To Kill a Kingdom is definitely in my top 5 books of 2018. As an ocean lover, mermaid lover, pirate lover, this book surprised me in the best way possible, Usually when I read a book about mermaids, in this case sirens, I am awfully disappointed but To Kill a Kingdom was everything I could have asked for. Action and romance and banter made this such an enjoyable read. I like that the author took a different direction with the sirens, I love sirens.
As for the characters Lira and Elian are my new favorite OTP, those two were such a fun couple, I wish this book wasn’t a standalone, because I could read so so so many more books about their adventures.

I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. This one had great banter between the main two characters. I loved Lira and Elian's relationship. The take on mermaids and sirens was interesting and the world building was decent for a standalone book.

The part that I did not like was the depiction of Elian's crew as pirates. I didn't buy it. They were more warriors on a mission than actual pirates. It just felt very Hollywood-esque and very romanticized in it's depiction of pirates. I wouldn't have been surprised if one of them started talking like Jack Sparrow. I know it's a small thing to get irritated at but after watching Black Sails I am way more critical about portrayals of pirates.

The rest of the book makes up for it though. The story is interesting and kept me wanting more. There were many times that I was fighting sleep off (because I was exhausted not because the book was putting me to sleep) just to finish a chapter.

Musings:

To Kill A Kingdom swept the ya scene in a building phenomenon. Raving reviews poured in bringing me to the decision that I had to read this book. That turned out to be a wonderful decision as I enjoyed this book immensely! Dark Sirens, budding magic, and hate to love relationships make me happy. This is a really great fantasy read.

What I Loved:

A dark spin on a familiar tale. The little mermaid is one of the most beloved fairytales of all. Seeing a retelling take that story and make it it’s own was a lot of fun for me. I liked seeing the little nods to the original storyline here and there.

Actual reasons for why the sirens act the way they do. I think it was really smart of the author to make sirens cruelty to be a part of their culture. It’s even praised among them! They are not necessarily bad just to be bad, but because it is what they know and what is expected of them as productive members of their people.

The descriptions of the kingdoms. I really like that even though the majority of the book is on the sea I had a sense of what other kingdoms were like based on their waters. It was like their character was defined by the surrounding sea.

Shipping on an actual ship. I mean as a fan girl I love seeing my ships set sail on literal ships. Nothing makes me happier.

The sea queen is a gorgeous Ursula. I’ve always thought it was a tragedy that Disney made Ursula ugly. Gorgeous villains and villains who are just regular people can often be more interesting. Although even the original Ursula didn’t hesitate to let her fab flag fly.

Final thoughts:

Whenever I am looking for a fun fast paced read I’m turning to this book. Retelling make for things of beauty more often then not.

This is one of the best fantasies that I have read so far this year! The characters were complex. The setting was unique! The story was slow, but it was character-driven! While it is not a faithful retelling, there are some elements to the Little Mermaid fairy tale. The story is dark and atmospheric! It captivated me from the very beginning! I highly recommend this to fans of The Rebel Sand, Children of Blood and Bone, and Mermaid!

I might purchase this book just because mermaids & sirens are popular right now but I didn't really love it.

This was SO. MUCH. FUN. Agh! Totally reignited my enthusiasm for YA.

The romance aspect was perfect - no insta-love here. Just two damaged characters, snarking on each other.

The world building was great fun; I adored the different kingdoms, and Elian's crew, and how the sirens and mermaids were described.

I'm a bit sad it's over, and that's ALWAYS a good feeling, because it comes so rarely. I want more!

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.

This was such a fun read! I am usually all in for any type of book that hints at a mermaid. Unfortunately, those books usually leave me disappointed because they feel stale and unoriginal. Not with To Kill a Kingdom!

I enjoyed the twist on The Little Mermaid immensely. Lira was a strong, powerful force to reckon with throughout the entire book. She is everything a strong female character should be. The witty banter between characters is also an added bonus.



Great paced plot. The villainous Sea Queen was really a special touch! She was a horrid person (can we call her that?), with a rather sordid back story. I don't want to give away anything, but the history of how you get from point A to point B where the Sea Queen is involved is complicated. That particular detail also gives Lira a whole new layer to work with.

There were a few places in the book that I probably should have read a bit more slowly/carefully because I found myself asking "huh?" several times. I do not know if that was my sleep deprived brain (I did read this one in one sitting because I enjoyed it so much) or the story itself to blame. Either way, I have recommended this To Kill a Kingdom to many of my friends. It really is worth reading.

