To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms)

I was most ecstatic to read Alexandra Christo’s debut To Kill a Kingdom that has a The Little Mermaid flair to it, though this is not your ordinary retelling, more that the fairy tale was a base for this story! This story was truly unique and enthralling! It pretty much held me spellbound throughout because everything is not what you would expect from this story! First off, our heroine, Lira—note that spelling there, look familiar?—is not a mermaid, but a siren. There’s a difference, in most literature and in this world too of course! Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen, who’s very Ursula like even though she’s a siren too, and she longs for the day that she will take her mother’s place. Every year she takes the heart of some hapless prince who dares to be sailing on her ocean. She’s earned a named for herself as the Princes’ Bane, but when she kills another prince a few weeks earlier—as she is only allowed to take the heart of a “man” once a year, her mother decides to punish her in the worst way possible. Then we have our prince, Elian—starts with the same letter as another familiar prince, eh?—who is anything but princely, though he is in fact a prince. He much prefers the life of piracy! He makes it his mission to scour the seas and try to kill any all sirens that cross his path, he’s looking for the Princes’ Bane of course, for she has killed one of his dear friends. Then as it happens, one day he comes across a maiden just floating in the sea, completely naked. As you can gather, this is our siren, Lira who was punished by her mother with the worst fate imaginable; legs. She is told to take the siren killer’s heart and return to her mother before her birthday arrives or ELSE! It’s not long before Lira’s plans change though, she still plans to kill the prince of course, but she also plans to steal the magical eye that is said to be the other half of the one her mother owns. With it, Lira can control the sirens and take her place as true queen of the sea. This was a most magical story! There’s not a better way of describing it! All along we know what Lira plans and what she is, we know she’s deceiving the prince. But then we also know what the prince is thinking, for this story alternates between both of their points of view. He’s not a hapless sap that falls in love with Lira from the moment he sees her, nor she him. In fact, the two aren’t very fond of one another at all. Neither one trusts the other, and with good reason. I will admit though that the changing points of view threw me a bit. Since they’re both in first person and there’s no identifying header with the chapters, I wasn’t really aware of a narration change until several lines down. This happened every time it would change. It’s perhaps one of my only complaints of the story. Lira and Elian are pretty similar in some ways and they both want the same thing of course, so when there’s a new chapter ahead, it wasn’t always clear who was at the helm. The romance though was pretty awesome! Mostly because it was hardly there. It’s one of the slowest burning romances I’ve ever read and I loved every moment of it! Elian and Lira aren’t very fond of one another when they first meet, but Lira realizes in order to get to the eye that will give her power of the sea and sirens, she will need Elian’s help. And eventually, very, very slowly, a friendship is formed between them that heightens to romance! The tension of the story was spot on! It’s not a fact paced kind of read, but the slow buildup does tend to draw the reader in by giving little bits of action, suspense, thrills, and chills intermingling throughout the story. There’s a good dose of action scenes throughout as Lira and Elian and his crew go on this treacherous journey! It’s a read that has you constantly turning the pages eager to see how they get out of each bind they find themselves in. And of course we have the burgeoning romance between Lira and Elian. I’ve read the original The Little Mermaid and naturally, I’ve seen the Disney movie, so the ending was bound to go in either or the two ways. Needless to say, I was holding my breath in anticipation as things got really intense in the final showdown! I have to say that I was quite pleased with the route Alexandra chose to go! It was very fitting for the story and characters! To Kill a Kingdom is not your ordinary Little Mermaid story, in fact, it pretty much blows the original and Disney one out of the water with its boldness and edginess! It’s a truly beautiful and unique kind of read that all fairy tale fans are going to want to get their fins—er hands—on a copy stat! Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars To Kill a Kingdom releases March 6, 2018

