Hi everyone! Today I’m going to be reviewing To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo.
Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯
To Kill A Kingdom follows our two protagonists – Lira and Elian – and what happens when their worlds collide. Lira is siren royalty, ready to take the queen’s throne someday when she is cursed to become a human by her mother. Elian, on the other hand, is a siren killer, captaining the Saad and determined to save his world. When Elian rescues a woman from the ocean, their worlds are suddenly brought together – but they both have their secrets, and things are bound to get messy…
One of the many things which stood out to me in To Kill A Kingdom would definitely be the world building. Christo did an absolutely marvellous job of crafting the different kingdoms as well as the world of the sirens and the mermaids, and I really admired her ability to do it all so seamlessly. I hadn’t read world building like it since the Shadow And Bone series (and I honestly think To Kill A Kingdom might have topped that), so it was lovely to see!
The adventure throughout was also absolutely brilliant. Their quest to find the Crystal Of Keto ensured there was never a dull moment and the different steps undertaken to fulfil this ultimate goal were all great to see – particularly the exploration of the different kingdoms. The fact that Lira and Elian both had different motives and uses for the crystal also kept the tension high – I found myself whizzing through the pages to discover who would succeed!
Lira and Elian’s dynamic itself was also brilliant. The banter the two shared was definitely one of my favourite parts of the book, and I really enjoyed reading the progression of their relationship – particularly given the circumstances. It was a really lovely example of a great enemies to lovers and certainly added to the tension throughout!
Of course, Lira herself was probably my favourite character. She was such a strong and complex character and I found her incredibly interesting. Her sarcasm and slightly snarky attitude was so much fun to read and I really admired how determined she was to reach her ultimate goal. Lira was definitely one of the best characters I’ve read in a while, that’s for sure!
Of course, I think one of the things which made Lira’s character so great was definitely her character development. Reading her progress throughout the book was lovely to see and it was great to see her flourish at the end. What made this development even better was that it was a more gradual development, which definitely made it that much more realistic.
I also really loved the crew of the Saad! Honestly one of my favourites things about it was the pirate aspect and the crew mates themselves were so loveable. The overall bond they shared combined with their individual personalities made it impossible not to root for them. My favourite would definitely have to be Madrid, who was super strong and a really great friend to Lira!
Another aspect I really liked was how relatable parts of the book were. Of course, not many of us might be able to relate to the specifics – I don’t know any princesses struggling to meet the queen’s expectations, for example – but when you look at the book broadly it’s impossible not to see how relevant these themes actually are. I’m sure nearly all of us have struggled to meet someone’s expectations (be that a parent, a friend or a partner) which made Lira’s journey in particular all the more poignant.
The ending was also brilliant. It was so satisfying seeing it all come to a head and the final battle was certainly action packed, to say the least. It was so interesting to read and I absolutely flew through the pages, waiting to see what would happen next. What made this even better was that it took up a good chunk of the book, rather than the typical 30 or so pages. This definitely allowed for more epic events to happen and for the tension to build up!
The one tiny critique I have of this book is that I would’ve loved to see more crew mates. It’s mentioned that Elian captains a crew of around 100, although I believe we don’t truly meet any more than five. Obviously it’s understandable that not all of these had names, but it would’ve been nice to see a couple more of these characters. Despite that, this didn’t really detract from the book, so I wouldn’t let that stop you reading!
Overall, I would recommend To Kill A Kingdom to any fan of fantasties, as this was such an interesting addition and the world building was honestly superb. I honestly think this might just be my favourite read of the year so far, which is saying a lot! I’d also recommend it for any fan of retellings (particularly The Little Mermaid) because Christo brought such a fresh and unique take to the Disney story we all know and love!
Have you read To Kill A Kingdom yet? Will you be adding it to your tbr? Let me know in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed this review!
Ceri
Read And Review It 
What another lovely review, Ceri! I love love it! I love how Lira goes through a character development, gradually. Will definitely read this one. Thank you so much for sharing. x Penny / http://www.whatdidshetype.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yes I think that’s the best type of character development. I hope you enjoy it, thank you so much for reading and commenting x
LikeLike
I loved your review! The book sounds very entertaining and Lira’s character sounds so interesting. Thanks for sharing your 5 Star review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad to hear that! It definitely is, I really loved it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
I have not read this book yet, but I so loved your review of it! The ways the two kingdoms interact sounds like it is built up so believably that the character tensions and goals are easy to relate too, and I love how the premise provides grounds for contrast between goals and kingdoms.
Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! It definitely is, the combination of the two different kingdoms was really interesting and I loved reading their worlds collide. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Brilliant review Ceri!!! This book sounds like an adventurous and intriguing read!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! It definitely is, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
I love the sound of this book! I do love myself a book which is relatable – I feel like you really are hooked to the book if you relate to something within it! Thank you for sharing another amazing book review with us lovely. Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad to hear that! Relatable books are always so amazing, I totally agree. Thank you so much for reading and commenting xx
LikeLike
I love reinterpretations of classic tales we all know so well, it’s always fascinating to see what nuances can be brought out alongside the original story. You might enjoy Christina Henry’s novels too, especially her Alice series. In the meantime, I’m adding this title to my TBR list – mermaids and sirens, what’s not to love! x
LikeLiked by 1 person
I completely agree, retellings are always so interesting, and I love seeing different authors’ interpretations. Ooh I haven’t heard of that before but I’ll have to check it out! I hope you enjoy it, thank you so much for reading and commenting – and for the recommendation! x
LikeLike
I really enjoyed the Shadow and Bone show so I think I will like this too! Thank you for sharing x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh yes I’m sure you would then! Thank you so much for reading and commenting x
LikeLike
what a great review hun! this look sounds very entertaining!!
jessica | http://www.overdressedblogger.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! It definitely is, I’d really recommend it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sounds like such a fun read! I’m glad to hear the world building stood out. It sounds like a great book filled with strong and loveable characters. So happy to hear you enjoyed it! I’ll have to check it out. Thank you for sharing your review!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely is! Yeah I think world building is one of the most important things in a fantasy and it was fab here – and the characters were all amazing, too! I really hope you enjoy it, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, a Little Mermaid retelling I didn’t know I need! This sounds like an interesting book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it’s such a great retelling! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
Great review, really like the sound of this I like retellings of fairytales especially if they’re a bit dark
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! So do I, I always really enjoy a darker twist on them haha. I’d definitely recommend it, thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for another amazing review! I’ve never heard of this book before but will check it out because I’m trying to get into the Fantasy genre more!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh I’m so glad to hear that I could bring it to your attention then! Good luck with reading more fantasy – and thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
I’ve been reading some period dramas lately. This is intriguing. Thanks for sharing your review.
LikeLike
I’m so glad to hear you like the sound of it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
Great review as usual Ceri, sounds a great book. While being able to relate to lead characters is important I think the context has to be crafted well to lose the reader in that ‘alternative world’. Sounds like this meets that criteria beautifully.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Yes definitely, I think that’s particularly important in a fantasy – the world has to be crafted well for the story to work, and To Kill A Kingdom definitely met that! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLike
I’ve had this on my TBR for far too long! I need to bump it up to priority and read it asap after seeing this rave review. You caught my attention instantly when comparing the world-building to Shadow and Bone (aka my favorite series of all time)!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad to hear that haha, it’s well worth the read! Yes I loved Shadow and Bone too – my favourite part was the world building, so I was glad to see it done so well here too. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, I hope you enjoy it when you get to it!
LikeLike
I haven’t heard of this book before but it sounds interesting and the characters seem entertaining. You have shared such a detailed and well written review. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad I could bring it to your attention then! It definitely is, thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The conclusion was also fantastic. It was quite satisfying to see it all come to a head, and the final fight was undoubtedly action-packed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It definitely was! I loved the final fight so much, so I’m glad you enjoyed it too. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLike
Great review! This sounds really interesting, I don’t think I’ve read any Little Mermaid retellings before!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! It really is, I’d really recommend it – I hadn’t either but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading and commenting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve just finished reading To Kill a Kingdom! I really enjoyed it too, I agree with you mostly about the book!!! I enjoyed it but I thought the world building was too much, by the end all the kingdoms were just muddled up for me as there were so many to keep track of! And I thought that the book took a while to get started, for a book of 350 pages, having the two main characters meet at page 100 was just too long for me, I wish the author had written a longer book to make it fit to be honest!! Thank you for sharing your review! x
Em – earthlyem.co.uk
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it too and mostly agree! Yes I can definitely see that, as much as the kingdoms were interesting they were a lot to keep up with – and I would’ve liked the two to meet sooner too! Thank you so much for reading and commenting and for sharing your thoughts x
LikeLike