ARC Review : To Kill a Kingdom

★★★★★

I want to thank Macmillan US for providing me with this copy of To Kill a Kingdom, this hadn’t influenced my rating or my review in any way.

I remember reading the blurb of this book and thinking ‘oh, god, I really need to read this’ and boy, was I right.

This book has badass, cold-blooded sirens, PIRATES, a slow-burn hate-to-love romance (i cry) and so much banter. If you aren’t already intrigued or dying to read the book, I’m seriously worried for you. WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED?

I’ll make a list of things that I loved about this book in order to give you a clearer image about the plot and the characters (don’t expect me to say anything negative about the book because I enjoyed absolutely everything) :

• First of all, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, isn’t it? I kept staring in wonder at this marvelous cover, I love the details, everything looks so bad-ass, I’m in love.
• The main character is a siren princess called Lira, who collects princes’ hearts on her birthday because sirens and humans are deadly enemies. Lira is such a complex character, I enjoyed her arc and development so much, she went from being manipulated by her mother to gaining her autonomy and becoming a great leader. Her journey was pretty inspirational, really.
• Then you have Elian, who’s a prince and also a PIRATE and a siren-killer. He’s kind of a legend among humans because he’s the only one who dares to face the sirens. He’s also a cinnamon roll even if he wouldn’t admit it (ever).
• One of the things I enjoyed the most about the main characters was how their arcs intertwined, how similar they were in some instances even though they hated each other so much. They were both struggling with handling their parents’ expectations and their very different aspirations, also both are stubborn idiots who kept me waiting so long for a damn kiss. 
• I also loved their banter so much, I know I’ve already mentioned it. But when they started bickering – I knew they were going to be my otp. Also, Lira keeps threatening Elian all the time and it’s both painful and entertaining at the same time.
• The pirates were amazing, they are #squadgoals, especially Kye and Elian. These two were my favourite brotp, I loved how complicated their friendship was, but they were still like brothers. Friends who would die for each other are my aesthetic.
• Madrid is also great, you’ll definitely fall for her. She is so welcoming of Lira because she thinks they need more girls in the pirate squad and yessss, girl. Promote the #girlpower on that boat.
• I loved how this is a retelling of Little Mermaid, but instead of mermaids, we get badass sirens who use their songs to seduce and kill humans. YES, such a great spin to the story!
• The writing is absolutely beautiful and I’m positive I’ll read everything that Alexandra Christo will write from now on. I already have her next book on my TBR actually. I trust her that much after To Kill a Kingdom.
• The world building was fantastic, you can see how much work and thought the author put into creating this book. I loved the ‘history’ bits of the world, the way the magic was explained, the way every realm had specific traditions.
• The battle scenes were great, I love a good battle scene and this one was perfect because I could picture everything and it moved amazingly.
• Lira’s relationship with her mother was interesting to watch, especially the way Lira gained her independence and understood that she had been manipulated into doing things that she wouldn’t have done under normal circumstances. I just loved how this girl understood that she’s incredible and there’s nothing wrong with her and she doesn’t need fixing. Lira is my absolute favourite, she’s sooo precious.
• I loved the ending, it was cute and it was everything I wanted. I think it was a great conclusion to the story, it didn’t leave any questions, it was great. But now, can I get a sequel full of Lira and Elian bantering? Thank you!

In conclusion, I absolutely adored this book – it’s now one of my favourites, Elian and Lira are my otp and I’m anxiously waiting for Christo’s next book.

Have you read To Kill a Kingdom? What did you think about it? 

If you haven’t, are you excited about its release?