To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: March 6th, 2018
Rating: 4 Stars
Source: Netgalley/Purchase
Format: eARC/Hardcover
Pages: 342
Summary (from Goodreads):
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?
To Kill a Kingdom is kind of a loose, darker retelling of The Little Mermaid. It is told in dual POV of Lira, a deadly siren known as the Prince's Bane, and Elian, the prince of Midas whose life mission is to rid the seas of sirens, particularly the one hunting princes.
The two end up traveling together when Lira is turned into a human as a punishment by her mother, the Sea Queen. She is tasked with killing Prince Elian without the use of her siren song. She ends up helping him on his mission to find an item that could be used to eliminate her kind altogether.
I loved the characters in this book. Lira was tough as nails, but she had a soft, compassionate side that her mother tried to punish out of her. She seemed to struggle a bit with letting that part of her out. It was interesting to see her try to adjust to being human. Her backstory is both interesting and very sad.
Elian seemed to be a really good leader to his crew and kind of quick to trust with Lira. He's kind. He's set to inherit the throne of Midas, but doesn't feel at home on land and can't stay still until he accomplishes his mission of ridding the seas of sirens.
The romance in this book is slow burn. And interesting considering they both are set on killing each other, only Elian doesn't know that Lira is also the Prince's Bane. I really enjoyed their interactions and seeing them fall for each other!
If you are into pirate books, you will like this. It has fierce ladies and swoon-y pirates. It has strong friendships amongst the crew of Elian's ship. It has a very shippable, slow-burn romance. There is a prophecy to be fulfilled and adventure to be had. The book has excellent villains as well. The Sea Queen is just downright awful and the merman that Lira is supposed to procreate with... *shudders*.
The only complaint I have is that I don't fully know how I feel about the ending. I mean, it's not a bad ending, but it's not exactly what I would have wanted in the end?? I don't know.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. If you like Daughter of the Pirate King or The Little Mermaid, but definitely darker, I'm sure that you will enjoy this book as well!
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
I really enjoyed it as well! The characters were excellent and I loved the worldbuilding.
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