Guys…This book was seriously SO FREAKING GOOD!! ❤ 💙 It’s been such a long time since I’ve read a book where I felt that I had my entire mind, body, and soul invested in the characters and plot. I’m so glad that I’ve finally picked up this book because it’s definitely one of my favorite reads in 2018.
TO KILL A KINGDOM by Alexandra Christo 
PUBLISHED BY Macmillan on March 6th, 2018
PAGES: 352
ADD TO GOODREADS // BOOK DEPOSITORY
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
To Kill a Kingdom is essentially a dark retelling of The Little Mermaid but 10000x better. Instead of the happy-go-lucky (and slightly ditsy) Ariel from the Disney version, we have Lira, the most feared Siren across all kingdoms, notoriously titled The Prince’s Bane. 🧜♀️ After she upsets her mother, the Sea Queen and basically the evil w(b)itch in this story, she’s cursed to become a human and instructed to steal the heart of Prince Elian…who’s not-so-coincidentally a Siren hunter. DUN DUN DUN!! If you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you will EAT. THIS. UP. If you like pirates, adventure, and badass characters, this is the book for you! 
Alexandra Christo’s writing is phenomenal—it’s so easy to get into the story. It flows extremely well, and you’ll be hooked from the first page. 📖 Each time I told myself that I would stop after one more chapter, but it was too easy to continuously read until I was finished with the whole book. For a 350-page book, there’s not a whole ton of world-building, but it’s an appropriate amount where it’s well-balanced with the whole story.
“In my heart, I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me.”
Truthfully, I wish the book were a bit longer because there was so much more I wish that had been explored. I honestly think this book could’ve used around 100 more pages to wrap everything up more cleanly because the most climatic battle scene occurs in the last 50 pages. While it was still written very brilliantly and vividly, I would’ve enjoyed seeing the aftermath, so an epilogue would have been the perfect little bow on top of this gift of a novel. 🎁
Lira goes through so much growth as a character. ✨ Although she grew up as the princess of the sea, her upbringing wasn’t easy because her mother, the Sea Queen, relentlessly made her feel unworthy and basically manipulated her into becoming the fearsome killer that she is. As she journeys with the Prince, she starts to question her own upbringing and reflect on the possibility of a world where there is peace between the two races.
Prince Elian is seriously so swoon-worthy. 💘 He somehow strikes the perfect balance between a sexy badass and soft cinnamon roll. He’s the Prince Charming we know and love from the classic Disney (and maybe even Barbie) movies but ~with a personality~. Even the side characters are funny and likable. I wish that we had a chance to learn more about their backstories, but since this is a standalone novel, I can understand why the author decided to gloss over it.
“How strange that instead of taking his heart, I’m hoping he takes mine.”
Even though this is a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid, the plot still manages to remain completely unique and creative, albeit a lot darker. 🌊 There’s much more adventure, and the story is overall very moving, especially as we see each character confront what they want their future to be. 
I would highly recommend this book to everyone. It’s fun, adventurous, and an all-around good time. 🌟 WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? GO PICK IT UP! (please)
Read By Tiffany 
Great review!
I’ve heard mixed things about To Kill a Kingdom, but now I’m excited after reading this review! It sounds so good, and I love mermaid stories 😀
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Thanks Xandra! I was pretty scared going into this book too because I know some people absolutely loved it, but others weren’t a huge fan. It might all come down to personal preference 🙂 I’m really excited to hear your thoughts though, so I would definitely recommend giving it a try and seeing ❤
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I really enjoyed this book and I’m glad you did too! I found it super easy to read too and I love Lira.
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Same here! I finished it in two sittings because I was so immersed in the story. Lira is definitely one of my favorite characters now ❤
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This has been on my TBR for a while. I might have to bump it to the top of the list!
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Ahh I hope you get a chance to read it soon ❤ It's definitely one of my favorite reads of 2018 🙂 You'll fly through it, too!
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Lira and Elian made me so happy. Ugh those two separate are amazing and together downright hilarious. So glad you enjoyed this one!
