To Kill a Kingdom
- Downloads：6072
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-03-24 12:15:50
- Update Date：2025-09-14
- Status：finish
- Author：Alexandra Christo
- ISBN：147140739X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
I have a heart for every year I've been alive。
There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom。 Every so often， I claw through the shingle just to check they're still there。 Buried deep and bloody。
Princess Lira is siren royalty and revered across the sea until she is cursed into humanity by the ruthless Sea Queen。 Now Lira must deliver the heart of the infamous siren killer or remain a human forever。
Prince Elian is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world and captain to a deadly crew of siren hunters。 When he rescues a drowning woman from the ocean， she promises to help him destroy sirenkind for good。 But he has no way of knowing whether he can trust her …
There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom。 Every so often， I claw through the shingle just to check they're still there。 Buried deep and bloody。
Princess Lira is siren royalty and revered across the sea until she is cursed into humanity by the ruthless Sea Queen。 Now Lira must deliver the heart of the infamous siren killer or remain a human forever。
Prince Elian is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world and captain to a deadly crew of siren hunters。 When he rescues a drowning woman from the ocean， she promises to help him destroy sirenkind for good。 But he has no way of knowing whether he can trust her …
Reviews
Katherine
，
The elixir of my life will forever be enemies to lovers 😍。 To kill a Kingdom by， Alexandra Christo- had it all！ We have Prince Elian， who moonlights as a Siren killing Pirate。 We also have a Lira， a Siren who tears the hearts out of Princes at the request of the Sea Queen （who also happens to be her mother！） Boom！ Enemies to lovers。 The angst， the banter the tip-top world building made this the perfect book to break an impending reading slump。 I loved it， and truthfully I want more。 This is also The elixir of my life will forever be enemies to lovers 😍。 To kill a Kingdom by， Alexandra Christo- had it all！ We have Prince Elian， who moonlights as a Siren killing Pirate。 We also have a Lira， a Siren who tears the hearts out of Princes at the request of the Sea Queen （who also happens to be her mother！） Boom！ Enemies to lovers。 The angst， the banter the tip-top world building made this the perfect book to break an impending reading slump。 I loved it， and truthfully I want more。 This is also a Little Mermaid retelling- so good！！！ A must read if you live for this specific trope 😉。（5） 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 。。。more
Brenda
，
**4。5Honestly， I think I need to digest this book better， but it was really good。 Nothing spectacular， but definitely a great book， would 1000% recommend also one of the best fairytale retellings I’ve read。 Really loved the dark twist of the classic story and the world created。 The characters were also very interesting and funny， the only thing is I don’t really do well with stand alone fantasy because I don’t get much time to fall in love completely with the characters so I don’t feel emotional **4。5Honestly， I think I need to digest this book better， but it was really good。 Nothing spectacular， but definitely a great book， would 1000% recommend also one of the best fairytale retellings I’ve read。 Really loved the dark twist of the classic story and the world created。 The characters were also very interesting and funny， the only thing is I don’t really do well with stand alone fantasy because I don’t get much time to fall in love completely with the characters so I don’t feel emotionally attached to this book， but I really loved it 。。。more
Jessica
，
I。 AM。 OBSESSED。To Kill a Kingdom is an utterly bewitching siren song of a book; you won't be able to look away as Christo seamlessly weaves the tale of Lira and Elian。 I like my protagonists alluring and imperfect， and the Princes' Bane and the Prince of Gold are both in the most unexpected of ways。In a world with surprisingly few modern siren stories， Christo combines myth and fairy tale in a way that certainly ensures you never look at "The Little Mermaid" the same way ever again。 My only que I。 AM。 OBSESSED。To Kill a Kingdom is an utterly bewitching siren song of a book; you won't be able to look away as Christo seamlessly weaves the tale of Lira and Elian。 I like my protagonists alluring and imperfect， and the Princes' Bane and the Prince of Gold are both in the most unexpected of ways。In a world with surprisingly few modern siren stories， Christo combines myth and fairy tale in a way that certainly ensures you never look at "The Little Mermaid" the same way ever again。 My only question， I suppose， is。。。 sequel？？？ Soon？？？ Pretty please？？？ 。。。more
Maggie
，
I。 Love。 This。 Book。This fantastical retelling of ‘The Little Mermaid’ had me hooked from start to finish。 I didn’t know I needed a book about sirens and pirates until I read this。 Plus， I need to give the author major props: This is one of the only books where I craved each person’s chapter in the alternating， dual perspective layout。 Normally I favor one character， but both Lira and Elian were fascinating and enchanting。 This was my second read-through， and I noticed more nuanced prose and gor I。 Love。 This。 Book。This fantastical retelling of ‘The Little Mermaid’ had me hooked from start to finish。 I didn’t know I needed a book about sirens and pirates until I read this。 Plus， I need to give the author major props: This is one of the only books where I craved each person’s chapter in the alternating， dual perspective layout。 Normally I favor one character， but both Lira and Elian were fascinating and enchanting。 This was my second read-through， and I noticed more nuanced prose and gorgeous phrases this time around that I somehow missed the first time。 I’ve thought about this book frequently since I put it down a year ago。 All of which is why I think it deserves 5 stars。 。。。more
