Another highly anticipated read from me and I could not put it down! It was so magical and fun!

I have to admit, the first thing that drew me to To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo was that amazing cover. I don’t think I have ever seen a book cover with tentacles on it, so of course I was intrigued! After reading the summary for the book, and discovering that it was a Little Mermaid retelling with a dark twist, I KNEW I would have to check this book out. And I’m so glad I did!!

I adore a good retelling, especially when they are of some of my favorite stories and movies. I can’t tell you how many times I watched The Little Mermaid when I was growing up, but I know it was enough times that I basically have the movie memorized. Because of that, the storyline felt completely familiar, but it had a dark twist to it as well, which was surprising, and also wonderful! I did not expect the main characters to be so dark and completely different than what we originally know. I did not expect Princess Lira to be a siren that lures unsuspecting humans to their deaths and steals their hearts, and I definitely did not expect Prince Elian to be a professional siren killer. But that’s exactly what you get from these main characters. I love that the story was told from both Lira and Elian’s viewpoints, as getting to see both sides of the story while reading the book was definitely interesting.

As I mentioned above, the storyline for the book is both familiar, yet completely new as well. That’s one of the things I love most about retellings; that an author can take an original story and put their own twist to it. And this book definitely had a twist to it. I did not expect it to be as dark as it was, but that just made it even more interesting and engrossing. I seriously couldn’t get through this story fast enough, and when I had to put it down to do other things, I was constanting pining to get back to it. I’m kind of bummed that it’s a standalone novel, as I would have loved to keep reading the story!!

Overall; yeah, if you can’t tell, I really liked To Kill a Kingdom!! Now that Alexandra Christo is on my radar, I will definitely be keeping my eye out for new books from her, especially if she has more retellings to tell! If you love a good retelling, and are a fan of The Little Mermaid, you will definitely want to check out To Kill a Kingdom!!

Happy Reading!

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.

This was a whole lot of fun. If, like me, Daughter of the Pirate King didn't quite live up to your expectations, I would definitely recommend this one. There's a whole lot of snark, a fun ship, and some good friendships as well. The banter between Lira and Elian was probably my favorite part because I'm predictable, but I did really enjoy the story as a whole. Lira is ruthless, but she doesn't necessarily always want to be. There's a lot of thought into who/what she would be if she were raised differently and I really liked that - I wasn't necessarily expecting anything like it to be included in this book. Elian is likewise a pretty ruthless character and I enjoyed that. We weren't just told over and over again that these characters are brutal, we were shown it a lot as well. Also, I'm so happy this is a standalone. We need more fantasy standalones, please. Although I definitely wouldn't say no to more in this world. I'll definitely be revisiting this story in the future.

This is a story like I have never read before. I requested this novel based 100% on the cover and GOSH I am excited that I did. This was compelling and different and it was a retelling! All of this you likely know because you prolly read the blurb.

For those that didn’t read the blurb, this is a little mermaid retelling and it was EVERYTHING, It was a kick-butt heroine and a woman who was going to do what she had to do. I loved her personality from start to finish. Then there was the Prince. There is something about princes and saving damsels. This is not that. Lol.

This is a story of knowing what is in your heart and doing all you can to find that peace. Doing all you can for those you love.

and in the end, doing the right thing.

Gah, but okay, Kick -butt siren heroine, and tough as nails with a heart of gold, a prince that you fall for from he very start. I am TELLING YOU GUYS, you need to read this.

There are twists you don’t see coming, and really I couldn’t figure out what to feel fro half of it. It was one of those that tests you and GAH. I know. I am rambling. Read it, If you enjoyed reads like Daughter fo The Pirate King, than this is the book for you.

To Kill a Kingdom is a loosely based Little Mermaid retelling. It follows Princess Lira one of the most dangerous sirens who one time a year, rips a prince’s heart out. Her collection keeps growing with now seventeen Prince’s that she has murdered. But when the Queen decided to punish Lira for taking a heart too soon before her Birthday, she turns her into the thing that Lira hates the most – a human.

Prince Elian loves the ocean and is the only place he calls home despite being an heir to one of the most powerful Kingdoms. He is a pirate that travels on his ship with his crew while hunting Sirens, and has given himself a name as a notorious Siren killer. When he discovers a naked woman in the middle of the ocean, he knows she is far more than what she appears – but she promises him help finding the Eye of Kato – a powerful weapon that can take down the Sea Queen.

As far as as sirens, mermaid books go, I think this is the best one I have read in a long time. The author does a good job with how she handled mermaids and sirens a like and I found it interesting and original. The writing was really good too and for the most part kept me engaged, despite some pacing issues.

That being said, I felt like this book could have made an interesting adult book. Sometimes the character roles make you forget just how old everyone is and when you finally remember, it sometimes felt hard to believe. Like Elian is about 17 to 18 years old and yet he is one of the most feared Pirates and spends his life killing sirens and building his name around it, at times his age felt off. Until, you remember that he was also completely naive when it came to Lira. He found a naked woman in the middle of the ocean, with no ships in sight, and she seems to know a lot about sirens as well as their action – and he couldn’t put that all together?

