s not such an odd fear to have. Hearts are power, and if there’s one thing my kind craves more than the ocean, it’s power.”

This is how we meet Elian:

“TECHNICALLY, I’M A MURDERER, but I like to think that’s one of my better qualities.”

The first third of the story is full of heart-stealing (literally and not) and siren-stabbing scenes, and bad attitude and good humor and “OMG, I’m already falling hard for this book” screams from me.

Then, we move on to what the curse. Not a spoiler since the blurb gives it away. Also, this is a retelling, so Lira will obviously become a human at some point. So, yeah, the evil Sea Queen curses Lira and gives her legs and a human appearance so she has to steal Elian’s heart without her powers, or say goodbye to her siren form and probably her life.

I’ll say this, the Sea Queen isn’t joking around. She’s evil and she won’t spare anyone, family or not. So Lira has a reason to be scared and to have turned into the killer she is. But humans aren’t always trash (despite what our current global situation implies), and Elian and his crew have a chance to change Lira’s mind about humans even though they have zero idea she’s a siren.

As for Elian, rescuing a drowning, naked Lira also ends up being a chance to end a war without having to kill the entire siren species. Since he also doesn’t that’s a real possibility, he spends his time searching for a magical item that will kill the Sea Queen and her daughter.

So here we have these two beings that are planning on killing each other, but end up stuck together and I’m obviously loving all of it.

The banter is incredible from the start. The humor is there, although I’m not sure everyone will appreciate it. I did. The characters are amazing! I loved, loved Madrid and Kye, two members of Elian’s crew. I LOOOOVED how Madrid was so eager to have another female pirate on the crew that she welcome Lira with open arms. I loved how Kye was protective of Elian and made sure Lira knew he was keeping an eye on her. I love how Madrid and Kye were together in a healthy, no-drama-needed relationship. I loved that Kye was protective of Elian, but he didn’t suffocate Madrid. I loved when all of that interacted and joked and teased and made me laugh.

Dude, this book made me laugh.

I can’t even with the world building. I CAN’T. It’s just so amazing. All the countries/kingdoms we visited with Elian and Lira were so rich and unique. I’m still OBSESSED with the love country that sounded like a chocolate-filled heaven. I want it!!!

And the romance? The romance!!! Five words: Slow Burn + Hate to Love.

They were perfect together and that last scene was the end of me. I’m just dead.

Seriously, that entire last chapter was perfect because it gave me everything I needed. First, my happy ending, thank you very much. Second, my ship being adorable on a literal ship. Third, an ending that showed me a powerful female main character who followed her destiny, an equally happy male main character who found a way to fulfill his dream and the two of them engaged in a healthy relationship that survives distance and is built in mutual respect for each other’s responsibilities and dreams.

And a real ending. No cliffhanger, no need for sequels. A freaking standalone. When was the last time I read a YA Fantasy standalone that had a perfect ending that left me wanting to read more, but also knowing that maybe I shouldn’t because it’s already perfect? I can’t remember.

Now that you read this long and rambly review, go show this book some love, PLEASE!

*Originally posted on MetalPhantasmReads*
DNF at 49%
**I received this from NetGalley for review**
This started out so amazing and then fizzed out by the halfway point. The world is refreshingly original, great pacing, nice take on sirens and mermaids (cool difference) but this didn't need a romance at all. Plus, I didn't understand why this pirate crew follows the prince when he doesn't even follow his own rules! Plus all their dialogue felt like inside jokes we didn't get. Additionally, the plot had barely progressed by the halfway mark so I didn't care to finish. A good start but ultimately didn't succeed. I will try another book by this author though.

To Kill a Kingdom is such a great retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. As well as keeping a little of the Ariel and Ursula influence. I loved this story and the way it was reimagined!!

My favorite love stories are always the ones filled with sarcastic and witty banter between the two love interest. I think Lira and Elian have this down pat. They go from despising each other, to friends and even confidants. I loved the way their interactions paly out all the way through. Even when trust is something that really has to be tested. Neither of them have bright and sunny past but they both can see each other for what is in front of them. I loved the way they come together.

Also it’s always great to have dual POVs. Especially when you are dealing with both an Ocean and Land kingdom. Having the two perspectives of a war that has waged for centuries, is really insightful and adds depth to the story. You are like oh I can see where they are coming from, oh I can see where they coming from too. Plus I thought they were well down and definitely sounded like two different characters.

The supporting characters fill their roles well. Kahlia who is Lira’s cousin and Elian and his crew of pirates. Of course Sakura and the kingdom of ice. We got bits of the other kingdoms but not so much information where you felt overloaded.

Again I loved the little nods to the other versions of The Little Mermaid. The sea foam and taking of a princes heart. Lira’s fiery red hair and the Sea Queens tentacles. It’s my favorite way for a retelling to be done, keeping little elements but making the story it’s own.

I really loved this book and especially the characters. A great reimagining of a classic story!

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

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.

*Originally posted on MetalPhantasmReads*
DNF at 49%
**I received this from NetGalley for review**
This started out so amazing and then fizzed out by the halfway point. The world is refreshingly original, great pacing, nice take on sirens and mermaids (cool difference) but this didn't need a romance at all. Plus, I didn't understand why this pirate crew follows the prince when he doesn't even follow his own rules! Plus all their dialogue felt like inside jokes we didn't get. Additionally, the plot had barely progressed by the halfway mark so I didn't care to finish. A good start but ultimately didn't succeed. I will try another book by this author though.

To Kill a Kingdom is such a great retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. As well as keeping a little of the Ariel and Ursula influence. I loved this story and the way it was reimagined!!

My favorite love stories are always the ones filled with sarcastic and witty banter between the two love interest. I think Lira and Elian have this down pat. They go from despising each other, to friends and even confidants. I loved the way their interactions paly out all the way through. Even when trust is something that really has to be tested. Neither of them have bright and sunny past but they both can see each other for what is in front of them. I loved the way they come together.

Also it’s always great to have dual POVs. Especially when you are dealing with both an Ocean and Land kingdom. Having the two perspectives of a war that has waged for centuries, is really insightful and adds depth to the story. You are like oh I can see where they are coming from, oh I can see where they coming from too. Plus I thought they were well down and definitely sounded like two different characters.

The supporting characters fill their roles well. Kahlia who is Lira’s cousin and Elian and his crew of pirates. Of course Sakura and the kingdom of ice. We got bits of the other kingdoms but not so much information where you felt overloaded.

Again I loved the little nods to the other versions of The Little Mermaid. The sea foam and taking of a princes heart. Lira’s fiery red hair and the Sea Queens tentacles. It’s my favorite way for a retelling to be done, keeping little elements but making the story it’s own.

I really loved this book and especially the characters. A great reimagining of a classic story!

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

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.

I went into this book on a whim because I kept seeing its cover floating around and glimpsing all the rave reviews. I'm happy to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It's an amazing and captivating (loose) retelling of "The Little Mermaid".

Killer sirens and hideous mermaids?! A pirate prince who is also a siren-killer?! A forbidden, slow-building, well-built romance?! Sign me up!

The author did an amazing job with the pacing and story-telling in this book. She manages to give so much depth to the story, painting such a vivid world and cast of characters, and gives just the right amount of detail without it being overkill. I was worried I would be bored waiting for the plot to progress and get to that "epic battle" you know if coming, but I was too engrossed with the characters, particularly Lira and Elian.