Milkygoddess
，
• 4。3 I'm obsess w/ enemies to lovers but this book wasn't really angsty which I was hoping for。 The tension between the characters is fine。 The ending was kinda expected， It's fine tho since the plot was great。 （atleast it wasn't lust/love at first sight。） • 4。3 I'm obsess w/ enemies to lovers but this book wasn't really angsty which I was hoping for。 The tension between the characters is fine。 The ending was kinda expected， It's fine tho since the plot was great。 （atleast it wasn't lust/love at first sight。） 。。。more
Victoria López
，
3。5
Rylan
，
Rylan EpsteinA Thrilling Romance5/5tAlexandra Christo’s brilliant novel， To Kill a Kingdom， has both captivated and moved audiences since its publication in 2018。 Christo tells a beautifully twisted tale of a siren princess and a price， each motivated to kill the other。 The book， a play on The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen， is told from two points of view in the journeys of Princess Lira， siren royalty， and Prince Elian， a swashbuckling siren hunter。 Each of these characters is deter Rylan EpsteinA Thrilling Romance5/5tAlexandra Christo’s brilliant novel， To Kill a Kingdom， has both captivated and moved audiences since its publication in 2018。 Christo tells a beautifully twisted tale of a siren princess and a price， each motivated to kill the other。 The book， a play on The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen， is told from two points of view in the journeys of Princess Lira， siren royalty， and Prince Elian， a swashbuckling siren hunter。 Each of these characters is determined to kill the other， and as the clever plot continues on， it seems that murder may not be the only thing in their future together。 SPOILERS AHEAD！tWhen Lira is turned into what she despises most， a human， by her mother the Siren Queen， Prince Elian rescues her body from the ocean and brings her aboard his ship。 Not knowing he has just welcomed the most feared siren in the world into the presence of his beloved crew and friends， he interrogates her for answers， not getting the ones he wants。 Lira accompanies the crew， made up of a plethora of vivid and lovable characters， on their journey to find The Crystal of Keto to overthrow the Siren Queen。 Christo’s genius writing shows character development， while also highlighting the positives and negatives ramifications of being human。 On Lira’s path falling for Elian， the tension reaches a climax as they board the dangerous ship belonging to Rycroft， a well known thief who sails the seas to plunder and wreak havoc， to discover more information about the Crystal of Keto。 In a shocking turn of events， after the meeting goes wrong Rycroft pulls out his pistol and attempts to shoot Elian， but instead， Lira jumps in front of the bullet。 Even though she was supposed to kill Elian， she saves his life。 The reader then gets the first true look into Lira and Elian’s blossoming affection for one another， not only through Lira’s action， but Elian’s response。 They exchange a few biting remarks before Lira passes out， and Elian states that “there doesn’t seem to be much point in being funny if she isn’t the one to hear it” （Christo 246）。 Even in this small， offhand comment about making a joke， reveals his true affection for her。 His purpose is to make her， and only her， smile。 While I loved many aspects of the book， there were also points that I didn’t enjoy as much。 More specifically， I felt as if the world building wasn’t seamlessly done。 There were moments where the setting changed and I felt confused as a reader。 I felt as if Christo should’ve either avoided switching up the setting so frequently， or included a more thorough explanation of the different islands。 Even a map would’ve helped in this case。 Furthermore， I felt as if the resolution of the book was too perfect。 The only character that died was the main antagonist， the Siren Queen， who was not humanized at all during the book。 Although， that was mainly because her character was meant to be drastically anti-human。 I feel that if the author had killed off one or two of the characters we had grown to love， the ending would’ve hurt more， while also being more realistic。 In many stories， there isn’t a happy ending。 All in all， this book was a wild masterpiece from start to finish。 I was enthralled by the world itself and enchanted by each and every one of the characters。 This is a must read book， and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre as a whole。 。。。more
Ludmila
，
An easy story to relax。 The characters are loveable and cute love story。 To read in one day just chill。
Lumé
，