**Originally posted on my blog RemmingtonReads** Okay, first things first, props to YA authors for finally giving us thrilling under the sea/mermaid/siren fantasies! There have been so many good ones in the past year! I just can't get enough of them!! I first heard of To Kill a Kingdom through other bloggers/bookstagrammers and knew I had to read it! A dark Little Mermaid retelling? Count me in! I love retellings and have been on a huge fantasy binge lately so obviously I had to pick it up! While it wasn't as amazing as I was hoping for, I did really enjoy it! The characters were good, but not great. I loved learning about the culture of the sirens and how they interact with humans and mermaids. However, something just felt lack-luster with the characters. The book is told in dual perspective, from the view of both Lira and Elian. I loved Lira but have mixed emotions concerning Elian. Lira was a strong, independent woman (okay, siren-woman?!...) that was so fun to read about! I loved how unpredictable she was and how she wasn't afraid to speak her mind! I can relate to that on multiple levels lol! Elian on the other hand was just okay... He was respectful to Lira and all, but didn't captivate my attention...or make it on my book boyfriend list haha! Lira and Elian's romance wasn't my favorite. Maybe they were better off staying best friends? Reading their banter was seriously so funny being that they are both such head-strong characters! I think their friendship would have been perfect! This is YA afterall, so I guess there has to be a romance *sighs*. Or maybe it was just that the romance finally happened in the last 20 pages of the book when, here I was, waiting FOREVER for it?! Who knows, I just wasn't a huge fan... The plot was pretty well-paced! The beginning started off with a bang! I loved reading about the totally different, yet strangely similar lives led by Lira and Elian and seeing their paths finally cross! The world-building was so illustrative! I could envision each and every piece of the underwater world of the sirens! And again, learning about the lives led by the sirens was freaking awesome! Even so, the plot did seem to slow down towards the middle. I found myself waiting for some big and unexpected event that never really came. The end came and it came fast! The last 30 pages were jam-packed with action! I liked the resolution, but didn't love it. It was quite "they all lived happily ever after" and predictable. It was still good though! I loved how a certain storyline finally made sense *winks*! So creative!! All in all, I enjoyed this book! I think I went into it hearing such great things that it may have been overhyped for me. I loved Lira and learning about the siren's world! Although the plot slowed towards the middle, the beginning and end were such a thrilling ride! If you're a fan of retellings or fantasy in general, this is one you should definitely pick up!

I will admit, I didn't know much about To Kill a Kingdom when I picked it up other than that there was a lot of hype surrounding it. I expected standard YA fare, maybe some instalove, but this book delivered! Say hello to my first five star read of 2018! Princess Lira is the MC of this story, and she is a siren. More specifically, she's the daughter of the Sea Queen. Her life has been brutal and she has spent her childhood gaining a reputation as a prince killer. When her mother turns her into a human, Lira is forced to live as one of them in order to get close enough to kill Prince Elian. I loved both these characters so much! In fact, I loved them all. Lira is brutal and strong and amazing and I loved her. I also loved Prince Elian, who was completely not who Lira (or I) expected him to be. I adored the chemistry between these two characters and loved watching them not trusting each other. I love the enemies to lovers trope so much and, although it goes wrong so often, Alexandra Christo wrote it perfectly! Thankfully, no instalove in sight and the romance is written convincingly, even though you know what's going to happen from page one. One of the things that makes To Kill a Kingdom so great is the incredible cast of secondary characters. The Sea Queen was honestly kind of terrifying in a way that not many villains achieve and I loved it every time the threat of her was near. I thought Elian's crew and Lira's cousin were all well fleshed out, important side characters and I loved them all! The world building was also fantastic, blending multiple cultures and mythologies seamlessly. I felt like I could picture each new setting in my mind and, following the characters on their journey, I could almost imagine I was with them! The pacing is also great, not at all too slow. It was just enough to keep me interested with some totally crazy action thrown in here and there. This brings me to the absolutely amazing plot of To Kill a Kingdom! Confession: I've never read a siren story that I really enjoyed. To Kill a Kingdom did sirens the right way. They are fierce and terrifying. I loved following Lira from that undersea world into one that was totally unfamiliar and watching her go from a girl on a murderous mission to one completely different was thrilling! There were real stakes and urgency and I feel like I'm started into fangirl territory. To Kill a Kingdom was the biggest surprise I've had this year! I was surprised when it showed up in my mailbox and I was surprised when I absolutely loved it! Although I thought it had an absolutely perfect ending, I am a little sad that there won't be a part two. Alexandra Christo has definitely won a space on my autobuy authors list! Whether you're a fan of sirens and mermaids or not, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of this book!

