To Kill a Kingdom
A quick, yet enjoyable read. Here’s my review for To Kill a Kingdom! I hope you enjoy it.
Title: To Kill a Kingdom
Author: Alexandra Christo
Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 358
Release Date: 6 March 2018
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 unsavoury 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?
Spoiler Free
I have been eager to read this book ever since I saw it on bookstagram. I love mermaid adventures and this one tells a compelling, vicious story. A darker retelling of the classic Little Mermaid, Christo does not disappoint. If you’re looking for a fun retelling, this is not it. Sirens are a dangerous, vicious breed ruled by a murderous Sea Queen. Lira, the daughter of the Sea Queen, is the most dangerous of them all. She only steals the hearts of princes, earning her the notorious nickname; The Prince’s Bane.
Elias is heir to the Kingdom of Midas and a siren hunter. He and his crew of misfits and scoundrels are infamous in the 100 kingdoms. When a cruel twist of fate throws Lira and Elias together they go on a dark and dangerous journey to find the only thing that can kill the Sea Queen; the Second Eye of Keto. This adventure takes them across various Kingdoms and we get to meet Elias’ crew of misfits and pirates.
I also like the fact that it’s a standalone book. There aren’t many YA Fantasy standalones and sometimes it’s just not worth it to invest in a series. Christo has said that she’d bring out short stories, and I would love to learn more about the world she built. One of the best things about To Kill a Kingdom is the world it’s set in. The different countries are so different and diverse, and yet it feels completely natural that all these countries exist in the same world.
I definitely recommend this book.
Characters
Lira wasn’t my favourite from the beginning, it felt like she was too selfish and heartless. But then I got to know her, and the way her mother pulled the humanity from her. She reminded me slightly of Maven from the Red Queen series (AKA my favourite villain of all time). Her mother has been in her head too long, and I’m glad she still has a will of her own. She’s still vicious and feisty, but I love a woman who fights for what she wants.
Elias is the ultimate badass. Prince and siren hunter, I couldn’t help but fall madly in love with his smooth talking ways. He’s loyal to a fault and he takes care of his crew and family. I want to know more about Madrid, Princess Yukiko and the rest of Elias’ crew. On occasion I wondered if Elias might be bisexual, he seemed to take the death of one of the other princes in the book really hard. It would be amazing if he was.
Spoilers
YELLS. Slow burn romances make me so angsty! This was definitely a slow burn, but I loved every second of it. At first, Lira wants to kill Elias, but luckily she changes her mind. It just increases the angst. What I loved most about this book was the fact that a princess marrying a queen was such a non-issue. We have a country where two queens sit on the throne and I absolutely love it.
I also loved the fact that this book had a happy ending. No one died, besides the Sea Queen, and Elias and Lira got to live happily ever after. It was a true fairytale ending, and sometimes we all need a fairytale ending.
Story and Plot
The story was fast paced and I was never bored when reading. Even though they made loads of pit stops on their journey, all of them felt necessary and added to the overall plot. I loved Christo’s writing style, it flowed easily and I was able to relate to both Elias and Lira. How? You ask. One is a mermaid and the other is a pirate. They’re both trying to find themselves and who they are without the influence of their parents. Lira’s mother wants her to be a ruthless siren, and Elias’ father wants him to be King.
They end up following their own paths, and I loved that. There were some genuinely funny moments and I loved the chemistry between them. The romance was a slow burn and not at the centre of the story, which I enjoyed immensely. It was a very character driven plot and if you’re a fan of the enemies to lovers trope (which I am) you’ll enjoy this book.
The plot was mainly character driven and I loved seeing Elias scheme and make deals to get what he wants. I also loved seeing how Lira’s motives changed from wanting to kill Elias to wanting to kiss him. I definitely recommend this book.
General Thoughts
Have you read To Kill a Kingdom yet? What are your thoughts? You can find more of my reviews here. 
I like your style!
Thanks DJ! That means a lot! I’m always wondering if my reviews are any good xD.
I like the way you write the reviews. I skipped the Spoilers part because I have this book on my list and I want to read it, but overall, loved the review and it got me curious.
Thank you! That’s why I make it clear where the spoilers are, in case someone hasn’t read the book yet. I hope you enjoy it!
Ooo! I love that this is a standalone and about mermaids!
Me too! I enjoy standalones.
I loved this book too! It broke me out of a reading slump and I just loved the idea of it!
Also, great review!
Thank you!
Great review! I love how you broke down your review into the different sections!
Thank you for the feedback!
Oh my goodness. Totally agree with you that there should be more stand alone fantasy book. Some times the stories just drag on and on and it’s a lot
I agree, some series just drag on. Standalones are great.
Love the way you have set out your post Bianca.
Thanks Veronica!
Great review! The cover is gorgeous!
I like that this is a darker adaptation of the Little Mermaid tale. Good to know it’s a stand-alone too! I really appreciate those. 🙂
-Lauren
Sounds great and I love that cover. Lovely review.
i like reading your reviews
I love your graphics and blog post format. I didn’t read the spoiler section, just in case I read it one day.
I too have been seeing this one all over bookstagram and intrigued!
Great review! I adored this book when I read it as well. It’s one of my favorite reads of 2018 so far 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I so want to read this one!
Great review! I’m so glad you liked it! I gave this 5 stars, too, but have been noticing not people don’t like it that much lately.
Also, your blog is gorgeous!
Thank you so much! I’ve also noticed that people don’t seem to like it. Oh well, to each their own.
I love your blog and what a great way to write reviews! I think this is on my TBR so I am looking forward to reading it!
Happy reading! Let me know if you enjoy it.
Great review I have not read this book yet but after reading your review I am intrigued to check it out a lot sooner. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.