I lust over darker stories， and with an opening line like this:‘𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆。 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎。 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏， 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆， 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆。 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒚。’My expectations skyrocketed。This book was such a fun read， I can honestly say I LOVED the first half， adored it。 The character dynamics， the lore， the magic。 It was all weaved in perfectly。 I have no doubt mentioned my love for rete I lust over darker stories， and with an opening line like this:‘𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆。 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎。 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏， 𝑰 𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒍𝒆， 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆。 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒚。’My expectations skyrocketed。This book was such a fun read， I can honestly say I LOVED the first half， adored it。 The character dynamics， the lore， the magic。 It was all weaved in perfectly。 I have no doubt mentioned my love for retellings before， The little mermaid is a top favourite fairytale for me， so that alone was a driving force for me to jump right in！The descriptions were detailed， the banter and saltiness of the characters was entertaining。 The over all pace of the novel was spot on！ I’m always weary with stand-alones that they will be paced to quickly and rushed， yet this was so well-balanced。 Especially when it came to Lira and Elian， it was a smooth progression that didn’t feel overly rushed and highlighted Liras depth of humanity and her over all character arc。 ‘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。’Their relationship had a pull from the beginning， a certain uncertainty。 was it enemies to lovers？ In theory yes a softer version of course， I personally felt as though labelling it as such is a stretch。I would say the only two reasons this book sits at a 3 and not a 4 is because one; towards the end it was VERY ‘Ariel and Eric’ honestly it as like I was watching Disney in my head for while， only there was a touch more violence and weapons。 The second being the darkness dropped off， as though it was never there to begin with。 。。。more
Sophie
，
I was gripped by the story and really liked the dual perspective narrative。 The motivations of the characters were clear but I wasn't super invested in their motivations。 The romance was VERY slow burning but I really liked the way it grew with the plot。 It was a fun little mermaid retelling。 I was gripped by the story and really liked the dual perspective narrative。 The motivations of the characters were clear but I wasn't super invested in their motivations。 The romance was VERY slow burning but I really liked the way it grew with the plot。 It was a fun little mermaid retelling。 。。。more
Loide
，
DNF
Emma I
，
Spellbound by the Siren’s SongIn a world of kingdoms and magic， pirates and royalty， Elian and Lira are sworn enemies and each other's greatest adversary。 Lira is siren royalty and just as deadly as she is beautiful。 Her reputation as the fiercest monster in the ocean has earned her the nickname “The Princes’ Bane” and humans fear her more than anything else。 Elian is heir to the throne of Midas and destined to be king， but his true home is the ocean where he can live freely， away from the confi Spellbound by the Siren’s SongIn a world of kingdoms and magic， pirates and royalty， Elian and Lira are sworn enemies and each other's greatest adversary。 Lira is siren royalty and just as deadly as she is beautiful。 Her reputation as the fiercest monster in the ocean has earned her the nickname “The Princes’ Bane” and humans fear her more than anything else。 Elian is heir to the throne of Midas and destined to be king， but his true home is the ocean where he can live freely， away from the confines of royal life。 “There is royalty in [Elian]， but stronger than that there is adventure。” As a pirate and siren hunter， Elian has made it his life’s purpose to rid the world of sirens and protect his people。 Through an unexpected series of events， Elian and Lira’s worlds collide and they set off on a path almost guaranteed to end in death。 I absolutely loved this book。 I loved the colorful and vibrant characters， the clever banter， the vivid imagery， and the engaging storyline。 Alexandra Christo masterfully creates a world where truth and lies are inextricably intertwined and good and evil meld together。 From the beginning， the reader is fully immersed in the outcome of the book and every page comes with a new development。 I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy young adult and fantasy novels。 There is also a large component of romance throughout the text， but it is not overly “lovey-dovey” and sentimental。 Unfortunately， the plot can be slightly dark at times， especially during graphic death scenes， so this may not be the best book for younger readers。 Overall， this is such a wonderful book！ I absolutely loved every minute of it and found myself not being able to put it down。 Alexandra Christo truly brings her characters and story to life through eloquent and captivating writing。 If you are considering reading this book， I highly recommend it。 It is such a fantastic read and will be worth every minute！ 。。。more
Meera
，
3。6Was good but I don't know something was missing maybe I wanted more from the ending but that's just me and there's Few terms and words I didn't understand not sure if she came up with them for the world or they real cuz I Googled and didn't find anything 😂。 But it was a good read nonetheless。 3。6Was good but I don't know something was missing maybe I wanted more from the ending but that's just me and there's Few terms and words I didn't understand not sure if she came up with them for the world or they real cuz I Googled and didn't find anything 😂。 But it was a good read nonetheless。 。。。more
Lindsey J
，