I absolutely loved Lira and Elian's dynamic. Elian certainly has that "prince charming" thing going on, but he's also pretty fierce and stubborn. He's overshadowed by the captivating voice and characterization of Lira though. I loved being in her head. She's so darn wicked and savage, but you can see deep down that there's an amazing leader in there. She's certainly strong-willed and determined. Their romance was a slow-build, but done right.

This is a book definitely worth reading and now I want to check out other books along these lines. I believe this might be my first retelling of this story?! If not, it's certainly the best so far. I loved it!

To Kill A Kingdom was a very creative and dark retelling of The Little Mermaid. Lira is not the helpless mermaid left to survive in the human world. If fact, she is not a mermaid at all. She is a deadly and heartless Siren, also called the 'princes' bane' for her preference of taking the hearts of only princes. Literally, she pulls them out of their chest after she drowns them with her song. ?

But, because her mother, the Sea Queen (aka Sea Witch), wants to punish Lira, she turns her into a human. She can still speak, but without her siren song, she is powerless to control any of the humans she meets. But, as Lira spends more time with prince Elian and his band of pirates, she come to understand what true family and loyalty really mean.

It is a long process for Lira to come to trust Elian and his crew. She thinks they are ruthless and merciless Siren killers. Her kind feel the same way about humans. And Elian doesn't trust Lira at first either. There is something unsettling about her, yet she convinces him that he needs her to complete his mission in finding the one that that will destroy all sirens for good. The problem is, he doesn't know that Lira is also the "princes' bane" and is the one siren above all that he wants to kill the most. The banter between Lira and Elian was great! I like the way the story all comes together! Edge of your seat ending! Recommend if you love retellings, romance, and mermaids!

This is a standalone novel.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's for the free copy of this book, in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

FIVE GLORIOUS STARS!!!!!

I loved this book, everything about it. Honestly I had started straying from YA, I was burnt out of the same old tropes. So to pick up something like this, and to read something so mind-blowing and different, was a godsend. I loved the sardonic humor, the characters, the way they interacted with each other, and there was no Insta Love, so if that's one of your favorite things about YA, you wont find it in this one.

Also this is a Standalone novel, so you are not left with any cliffhangers, it's all wrapped up with a shiny dark bow. I loved the ending, it was absolute perfection. Who am I kidding, I just loved everything about this book. By far one of my favorite re-tellings. Growing up I was a huge Little Mermaid fan, and this book did such a fantastic job. I love all things dark and gritty.

Lira, is a kick ass female character, she matched Elian wit for wit, strength for strength and I think in the world of YA that is a great thing, and something that I see happening more and more.

If you guys are even thinking about reading this one, take the plunge and read it. I promise you that you won't be let down, and that you will probably find a new favorite book.

This book has so many "fairy tale" elements. We have a lot of the Little Mermaid, some Disney and some the actual fairy tale. We have King Midas, the Snow Queen, Aladdin, and life debts.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Little Mermaid (Disney's version) from the moment that I laid eyes on Ariel (She is a redhead after all). This story takes parts of the Disney story (the evil sea queen, the two mermaids that serve as the eels, the order to win/ take the princes heart, deceit, and adventure). There are also parts of the Hans Christian Anderson tale: the sea foam, the humanity, and the willingness to sacrifice. Aladdin shows up as a prince who wants to be more than that, the hunt for impossible treasure, and the desire to be loved for himself. The Prince is Midasan and hails from a kingdom made of gold. And finally there is a magic compass that also detects lies (Pirates of the Caribbean).
I really liked Lira and her story arc. Watching her struggle with who she is and what she was taught was interesting. The development of the relationships between her and Elian and her and the other crew members took time. There were no instant relationships. The world was nuanced and had depth without the book being info dump heavy.
I look forward to more books by this author.

I can't put my finger on this book- I enjoyed it a lot but there was something missing for me. I did think the worldbuilding was unique and excellent, I always love when there are lots of different kingdoms. I liked the dual narrative, although I would have liked for each chapter to be labeled (maybe it is in the finished copy). The voices were similar enough where I would have to read a paragraph to tell whether Lira or Elian was speaking. I did love how fast paced the story was, lots of action, and I adored Elian and Lira's relationship. They had such good banter and I liked them individually as characters a lot, especially Elian. But I didn't understand how Lira would know what buttery pastries smelled like- I don't feel like that's something she could study even if she did learn everything about the human kingdoms. She took to human life awfully quickly and it raised my eyebrows in a few spots, for reasons like that. I could see the Little Mermaid influences though and really liked that, and it was definitely dark! Loved the ending even if the book could have used 50 or so more pages- the final conflict had so much going on that it was a little confusing to read.

This book reminded me of a darker Little Mermaid. I was so hooked that I got through this one in an afternoon. Good if you like fairy tales with a twist and protagonists that aren’t as black-and-white.

Lira is a siren princess with an evil mother, who has shaped Lira into a cold killer. Lira is the Prince’s Bane, because every year on her birthday, she kills a prince and takes his heart. Lira’s mother, the Sea Queen, is power hungry and rules by suppressing her subjects through fear, and maintains the rule that a siren must take the heart of a sailor every year. While the Sea Queen is supposed to retire soon and pass down the mantle, she doesn’t want to give up the throne and tries to prevent Lira from being seen as a legitimate successor. To punish Lira, she turns her to a human and orders her to take the heart of the prince Elian as a human.

Elian is a pirate prince. Prince by birth, pirate by choice. He resents the crown he’s supposed to inherit, and would rather spend his time with his crew on the ocean. His chosen calling is finding and killing sirens, and he especially wants to find the Prince’s Bane. He doesn’t trust anyone outside of his crew, including the wet, naked female he finds drowning in the middle of the ocean — Lira. Ultimately, he wants to destroy the Sea Queen, as well as the Prince’s Bane, and then kill all the sirens so they no longer pose a threat. He’s willing to die for his goals, and has a plan to find the tool he needs to kill them all — a stone that will give him the power to kill all sirens. When Lira claims to know about the ritual he needs to unlock what he seeks, he’s forced to bring her along on his journey. She wants to use the stone for her own purposes, and sees Elian as a means to an end that will restore her place as the future queen of the sirens. And she’ll take his heart anyway afterwards, to make her mother proud.

(Semi-spoilerish from here)

Lira’s transformation throughout the book is perfect. She strives to make her mother proud, which is an impossible goal. The ruthlessness in Lira is a product of her mother’s messed-up parenting, and while Lira continually looks for ways to kill the prince, she ends up getting the space she needs from her mother to figure out what kind of leader she wants to be. She sees the example Elian sets, and how his people love him. Granted, this is after A LOT of defiance and the brainwashing takes time to drain out of her system, but it also feels more natural that way. Elian and Lira antagonize each other for most of the book. But they have common ground, and really are almost identical in their personalities and values.

While they joke throughout the book that Elian isn’t your typical chivalrous prince, he still has many prince-like qualities. No, he’s not a docile lamb. He’s much more entertaining. He’s cocky, witty, and not interested in saving damsels. But he’s also willing to die for his cause, and has earned the loyalty of his crew, who follows him with even more devotion than his citizens have for the king because their devotion isn’t blind and required. Lira and Elian’s relationship builds slowly and realistically, and they’ve got great banter. There’s no insta-love, which I’m grateful for. And the ending is a happy one for both characters!

WELP. Yeah. So. I thought I was going to like this and then I kept putting it down. Picking it back up. Putting it down. Putting it down. Again. I came to the conclusion that wow, this was boring. The beginning was great. I thought we were going to get this bloodthirsty siren, ripping out hearts. A dark, brooding pirate prince. They both just kinda turned out a bit angsty and blah.

The pacing is very laggy. Very. The main character, Lira, is the daughter of the Sea Queen, who is your typical abusive mother that makes her kid kill her Aunt and stuff. Dark. But, at the same time, it was weird because I wanted darker? It felt like a latte with too much vanilla and not enough espresso. I needed another shot. Is it just me?

Anyway, it just went on and on and nothing was really happening. So I gave up at about 53% and went to the end and started reading it backwards. It ended pretty much how I figured it would. I seem to have the unpopular opinion on this one, though. So it's probably just me! :)

I wasn't really sure about TO KILL A KINGDOM after reading the blurb, but it didn't take me long after starting to get into the story.

I didn't think I was going to like Lira, but once her story started unfolding and we really started getting to know her it was easy to like her. Elian I liked right away. He was honorable, determined and is a prince to boot so what wasn't there to like? There wasn't an instant love between the two—which was fantastic—in fact, they tried to kill each other at first sight. The romantic feelings between the two were slow to form—REALLY slow—and they both tried to fight the feelings. When it mattered, they were both on the same page.

I enjoyed the world of TO KILL A KINGDOM. I like the way the story unfolded and the pace was easy and smooth. The secondary characters were lovable and brought a lot to the story.

My only real complaint after reading TO KILL A KINGDOM was that I wish we would have gotten more at the end. We get a glimpse of the aftermath, but I wouldn't have minded seeing more of it. I love a great epilogue. That didn't distract from the great story though.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

To Kill A Kingdom is a must read! It's (loosely) inspired by The Little Mermaid so it's sea creatures tune human. But it's much, much darker than that Disney sing-song love story. I like how there are parts that feel the same as The Little Mermaid but most of the time, it is its own story.

It's filled with magic, monsters, & romance.

It's told from two points of views between Prince Elian, a human, and Princess Lira, a siren. I like Lira's point of view best because it's darker, creepier and just so much fun. And yeah, I was rooting for her, she's a killer siren, a monster, but she made this book a joy.

The witty banter, the push and pull, between all the characters is great.

The world-building is right on point, at times I felt and smelled this world. I could smell the sea salt could feel the coldness. Her writing is beautiful!

This book goes from dark gory scenes to cleaver, funny, lighthearted scenes with ease.

You'll need a compass for this dark, magical, swoony; sea story because it's easy to get lost in.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it. So, this is a 100% honest review by me.

To Kill a Kingdom is a YA fantasy novel by author Alexandra Christo. The story follows Lira- a seventeen-year old siren who is infamously known as the Prince’s bane due to her morbid task of ripping the hearts out of prince’s every time she ages a year- and Prince Elian, a young man who have notoriously earned a reputation as a siren killer. Lira makes a grievous mistake in the beginning of the story which forces her malevolent mother, the sea queen, to issue an ultimatum- either retrieve the heart of Prince Elian while in the form of a human, or risk being a human forever. Prince Elian, learning about the death of a dear friend to the nefarious Prince’s Bane, sets out on a quest to not only find her, but find a jewel that is thought capable of ending the lives of ALL sirens.

A twist of fate throws both Prince Elian and Lira into each other’s paths. What results is an epic adventure filled with devious pirates, daring sword fights, treacherous travels through snowy mountains, and a generous dose of love and friendship.

*Review below may contain some spoilers*

The story starts out with Lira ripping the heart from the chest cavity of a young prince while his mother screams in terror. After reading this, I thought, “Well. Not sure how I feel about this siren.” A part of me was reluctant to move on, not sure how comfortable I was with the actions of Lira. However, I decided to push through it, hoping that I would have a better understanding of her actions. Thankfully, this happened early on. Lira’s childhood was a tragic tale of a twisted, evil mother who was basically emotionally abusive. Lira had been forced to do an unspeakable thing as a young girl that resulted in the hardening of her own heart and the staunching of any emotions that can be construed as “good”. While this understanding does nothing to negate the horror of her actions towards princes, it does provide a nice scandalous premise for the story.

Prince Elian escapes his duty as a prince destined to rule by recruiting a loyal crew of pirates and sailing the seas in search of sirens to kill. In Elian’s mind, all sirens are evil and must be vanquished. He does not understand their actions, their culture, or their language, yet seeks to end them all anyway…even chasing the idea of mass genocide of their entire species. It is while on this quest that Elian fishes Lira out of the sea, believing her to be a human in need of rescuing. Lira unsuccessfully tries to attack Elian upon meeting him, which makes her untrustworthy in the eyes of his crew. Lira eventually learns of Elian’s plan to end all sirens and decides to join him on his quest so that she can steal the jewel for herself and usurp her mother as the sea queen.

The chemistry between Lira and Elian is constantly charged. Their dialogue was amusing, and I constantly found myself grinning by their witty repertoire. Both characters were strong, with Elian not the only one playing “savior”, but Lira finding herself in that position as well. I enjoy stories with strong female protagonists and To Kill a Kingdom delivered in that respect. I can hardly say any woman in this story was “weak”. In addition, I LOVED that two women ended up marrying one another and equally ruling a nation- as same-sex marriage is often underrepresented in stories- especially those in the YA genre.

To Kill a Kingdom left me with a major book hangover. And for that, I give the story FIVE stars!!

I went into this with really high hopes.  It's bad folks.  Really, really bad.

I DNFed this on page 82.  Review may contain spoilers.

You get a sense for how this book is going to read on page two when Lira's eye color is described.  "The right eye of every siren is the color of the sea they were born into. For me, that's the great see of Diavolos, with waters of apple and sapphire.  A selection of each so it manages to be neither" (Christo 2).  I had to pause and put down the book.  When has anyone ever looked at the ocean and said "Yup, that there is the color of apples."

No one ever.

I thought, okay, maybe this is a one-time thing.  You know, poetic license.  I'll give it that.

Then on page eighteen, Elian's friend/pirate buddy person, Kye, says "We should get going if we want to eat anything tonight.  You know that lot won't leave any chow for us if we give them half a chance" (Christo 18).  Did he just say chow?  I'm sorry, what slang is this.  I don't know if this is trying to be cool and edgy and "hey we use slang words to mean different things 'cause we're pirates."  Chow sounds so boring and not fantasy like.  Use something else like vittles, grub, or hey, food.

Page forty has one of my favorites.  "It's a compass to split the liars from the loyal" (Christo 40).  When Elian pulled out how compass and mentioned that it was special/magical, I audibly said "Awe, look, he's trying to be Jack Sparrow."  Because Captain Jack had a special compass, too, and it pointed him in the direction of whatever his heart desired most.

"She wears lipstick dark enough to cover her secrets" is how Sakura is described on page thirty-eight.  I don't really know what to say to this other than I guffawed loudly and startled a child.

A man is described as having "dark skin quilted by the sun" on page forty.  Noooot really sure what that means, but okay.  I'm assuming it means he's sunburned?  But then again he's wearing a long coat, so how would anyone see that.

The quote that really drove home what the writing in this book would be like was "Evil doesn't follow a calendar" (Christo 36).  Straight from the mouth of Batma--I mean Elian himself.

