Dark and romantic YA fantasy for fans of Sarah J Maas - about the siren with a taste for royal blood and the prince who has sworn to destroy her.
Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn't be a fairy. She has a BA in Creative Writing and works as a copywriter in London, both of which make her sound more grown up than she feels. When she's not busy making up stories, she can be found buying far too many cushions and organizing food crawls all over the city. Alexandra currently lives in Hertfordshire with an abundance of cacti (because they're the only plants she can keep alive).
This book is full of adventure, flirtation, sass, betrayal,
disguise, growth, duty, fate and a hint of pirate swashbuckling
fun. I highly recommend this novel as an excellent adaptation of
the Little Mermaid that has managed to become its own story in the
process * Mythic Reader *
To Kill a Kingdom is the The Little Mermaid of your nightmares...
you should definitely add this one to your to read lists! Lira is
an absolutely riot! * Beautiful Bookland *
I really, really, loved this book. There's not enough books out
there which go into the underwater-fantasy genre. To Kill a Kingdom
fills that gap in the market. It's well written and the characters
are simply brilliant * Life Has A Funny Way *
I thoroughly enjoyed this book * Much Ado About Books *
This was AWESOME. It's so rare to find well-developed second-world
fantasy YA standalones - but this book managed to deliver a great
story, three-dimensional characters and excellent world-building
all within one single novel * Astolat Books *
This is actually a harder review to write than I anticipated; I
literally just want to write a page of "I love it, I love it, I
love it" and squeal with excitement as I reminisce over this
incredible book and suffer through my book hangover! I can't
recommend To Kill A Kingdom highly enough; it certainly lives up to
the expectation and can certainly rival incredible fantasy books
such as those by Maas and Bardugo, and I can't wait to see what
Christo writes in the future! * Snaily Can Fly *
a glorious new book for your YA fantasy shelf * Library Looter
*
It has everything! Banter, sass, chemistry, pirates, adventure,
action, a bitch queen mother, incredible world-building, consistent
plot and pacing and awesome character arcs and progression.
Ultimately, it is incredibly fun and entertaining. Just read it. *
Emma's Chapter *
Alexandra Christo's debut is much better than anything Maas has
ever written. Definitely a book that I can see turning into a big
hit with readers. * Mystic Reads *
The world building is deft, and the spectacular ending is a happy
one for Lira and Elian, but it will leave readers blissfully
wanting more. * Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books *
I was instantly drawn into this book, the first sentence pulled me
in straight away and I knew I'd fall in love with it: 'I have a
heart for every year I've been alive.' I love the characters and
their development, the plot and world building in this book. *
Niffler Reads *
Alexandra Christo's storytelling is magnificently enticing. I was
just so captivated by the fast-paced plot and characters that I
couldn't put the book down. The writing is beautiful and fluid,
there is attention to every little detail and the characters are
very well-developed. I just can't believe this is her debut novel!
* My Lovely Secret *
For a debut novel or for any novel, the story is compelling and the
writing style unique, and I will definitely read whatever story
Alexandra Christo tells next. * Elisa Christy *
stellar world building and nonstop action will keep readers hooked
on this twisted reimagining of "The Little Mermaid." * Booklist
Online *
The story is perfectly mapped out and so compelling I didn't want
it to end * Cosy Reading Nest *
This book had me hooked from the very first page, Lira is such an
interesting character from the very beginning. I loved that she is
brutal, full of rage and powerful * The Star *
The world is so vibrant and lush, it pulls you in instantly.