Title To Kill a Kingdom Author Alexandra Christo Description from Amazon 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? Initial Thoughts This book has been on my TBR list for a while now but after reading A Curse of Thorns by Nicole Mainardi, I was inspired to pick it up yesterday and give it a read. I do enjoy fairy tale retellings and this story is very clearly The Little Mermaid (with a twist). Favorite Character No favorite – Lira and Elian were both murdering royalty (I’m actually a little surprised I didn’t like them more), but I didn’t feel a connection with either of them. Lira was basically a brat and Elian was incredibly arrogant until the end of the story. While I liked the secondary characters, I didn’t think I got enough backstory to call any of them my favorite character. Cover Art The cover of this one is ok. I don’t love it, but I also don’t hate it. I like the deep blue-green water, I think it makes a nice contrast to the gold embossed title. But, I don’t like the tentacles. I know the sirens are described as having tentacles but these remind me of a Kraken or something like that. I think of sea monsters not mermaids and sirens when I look at this cover. POV I liked the alternating POV that switches back and forth between Lira and Elian. I am a big fan of getting multiple character’s perspectives on scenes. However, I was not thilled with now long it took our characters stories to cross. For the first third of the book, they were on totally different paths. Final Thoughts This book was good. Just good, in my opinion. It was the first Little Mermaid retelling I had come across and it definitely leaned more toward the Hans Christian Andersen telling than the Disney version. I think the major charactes were very flawed in the beginning of the story but they overcame most of that and, we didn’t get enough of the secondary characters. I’d like to see more stories set in this world (as it did sound fascinating). But, this book, was not my favorite. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Recommendations for Further Reading Daughter of the Pirate King and Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller – if you’re looking for an adventure story about a red-haired pirate/siren, look no further than this duology. Tricia Levenseller’s writing is amazing and, like, To Kill a Kingdom, it’s told in alternating POV. Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen – this is another excellent story about pirates, sea creatures, and magic. Also told in alternating POV, this story has many similar vibes to To Kill a Kingdom. Before the Broken Star by Emily R. King – not quite a story of pirates and sirens but, like To Kill a Kingdom, this story features a ship bound for adventure, a quest for lost magic, and a little enemies to lovers romance.