To Kill A KingdomThe Princess Bane scours the ends of the ocean in search of a prince fit enough for her to take his heart。 This siren is known to be the most fierce among the rest; only satisfied with her kill if the victim is royalty。 Never able to satisfy Lira’s mother， she banishes her to a human body。 She spends her time in this new body with the very prince she has envied to kill。 They jump from one kingdom to another striking deals and obtaining artifacts。 Lira， being undercover， slithers To Kill A KingdomThe Princess Bane scours the ends of the ocean in search of a prince fit enough for her to take his heart。 This siren is known to be the most fierce among the rest; only satisfied with her kill if the victim is royalty。 Never able to satisfy Lira’s mother， she banishes her to a human body。 She spends her time in this new body with the very prince she has envied to kill。 They jump from one kingdom to another striking deals and obtaining artifacts。 Lira， being undercover， slithers her way into Elian’s life and his crew。 Finally making their treacherous journey to the ice mountain， where it is known that more often than not the brave ones that decide to make this trek do not succeed。 Lira finally reveals who she is and what her intentions are， ‘“Probably not， but let's say you it anyway。 You're one of them， aren't you？ A siren， “ （pg 298） leaving Elian heartbroken。 After a time of conflict， their love for one another wins。 They join forces to overthrow LIira’s mother， and create peace between land and sea。 I have decided I am indifferent to this specific book。 Part of me enjoyed the storyline and the sense of adventure it had to offer; on the other hand I did find it extremely cliche and almost every scene was very easy to predict。 I would recommend this book for a specific group of people。 If you like adventure and love with a tinge of darkness， this is the book for you， although there are many trigger warnings regarding death and killing being described in immense detail。 。。。more
Hannah Puttcamp
，
tTo Kill a Kingdom is a fast-paced， fairytale-esque， romance novel that follows two main characters the siren princess， Lira， nicknamed the “Prince’s Bane，” and the Medasian prince， Elian， whose “monarchs are crafted from gold itself” （Christo 6）。 Their paths become tangled in an unexpected way， and each character struggles with the decision of whether to fulfill their duty and kill the other， or not。 The relative basis of this story is The Little Mermaid， but with an interesting take on Ariel a tTo Kill a Kingdom is a fast-paced， fairytale-esque， romance novel that follows two main characters the siren princess， Lira， nicknamed the “Prince’s Bane，” and the Medasian prince， Elian， whose “monarchs are crafted from gold itself” （Christo 6）。 Their paths become tangled in an unexpected way， and each character struggles with the decision of whether to fulfill their duty and kill the other， or not。 The relative basis of this story is The Little Mermaid， but with an interesting take on Ariel and Eric’s relationship。 tSome disclaimers， if you dislike spoofs， and retellings， I would perhaps be careful with this book， as it takes major inspiration from The Little Mermaid and other fairy tales， though it is obvious that it is not completely derived from it。 With that being said， this story is fantasy genre， so if you dislike that， I would not recommend this book。 Romance is also a big part of it， though as someone who does not like romance that much， it was not too over the top， but it is still something to take into consideration。 It also has alternating points of views， so if you have trouble following that， To Kill a Kingdom is probably a book you should shy away from。 Some potential triggers are that there are a lot of death scenes and vivid descriptions of death。 With that being said， there are also a lot of gore depictions as well， so if that bothers you I would not recommend this story to you。tOverall， I did not really like the story。 I feel as though with any book inspired by one singular piece， it is almost repetitive， and hard to make it unique。 Although I do respect how the story was told， and the story as a whole， it was not the type of book I would read again。 Like I said above， I do not like romance， so that was something I disliked about it。 Some other issues I had was that I felt as though it should have gone deeper， yet the lore and worldbuilding was underdeveloped。 Though it did mean a lot was up for interpretation， and I know some people like that; it is not something I like。 The book itself was still good， and even though I did not particularly enjoy it， I would still recommend it to anyone who is looking for， and enjoys， reading fantasy， fairytale inspired， or romantically driven novels， as To Kill a Kingdom fits that well。 。。。more
Grace Bath
，
The Little Siren （SPOILERS AHEAD BEWARE）To Kill a Kingdom is a very interesting spin on the classic story of The Little Mermaid。 The main character， Lira， is a princess with fiery red hair。 However， instead of actually being a mermaid， Lira is a siren， who hunts to kill humans。 Her mother， the Sea Queen， acts as both King Triton and Ursula in this story。 Though she is Lira’s parent， she acts and is physically described more like Ursula。 Lira is known as the infamous Princes’ Bane because of her The Little Siren （SPOILERS AHEAD BEWARE）To Kill a Kingdom is a very interesting spin on the classic story of The Little Mermaid。 The main character， Lira， is a princess with fiery red hair。 However， instead of actually being a mermaid， Lira is a siren， who hunts to kill humans。 Her mother， the Sea Queen， acts as both King Triton and Ursula in this story。 