To Kill a Kingdom

I really enjoy books that take mermaids (or sirens, in this case, as mermaids exist but are something different in this world) and turn them back to their murderous roots. Adding in Cthulhu-esque horror made Into the Drowning Deep especially fascinating. To Kill A Kingdom didn't have much horror - it took the fantasy adventure/quest route instead.

The book alternates between the viewpoints of Princess Lira, the siren known as the Prince's Bane, and Prince Elian. Their name is at the start of each chapter that is written from their viewpoint, but it's small and easily missed. I wish it was in a larger, more obvious font, because I kept having to flip back a few pages to figure out who I was reading.

I loved seeing the character growth of Lira as she comes to know the humans, and realizes there is another possibility besides just following her mother's brutal orders. She learns, watching Elian's people follow him, that there is a way to inspire loyalty rather than compel it by magic and brutality.

Lira definitely shows more character growth than Elian does, and the book never really explains how Elian gets past the fact that she's killed so many princes.

The beginning of the book was also a little slow - I actually set it aside for a couple of weeks while reading other things and worried a little that I was never going to pick it up again. Worried because I don't usually not finish books unless they're terrible, not because I actually wanted to find out what happened. I didn't get invested in the characters until probably about halfway through the book. Books usually catch me far before that point.

So - it was okay. If you want predatory mermaids, I would recommend Into the Drowning Deep long before this one. Though if you want more fantasy with a touch of romance, and less horror, then this is probably the book you want. Just be warned it takes some time to hit its stride.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

This was not it for me. Maybe it was the writing style, maybe it were the characters or just the story line. I couldn't be bothered about it. It didn't hold my attention at all and I felt like dnf'ing most of the time, but I powered through it, because it was such a short and fast read.

Now, I kinda wish I did dnf :')

A book perfect for the enemies to lovers enthusiasts (which I am, of course)! This is my first book that revolves around a siren and I found it really interesting, especially the descriptions of the sirens and the mermaids.

I didn't particularly connect with either Lira or Elian, but I liked their stories and their evolution (especially Lira's). From a girl that used to do whatever her evil mother asked and from being the Princes' Bane, whom everyone feared, Lira becomes an amazing person because she decides to fight for what she wants, not what her mother wants. Her journey is inspiring and beautiful.

It's a quick and good read, however I won't give it 5 stars just because I don't feel like loved it that much, I just really liked it.

[MY RATING] 9.5/10
[SOME SPOILERS AHEAD IN CHARACTER + OVERALL SECTION]
[PLOT, WRITING, WORLD-BUILDING & PACING]
- writing this review like a year after i read it cos i never had time to write a review sooo
- THIS WAS A GEM OF AN ENEMIES TO LOVERS NOVEL.
- I absolutely ADORED the witty banter, high stakes and amazing chemistry between our lovely siren killer & prince killer
- i loved the premise, the worldbuilding, the lore, the romance... everything about this was perfect and i loved it so much.
- will re-read when i have time because this was delicious (and rewrite another review!)

This was a YA fantasy through and through, enemies to lovers, banter, yearning, the whole thing.
Ridiculous amounts of sarcastic back and forth, but I was into it, mostly because I really get into the ‘you'd hate me if you knew who I really was' thing.

The plot was pretty mediocre overall, but I flew through the book and enjoyed every second of it, so I didn't really mind.

I hate dual POVs though and this didn't change my mind, they both sound exactly the same too so that didn't help either.

But I got my romance fix with a fun world built around it and that's all I ask for!

This is absolutely incredible, the little mermaid was one of my favorite fairytales when I was young till now o still love it so much. But after I read this book I actually think I love this much better.

I listen to the Audiobook, the narrators are amazing, I couldn't stop listening.

The slow burn romance is brilliant , even Lira and Elian's fights are so entertaining, they made me laugh so hard .

Lira is character development is one point , in the beginning she was the girl who tried to do anything to please her mother , her mother turned her into a ruthless Killer.

Elian trys to save humanity, he is a Siren killer , he desperately want to save his people , want killing to stop.

I loved pretty much everything in the book , I know this is a standalone but I desperately need another book, this author didn't release any other book , it's killing me , I need to read other works of hers.

Was het echt goed? Nee, zeker niet. Er was veel info dumping in het begin en zooooo veel was heel erg langdradig.
Het hele boek werk je naar een bepaald iets wat ze zoeken/halen en tot 75% heb je dat nog niet eens gelezen. Daardoor was het eind ook heel erg kort en niet uitgebreid beschreven...
Het einde was wel een beetje anti-climax.

Maar het was een prima boek. Ik heb me vermaakt!

Lira is a siren princess, destined to become the Sea Queen after her mother. She has taken the heart of a prince every year on her birthday, earning her the infamous title of Princes' Bane. Elian is the human prince of Midas, who has made it his life's mission to kill as many sirens as possible, especially the Princes' Bane. When the Sea Queen decides to punish her daughter by transforming her into a human and charging her with taking Elian's heart, Lira must play a dangerous game of deception to try and win the trust of Elian and his loyal crew.

To Kill a Kingdom is an engaging, suspenseful tale with echoes of The Little Mermaid and other mythologies woven in throughout. I enjoyed the ever-evolving relationship between Lira and Elian as they each tried to figure the other out and began discovering they had more in common than they realized. One undertone of the book is how our families and responsibilities shape who we are, but also that we can stay true to ourselves in spite of them. Overall a fun read!

“Technically, I'm a murderer, but I like to think that's one of my better qualities.”

One of my favorite dual pov books because of how awesome both the protagonists were. I listened to the audiobook and it was so good! I think going into this blindly made me enjoy it more. I kinda wished there was more romance but I loved the dynamic between the main characters.

The story was good. The main characters were likeable, once I got used to them. The world was very interesting, though not fleshed enough for my liking.
The writing style wasn't the best though. The author tried hard to sound profound and it didn't land most of the time.
Overall, a good retelling that would probably be appealing to its intended audience.

HOLY SHIT!!!! That was AMAZING!!! This book went faaaar beyond my expectations, I loved how sassy and strong Lira was, and how brave and cunning Elian was!!! I'll be honest, this is the BEST The Little Mermaid retelling I've ever come across (which, granted, isn't many), and I like it Faaar more than the original tale!!!!