Beautiful, murderous sirens and mermaids that talk in riddles roam
the ocean, whilst a pirate prince, rumoured to have golden blood in
his veins, sails through its water with his crew. That combined
with the writing, which often takes on the alluring quality of a
siren's song, allows for an extremely evocative and captivating
storytelling * Violette Books *
a lovely dark twisted take on the Little Mermaid * Rachel's
Readings *
I enjoyed reading it a lot, the story was fast paced and I liked
the balance the author created between the familiar fairy tale and
a new take * The Bookbag *
I was captivated from the word go and fell into the world. The
story literally lifted from the pages and lured me down into its
murky depths. It's a dark and twisted story and I devoured every
minute of it * Book Hooked Nook *
The world building was just beautiful, from the sands and ices of
the most powerful kingdoms, to the depth and darkness of the sea
below. You can smell the sea, you can feel and sense the emotional
connections between all of the characters. These touches add shows
off Alexandra's quality of her writing, full of darkness, emotion,
romance and adventure * Never Judge a Book By Its Cover *
The world of To Kill a Kingdom is perfectly built, with the right
amount of detail and realness, which is incredibly hard to do in a
standalone. This dark fairytale is, as you can probably tell by
now, impressive in many different ways and I am already looking
forward to reading Alexandra Christo's next book * Parabatai
Reviews *
Exciting, intense and exotic: for me, To Kill a Kingdom was a
pretty fabulous debut. Christo has a great writing style, building
a fantastical new world populated by interesting, multi-layered
people * Roaring Bookworm *
What can I say, I loved this book from the very first sentence. The
writing is flawless, the characters are amazing, and the story is
unique in its own way * Amanda J Evans *
With well-crafted fight scenes and vivid descriptions, Christo has
created a world of beauty and monstrosity that will draw readers in
* Publishers Weekly *
It is a strong first novel which makes a good interpretation of an
existing fairy tale * Book Murmuration *
an intense and dark plot that won't let us keep our eyes off the
pages for long. We have killer sirens, pirates who want to murder
said sirens, and deadly mermaids who are just insanely scary. WHAT
MORE CAN WE POSSIBLY WANT!? * Aimee Always *
If you like girls who are unashamedly fierce, and get to stay like
that whilst also learning to be vulnerable, then To Kill A Kingdom
by Alexandra Christo is for you! * Sofia Fionda *
This was exciting and glorious and just overall a great surprise *
I Have Thoughts on Books *
A brilliant story. I love the descriptive writing, the way it just
flowed and how it was easy to get into this book and just not stop
until the very end. It made me want more even after the story had
finished. The characters were so interesting and all had their own
little quirks. This story is filled with so much life, a fantastic
array of characters, a brilliant plot that has drama, action,
romance, sirens, pirates and just everything you want in a book *
Words from a Reader *
Lira is smart and tactical, mildly sinister when she needs to be.
All qualities one needs to be an amazing heroine * Emma's Chapter
*
If you love strong heroes and heroines, and have yet to discover
the dark and dangerous delights of this book, you're missing out *
Culturefly *
If you're looking for a book that will call to you (siren pun) then
I can't recommend this book enough. It will capture you from the
beginning and not let go. I really enjoyed this book and I can't
wait for others to read it and see how brilliant it is * The
Reader's Corner *
This book is an epic Pirate/ Siren adventure, which has some dark
elements wrapped into this beautifully written YA story * Dyslexic
Reader *
I adored everything about this book. From the story to Alexandra's
writing style, which is absolutely stunning. The world building is
incredible, the many kingdoms featured are stunningly vivid. I
adored the character development, especially with Lira. I enjoyed
watching her grow as a person, gain her independence and stand up
to those around her. She's witty, sarcastic and badass! * Fantastic
Book Dragon *
Alexandra Christo's storytelling is magnificently enticing. I was
just so captivated by the fast-paced plot and characters that I
couldn't put the book down. The writing is beautiful and fluid,
there is attention to every little detail and the characters are
very well-developed. I just can't believe this is her debut novel *
My Lovely Secret *
A gripping adventure filled with surprising twists and
turns...entertaining, mesmerizing and romantic * With Love For
Books *
This is not your average Little Mermaid retelling. On the contrary.