Though she is Lira’s parent， she acts and is physically described more like Ursula。 Lira is known as the infamous Princes’ Bane because of her history of only killing and taking the hearts of princes。 When Lira kills out of turn （that sounds odd but basically she kills without her mother’s permission）， she is punished。 Her mother turns her into a human and takes away her song and orders her to kill a prince without her song or the power that comes with being a siren。 This punishment is enacted so that Lira can prove that she is really worthy of the throne she is bound to inherit。 She is rescued from drowning in the sea as a human by Elian， a prince， and a pirate。 The rest of the story follows her journey with Elian and his crew to find the Crystal of Keto。I personally really enjoyed this book。 I usually love books that take a well known story and put an interesting spin on it。 Even though I liked the book overall， there were still some parts that bothered me。 My biggest issue with this book and I'M ABOUT TO SPOIL THE ENDING BEWARE is that the ending is way too picture perfect。 Everyone survived and had their own happily ever after。 There were zero main character deaths and I feel as though at least one was necessary。 The characters needed to experience grief to really develop but instead they all got exactly what they wanted the way they wanted it。 Elian also got the best of both worlds with his pirate/prince life。 I think his character needed to grow up more and deal with his life decisions instead of just running away from his family and kingdom。 One more aspect I didn’t like about the end of the story was how Lira defeated her mother。 She basically just overpowered her mother’s crystal with the one she had and it was hard to imagine how the scene was playing out because it just says that Lira “summon[ed] the magic inside [the crystal] to protect [her and Elian]， answering its desperate calls with one of [her] own。 [Her] skin radiate[d] and [her] body loosen[ed] as the power pour[ed] out from [her]， parting the water like a tide” （343）。 This scene was very hard for me to imagine because the power coming from the crystal wasn’t really described other than just as magic。 I think that Lira defeating her mother should have had more to do with how Lira is stronger with human qualities than her cold， heartless mother who only knows how to kill。Another problem I had with this book was that the main characters all seemed to have the same personality types。 The whole crew all had the same harsh sarcastic witty humor and it seemed sort of repetitive at times。 I think it made sense to have Elian and Lira have basically the same personality because they came from opposite worlds but were very similar。 However， I think there should have been more diversity with the rest of the crew。 I also think that Elian’s family should have had a bigger role in the story or should have come back towards the end because they seemed important in the beginning but then didn’t matter for the rest of the book。After all I’ve written， it looks as though I didn’t even like the book。 Although I did not like certain aspects of the book pertaining to the personalities of characters and the plot， overall I did really enjoy it。 I think the overall story was interesting and although it confused me at times it always kept me guessing。 The overall story was well written and I liked how the main character， Lira， developed over the course of her journey as a human。 I also liked how she even had human qualities as a siren。 She defended Kahlia and wouldn’t kill her earlier in her story， displaying that she wasn’t all killer and did have love in her heart。 This book overall was not hard for me to get through and I read it quite quickly。 I would very much recommend this book to other high school students。 。。。more
Kaari's Bookshelf
，
For whatever reason， I will love this book for years to come。 It was beautifully written with characters that were complex with flaws but lovable nonetheless。 I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and thought there were plenty of fun， well-done plot twists that kept me going。 Obviously there were times things didn't go as I hoped， but each turn only propelled to story further。 For whatever reason， I will love this book for years to come。 It was beautifully written with characters that were complex with flaws but lovable nonetheless。 I loved the dynamic between the two main characters and thought there were plenty of fun， well-done plot twists that kept me going。 Obviously there were times things didn't go as I hoped， but each turn only propelled to story further。 。。。more
Amelia
，
3，5
Saray
，
Bueno， me encanto el libro。Los personajes y la historia eran vibrantes， los reinos y la historia de la misma manera。 El romance me gusto， es sutil pero muy bonito， dicho esto no es realmente en lo que el libro se enfoca， queda más que todo en segundo plano， pero se nota la forma en la que se desarrolla。Elian es vivaz， libre， astuto， divertido， autoritario， leal y más que todo， tiene una moral gris。 A pesar de esta misma Elian es bondadoso en ciertas partes; Es un pirata que ama el mar y su tripu Bueno， me encanto el libro。Los personajes y la historia eran vibrantes， los reinos y la historia de la misma manera。 El romance me gusto， es sutil pero muy bonito， dicho esto no es realmente en lo que el libro se enfoca， queda más que todo en segundo plano， pero se nota la forma en la que se desarrolla。Elian es vivaz， libre， astuto， divertido， autoritario， leal y más que todo， tiene una moral gris。 A pesar de esta misma Elian es bondadoso en ciertas partes; Es un pirata que ama el mar y su tripulación， que son básicamente como su segunda familia。 