Book Review: To Kill A Kingdom
Overall review: 4.5/5 ⭐️
Plot: 4/5 ⭐️
Pacing: 4/5 ⭐️
Character Development: 5/5 ⭐️
Have you ever wanted to read a book from the perspective of a man-killing siren and the pirate-price she’s been targeting for years? Well, look no further than To Kill a Kingdom. In this fast-paced enemies-to-lovers standalone novel by Alexandra Christo, a siren banished from the sea must work with a siren-hunter pirate to obtain a hidden artifact to overtake her mother, and claim her place as the undersea queen.
Every year on her birthday, Princess Lira would steal a still-beating heart from a man of her choice. It was a tradition that every siren needed to perform. Human hearts gave the sirens strength and power. The heart would bind itself to them, meaning if they were ever destroyed, it would weaken the siren immensely. Lira like to take it one step further by only targeting princes. She had a prince’s heart for every year.
Ever since he was young, Prince Elian of the golden kingdom, was told the horror stories of an evil, beautiful, sea creature who resembled a human girl on top, and the flames of a fiery sunset everywhere else. When he started losing a friend a year, Elian decided to take matters into his own hands. He banded a group of misfit sailors together, and sailed around the world, hunting sirens, and disposing of them.
One day, Lira accompanied her cousin for her first kill. During the whole ordeal, she decided she would take another heart for herself as a prize. She knew stealing a mortal heart outside of a siren’s birthday was forbidden, but she did not care. She wanted to prove her capacity for the throne. When Lira and her cousin returned home, Lira faced tremendous repercussions.
Her mother was furious, and as such, she banished her from the undersea realm, forcing her to be exactly what she despised — a mortal being.
Elian — the siren hater, destroyer of all undersea murderers — happened to be the one to find Lira as she surfaced. Him being the good prince he was, took her in, and offered her sanctuary from the brutal deep sea.
I’ll not say more, so as not to spoil the rest of the story. (Other than you seriously need to add this to your TBR if you haven’t already!)
What would become of these two enemies?
Would they get what they wanted?
Who would win?
Who would succumb?
This book was one of the best (siren) mermaid/pirate books I have read to date. My most bitter feelings were towards the ending, for the simple fact that it was just as it claimed to be. An ending. There would be no more story, as it was a standalone.
If you enjoy strong female leads, and sarcastic, charming male leads, then this might be the perfect book for you. There’s a slow-burn romance, shock value, an epic quest, a phenomenal supporting cast, and a rich, diverse world that felt lived in and well thought out. In terms of a standalone, there isn’t anything better than this!