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Yes!! I’m so happy you also enjoyed this book 🙂 Their banter was hilarious, and the romance…I LOVED THE SLOW BURN ❤ Definitely one of my favorite reads last year!
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I don’t typically read hyped books at all, but I tried this one because it sounded so interesting, and it blew me away. I think it’s the first hyped book that I felt actually deserved most of the hype. Glad you enjoyed it!
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I was so scared before I started reading because I wasn’t sure if it would live up to the hype! Luckily, I’m so glad it was an amazing read, and I’m so happy that you enjoyed it as well 🙂
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Ahh I’m very happy you enjoyed this book so much, Tiffany! I read it a little while ago and I still remember the banter between Elias and Lira, it was some of my favorite ever haha I loved their relationship so much, it was one of my favorites! 🙂
Lovely review ❤
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Yes!! I remember you talking about how you enjoyed it on your blog too, so I knew I had to give it a try 🙂 Their banter is just too funny, and I was living for the slow burn romance ❤ Thank you so much Marie!
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Great review! Agree that the character growth was fantastic ❤️
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Thanks Kay! I loved watching them both grow so much ❤
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I’ve seen this book everywhere ahhh! I freaking love the Little Mermaid and I’m so glad the mc isn’t ditzy and rather powerful? Also, have you read Daughter of the Siren Queen bc that gives me similar vibes
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I haven’t!! Would you recommend? I honestly am loving the whole dark retelling theme ❤ I hope you enjoy reading To Kill a Kingdom too 🙂
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yes i would recommend Daughter of the Pirate King!! it was really good but really dark? just more classic adventure ya
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YAAAAS TIFFANY I AM SCREAMING!!! I’m so happy you ended up loving this as well. ♥ The romance just destroyed my soul gah I need an Elian in my life!!! D: Fabulous review as always, lovely!
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AIMEEEE ❤ Hope you're doing well 🙂 I LOVED this book so freaking much, and yessss I need an Elian in my life. I also wish I were as badass as Lira but ~oh well~ Thank you so much for your love and support, Aimee ❤ YOU DA BESTEST
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Aaaah I’ve been wanting to read this one since it came out, and after this review I’m definitely sold Tiffany. I mean it sounds dark, stabby, swoon worthy but…IT’S A STANDALONE AND ITS NOT A CONTEMPORARY *sobs happily* I love my contemporaries don’t get me wrong, but I’m ready to have my heart ruined with standalone fantasy too! (also have you changed your graphics? cause I’m loving them <3)
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YES CLO!!! Your assumptions are so spot on..IT IS STABBY DARK AND SWOONWORTHYYY!! I wish it weren’t a standalone because I wanted more, but I appreciated and loved it all the same ❤
and yes!! It touches my heart that you noticed 🙂 I'm starting to format my reviews differently. I added the little flower swirly thing as a break in between and also added some general info about the book at the beginning! *hugs* thank you so much for reading my review ❤
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woooo and I notice the graphics cause hi graphic design student here and graphics catch my eye hehe I like them and they do help break up the text for sure *hugs back*
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Lovely review, Tiffany ❤️
I loved The Little Mermaid as a kid 😍 I don’t usually read Fantasy (I’m trying to step out of my comfort zone) and this sounds like the perfect book for me!
I love that it’s a darker take on a classic and I’m an absolute sucker for the enemies-to-lovers-trope. I also really like the fact that the main character undergoes lots of character growth. I really think I’ll be adding this to my TBR.
Thanks Tiffany xx
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Aww thank you, Michelle ❤
I really hope you get a chance to read this! This might be a great book to get out of your comfort zone but still be familiar. It's such a fun book to read and was super easy to get into. It's also dark but in a really great way AND THE ROMANCE IS SO GOOD. THE PLAYFUL BANTER IS AMAZING 🙂
Thank you so much for your sweet words, Michelle!
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I was interested in this before but you’ve totally convinced me to pick this book up! You especially had me with the enemies-to-lovers mention 😉 I feel like this would be a great summer read so I think I’ll save it for then…
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asdfghjkl Cailin I seriously think you’ll like this book!! The romance and world-building is so spectacular, and I just loved the characters so much 🙂
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