[Review] To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Rating: 4 stars

Published: March 6th 2018

Goodreads 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?

I buddy read this with Yiling!

I really enjoyed this darker Little Mermaid retelling To Kill a Kingdom started off strong, with brutal deaths and cruelty surrounding the sirens. Princess Lira is our main siren here, who kills princess once every year, using their hearts to mark her birthday. However, she messes up and kills before her birthday, and her mother, the Sea Queen, turns her into a human as punishment. To win back her favor/potentially claim the crown as her own, she joins Prince Elian in his hunt for Keto's Eye, which apparently is the source of siren strength. Elian, who spends his princely time hunting sirens, does not realize his newest ally abroad his ship is his greatest enemy in disguise.


I loved how Lira was painted far beyond her brutality as a siren - she has a humane side to her, a side that her mother finds weak. However, Lira is strong in other ways, even as a fish out of water (quite literally) amongst Prince Elian's crew, she finds herself still with her wit and spark. She's quite impulsive, but she also grows the more she spends time with them. Elian grows as well, and their dynamic is a fabulous hate-to-love relationship. Although I admit that it did appear kind of rushed, it made sense for the situation they were placed in.

"...If you let me come on your quest, perhaps, I'll tell you, too."
"You're in no position to bargain," he says. "And I'm not in the business of striking deals with girls in cages."
I twist my lips into a cruel smile. "Then by all means, let me out."
Elian laughs, pulls a pistol out, and shakes his head once again.
"You know," he says, approaching the cell, "I think I might like you. Thing is" - he taps his gun against my prison -"there's a difference between liking someone and trusting them."

I enjoyed the lore of this world and the various islands that were visited. One island had a queen that could entice men who touched her, while another was full of lawless pirates.

I just wish the ending had more brutally epic ending, but the way it went suits the whole Little Mermaid retelling to a T.