After that, I decided to continue reading to simply laugh at the writing.  I mean nothing against the author, but this book feels like a draft still.  The story is written in such a way that it is nothing more than a gory and grim Disney's Little Mermaid written by a drama club and produced by a high school theatre department.  The writing is so over-the-top and too serious to be serious that I can't take it, well, seriously.  I laughed or snickered on every other page.  The moments when I wasn't laughing, I was actually invested in the story.  The dry humor and monologue that Elian had going in his mind was so unneeded and weird that it didn't even make sense.  He dresses up nicely and looks in the mirror and says that he looks like every other prince, and all princes are bastards.  Where did that come from?  Up until that point in the book, the reader has met exactly one prince other than Elian and that was in the first few pages.  We didn't find out anything about him because the guy died.  Not only that, once you find out about the guy within pages 50-80, you find out the dead prince was actually a nice guy. So what on earth, Elian?

It was line after line of this that made me put this book down without making it one hundred pages.  It's sad when I can say I made it further in The Cruel Prince, and I despise that book with every fiber of my being.  I don't hate To Kill a Kingdom, I'm simply confused because there is so much there that's amazing.  The world, the plot, the concept, the characters, and when Alexandra Christo wasn't trying to sound "fantasy-ish" in the story, it was phenomenal, but when she tried, it was painful.  This book didn't even miss the mark short enough for me to be upset.  It just left me really confused as to how this book was published and is as popular as it is.

I feel like the writing in the first two ACOTAR books was better than this, if I'm honest.

Don't read it.  Don't waste your time.  YA will never be able to produce a decent pirate/mermaid/siren story to save it's life.

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, the 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'm such a sucker for dark fantasy books. Add in a dash of fairytale retelling, an enemies-to-lovers romance, and killer world building and I'm a goner. To Kill A Kingdom has all of this and more and it totally sucked me in. I'm a little sad that it's not a series, even though it ended so well. I just want more time in this world and with these characters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Alexandra Christo will write more in this world, even if it doesn't necessarily follow these same characters.

First -- the world! I can't rave about the setting, history, and lore of this world enough. I loved the concept of having a bunch of royal families who are all thought to have some sort of mystical/magical aspect/ability in their bloodline. I really wanted to learn more about all the other kingdoms and royal families; the ones we did learn about were just so cool. And the setting was just gorgeous in general -- the imagery had me wishing I could spend a couple months just going all throughout this world exploring it. It feels like we only just scratched the surface of this world and I really would love another few books set here!

Okay, Lira and Elian are so, so amazing. I loved how their upbringings and positions mirrored each other while also contrasting each other. There was so much awesome in both their characters and a lot of that awesomeness stemmed from their flaws and their complexity. Neither were perfect (far from it, in fact) but their experiences and growth throughout the novel earned them a place in my heart. I loved watching their relationship develop as they were forced together time and time again. They were also both so stabby and murderous and I couldn't get enough of that. I love somewhat villainous and morally gray characters and these ones definitely fit the bill. While I would love to read more about them, I'm happy with the way both their stories were left.

The only thing that kept this from being a five-star read for me was the rushed and somewhat chaotic ending. So much was happening at once and there were so many characters at play that it made it difficult to keep track of exactly what was going on and with who. But still, the majority of this book was absolutely amazing and the chaos of the end definitely didn't take much from it!

Overall, I'm so thrilled I picked up this book. I loved the world and the characters and I want more of all of it! My fingers are firmly crossed that we will get another book set in this world. It's such an interesting concept and one that we've only just started to explore. If you're a fan of fantasy books, retellings, and awesome romance subplots, I'd highly recommend picking To Kill A Kingdom up!

“They celebrate love as though it's power, even though it has killed far more humans than I ever have.”

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

I didn't buy this from the store. I only buy paperbacks and since publishers feel the need to only release books in Hardback in the US, I had to purchase this from an overseas bookseller. I LOVE the store and wish I could buy all my books here. But, alas, publishers make this impossible. Ok-on to the book. This was a very imaginative retelling of "The Little Mermaid" story. It was well done and kept my attention. I couldn't put it down. I read it in a day. I read ALOT of YA fantasy (even though I'm not young). I'm not a huge fan of mermaid stories, even though The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite stories as a young girl. This was different. I enjoyed the characters very much. Lira and Elian's banter was hilarious. It was nice to see a female character that was vocal and clever and didn't just sit around tripping over her silence or being awkward. And swooning.
The secondary characters were interesting and added to the story. I liked that both Lira and Elian were killers and not goody-two-shoes. Both of their character arcs were excellent. Enjoyable read!

What is it about?

It's about a siren (prettier than a mermaid and with an enchanting singing voice) who kills a prince for her birthday every year in order to please her evil Sea Queen mother.

It's about a prince who feels more at home on the ocean, and whose main priority is ridding the world of the evil that is the Sea Queen and her daughter, The Prince's Bane.

It's about what happens when the fate of these two creatures intertwines.

Was it good?

It reminded me of a more brutal version of what I remember from The Little Mermaid. The story was interesting and exciting. I didn't love the banter between the two main characters; I felt that most of the things they were saying as a joke was just plain mean. I also, therefore, couldn't really believe the romance aspect of this story. 

Overall, I think it was a good story. If you like pirates, mermaids or sirens, a prince, ships, adventure, or magical objects, than I think you will like this book. 

I received an advanced reader’s edition from Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review.

I was thrilled when I found out I won the Goodreads giveaway for this book and couldn’t wait to start it. However, this book took what seemed like forever for me to read.

For starters, the cover is fantastic! But unfortunately the characters are not. I found none of them likable. Well, I take that back I did enjoy Elian but he was still very bland. The plot on the other hand was pretty damn cool and one of the reasons the rating isn’t 1 Star. The Little Mermaid retelling aspect of this book was completely unique and I loved the evilness of the Sea Queen and the mermaids. However, the world building needed more. While it was different and I appreciate that, it was poorly executed.

Overall, it was not awful and definitely worth reading if you like pirates, mermaids, or fairy tale retelling; just don’t expect it to blow you away.

To Kill a Kingdom is a YA fantasy book with a unique twist on the Little Mermaid fairy tale. This story follows our two main characters: Lira, a siren and princess of the underwater kingdom, and Elian, prince of Midas and captain of the Saad. What really sets this book apart is the fact that it takes a darker approach to the Little Mermaid and fleshes out the setting to become a fully realized world with multiple kingdoms, cultures, and interesting characters.

I tried to come into this book with little-to-no expectations because the story was so hyped in the book community. Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I thought the plot was compelling and took a lot of surprising twists.

Most of the story takes place on land, and I loved all the different kingdoms the characters traveled to. I was a little disappointed about how little the sirens' queendom was described. Alexandra Christo definitely focused on world building of the kingdoms on land, and the world was so vast that I could see her writing more stories set in this world.

As someone who's not a huge fan of YA romance, I really liked how relationships were portrayed in this book. The female characters were just as strong and independent as the male characters. I also loved the humorous and sarcastic banter between Lira and Elian.

I would have liked to see the story go even darker as well as see more complexity in the Sea Queen's character. Additionally, Elain's character felt a little too perfect. However, Christo did a great job with Lira's character I loved her progression throughout the story.

Overall, I think this book was very entertaining and will be enjoyable to a wide range of readers, especially those that like fully developed fantasy worlds with strong female characters.