“His face makes no difference.” I drop her hand. “It’s his heart I’m after.”
“So many hearts.” Her voice is angelic. “You’ll soon run out of room to bury them all.”
I lick my lips. “Maybe,” I say. “But a princess must have her prince.” 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo is a dark, seductive, fantasy read. A twisted tale based on the Little Mermaid. Our heroine Lira is not quite what she seems... she may look like a majestic creature but in reality she is a cold killer. Seducing men that fall right into her trap.

Prince Elian's duty is to kill each of these diabolical creatures. No mercy shall be granted. Until he is saved by Lira. In doing so Lira is turned into a human. 

The romance in this story was what gave this book a five star rating from me. These two are enemies, hunting each-other but everything changes. Even though that this is a YA novel, it does have some steamy scenes. 

This book is a fast paced, dark YA novel that blew my mind. 
Alexandra Christo is a new author to me, that I will definitely read more from.

A swashbuckling read!
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing for the opportunity to read and review To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo!
Lira is a siren that steals someone’s heart every year for her birthday. Lira captures a Prince while her cousin Kahlia steals a queen. The Midasan prince is introduced next, Prince Elian. This prince has two lives- one in the castle and one as a pirate, captain of his own ship and crew and a siren hunter. Lira will take her mother’s place as the Sea Queen someday, but in the meantime her mother is cruel and abusive. The Sea Queen punishes Lira for being kind and weak by turning her human and leaving her stranded in the ocean. Elian and his crew rescue Lira, thinking she’s an orphan that’s lost her family to drowning, but they are wary about her story. Elian’s goal is to kill the Prince’s Bane- the siren that kills princes. Elian has no idea that the Prince’s Bane is Lira and she’s keeping her background hidden from the crew and everyone they come in contact with. As Elian works toward his goal, he makes deals along the way with separate princesses and a slave trader. Eventually, Elian and his crew start to trust Lira because of the loyalty she’s shown by saving Elian’s life. Lira’s goal is to take over as Sea Queen and rid the world of her monstrous, manipulative mother and she hopes for peace as an end result. To Kill a Kingdom bursts with action, adventure and intrigue. This fantasy full of magic creates an amazing world with unique characters and backgrounds of their own. A wonderfully fun read worth a swashbuckling 5 stars!

I loved this re-telling. It kept me guessing until the end and I loved it. The sarcasm, the witty banter and all the characters and their growth.

When I first saw this I was intrigued by the cover. I love the tentacles on it and I love the swirlies on it. But once I opened it, I was super happy to see that the inside was just like the outside.

Lira is the legendary Princess Bane. Her mother, the Siren Queen, punishes her by turning her human until she can return with the heart of Prince Elian. The one and only prince who hunts sirens day in and day out.

I LOVED the sirens and all the mythology that came with them. There was so much back story and magic in this book and that part of it was PERFECT. I loved reading those parts of the story where we learned all the different stories. I just wish they weren't so few and far between. But the writing style and the way this story was written was almost flawless. There were so many passages in this story that I highlighted on my Kindle. Christo's words sucked me in and at times I couldn't put this story down!

Plot-wise is where I struggled with this one. There were times that it was really slow, when other times it was so much action I had to read the passage twice. I just wish it had been spread throughout the entire story. Because when it was good, it was GOOD. From the swords and knives and magic to the EPIC battle at the end. It was awesome! I just wish it had been more consistent.

I also really loved the characters. Both Lira and Elian were so complex and had so many layers. I loved seeing them in turmoil and all their battles that they went through to over come their struggles. Maybe it was so great because it was a re-telling, but they were done so well and it was great to read them.

I also really loved this version of The Little Mermaid. It was super dark and twisty and murdery! There's SOME elements from the Disney version, but definitely not the one you'd want to read to any little ones lol It was dark and stabby and of course that's why I was super intrigued.

I was expecting this to be good, but not this good. The characters and the mythology were so amazing and I loved seeing how it all matched up with the re-telling it was giving. Christo's debut was definitely a success and I can't wait to see what she does next!

THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC!
I'm not a huge siren/mermaid fan usually but this book sucked me in with its plot and it's cover. Princess Lira is just perfect combination of royal, dark and kickass. Living under her horrible mother's rule for her whole life and doing everything Sea Queen asked of her, Lira makes one mistake - gets a heart prince before she is supposed. Lira gets cursed and end up stuck on a Prince Elian's ship. Lira had one job - get his heart without her song. Let's just say thing go not the way Lira expects and she and gorgeous prince end up in a lot of trouble.
Both character were absolutely amazing. Their dialog full of tension. They just gave me chills all through the book.
Another thing that I absolutely adored in this book, the world building was very well done. Often, in standalone, an author doesn't have enough time to introduce the world properly. But this was not the case. The world, under water and on the land, was reach and full of details.
Over all I NEED MORE and I want to read it all day - every day.