The pacing was good for the most part, I did love the world and the world building. I did wish there was a bit more, but I get how the story was supposed to flow and be fast paced. Of course, most of the story ends up being about the crew travel to a Kingdom that holds the Eye and the rest 10% or so dedicated to a battle. At that point I found that I was reading the story just to finish it.

In my honest opinion, for me the book sits at between 3.5 and 3.75 stars but because this was one of the better siren, mermaid books out there I did round it up to 4 stars it is definitely worth the read if you enjoy those type of books because thus far it is one of the better ones out there. I did enjoy it and I did find the writing really good and loved the world the author created.

A super dark re-imagining of The Little Mermaid finds a siren turned human infamous for stealing the hearts of princes teaming up with a reluctant prince who aims to rid the seas of her entire species. Minus an ending that felt a little too rushed and action heavy, To Kill a Kingdom is a dark standalone fantasy about deliciously evil sea creatures, the duplicitous humans at war with them and the lies that keep them apart.

My adventure reading this book is something I want to preface before giving you all my review. I received an ARC back in January and started and read a good chunk of it that night. I then put it down for a couple weeks, read another large chunk in a couple days before putting it down for almost a month. By this point, I thought about putting the book down but instead acquired the audiobook and started it over to get a better feel for the story and flow of the book.

Starting the book over was definitely the best move. This is a book that is best enjoyed in one sitting (or as few as possible). The fast-paced narrative and character relationships grew in such an organic way that breaking up the reading experience would result in this getting lost. I know that was happening with me. Starting the book over resulted in me enjoying the book so much more than I was before and I think this is a book that will get better with multiple readings.

As a retelling, Alexandra Christo took a well-known story and added a fun twist. To Kill a Kingdom is a Little Mermaid retelling with influences from both the Disney classic and original Hans Christan Anderson tale. I will be frank, I haven’t read the original story in years, but I know the general similarities and differences. I personally noticed the Disney similarities more and love how they were integrated without feeling forced or cliche.

I LOVE how Christo used the lore and legends of Sirens and other mythical marine life to create an interesting dynamic between our leads. Similarly, I loved the Sea Witch and her role in the story. Using the mythology in this world, her motives were compelling and allowed the reader to sympathize with several characters despite different morals and goals.

The relationship between Lira and Elian was so much fun to read about. They start with such clear and passionate motivations. This added such an interesting dynamic to the story that really allowed the reader to connect with the characters. Their relationship elevated the plot for interesting to exquisite and helped this retelling stand out from the ones I’ve read recently.

Despite loving this story as much as I did, something I can’t identify is keeping me from giving it a 5-star rating. I will definitely be giving this one a reread when my head clears to see if it was just my mood or if I can identify or verbalize whatever it is.

Final Thoughts

Those who love dark retellings will absolutely love this story. Christo takes the classic tale we all know and love and adds her own spin. This story is full of magic and action and will definitely make you question characters and motivation. Take a weekend and get lost in this mystical world.

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!

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 was given an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

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!

"To Kill a Kingdom" is an entertaining adventure tale of sirens, mermaids, princes, and pirates. It is a fun, magical read with engaging characters and quick paced action. The first bit of the book took a little while to get through, but once the descriptions were over and the characters were allowed to interact and develop, it became a very enjoyable read. The themes of loyalty and destiny, friendship and love strengthen this book and make it a great choice for older teens and young adults. I would recommend it for my middle school students!

I discovered this book a little later than others. I started to see early reviews and went and searched for it on NetGalley. Found it, approved for it, started it, was released, on audible, bought the audible, finished it. I just want to say this book totally owns my heart right now. I am not sure I can read another book that will surpass this book. It's gonna probably be one of my favorites this year. I loved loved loved it. Full of dark, gloom, revenge, murder, love, soul searching, pirates, sirens, fight scenes. It was just holy cow awesome.

There are sirens and there are land people. There are several kingdoms. There was a war. A Goddess was killed and because of that, the sirens need to murder and take hearts of humans. That is the gist of the sirens vs mankind. Lira is the next in line to become the sea witch. Her mother is the sea witch and she is just so evil. Lira kills Princes on the water. She has a heart of a prince for every year. This year she messes up, makes her mother very angry and her mother turns her to human and gives her a week to get the prince, the siren killer, Prince Elian's heart. Of course not that simple. Princes Elian is just as ruthless as Lira. They end up saving each other's lives and head out on a journey to find something special that will benefit them both. Lira knows who he is, Elian does not know who she is.


This book blew me away. I was twenty percent in the ARC when the book was released and with it an audio version. I bought the audio because I have more time for audio and knew I would get through it faster. The audio was so awesome. The narrators were just perfect.

This book is dark and gloomy. Twisted and full of hate. There are men killing sirens, sirens killing people, sea witch mother beating up sirens and killing her own. There is more than dark and twisted and evil though. It also has hope and love and forgiveness and redemption. So it pretty much evens out in the end. I don't mind the dark. I think many fairytales were originally dark and Disney has done a great job of lightening them up and making them all fluffy and warm. But the originals dark, so I like my retellings dark and this one was... a book of monsters all around.