***I received this book in return for an honest review on NetGalley***

Alexandra Christo’s debut novel follows the tale of the siren princess Lira, a fierce hunter of men known as the Princes” bane. When circumstances arise, causing Lira to kill one of her own, her mother the Sea Queen punishes her heir by turning her into the very thing her kind hates the most- a human. Without her fins or hypnotizing song, Lira must race against time to bring back the heart of Prince Elian, a notorious pirate and siren hunter, or face eternity as a human. With captivating descriptions and adept character development Christo weaves an unforgettable tale that will leave readers on the edge of their seat to the very end.
I was completely prepared to like this story. With killer sirens and a pirate crew, who wouldn’t? What I was not prepared for however, was to fall completely head over heels for this novel. The writing style was absolutely gorgeous, the descriptions and the world building were imaginative in a delightfully unexpected way. As I consumed every detail about the kingdoms and the backstories of the characters, it became widely apparent that Christo had poured her heart into this story and was dedicated to giving her audience a story they would not soon forget.
The romance in this novel was expertly executed. Slow burns are very tricky. If they are too slow, the romances fizzle out and don’t keep the reader’s attention. No substance or too fast, and it becomes a notorious case of insta-love that will make readers everywhere roll their eyes in exasperation. But the romance between Lira and Elian was perfection. These are two characters are hardened by battle and duty, so a slow burn was a great choice on Christo’s part. While their first kiss isn’t until the latter section of the novel, there is romantic tension between the two that builds and builds, and when they finally do express their feelings for each other- it’s magical.
What I especially loved about this book was the characters. Lira and Elian are a refreshing change from your typical heroes. Both of them are pretty morally grey characters, which I love since it makes them much more realistic and far more interesting. Lira’s growth from honed killer to fierce protector is transformative. One of the common tropes that I find repetitive and somewhat boring is the hero who gives up everything when the villain threatens the life of his/her love interest. Lira is not that girl. She’s Kick A** and clever and gets the jobs done without having to submit to the villain.
To Kill a Kingdom was the dark mermaid tale I didn’t know I needed. With ruthless sirens and a pirate prince, Christo’s debut novel ascends to my number one favorite mermaid tale with ease and grace. Be sure to add this story to your reading list, you don’t want to miss out on this compelling read.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I absolutely love fairy tale retellings! When I heard that there was a retelling of The Little Mermaid where the romantic leads are actually both murderers and are trying to kill each other, I couldn’t pick up the book fast enough!!

Lira was an extremely interesting character for me. Known as the “Prince’s Bane”, she was a cold-hearted killer at the beginning of the story…or so you are led to believe. The gooey, tender core to her heart is revealed as the story progresses, and I absolutely loved that. Being able to peel back the layers of a seemingly remorseless killer to see the wounded girl underneath was an absolute joy to experience.

I also really loved Elian. He had a similar arc, in that he tried to give off this aura of ruthlessness as a pirate captain, but he had a compassionate heart underneath it all. Seeing these two begin a friendship, that then starts to develop into something more, was so very well done. And I’m adding another book boyfriend to my roster ?

The world building in To Kill a Kingdom was also fascinating! I loved the idea that each kingdom specialized in a different commodity, and that some of those commodities were actually emotional, rather than physical goods. Also, the fact that they all vary so wildly in their terrain made for really fun backdrops to the story. I loved that there was some magic present, but it still felt very much like a real world.

I loved this particular overarching theme: love and kindness are not weakness, but strength.

My Rating:
5.0/5.0

I gave this bad boy 5 STARS!! This is, by far, one of my absolute favorite books I’ve read this year. It had brilliant character building, a fantastic world setting, and a great moral compass to the story. I loved, loved, LOVED it!! Please read it! Do it for me!

Lira is siren royalty, banished to the land when her despotic mother dears her growing influence among the sirens. Elian is a prince known as the Siren Killer, who's made it his life's work to rid the oceans of all sirens. Their meeting shakes the world and turns the power base on its' head.

An amazing rewrite of the little mermaid. Tense, thrilling and enjoyable. I was a little confused about the royal families and their different gifts, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all.

I liked Elian more than Lira, but the end was a big win for Lira. I was shouting at the page trying to get her to do something, and she chose the best possible solution to the problems. I'd love a sequel set a few years down the line to see how things are working out between them, and for their various kingdoms and peoples.

Definitely one to recommend everywhere.

To Kill a Kingdom is a really enjoyable dark fantasy book which is kind of a retelling of little mermaid. If you love action, morally grey characters, witty banter and a complex and slow burn romance then this is the book for you. It had really good world building and an imaginative world on which I would like to explore.

Lira is a badass character who can come across as emotionless and cold-hearted, but this is because of the Siren culture and her mother’s emotional abuse. Elian is an adventurous spirit, who is sassy and scheming, and while he is not that innocent, he does have a strong moral compass.

I really enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to seeing what Christo does next. I would recommend To Kill a Kingdom to fans of the Shades of Magic series and the Grishaverse series.

I was quite honestly taken aback by this book!! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!!! I was hoping it wasn't the typical fiction stories that are out now and I was not disappointed. The book is from two different main characters points of view and has a way of mending these two points of view into a shared storyline about 1/3 of the way into the book. The story building is amazing and the author does very well with this, while not making it dry filler for the plot to build up. I also loved the relationship of the main characters! It was a very refreshing new way to build in a relationship that doesn't make the main characters lose themselves while they "hopelessly fall in love" with anything of the opposite sex! You're reading the relationship unfold at a practical pace that doesn't focus solely on crazy raging hormones!!!

I didn't give the book 5 stars because I noticed a few main details that were stressed in the beginning of the book weren't really re-visited or given an afterthought. Example:
-- There was some major damage done to one of the main characters and it was talked about for like 2 chapters but than they arrive to the main destination and it isn't bought up again???? And it was a huge infliction that happened before a huge part!
--I also didn't like how the two main characters didn't discuss this event since it was a HUGE turning point for both the main characters but later on when they have their moment it didn't really feel like it was a moment. It felt like it was expected, so the author kind of threw the readers a bone and thought "K, well I'll throw this in here before this part because it helps the writing flow better".
--Another example is how an 18th birthday is stressed but than the timeline of everything kind of seems like it wouldn't add up? I also wish that the final journey was a few more pages long (since the author nailed world building in the beginning of the book so nicely and this was a new world for the readers to imagine).

I felt like the last half of the book was rushed. There doesn't seem to the a reason to have a second book since there was no cliffhanger and it seemed like all was tied together perfectly, which I liked because quite honestly making a book into a series usually muddles the magic of the story writing if it isn't done correctly. I just would've liked it to be a little bit more extended towards the end instead of rushing this main destination sequence and the epic final battle BUT I get why since there might not be a sequel?

All in all, To Kill a Kingdom was a great book and a super refreshing take on a fairytale we all know. The author has a nice way of world building and the flow of the book had me obsessing to finish it as soon as I started it. I loved the plot of the book and the character development was phenomenal! The main characters have great banter with one another and with others in the novel. I liked the pace of the relationship and thought it was more realistic than some novels I've read! Would be a 5 star book if there weren't a few plot holes that the author didn't wrap up or I wish I wasn't detail oriented so I can drop the 5th star and not stress about it lol!

4 Stars

I was provided an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book honestly took me by surprise. I tend to go into pretty hyped books with low expectations, but listen to the emotions people tell me I will feel. Which means, I expected a 3 star read that was pretty brutal and dark. But for me, this was barely brutal. When I think brutal, I think Leigh Bardugo, and this simply doesn’t reach that level. It does have its moments, but definitely lightens up as the story goes on. So when you add this, plus all of the Little Mermaid feels, this was more nostalgic than brutal (in my opinion). This story stands on it’s on and is an original retelling of the classic Disney tale. I loved that it only took the bones of the original and Disney version and crafted something new out of it.

