To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo Published by Feiwel & Friends on March 6th 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Fairy Tales & Folklore, General, Mermaids, Royalty
Pages: 352
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Lira, a famous siren, must prove herself by stealing the heart of the man, a prince, threatening their race in this dark and action-packed debut.
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 and 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?
Alexandra Christo's debut is a dark and richly imagined take on The Little Mermaid that will leave readers breathless.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
My Thoughts:
When I heard the synopsis for To Kill A Kingdom, I knew that it was something I needed to read ASAP! It has all the elements I look for in a fantasy: an original and innovative retelling of The Little Mermaid, a unique fantasy world (sirens!) and pirate-y elements. I wasn’t wrong in how quickly this one drew me in!
Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen and a siren – a vicious, dangerous siren and yet, there is still more to her than just that. I really enjoyed seeing the different sides of Lira – she is fierce but she is not mindless and her character arc was great to see. She’s made a habit of killing princes and due to a series of events, she ends up as a human on Elian’s ship. Elian is a prince and a pirate and I loved him! He is just such a fascinating character – he wants the best for his people but can’t stand to be tied down to land. It’s at sea that he feels free. The sirens are of course a big problem and when he gets wind of a possible solution, he seizes the opportunity and he, his crew and Lira are set on the path of an incredible quest.
I really enjoyed the banter between Lira and Elian (I am never not a fan of banter!) and it was interesting to see the different sides of politics between the two of them. One of my favorite things about retellings is spying the similarities and having those ah-ha moments. The best part about retellings is when the story and plot remain so unique yet you can still see those parallels! I think To Kill A Kingdom does a great job at that. It gives a lot of nods to the original Little Mermaid story yet at the same time giving it this super intriguing spin involving sirens and many different kingdoms.
I do think I wanted a little more development between Elian and Lira, or maybe just more time with the two of them? I loved what we saw but just wanted a bit more.
In Short…
To Kill A Kingdom is an exciting, unique retelling with imaginative nods to the Little Mermaid while giving us a very cool fantasy world with fierce, strong MCs! Recommended for fans of fairy tale retellings!
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