Autoritario y leal。Lira es agresiva pero astuta， es una asesina que tiene un poco de 'humanidad' en ella。 Es decidida， radical， valiente， determinada y tiene un sentido del humor （que es más que todo sarcasmo） que me gusto bastante。Lo que no me gusto del libro:- Sentí que la versión oscura que me prometía la portada no se realizo del todo en el libro。 Al inicio si se sintió así y fue interesante， pero conforme se desarrollo la historia esa esencia se fue perdiendo hasta que simplemente ya no estuvo。 No fue un gran problema para mi pero si hubiera sido agradable que la temática del libro siguiera de esta manera y ver a donde llevaba。-El final no me gusto del todo， sentí que la relación entre Elian y Lira evoluciono demasiado rápido y en el final era como si fueran dos esposos con años de conocerse。 En fin， a mi criterio no tiene fundamento。Lo que me gusto:- Si bien el final no me gusto del todo， la relación sobre la marcha de Elian y Lira es francamente muy bonita ，sutil。 Su dinámica de chistes e intercambio de ingenios es muy divertida y entrañable。-El Saad y su tripulación， AAAA permítanme decirles que es una de las cosas más lindas de todo el libro， la única palabra para describirlo es :camaradería。 Cada uno de ellos tiene la espalada del otro， y la lealtad es un concepto que tienen muy presente y las constantes bromas que revelan la confianza que ponen los unos en los otros es muy entrañable de leer。-La historia es muy interesante， los reinos， la realeza， la mezcla de historias （La sirenita y Midas）， piratas y sirenas。 ¿Qué otra cosa buscas en un libro más que aventuras， sirenas y amor？ En fin 4/5 por lo que mencione pero aparte un gran libro， que definitivamente recomiendo。 。。。more
Suzan
，
Keşke seri olsaydın 😓 severek okudum ben helede kitaba girince akıp gitti herşey de dozundaydi bence 👍
Kiera White
，
So boring。。。。。I actually hated it！！ Didnt even finish it as there was no point。 The story was slow with no excitement at all。
Ashley Porter
，
So sad this book came to an end！ I loved every moment of it。 It was such an easy read and I loved the odd twists it added the the little mermaid retelling。 It was so passionate and conflicting。 I didn't know what to expect at the end and I love that the book wasn't just romance focussed or entirely focused on having one self sacrificing hero （a trope that is， unfortunately， overused） but instead focusses on loyalty and fighting with purpose and the will to live freely。 So sad this book came to an end！ I loved every moment of it。 It was such an easy read and I loved the odd twists it added the the little mermaid retelling。 It was so passionate and conflicting。 I didn't know what to expect at the end and I love that the book wasn't just romance focussed or entirely focused on having one self sacrificing hero （a trope that is， unfortunately， overused） but instead focusses on loyalty and fighting with purpose and the will to live freely。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did。 I wanted to read this book for quite some time now， but never had the motivation to actually pick it up。 I’m really happy that I now did :）
Jayen
，
The fact that Elian 'Dora the explorer's the whole quest is the funniest shit to me。3。5 stars It seems unfair to rate it so low but I'm gonna expand:Entertainment:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5Plot: ⭐⭐/5Characters: ⭐⭐⭐。5 /5Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5common sense: ⭐⭐⭐/5Feels: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5Before anything else just know that I 10/10 recommend it for indulgent reading。 Let's begin， Shall we？ This book starts off with Lira committing murder， which。。。 yesss。 But after that jolt of excitement， the book slows down a bit。 It picks up speed pr The fact that Elian 'Dora the explorer's the whole quest is the funniest shit to me。3。5 stars It seems unfair to rate it so low but I'm gonna expand:Entertainment:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5Plot: ⭐⭐/5Characters: ⭐⭐⭐。5 /5Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5common sense: ⭐⭐⭐/5Feels: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5Before anything else just know that I 10/10 recommend it for indulgent reading。 Let's begin， Shall we？ This book starts off with Lira committing murder， which。。。 yesss。 But after that jolt of excitement， the book slows down a bit。 It picks up speed pretty quick but while it doesn't， it manages to get you attached to the characters。 Especially ✨💖💕💋❤Lira❤💋💕💖✨。 like， that girl has my heart。 What I liked:The Main Characters They were both so different， the contrast in their privilege and their motivations so obvious yet undeniable。 It pulled me in like nothing else。 Also， the justified emo-ness of Lira to the teenage emo-ness of Elian had me in knots XD。 Like， here's this girl， growing up in an abusive household， forced to murder on her mother， The Sea Queen's command。 Makes sense when she thinks lines like: 'the ship's deck is as dark as my soul'。 And then there's a guy with a hero complex， leaving behind his kingdom on a ship given for FREE by his reluctantly supportive Parents because he likes adventure。 Makes me laugh out loud when he thinks lines like: 'I'm not a good man。 I haven't been one for a long time。' But you gotta give it to the writer for writing them both as accurate teenagers even with the circumstances。How spot on the trope was dismantled this was a retelling with an "I had to kill you but I fell in love with you instead" trope and the smoothness of that transition could make me slide for DAYS on it。 