The setting was just beautiful. Ther are glimpses of ice mountains, the city of gold, under the sea, and more. The author did a great job of painting a grand picture and really putting me into these worlds. I was so immersed in the book guys. I was just listening, not moving, mouth hanging open, and fists clenched.

The setting was beautiful, the tone was perfect, the story just crazy... the characters AMAZING!!!
I loved both Lira and Elian. Lira was headstrong and stubborn and yes a little viscous. She knew who she was and she had accepted it. She was the daughter of the sea queen she would inerit the siren kingdom. She was a murderer. She was also her cousin's protector, loyal to the sirens and her mother. She had some good qualities if you take the viscous out of the picture. She was who she was. I loved that about her.

Elian was also viscous but for a different reason. He was trying to save the world by ridding the sirens and finding a way to end the war for good. He didn't take his actions lightly but he knew someone had to do it. He was also swoony. So swoony. He was intelligent and charming, he was loyal to his land and to his crew. He was a little wild and very adventurous, brave and honorable. Yup, I just loved him.

The romance oh the romance. SO perfect. Slow and well built. The banter was so fantastic. I love banter in my romances and this one had it. Not just banter with the romance but banter with all of Elian's crew. I just loved them all so much.

The ending guys. One of the most epic and exciting endings to a book I have read in a very long time. Epic fight scene, epic decisions, epic love....oh so so so good. Read this guy just read it. I could gush about it all day... all though may be hard to do without spoilers. So read it.



So much love... more than I could ever measure. This book owns me.

Two seemingly different characters, driven by different goals cross paths. Prince Elian wants what's best for humans, this includes killing the monsters that plague the oceans, the sirens. He is willing to sacrifice what he loves most, if it means finishing a war that was started long ago and freeing humans from fear. Lira, the Princes' Bane, just wants to please her mother, the Sea Witch, who always finds fault in her daughter's action. Lira can't seem to do anything right, and her last mistake causes her mother to lash out in an unimaginable way.

I enjoyed this tale, which often reminded me of The Little Mermaid. The characters were well thought out. The creatures were unique. I enjoyed the growth Lira and Elian show as the story is spun. The supporting characters added to the feel of the book. I think this tale speaks of love, prejudice, and change. A great read for youth and adults looking for an adventure that crosses lands and oceans.

This book is fairly clean. There were a few cuss words. There are parts that allude to intimacy. Nothing more than kissing is described. There is drinking and fighting.
I received a free copy of this book, but this review is my thoughts.

Rating: 4/5

Genre: YA Fantasy

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

Pages: 342

Author Website

Amazon 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.

So I'm pretty bummed about this one.
I actually DNF'd it at around 50%, but at the same time I don't want to give it a poor review because I don't actually think there's much wrong with this book...but more just my own personal preferences. Plus, I've been in a hideous slump the past month and nothing seems to be holding my interest.

Basically writing wise, it's gorgeous. That first chapter from Lira's perspective is just beyond, and I instantly was obsessed with her character (and still am). Oftentimes in YA, a character is marketed as "cruel" or "cold" or whatever, and then it takes approx 40 pages and they're a total softy. But nah like Lira was legit bloodthirsty and wicked and vicious and I LOVED IT. Give me more characters like her!

And yet...there was something about it that I couldn't connect with. I didn't care much for Prince Elian and his passionate desperation to be a pirate that felt almost like teenagery-angst at times, and I felt like the plot was moving a little too quickly with not enough fleshing out of the world. Granted, the book is a standalone so time is of the essence but...not really my cup of tea. I like to really get a feel for the characters and the world before jumping into things. So, again, not really the book's fault. Just my own preferences.

Long story short, I think a lot of people are going to LOVE this one, which was why I couldn't bear to give it lower than 3 stars, but I'm just not that person unfortunately. If this ever gets turned into a movie though...sign me up! I'd watch the hell out of that shit.

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 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!

3.5 STARS

A siren who rips out princes' hearts...sign me up! Despite the powerful opening, I found the first 25% of the book painfully slow and uneventful. However, once Lira is cursed, the storyline really takes off. I became more invested in this loose retelling of The Little Mermaid after that point.

I enjoyed the banter and seemingly hostile relationship between Lira and Elian. I also appreciated how both characters are flawed and struggle with the decisions of duty over heart's desire. No person or side of this war is clearly in the right.

Like the beginning, I found the ending too long and drawn out. Certain subplots seemed to overshadow and curtail from the main plot.

While it's told from dual points of view, there is never any indication as to who the narrator is for each chapter. It annoyed me immensely and distracted from the flow of the book. I hope this was an advanced copy oversight, and that the final edition has chapters properly labeled. Overall, I liked this one but wouldn't consider it a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Feiwel Friends for my advanced review copy.

I started reading this book blind and quickly became thrilled at the idea of a Little Mermaid retelling. However, while the book was good, it didn’t quite live up to the great expectations I had. I really wanted to love this book and at times it seemed so promising.. The ending seemed rushed and confused.