Sirens, Princes & Hearts • To Kill a Kingdom

If I could have bottled up my exact volume and level of verbal flailing I did in front of Macky and my sister Rachel, or even transcribed my screaming texts at my friends DJ and Rachel upon finishing To Kill a Kingdom and had that translated into a written review, I probably would have just used that as my content for today's post. However, as that form of technology has yet to be invented, let me start off by telling you this: I LOVED TO KILL A KINGDOM.

Yes, I used all caps. Yes, this book deserves it. While my blog name would tell you that I generally love books, it's different to talk about a book that I loved, one that has earned my eternal devotion, a place on my lifelong favorites shelf and a spot on my list of recs whenever people ask me for one. I mean, to quote my own Goodreads review after I'd finished... "Because sirens, and pirates, and princes, and tricks, and fights, and violence, and banter, and whimsy."

But before we go into why I loved it, let me tell you a little bit about this story. To Kill A Kingdom is about Lira, the lethal siren Princess who has amassed the hearts of seventeen human princes for every single birthday she's had. When she breaks the rules, the Sea Queen doles out punishment by turning Lira into a human and giving her an ultimatum - bring back the heart of Prince Elian by the winter solstice or remain in this form forever. To Kill a Kingdom is also about Elian, the golden human prince who might be heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world, but much prefers being captain of a crew that hunts down sirens in the sea. When he rescues a strange woman from drowning, his whole life changes when she promises that she can help him destroy the sirens for good. But what exactly will it take for him to accomplish his goal?

To Kill a Kingdom has a lot of elements that I love - a fierce, complex heroine and hero, well-written supporting characters, a clever twist on familiar elements of the story and lore it's based on, and a plot that had me furiously turning the pages with a burning need to know what happens next. Alexandra Christo knocked me off my feet with her storytelling, from the way she combines all the elements into something that has a familiar feel but also maintains its unique qualities that set it apart. I fell head over heels in love with this story, and writing this review has just made me want to read it again.

Honestly, whether you love a new spin on a classic story or whether you're into fantasy reads, To Kill a Kingdom should be a book that's on your radar. It's fun, it's smart, it's incredibly well-written, and if I could give this one a million stars and make sure everyone (and their mother) (and the rest of their families) had a copy, I probably would. It's my favorite book of 2018 so far, and I really hope that, if you only choose one book I raved about to check out this year, it will be this one.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends | Publication Date: March 6, 2018

Source: ARC picked up at NYCC 2017 (Thanks!)