Lira's realisation of who she used to be， who she was and who she wanted to be was so beautifully spread throughout the book。 The way she just looked at Elian's crew， his family and went: I want that。 Soothed something fierce。How much I enjoyed this book because say what you will （and I will say quite a bit going ahead） but I had the time of my life reading this book。 I was Shipping Lira and Elian so hard and squealing at all the right moments。 What I Disliked:The side characters were so meh， except maybe Princess Yukiko。 There was no depth to them， except for what was useful to the main characters。 Elian had this supposed crew that was his FAMILY and we didn't even know the name of more than the three characters that he interacted with。 Like， I get you cant give us the life-story of a hundred crew members but at least tell me the name of 5 people？ Same with Lira， the Crown princess of the entire ocean and we know the name of three sirens in the book （including Lira）。 that's it。Some scenes that are so physically impossible and/or uncharacteristic that they pulled me right out of the story。 Like when Elian jumped off the ship to save Lira without any rope or aNyTHinG。 Or when Cristian was forgotten about through the entirety of the book， only to come up when Lira wanted to confess。 OR that Elian went to his quest without knowing fuckall about the ritual and he FINDS SAID RITUAL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN IN THE FORM OF A DROWNING GIRL？？？ like it doesn't seem that out of sorts when you're reading because we get the drowning girl's perspective， but look at this from Elian's perspective。 This girl just pops up， like a barrel from a drowning ship， in the middle of nowhere with the one thing he needs for his quest。 That's some Dora the explorer shit right there XDXDIn Conclusion: If you are looking for some light cute love story reading material， please do read this。AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK about the book in the comments section below <3 <3 。。。more
annabutgonerogue
，
In my brain， the way Elian thinks/talks about Lira is the same way Hozier thinks about all women。 Good book and forever gracious that it’s a standalone fantasy novel。
Hailey Otten
，
In Alexandra Christo’s To Kill a Kingdom， seventeen year old Lira has spent the majority of her life trying to prove to her mother she’s the merciless siren she’s meant to be by stealing the hearts of human princes。 A twist of fate leads her to land， where her mother the Sea Queen has tasked her with taking the heart of the infamous Siren-Killer， Prince Elian。Oh my god—I loved this book。 Like loved this book。 It was like The Little Mermaid with murder， blood and just a little bit of angst， which In Alexandra Christo’s To Kill a Kingdom， seventeen year old Lira has spent the majority of her life trying to prove to her mother she’s the merciless siren she’s meant to be by stealing the hearts of human princes。 A twist of fate leads her to land， where her mother the Sea Queen has tasked her with taking the heart of the infamous Siren-Killer， Prince Elian。Oh my god—I loved this book。 Like loved this book。 It was like The Little Mermaid with murder， blood and just a little bit of angst， which is apparently the perfect combination。 The characters are all delightfully morally grey， each of them believing what they are doing is right and almost necessary to some extent。 It made this book so interesting—because you can see both sides of the story through both points of view。 “Do you always tie women to your ship？”“Only the pretty ones。”As a main character， Lira had a very compelling story。 She’s a princess and a killer， and most importantly， the daughter of a tyrant。 I compared this book to the little mermaid earlier， because the too are definitely very similar tales in some aspects， but To Kill a Kingdom is definitely twisted in the sense that Ursula is Ariel’s mother in this retelling。 And Lira is so quippy and snarky that it was impossible not to love her—she doesn’t care about others and their opinions， and has absolutely no problem calling people out on their crap。 There are no damsels here—well， not in the traditional sense， anyways。On the opposite side of their war， Elian is a prince who wants to be a pirate。 He hates his royal title and all the duties he has as the heir， and he wants nothing more than to sail the sea for the rest of his days。 He’s known to his world as the siren killer， for he and his crew hunt the “monsters” of the ocean’s depths。 Everything about him is enticing—as a book-boy， he’s the perfect combination of wit and real。 On one page， you’ll be laughing at one of his very unprincely comments， and on the next you’ll be swooning over the conflicts in his heart。“Remind me not to get on your bad side，” Elian says。“Too late。”To Kill a Kingdom， Alexandra ChristoAll in all， this book was magnificent and definitely worth a read。 The vivid descriptions really bring the story to life， and the characters are so quippy it adds that little bit of humour to the work that keeps you content to just read it for hours。 I rated it 5 stars—which， honestly， I don’t think I usually do with standalone fantasy books。 Normally， in my opinion， they’re too watered down in the world-building to warrant 5 stars， but not To Kill a Kingdom。 I loved every second of this book。 。。。more
Madawifc