There were a couple elements I wish were more developed or flushed out, especially since this is a standalone. The world building was a little lacking – there is kinda magic, but then there isn’t; some of the royal families have their rumored powers, and others don’t. The kingdom that Elian comes from is one of the most powerful, and there are about 100 kindgoms mentioned, but we only get to know about 5 or 6 and didn’t have a map of any kind (at least not in the ARC). It felt like Christo was trying to make this world bigger and more detailed than it truly needed to be, which unfortunately meant she didn’t allow herself enough time to dive deep enough into the world she did build to make it understandable.

One thing in particular that Lira hints to in the beginning of the book is about a boy who killed her/made her a siren, but later we find out that the sea witch is her mother? Maybe I need a reread, but I was under the impression that Lira was turned into a siren at the beginning of the book (and that’s why she made the first kill she did), but that is definitely not the case when you read further on, as she is clearly the daughter of the sea witch. This particular detail is disappointing for me as I was extremely looking forward to learning more about her strange origins, but that never came to fruition. My assumption is that this detail will be taken out in the first edition.

The plot itself seemed a little random, and maybe that’s because Elian shares his plan as he goes, rather than sharing his plan in the beginning of the journey. I also feel like this journey could have been told with fewer interruptions – I honestly don’t feel like most of them were necessary. Like the battle with the enemy ship – yes, it was cool to have a fight scene and it built the relationship between the OTP, but it wasn’t particularly necessary otherwise. I just felt like there were too many distractions from the main goal.

As far as the romance goes, I thought the relationship between the OTP was pretty cute and well developed – definitely a love to hate trope, so keep that in mind. I tend to not enjoy those, but this relationship really started to work for me in the last 15% of the book – especially at the end. Oh my goodness, how they handle the end is perfection. No spoilers here, but I love it.

This book was fairly good on representation – people were diverse and it wasn’t a big deal – which in all honesty I love every now and again. I love when fantasy worlds don’t turn being different into being less or more – it’s just a part of their identity that’s celebrated and, most importantly, accepted without question. For instance, there is someone in this who is lowkey a-sexual (by choice, but decided to be for moral/magical reasons which are hard to say without spoilers) and it’s awesome that no one commented about how her choice was wrong or otherwise. There is also some LGBTQ+ rep, but it’s minimal.

This didn’t have many cliches and tropes overall, but it was predictable in the sense that this is a fairy tale retelling. I still never would have guessed the plot of this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And let me just say again, please, that this ending was everything. It was feminist and healthy and awesome. So much love for the ending of this book.

I would recommend this to fans of retellings and fantasy – especially fans of The Little Mermaid. However, if you’re a stickler for detailed and thorough world building, this may not be for you.

I really, really adored this. It had bite, but also redemption. It had banter (always my weakness), but it didn't feel forced. These characters did not like each other at first after all. And I do love that trope. And I don't use trope as a derogatory. When done right, it feels fresh and exciting but as a reader you're still getting that element you crave. I loved that these characters matched each other, and that their flaws were there too. Sure, some of the adventure could feel a little more rushed at times, but I was okay with that. Because the adventure was the vehicle for these character's journeys. This is an author I am going to keep my eye on.

I enjoyed this book. It started with action but then slowed considerably for a little while. It was an ebb and flow with that and the slow parts were slow. I enjoyed Elian so much. He made me laugh and him and Lira together cracked me up. They had that love-hate relationship that is just so exciting to read. I liked Lira so much. She grew the most throughout the book and it was amazing to see her humanity come out and make her a better siren. She is a strong female lead and one of my favorite characters now. The supporting cast was great as well. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes books about the water and ships and sirens.

I bought this book after enjoying Six of Crows, Naomi Novik's books, The Bear and the Nightingale and other books that are either magical realism or retellings of fairy stories.

This book did not live up to expectations and I could only get through about half of the story.

The characters had potential but were not executed in a way that made me care about them. The supporting characters had no life to them.

The writing was flat and unengaging. I kept trying to identify what wasn't working. Maybe it is the simplistic sentence structure. Maybe the general lack of scene setting. Maybe the trite situations.

The characters don't seem to have much motivation, especially the prince. And so much felt contrived. He is able to convince a princess and a queen to do what he wants with little effort, but didn't anticipate a double cross by a notorious thief?

I was really hopeful that this would be an iconoclastic retelling, but it didn't keep me engaged.

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.

To Kill a Kingdom is a dark and interesting retelling of The Little Mermaid. If you are familiar with the layout of the Disney movie, as well as a few key points from the original story you will be able to recognize certain moments in the book that align with the original/disney story. That said this is probably one of the better, if not best retelling I have read. And if you like darker interpretations of classic fairy tales, then I have no doubt you will enjoy this book too.

My only issue came with the conclusion of the story (spoiler free). Along the way you really grow to know the characters as you learn more about Lira/Elian and the history of the war between sirens and humans and it's great. However, the end of the book feels rushed and the ease of the resolution feels contradictory to the characters personalities. Even for a fairy tale I felt that things worked out a little too well, too fast.

Overall it was a good book and a quick read.

“Technically, I’m a murderer, but I like to think that’s one of my better qualities.”
-Alexandra Christo, To Kill A Kingdom

While on a path to fulfill her destiny as the next ruthless siren Queen of the Sea, Lira made a name for herself by hunting and stealing the hearts of princes throughout every ocean in the land; no one was safe from the Princes’ Bane. Elian is a prince-turned-siren-hunter whose very mission is to rid the world of the monsters that reside deep beneath the ocean’s surface. When Lira must redeem herself in order to return to the life she was meant to live, she may find that her enemies are closer than she anticipated, and that the one thing she loathes the most-humanity-may be the key to saving her destiny.

I decided to read this book mainly because of the hype surrounding it in the reading community, and while I do like stories about sirens, pirates, and magic, I was a bit wary at first; sometimes books can be overhyped, and I didn’t want a disappointing read. However, this completely exceeded my expectations; I couldn’t stop reading! It was Daughter of the Pirate King meets Six of Crows in the most wonderful way, with the plot, characters, and romance all balanced, which is exactly the kind of thing I like to see in a book. The plot was just the right amount of dark and twisted, with lighter parts in between. Character development was spectacularly done, and there was excellent world-building done throughout the book.

The only thing I would say that I didn’t like was the fact that the final confrontation happened so quickly. I would have like for there to be a bit more description of the place they found the artifact they were looking for, and maybe a bit more backstory on some of the other characters. Other than that, I didn’t really have anything negative to say about the book. After reading this, I long to live on the deck of the Saad, with the wind ruffling my hair and the open ocean for miles.

ONE MILLION STARS

This was so good. How was this book so good? How was the writing so flawless? How did I do nothing else today instead of read this book? How is this not a series, I don't want this to end!! I want more time with Elian and Lira.

This plot was so amazing., there was never a dull moment. The banter between Lira and Elian was some of the best I've ever read. They were so perfect. The villains were certainly villains that you want to hate and were written perfectly. This entire book was perfection. I want more!!

I really enjoyed this book, it was one that I had trouble putting down once I picked it up!

I love how independent and strong Lira is, I have never been a big fan of main characters that can't save themselves. Lira can save herself and others. In this story she the only love she actually experiences is from her cousin, her mother is her major tormentor. The prince of the story is Elian, a pirate who has no desire to sit on the throne and just happens to be Lira's archenemy. The two are pretty evenly matched, both royalty and both fiercely driven, but who will succeed in the end.
The story is shown from both character's POV and you see the similarities in the personalities and desires.
However, for Lira there is much more at stake than for Elian.

A great book, I loved it!

