This book review post is all about To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo.
CATEGORIES: BOOK BLOG POSTS, BOOK REVIEWS, FANTASY, ROMANCE
ABOUT THE BOOK
TITLE: to kill a kingdom
series: hundred kingdoms
AUTHOR: alexandra christo
GENRES: new adult fantasy, romance
PUBLISHER: feiwel & friends
PUBLISHING DATE: march 6, 2018
FORMAT: audiobook
length: 12 hours
narration: Jacob york and stephanie willis
source: SELF purchased
A SINISTER TWIST ON THE LITTE MERMAID
GOODREADS summary
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?
My Thoughts:
I’m a sucker for a good fairytale retelling, so there was no way I could resist a dark take on “The Little Mermaid” when it popped up on my Instagram feed.
It promised all the good stuff: enemies-to-lovers, bloodthirsty sirens, siren-hunting pirates, and an evil sea queen. Plus, “The Little Mermaid” was one of my favorite Disney movies growing up.
So, did “To Kill A Kingdom” by Alexandra Christo deliver the same magic, even though it’s much darker? Let’s get into it.
“Hearts are power, and if there’s one thing my kind craves more than the ocean, it’s power.”
THE PLOT:
For starters, Lira is nothing like sweet, innocent, bubbly Ariel. Not even close. She’s a siren, not a mermaid, and in this world the mermaids are more fish than girl, with a seriously creepy obsession with humans. They’re also not the brightest—apparently, they think that eating enough human hearts will turn them human.
Lira is the siren princess, better known as the Prince’s Bane—a nickname she’s earned by luring princes off their ships with her song, drowning them, and then ripping their hearts right out of their chests. So yeah, she’s not the naive, treasure-collecting damsel in distress that Ariel was. Lira’s a killer, through and through.
Every year on a siren’s birthday, they’re expected to take a heart. The Sea Queen demands it. But Lira pushes things too far when she steals a prince’s heart when it’s not her birthday.
The Sea Queen is basically Ursula, but worse. She beats and psychologically tortures Lira, claiming she’s just “toughening her up” to eventually take over as queen.
The plot of “To Kill a Kingdom” kicks off fast—after Lira’s latest misstep, the queen punishes her by turning her into a human.
The only way to end the punishment is to steal the heart of the siren-killing prince, and she has to do it without her siren song. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? After all…
You’ll have your looks, your pretty face. And don’t underestimate the importance of body language!
As Ursula would say.
“I’ve made a mistake. It started with a prince, as most stories do. Once I felt the thrum of his heart beneath my fingers, I couldn’t forget it.”
THE CHARACTERS OF TO KILL A KINGDOM:
The Sea Queen:
She’s pure evil—she wants her daughter to be just as vicious and ruthless as she is. If Lira shows even the slightest bit of compassion, especially toward her cousin, the queen punishes her brutally.
She’s interesting because she’s not just evil for the sake of it—she’s a narcissistic parent, wanting a daughter who’s just a copy of herself, not her own person. But deep down, she’s also threatened by Lira, fearing that if Lira ever met her impossible standards, she’d be just as worthless as sea foam.
“That's the thing about risks," Kye says. " It's impossible to know which ones are worth it until it's too late.”
Prince Elian:
Like Prince Eric from “The Little Mermaid,” Elian has a sense of adventure and feels suffocated by his parents’ expectations to rule Midas one day. But unlike Eric, he’s obsessed with hunting and killing sirens. His personality didn’t leap off the page, so his chapters didn’t really grab me. He’s basically the rich kid rebelling against his royal parents.
Princess Lira:
I loved the twist on Lira’s character—she’s the bloodthirsty huntress, luring men to their deaths, stealing hearts (literally and figuratively). Her flaws, and especially her complicated relationship with her mother, made her interesting.
THE WRITING STYLE
The beginning of “To Kill a Kingdom” really hooked me—the way the author describes Lira luring her victims and collecting hearts was captivating. But my interest faded when the story got bogged down in world-building.
Admittedly, I’m not a fan of heavy backstory. Elian’s anger over losing his friend didn’t hit as hard as it could have, since we never got to see their friendship in action.
Prince Elian’s chapters dragged, and with barely any romantic tension to drive things forward, I lost interest by the end.
IS TO KILL A KINGDOM SPICY?
It was spicy, but the spice was the least interesting part of the book. I give 
chili pepper.
“To Kill a Kingdom” by Alexandra Christo is a fun, dark fantasy, but it didn’t blow me away. It’s great if you want to dip your toes into fantasy, but don’t expect much romance or spice.
Most of the tension is at the very beginning and very end. It entertained me for a while, but I’d give it 3.5 stars. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If not, check it out with the links below.
Thanks for reading.
Books Similar to To Kill a Kingdom:
Love fantasy retellings? Check out my book review on my favorite retelling by clicking on my book review of “Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik.