Review: To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another Little Mermaid retelling, but it is not like the original or the Ariel and Eric version from the movie most of us are familiar with. It is dark and violent, and the main characters are not heroes. There are mermaids, but they aren't beautiful and kind, they are vile and violent. The main character Lira is a siren, daughter of the Sea Queen, and she is known as The Prince's Bane. Each year on their birthday a siren takes the heart of a human, Lira takes the hearts of a prince. Her next victim is the prince of Midas, the ruling golden kingdom. Elian is a prince, but he's also the Captain of a pirate ship. He and his crew travel the seas killing sirens, and the one that they are always on the lookout for is The Prince's Bane. She is the prize that they just can't seem to capture. Elian wants nothing to do with life at court, but he has his duties as heir to the throne. The sea calls to him just as it calls to Lira.

There are so many side characters that I would have liked to see more development of. We get pieces of their stories but I would have liked more. The main characters are well developed, but all of the side characters are so present and such a part of the story I just wanted a little more development for them. Lira and Elian are dark, violent, and reckless as are their crew. They are both sarcastic and snarky and complement each other nicely. They want to kill each other for most of the book, so much so you aren’t really sure their romance is going to happen. Their romance is a hate to love and it kind of just sneaks up on you. The Sea Queen was an amazing villain. She was dark and ominous and every time she entered a scene she was pure evil. I loved her as a villain.

The ending felt a little rushed. It takes quite a while for our characters to get where they are going and everything culminates in an epic battle. So much happens and it was hard to keep up with. I had to go back and reread sections to figure out who was doing what, who was fighting whom and who was winning. It was a great battle, just a lot to take in.

I highly recommend this retelling if you want a new take on an old classic.  I've read several Little Mermaid retellings this summer and I think this one is my favorite.  It is so unique and I really enjoyed it.


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