ARC Review: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
10:00
Series: None
Author: Alexandra Christo
Published March 6th 2018 by Hot Key Books
Goodreads Synopsis
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 …
Goodreads
Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.
Princess Lira is a siren, known as the Princes' Bane, and every year on her birthday, she takes the heart of a human prince. But, when she takes a heart early, before her 18th birthday, her mother, the evil Sea Queen, curses her and transforms Lira into a human without her singing voice. She is rescued by Prince Elian, the heir of Midas, and renowned siren hunter. Together, they need to recover the lost Crystal of Keto, which has the power to destroy the Sea Queen once and for all. But, will Lira be able to keep her secret, long enough to succeed?
This is a book I've been wanting to read for ages, and yet have kept pushing it off until I decided enough was enough. With elements of mythology and ancient history all tied together, I enjoyed this book so much! The human kingdoms all seemed to be tied to areas in the ancient world, such as Ancient Greece, China, etc., though with added modern day aspects. Both the main characters, Lira and Elian, were heirs to their prospective kingdoms, but relented against the pressures and control of their overbearing parents. They want different things than the mould their parents are trying to put them in, and it's a hard slog for them to come out the other side. I loved the rag tag bunch on the crew if the Saad, who were more like a family than anything else, and though they were wary of Lira when they first met her - well, she was found floating naked in the ocean - they embrace her, and eventually welcome her into the fold. The world building was fantastic, as were the visual descriptions of the different species and kingdoms the crew come across. I also liked the romance between Lira and Elian, which didn't take away from the main task of defeating the Sea Queen, but enhanced the story with a needed hint of lightness. A really enjoyable YA read!
Dates Read:
February 24-28, 2021
Rating
4 Stars
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