'To Kill a Kingdom' is dark and sometimes even cruel, with a
brilliantly crafted mythical world full of sirens, magic and
pirates * Books with Rabenfrau *
I LOVED THIS BOOK. There's adventure, romance, pirates, banter,
friendship and darkness, and all of that is weaved into a very
unique and beautiful story * The Lost Pinay *
I fell utterly in love with this book * A Fool's Ingenuity *
To Kill a Kingdom is brilliantly paced, with a vivid and
imaginative world that sucks you in. There's action, and the final
part of the book has you on the edge of your seat * Reality is A
Bore *
Alexandra Christo has an enchanting writing style. Her gorgeous
descriptions of land and sea are making her story come to life in a
terrific way. I loved the way she writes about magic and her
worldbuilding skills are marvelous. To Kill a Kingdom is a gripping
adventure filled with surprising twists and turns. There are many
fabulous creatures and the combat scenes are fantastic. I really
enjoyed reading To Kill a Kingdom, it's entertaining, mesmerizing
and romantic * With Love For Books *
What I enjoyed the most, was how this story made me feel! I wanted
to be there, on a ship navigating the seas, wanting to throw myself
into the sea and feel the coolness of the weaves on my skin. The
seas did feel alive when reading this! * Jane Kelsey *
Fantasy stories with a bit of guts and action have been my
favourite things to read lately, so you can bet that I loved
reading this one * Always and Forever Reading *
I loved Lira and Elian, with their witty wordplay and exceptionally
different world views, and I found myself actively rooting for
them. The pacing of it was excellent * Sapphistication *
This plot really opens up to make such a great story and dynamics
between all the characters. It also allows Christo to explore some
really dark themes that we don't get much in YA Fantasy, as both of
our protagonists are obviously ruthless killers and that is
explored in depth. It's fast paced, fun and new in YA so a big
applause to Christo for being able to do that * Tea, Chocolate and
Books *
Everything about this book is simple yet strong, from the smooth
yet beautiful prose, the small cast of well-fleshed characters, and
the clear concept... the journey is laced with surprises, and
there's plenty of action, romance, and magic to enjoy throughout *
Scookie Reviews *
The characters are so sassy and they will have you laughing at
completely the wrong moments, and I just love them so much * I Am
Book Mad *
it surpassed my expectations. This novel may be a retelling, but I
assure you it was brilliantly creative, and had multitudes of
elements that are wholly original. The characters were amazing, and
the dialogue between them, even more so! I was drawn into this
story from the first page, and its fast-paced plot kept me glued to
my seat * Just Another Book In the Wall *
Elian is definetly my new bookish boyfriend and Lira is my new
queen. There is nothing more I love than an incredible book with
mythical creature as a central character * Bookyshy *
Alexandra didn't give us two likeable characters, she gave us
flawed, complex and conflicted characters with such potential for
character development. The character development was executed very
well, and I loved the growth that both characters had throughout. I
also enjoyed the different character dynamics within the story, the
roguish group of pirates added such a wonderful sense of humour, as
well the camaraderie they had as a unit was really enjoyable to
read * BexNBookx *
the swashbuckly and deliciously dark pirate adventure we've all
been waiting for...a lush and vicious book that will lose you in
its winsome adventures of death and curses, love and magic. It was
perfectly written and exquisitely told, face-paced and entrancing!
* Boomerang Books *
A fantastically dark and twisted fairytale re-imagining that
deserves a spot on any fantasy-lover's bookshelf * Chrikaru Blog
*
possibly the best retelling I've ever read * Novel Cravings *
Absolute savage. This book is brutal and twisted. The book has been
promoted as a Little Mermaid retelling, but anyone who has read
this book will tell you that this is nothing like the Disney
version of the tale. This story is dark, with morally ambiguous
characters and plenty of intrigues to keep readers on their toes *
Midnight Musing *
I would recommend this for people who like dark thrillers ... I
recommend reading it and I think people 12 and over, even adults
would enjoy it * Teen Titles *
![]() |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
![]() |