Review of To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo



Genres: Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 368
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Release Date: 06/03/2018
Find The Author: Website / Twitter
Find The Book: Book Depository/AbeBooks UK/US
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(Received free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

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?


Something is starting to tell me that 2018 is going to be one of the best years for books ever, as this is my fifth 5 star read out of the seventeen books I've read this year. I'm pretty picky about handing out 5 star ratings and every single one has been well deserved. This is no exception, plunging us into a fantasy world of Pirates, Princes and Sirens. In short, it's freaking EPIC.

 To sum up the start of the story, our main characters are Lira and Elian. Lira is a Siren, known as The Prince's Bane, as she's brutally ripped out the hearts of many Princes and has 17 collected. The only emotion she seems to know when we meet her is hate. Elian is a Prince, but also a Pirate, hating his obligations to his Kingdom when his heart lies at sea. He travels the ocean in search of Sirens and when he finds them, he kills them.

Legend says my entire family bleeds nothing but treasure. Of course, I've bled a lot in my time. Sirens lose all serenity when they turn from hunter to prey and pieces of their nails become embedded in my arms. My blood has been spilled more often than any prince's, and I can attest to the fact that it has never been gold.

Lira is beautiful, angry and lethal. This is a pretty violent book and a lot of it comes from Lira, you don't have to worry about her spending her entire time waxing poetic about morals, even when she starts to feel more human she could easily have murdered Elian's entire crew without batting an eyelid. She's barely merciful to her own kind, except for her cousin. Her struggles with humanity and what she believes is right really makes her one of the strongest heroines to date in YA.

I basically chucked out every book boyfriend I ever loved when I met Prince Elian. His character of a Prince-Turned-Pirate could have been pretty annoying but he's absolutely perfect in every way. He's truly a pirate, only picking crew that he trusts and sailing the seas in search of Sirens and drinking and gambling when they're on land. He's cocky, sarcastic but loyal to his crew and truly has a sweet side to him that I loved immensely.

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.

 Of course there's romance but it actually works here and it really wasn't forced. If anything I wanted to shove them together faster. They're so different and yet so, so similar it's pretty clear early on that they are perfect for each other. One of my favourite ever movies is called It Happened One Night (1934, you should watch it) the same cocky banter and constant jibes that really made me laugh and fall in love with them is exactly what we see here and it's wonderful, it really needs to be used more. 

The world building in this story is incredible, considering this book is basically a standalone (and a debut!). Obviously there's Princes and Pirates and Sirens but there's also different Kingdoms which are described in perfect detail and I never once felt like I was being info-dumped on. Kingdoms of Ice, Kingdoms where the Queen lives in seclusion and a Kingdom so perfect they called it Eidyllio. I just want to dive into the whole world and explore.


Comments

  1. Ooh, I've been intrigued by the cover of this. I think I'll have to pick it up! Thanks for the review. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. haha I love that you ditched all your old book boyfriends for Elian! I love him so much too! and yes 10K stars to world building for this book! :)

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