Lira is a siren princess, heir to the Diávolos Sea, as soon as her evil mother decides to finally give up her throne. Lira hunts for her 18th princes heart 2 weeks too early and is punished and forced to find another heart that’s unworthy of her Princes Bane title. She sets her sights on the prince of Midas, Elain, who is more pirate than prince. Together they find an unlikely alliance until they both can get what they want. They just don’t know they aren’t the same thing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fastpaced and a breath of fresh air into YA fantasy. Will recommend immensely.

An intriguing twist on a classic fairytale. This is not to say that it was crazy inventive. If you know the story of the Little Mermaid, then you can deduce the major plot points...even the plot twists. However, it kept me reading. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the character development and dialogue flow. So often in YA novels, particularly fantasy, we are expected to assume personality traits and ways of thinking. Alexandra Christo did a brilliant job in exploring the character's emotions. I loved that by the end of the book I understood why each character chose each course of action. They stayed true to their core, which is so much more realistic! My primary irritation was how long the battle scenes went on with little action. That sounds like an oxymoron but bear with me. It seemed to take Lyra years to actually DO something. She kept saying she was going to overthrow her mother and when the time finally came, she just kept talking? I found myself at one point saying out loud, "Quit talking and do it!"

One other irritation was that the ending felt rushed. Christo took so much time exploring each character that by the end we were supposed to accept that there wasn't more to the story. We had little action compared to how much the characters were developed. I feel like this could've been remedied with a sequel, although I'm wary of sequels for sequel's sake. All in all, great read; would recommend.

This is my second time writing this review and I hope it doesn’t freeze on me. I didn’t purchase the book off the store- my friends pointed it out at the bookstore because it was said to be a retelling of The Little Mermaid. The plot sounded interesting so I decided to buy it on impulse and suggestion. Best decision of my life. A bit of an exaggeration but it’s basically fact!

Finding a book with a lead female character I actually like? Like all the way through? Is rare. Finding a lead male character that isn’t cliche or someone I’ve read 100 times before? A struggle. The start of the book had me doubting but it was only a page turn away from completely ruining my life and stealing my heart! Like the siren Lira is!

Two things I wish: one, more of the side characters. while the ones I saw were amazing and well written I just wanted more...especially of the crew. More more more. I want stories of all their adventures. Two, I need a sequel. I wish for the love of all that is holy that my time with these wonderful people wasn’t over! Finishing the book was a thrilling, world shattering moment and I just wanted to start over- dive in again and again.

Her debut novel and I’m sold. If the characters and story aren’t enough the writing style was perfection. Stunning. Inspiring for a writer like myself. I will be buying every book this author publishes. Oh how I can’t wait for more!

I received this book in an Owl Crate Box and was immediately drawn to reading it. The cover is beautiful, I haven't read a mermaid/siren tail before and it had pirates so huge plus for me. I loved the kingdoms she put together and all the characters were likeable. The romance and the battle scenes were a little lacking but not enough to make me put it down. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more books from Alexandra!

OHEMGEE THIS BOOK THOUGH! I adore fairytale retellings, so I knew I would at least moderately enjoy this story. What I did not expect was to LOVE this story! It enraptured me from page one and kept me enthralled until the end. Lira is sarcastic and quipy and a little bit of a b*tch, but it the good way. Elian is witty and wry and totally BA. Think DotPK meets ADSOM and then multiply that awesome by more awesome!
I will certainly be revisiting this tale again and again!

I really enjoyed this book, it was one that I had trouble putting down once I picked it up!

I love how independent and strong Lira is, I have never been a big fan of main characters that can't save themselves. Lira can save herself and others. In this story she the only love she actually experiences is from her cousin, her mother is her major tormentor. The prince of the story is Elian, a pirate who has no desire to sit on the throne and just happens to be Lira's archenemy. The two are pretty evenly matched, both royalty and both fiercely driven, but who will succeed in the end.
The story is shown from both character's POV and you see the similarities in the personalities and desires.
However, for Lira there is much more at stake than for Elian.

A great book, I loved it!

Lira is a siren princess, heir to the Diávolos Sea, as soon as her evil mother decides to finally give up her throne. Lira hunts for her 18th princes heart 2 weeks too early and is punished and forced to find another heart that’s unworthy of her Princes Bane title. She sets her sights on the prince of Midas, Elain, who is more pirate than prince. Together they find an unlikely alliance until they both can get what they want. They just don’t know they aren’t the same thing.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fastpaced and a breath of fresh air into YA fantasy. Will recommend immensely.

An intriguing twist on a classic fairytale. This is not to say that it was crazy inventive. If you know the story of the Little Mermaid, then you can deduce the major plot points...even the plot twists. However, it kept me reading. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the character development and dialogue flow. So often in YA novels, particularly fantasy, we are expected to assume personality traits and ways of thinking. Alexandra Christo did a brilliant job in exploring the character's emotions. I loved that by the end of the book I understood why each character chose each course of action. They stayed true to their core, which is so much more realistic! My primary irritation was how long the battle scenes went on with little action. That sounds like an oxymoron but bear with me. It seemed to take Lyra years to actually DO something. She kept saying she was going to overthrow her mother and when the time finally came, she just kept talking? I found myself at one point saying out loud, "Quit talking and do it!"

One other irritation was that the ending felt rushed. Christo took so much time exploring each character that by the end we were supposed to accept that there wasn't more to the story. We had little action compared to how much the characters were developed. I feel like this could've been remedied with a sequel, although I'm wary of sequels for sequel's sake. All in all, great read; would recommend.

What's your favorite fairy tale retelling? Alexandra Christo's To Kill a Kingdom is a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid, & the story was everything I had hoped it would be! Definitely not one of those books that don't live up to the hype! It was sassy & action packed, with just the right amount of blood and romance, & contained lush, unique world building that was super easy to get lost in. I loved every watery, shadowed nook & cranny of this book, from the most attention-catching first line I've read in a while to Allie's fresh take on the mermaids vs. sirens myth & the devil-may-care attitude of the pirates. Plus, can I just say that the sea queen/sea witch was awesome?!

This is my second time writing this review and I hope it doesn’t freeze on me. I didn’t purchase the book off the store- my friends pointed it out at the bookstore because it was said to be a retelling of The Little Mermaid. The plot sounded interesting so I decided to buy it on impulse and suggestion. Best decision of my life. A bit of an exaggeration but it’s basically fact!

Finding a book with a lead female character I actually like? Like all the way through? Is rare. Finding a lead male character that isn’t cliche or someone I’ve read 100 times before? A struggle. The start of the book had me doubting but it was only a page turn away from completely ruining my life and stealing my heart! Like the siren Lira is!

Two things I wish: one, more of the side characters. while the ones I saw were amazing and well written I just wanted more...especially of the crew. More more more. I want stories of all their adventures. Two, I need a sequel. I wish for the love of all that is holy that my time with these wonderful people wasn’t over! Finishing the book was a thrilling, world shattering moment and I just wanted to start over- dive in again and again.

Her debut novel and I’m sold. If the characters and story aren’t enough the writing style was perfection. Stunning. Inspiring for a writer like myself. I will be buying every book this author publishes. Oh how I can’t wait for more!

I received this book in an Owl Crate Box and was immediately drawn to reading it. The cover is beautiful, I haven't read a mermaid/siren tail before and it had pirates so huge plus for me. I loved the kingdoms she put together and all the characters were likeable. The romance and the battle scenes were a little lacking but not enough to make me put it down. I really enjoyed this and look forward to more books from Alexandra!