I really enjoyed reading this book.
I loved Lira and how feisty she was.
I loved Elian and his desire to always be out in the ocean.
I loved Torik, Kye and Madrid. The story wouldn’t have been the same without them.
I loved the witty Banter between all characters. My only wish was for there to be a bit more romance early on, but I also loved how it wasn’t full on romance-y. I honestly would love to read more about Lira and the rest of the gang!
Also, I WANT TO BE A SIREN!!!!!

I love Mermaids, I love the legends, I love the tall tales and I LOVE the whole magic of it all. I love to believe these beautiful mythical creatures exist.

A dark, twisted take on The Little Mermaid sure to hook the reader from the first page. To Kill a Kingdom is Seductive Sirens, Pirate Princes and a tale so rich in Mythical Mer-Folklore you will drown in this captivating world. Be prepared to be pulled into the depths of the deep blue below and submerge your imagination with a fantastical adventure leaving you breathless for more.

This is one I looked forward to reading, so I really wanted to love it. While I enjoyed it overall, it was too predictable and lacked depth in my opinion. While the concept was excellent, the story didn't meet expectations.

Lira is a fierce siren princess. She collects the hearts of princes. As punishment she is transformed into a human and loses her song. She is tasked with bringing home a human prince's heart. Elian is the human prince determined to rid the world of sirens. The two fall together. This is an exciting dark fantasy unlike anything you've read before.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
Recommend: Maybe
Review:
To put it simply: this is a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid, with some little twists added in. If you like terrifying mer-people, heart-stealing sirens, pirates with interesting moral codes, and a Future King who is a born Pirate Captain, you will enjoy this book.

THE CHARACTERS:

Princess Lira- This chick is a serious bad*ss who will rip your heart from your chest without a second glance. Starting this book, I thought she was gonna be the character I love to hate. I thought she was going to be cruel and evil and stabby, but I was wrong...slightly. Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen, meaning she is trained at birth to steal the hearts of prince's. She, and all her sister sirens, are raised to trust no one, be loyal to their queen, be cruel, and never ask questions. Lira is supposed to be the cruelest of them all since she is their future queen, but like all wonderful evil mothers, she is a constant disappointment. Not to spoil anything, but Lira makes a huge mistake which results in her mother punishing her by turning her into a human, which she finds disgusting, and telling her she has to complete a task before she can be turned back into a siren and resume her position as the heir. Needless to say, some stuff goes down, we realize Lira is not what we first assumed, and by the end of the book I liked her. Lira is a fierce, strong, independent female main character who I definitely loved.

Prince Elian- This boy is a hot mess. He is the heir to the Midan kingdom (some fun Greek mythology thrown in), but he is not about that life. Elian wants to be on the sea forever, sailing from place to place with his morally ambiguous pirate crew. He is on a mission to rid the world of sirens, especially the Prince's Bane (Lira). Elian is sarcastic, driven, and determined to do whatever it takes to save the world, even if it means giving up the things he loves most. When he learns of a way to finally kill the Sea Queen and destroy the sirens, he takes off on a dangerous adventure that leads him to some surprising discoveries, including Lira.

THE PLOT:

Like I said, this is basically just a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid with some twists thrown in. It is about two people from two separate worlds who find each other unexpectedly, have two different plans for how things will end, end up falling for the person they never in a million years they thought they would, and end up making a big change to their world.
There is plenty of action, lots of fighting and blood and kicking butt, a little bit of romance thrown in, and lots of sass and sarcasm. All the characters are well-developed and rounded, the settings are intriguing and reasonably detailed, the plot is well-paced, and the ending was nice.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

While I did overall enjoy reading this book, I also often found it predictable at times. There were parts that I absolutely loved and enjoyed, but then there were parts that left me bored and excitedly waiting for the scene to be over. I thought the romance was predictable, sometimes the plot dragged, and while the ending was nice, I thought it wrapped up too nicely for the story. Even more, my biggest issue was how similar the Big Battle was to the Disney movie, plus I thought it was far too short.
I did enjoy this book and I maybe would recommend it to people, but I didn't love it. I did think the characters were interesting and well-developed, I do think they were very different from their Disney versions, and I did like the history included, but since I did find myself bored at times, able to clearly tell which parts were just like the movie, found some things predictable, and the ending far too nicely tied up, this book is deserving of a 3.5 star rating...in my opinion.

Unfortunately, I couldn't finish reading the book.
I had been really looking forward to reading this. I love anything to do with mermaids and sirens and royalty, however the writing was much too juvenile for my liking. There lacked a breadth to the story and I felt that at times, the scenes were too rushed.

I still gave it two stars because I love the concept behind the story. I will try to reread this at a later date, but for now I must leave it.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I loved every minute of the high seas adventures and siren related intrigue. Highly recommended!