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “Look at you，” he whispers。”My monster， come to find me”The perfect “i was supposed to kill you， but I fell in love with you”Where to begin？I loved everything about this book from the characters to the friendships to the slow burn， I loved liras strong independent character also her character development？ *chef's kiss*，I loved elian personality， not your typical cold love interest but actually a funny badass pirate， a really great book especially if you want to get out of reading slump 。 “Look at you，” he whispers。”My monster， come to find me”The perfect “i was supposed to kill you， but I fell in love with you”Where to begin？I loved everything about this book from the characters to the friendships to the slow burn， I loved liras strong independent character also her character development？ *chef's kiss*，I loved elian personality， not your typical cold love interest but actually a funny badass pirate， a really great book especially if you want to get out of reading slump 。 。。。more
Maia
，
3。5It's a really quick book to read。Lira has the same self-control as Neil Josten， take this as a compliment。 3。5It's a really quick book to read。Lira has the same self-control as Neil Josten， take this as a compliment。 。。。more
Bella Harris
，
“It's like holding a story rather than a person; she feels wild”okay I am OBSESSED with this book。 Well and truly obsessed。 I want to be a siren that falls for a dashing and daring pirate。 The enemies to lovers in this IS JUST SO FUCKING TASTY ？？？ There are sword fights filled with sexual tension， witty banter， and confused affection （aka “oh my god why do i care ？ do i care ？”）。 Its super fast paced too and it pulled me out of a semi-reading slump。 It feels kind of like Little Mermaid and Sinba “It's like holding a story rather than a person; she feels wild”okay I am OBSESSED with this book。 Well and truly obsessed。 I want to be a siren that falls for a dashing and daring pirate。 The enemies to lovers in this IS JUST SO FUCKING TASTY ？？？ There are sword fights filled with sexual tension， witty banter， and confused affection （aka “oh my god why do i care ？ do i care ？”）。 Its super fast paced too and it pulled me out of a semi-reading slump。 It feels kind of like Little Mermaid and Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas in very strange ways。Lira is EVERYTHING ！！！ she is such a bad bitch。 She runs （or swims HA） through life with this forced ruthlessness that was beaten into her by her mother and in the beginning we think that it is just her nature but when she becomes a human， tasked to kill Elian， you start to see that she is more than a killer。 Her human state makes her weaker than her siren body but she learns to maneuver it and Elian teaches her without even knowing。 I am obsessed with the way she went through these stages when she realizes that she is becoming more and more human as she begins to care for Elian in a way she never has。 The “defectiveness” her mother calls her is true but now she doesn’t see it as a weakness。I’m in LOVE with Elian and he will be the object of my falling asleep scenarios for the next few days。 But who doesn’t love a hot， sarcastic， and daring pirate prince ？ He is so noble from the beginning like he literally jumps into the middle of the ocean to save Lira before he even knew her。 He is a noble man at heart but that doesn’t make him want to be king， instead he wants to travel the world and what i wouldn’t give to do it with him。 Him and Lira are just so similar and it is most obvious when he shows her the stars and tells his secrets。 I’m pretty sure he fell in love first too。 I don’t want to spoil anything but I will tell you that i absolutely lost my goddamned mind when he jumped over his tied wrists。 MADRID AND KYE ARE SO AMAZING BOTH SEPARATELY AND TOGETHER OKAY ！！ madrid is so much more than her past and she is an amazing friend to Lira from the start and i adore her and kye’s banter。 Kye loves Elian as his best friend so much its insane。 at this point hes a bodyguard and i love everything about it。 he’s wary of Lira in the beginning but like thats sane。 Him and madrid are so flirty but in a “ooo u want me so bad” （kye） and a “fuck off” （madrid） kind of way。 But even through it all they’re partners， as madrid says， not just in a relationship。 ANYWAYS READ THIS IF U WANT TO YEARN FOR A LIFE TINGED WITH OCEAN SPRAY AND HOT PIRATE PRINCES AND SIREN PRINCESSES 。。。more
briical
，
4。5 MAN THIS BOOK WAS GOOD！ I loved everything from the writing to the characters to the themes to the plot to the romance to the world building！ That’s a *Very* impressive for a standalone fantasy thats on the shorter side！ The only thing that kept it from a full 5 stars was the ending - it was still good i just needed MORE; we went from a full blown climatic battle to BOOM， epilogue。 And i was just so invested in this world and magical story that I wanted just a touch more at the end to wrap i 4。5 MAN THIS BOOK WAS GOOD！ I loved everything from the writing to the characters to the themes to the plot to the romance to the world building！ That’s a *Very* impressive for a standalone fantasy thats on the shorter side！ The only thing that kept it from a full 5 stars was the ending - it was still good i just needed MORE; we went from a full blown climatic battle to BOOM， epilogue。 And i was just so invested in this world and magical story that I wanted just a touch more at the end to wrap it up in a more satisfying way。 However， this did not deter from my overall enjoyment of the novel！An enchanting YA fantasy， full of rapscallions and pirates and sirens and adventure！！！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=To Kill a Kingdom
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=To Kill a Kingdom&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,To Kill a Kingdom&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0