OHEMGEE THIS BOOK THOUGH! I adore fairytale retellings, so I knew I would at least moderately enjoy this story. What I did not expect was to LOVE this story! It enraptured me from page one and kept me enthralled until the end. Lira is sarcastic and quipy and a little bit of a b*tch, but it the good way. Elian is witty and wry and totally BA. Think DotPK meets ADSOM and then multiply that awesome by more awesome!
I will certainly be revisiting this tale again and again!

I didn't have a lot of expectations going into To Kill a Kingdom and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. This is exactly the type of story I enjoy in YA Fantasy. It's a darker retelling of The Little Mermaid with pirates, swashbuckling adventures, and a star-crossed romance. If any of these tropes appeal to you definitely give To Kill a Kingdom a chance.

*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

When I picked this up, I thought it would be just a retelling of The Little Mermaid. But it was so much more. Sirens, hot pirates, princes, princesses, sea witch, legends, battles, and myths! The characters were relatable and the story overall was fast paced and action packed. I so enjoyed reading a YA book without a love triangle or with instant love. Can't wait to read more by Alexandra Christo!

I have to say when I read the first couple chapters on this book it grabbed me and never let go until I finished the book. I loved that it dove right in to this fierce underwater world that was relentless and cruel. This book brought something new to the table for YA fiction and thank you, Alexandra Christo, for not drawing it out in a multi-book series. I have way too many of those that I want closure on. This was the perfect length for this story, I loved that the main characters felt forced into their rolls in life but their core nature was telling them something different which twisted their fates together. Overall this book was a great read, it kept me guessing whether good or evil would win up until the end.

What an incredible story - I was on the edge of my seat and had trouble putting this down when real life interfered with my quality time falling into this dark and enchanted world. Think very very dark Little Mermaid, but not quite - there are quite a few differences. The romance is as intense as the fantasy and drama, and I was hooked from the start.

Christo's "To Kill a Kingdom" was incredible. I was shocked with the amount of conflict, emotion and action put into this on-first-sight rather slim novel, so elegantly. I never felt bored. I never felt like the fantastically high quality of writing faltered for a second. The second I finished it, I wished that I hadn’t. I wish there were more of it for me to read. Alexandra took me straight back to the type of novels I loved reading all through my teens, and still seem to love reading. Even though the subject of her book would normally not appeal to me, she really made me love it. For any young adult fans who read authors like Cassandra Clare or Veronica Roth, as well as lovers of simply high quality fiction writing, this book is a dream, Christo is destined to join such authors on the bestseller list quite soon and I recommend to anyone to be of the firsts with the privilege of reading her book.

I have to admit that I went into reading To Kill a Kingdom without high expectations. I've found lately that almost all massively hyped young adult novels have disappointed me in one way or another. Thankfully this was not the case with this book.
It's a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but with a twist. Rather than a sweet, innocent mermaid and a dashing, oblivious Prince we have a ruthless siren princess and a deadly siren hunter, one with his sights set on none other than our protagonist!
The story was refreshing in that while is was indeed a romance, it definitely did not fit the Disney narrative.
I loved the character development, the world building and the author's writing style. I'm definitely excited to read whatever comes next from Alexandra Christo!

Ooh I loved this! An adventurous, grittier version of The Little Mermaid. Plenty of action, wonderful diverse characters, and a bit of romance that isn't too overwhelming. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the alternating first person point of view between Elian and Lira. Normally this wouldn't bother me, but the chapters didn't indicate whose voice it was in at the beginning. So you had to read a paragraph or two before you figured out the POV. This was an eARC that I was reading, so hopefully that's something they fixed for the final print edition. Otherwise, this was amazing and I highly recommend for people who like retellings.

I really enjoyed this little mermaid retelling! Lira is a new fiery red head character that I highly enjoyed (I seem to have a thing for fiery red heads haha) The writing style was smooth and easy to read and I loved the uniqueness of the story, along with the sass of the characters and the cute love story. 4 ? ? ? ? 1/2 stars!

I absolutely adored this book! Lira and co. are so much fun to read about and I loved seeing Lira's character arc develop over the course of the book. Her journey as she comes to terms with who she is and how that differs from her mom's expectations of her is relatable and told in a very heartfelt manner. This book has it all, adventure, fun times, a ship-worthy romance, and of course, some bloodiness because what good is a truly epic adventure if everything is nice and soft?

It took me a minute to get into it, but then I got INTO IT. I loved the dynamic between Elian and Lira - as natural enemies, it was so great to watch them grow close, and that banter was INCREDIBLE. So witty, and an instant win for anyone who adores a good love/hate romance. I truly loved this book.

um all the yes. hello killer sirens and princes. this story had everything I wanted: a ruthless heroine who meets a conflicted prince, a powerful siren, a crew who is precious, amazing chemistry, a fairy tale retelling that is deeper than the original, fully fleshed out characters and action. like hello!

4.5, it feels like a retelling of the little mermaid even though there's so much originality put into it. yes it might be a retelling, there are several references to both the disney movie and the original story, but there's so much more to it. you don't NEED to know the original story to love this. the reason i'm not giving it 5 stars is the several cliche YA novel moments. not a big deal, and not a deal breaker. its still a fantastic story with loving characters. i think there's good character development and grow that feels authentic.

I'll definitely be down to read more Alexandra Christo titles. Her take on Little Mermaid was bloodier, darker and much more dangerous. All things that made it an extremely entertaining read. Also loved that we didn't get the silly Disney type ending!

It was slow at times, but it picked up at the right moments and I was really glad to see how the ending turned out to be, compared to how you'd expect it to be. Wish that there were clear indication of whose point of view we were getting, since it sometimes took me a page or two to realize who I was reading.

I had a lengthy review on why i love this book so much, but the store didnt like what I wrote... but yeah, Ie joyed reading this so much. I would've wanted to read more about Elian and Lira... like a longer epilogue... or a book two...

I loved this book, especially Lira. The worldbuilding was done amazingly. I could not put this book down. My favorite was the banter between the two main characters! If you want to read about bloody sirens and handsome pirates, then buy this book.

I bought this book on a whim based on the cover and am so glad I did! It is my favorite book of 2018 so far and my new #1 recommendation. If you like dark stories with adventure, murder, great character arcs and slow burn relationships then this book is for you.

This book is amazing!
This is pretty much a retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson version of The Little Mermaid, with a bit of the Disney version thrown in for good measure. As a huge fan of both, this was one of my favorite reads all year. This is a very dark book, and superbly executed. Be prepared for a wild ride!

I had to force myself to put this book down to get some sleep. Characters are refreshing and the story is new and exciting. I loved it! Highly recommend to anyone that loves adventure and some romance thrown in for good measure. I’m still obsessed!

This was probably one of the best novels I've read in years. The characters have depth and are incredibly fun, and the plot had me engrossed til the very end. I read this in a few hours and loved every minute. Probably my favorite part was the banter between Lira and Elian - the two of them were amazing. I would love to read more by this author!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! Like a literary siren song, I opened it to sample the opening pages of recent fantasy novels (I’m writing one of my own) and was instantly enchanted. Hours passed without me realizing it. I loved both point of views and the entire ensemble cast. The world building too! I’d love to pick the author’s brain. So engrossing.

Fantastic writing! This has such a great twist and storyline. I found I couldn't put the book down. A few scenes were confusing where I had to re-read them a few times to figure out what was going. Besides that, the description and detail is absolutely captivation and enough to get lost in. Wonderful book!