My Thoughts Can I be frank for a moment? I loved this book with all of my bookish heart. I am going to sing its praise like the song of the sirens and encourage all of you to pick it up if you are a fan of retellings. I devoured it! Holding the strongest affection for fairy tales and deep-sea settings with plots that revolve around mermaids and sirens, I felt as if To Kill a Kingdom were written for me. Of course, it wasn’t, but we paired beautifully. The skinny.. Princess Lira is a fierce and revered siren. She also happens to be the daughter of the Sea Witch Queen and heir to the throne. Known as the Prince’s Bane for collecting the hearts of princes (17, one for every year she has lived) she is the deadliest. But when she breaks that tradition by bringing back her 18th heart early, she is punished by the Queen and transformed into the very creature they abhor, a human. Now she has until the Winter Solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart or remain a human and lost to her home forever. Prince Elian, also heir to the throne of his kingdom Midas, knows no other true home than his ship and crew. He sails the seas in search of sirens, seeking to destroy each and every last one in an effort to put an end to the Prince’s Bane and many deaths that occur at their hands. When he rescues a strange woman from the sea who happens to speak the language of the sirens and promises to help him in his quest, he is unsure to as whether he can trust her. But can he risk missing the opportunity to end the mankind’s greatest threat in the sea? “I’ve spent my life trying to be just what my mother wanted—the worst of us all—in an effort to show that I’m worthy of the trident. I became the Princes’ Bane, a title that defines me throughout the world. For the kingdom—for my mother—I am ruthless.” What I appreciated.. I feel like I could just keep this simple and say EVERYTHING! Lira is a cruel and fierce and completely unapologetic. She goes against the YA grain in terms of protagonist offering something new and refreshing that borders antagonist but never quite reaches that point. I savored every moment of her opposition and cunningness. Prince Elian is admirable, exhibiting an ardent loyalty to his crew and life at the sea while maintaining great respect and love for his own family and the life he does not feel he belongs with. But he is not the perfect gentleman always, as he is a pirate at heart which is often exhibited through a tough exterior and often hard-edged attitude. The world building is established through rich exploration of history and lore that provides a vivid portrayal of life both on land and off. Sirens and mermaids are clearly defined as two separate and hauntingly mesmerizing species that I could not get enough of. Told through alternating perspectives, the writing is seamless and captivating, offering an original take on the familiar while avoiding the typical insta-love trope (thank you for this Alexandra Christo!) “In the pits of our souls – if I amuse myself with the notion that I have a soul – Elian and I aren’t so different. 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.” Challenges some may encounter.. There are times the pacing slows down briefly, but chapters are succinct and it recovers easily. There is some violence and graphic content. To Kill a Kingdom is a stunning reimagination of a classic tale that rewards readers with something original. It’s quick, clever and brimming with enchantment and action! It will find an appreciated home among the shelves of YA Fantasy fans who enjoy a dark and savory retelling and leave them craving more. Serves well with a dark, spiced plum tea.

This story is such a thrilling standalone. It made me want more, but the story wraps up so nicely in the end. Christo does a great job of balancing action with down time. You need those moments in between big scenes where you can just absorb what has happened. But she doesn’t leave you there long. This book is packed with twists and turns. Elian and Lira are two very driven characters. And the fact that they are on opposite sides of a war makes their relationship tenuous at best. But as they grow closer, the tension rises. Not just sexual tension, but also the tension of secrets not revealed. I also love how Christo creates twists and depth to the plot with secondary characters. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let me just say not all characters are what they seem. The world that Christo creates reminds me a lot of the world of Fable. But its story is uniquely its own, so there’s definitely no confusion! I love the names she uses for her kingdoms. Midasan is awesome! I love the thought of taking a classic tale like Midas and using it as the basis for a culture. Brilliant! The only slightly negative note is I didn’t feel immersed in the world. It could have had a little more detail to orient myself so I felt like I was really there. The story overall is well written. However, there are times when the cadence becomes repetitive. I would have liked to see a little bit of variation, especially in the longer paragraphs. This would have made it a more enjoyable read. Elian and Lira have a very interesting dynamic. They are very strong personalities by themselves, and I was delighted to see Christo put these two very passionate people together and make the relationship work so well. And in the end, they make a dynamic power couple! Christo weaves an intricate net of love and betrayal that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Perfect for fans of Fable and Sea Witch! It’s also great for when you are in a reading slump! I would definitely recommend this book!

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!

This was quite entertaining. I’m getting so sick of Fae fantasy, I’ve been searching for other types and stumbled across this one. This is essentially a twist on the Little Mermaid. It’s grittier, and a bit more savage. But I liked it. We start with Lyra’s world and how she has been conditioned to view it. So when she starts getting a little arrogant, her sea-witch mother stomps out her light and thrusts her into a world she has been taught to hate. There we meet Elian and his crew of pirates. The story switches between perspectives and gives us a view of both worlds through the eyes of born enemies. A great enemies to lovers story where you can see the characters evolve and grow. Well worth the read for any who love a little sea magic.