A review by rowena_m_andrews
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

4.0


Firstly, on a purely aesthetic note, I absolutely adore the cover, and I feel as though I would have looked at it in any bookshop, let alone when it was right in front of me at a con. It has a simplicity while being incredibly eye-catching (and I would say much the same for ‘Into the Crooked Place’s cover).

It is a darker YA fantasy, although there was plenty of humour to offset that. And it provides an interesting take of Sirens and Merpeople and their relationship with each other and humans (I adored the encounter with the mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean, so I was always going to enjoy this), with an added dash of Pirates. However, even here, this book took an interesting approach because these weren’t Pirates focused on treasure and raiding, but on hunting sirens – and the crew was a family. It would have been nice to get to see more interactions with the broader crew, but the members that we did get to see were bound by more than just their goal – and I wound up rooting for all of them so that even when I disagreed with them or thought they were being a bit obstinate at points, I didn’t stop caring.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a love for sirens/ocean mythology, and who are wanting to venture into YA and want a story with characters that exist beyond the romance.

Full review: https://beneathathousandskies.com/2020/02/19/review-to-kill-a-kingdom-alexandra-christo/