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jadehusdanhicks's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
A great fantasy book this story follows lira the siren princess and prince Elian the reknowned siren killer/hunter.
Initially being punished by her mother and made human to take Elians heart. They wind up hunting for a jewel that in human hands could end the sirens and in sirens hands end the humans but the outcome is neither and you’ll have to read to find out.
Somewhat of a slow burn enemies to lovers too I enjoyed this fantasy despite it not pertaining the kind of magic and format I love in fantasy normally it was amazing and very well written and one to stay on my shelf for a lifetime.
Initially being punished by her mother and made human to take Elians heart. They wind up hunting for a jewel that in human hands could end the sirens and in sirens hands end the humans but the outcome is neither and you’ll have to read to find out.
Somewhat of a slow burn enemies to lovers too I enjoyed this fantasy despite it not pertaining the kind of magic and format I love in fantasy normally it was amazing and very well written and one to stay on my shelf for a lifetime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Medical content, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, War, Gun violence, and Violence
mpbookreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Torture, Child abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, War, and Violence
itsheyfay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, and Body horror
Minor: Slavery and Alcohol
tragedies's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. The entire time I was reading it, I just wanted to skip to the end, which should never be the case when you're faced with a story full of your all-time favorite tropes. I'm always weak for enemies-to-lovers romance in fantasy, but there's just something about To Kill a Kingdom that was such an absolute pain to read. I was already at my limit during the first half, but I stuck with it because I thought that I was judging too hastily and that I might like it over time. Unfortunately, I didn't. I just ended up being angry, at me for choosing to waste my time over this and at the book for wasting its immense potential.
For one, I was so frustrated with Elian's character. The book made him out to be this typical tortured, brooding main character whose family and duty shackled him from living the life he always dreamed of. And while I have nothing against this (personally, I love the trope), how the story executed it felt shallow and underwhelming. Yes, he's going through shit, but he's nowhere near tortured, brooding, or shackled. His family, though insistent he stayed in Midas, never banned or punished him for his pirate pursuits. They merely expressed concerns for his safety and the future of the kingdom, which is completely understandable given the danger and uncertainty at sea. Otherwise, they supported him through and through. They let him leave after only a few days in the kingdom. They provided him with resources, including his favorite ship. It's also likely that part of the funds used to obtain them were from the people's dime. I find it extremely annoying for him to dismiss this as being "caged" by his princely duties when the only reason he could even go on these quests without any consequences was his privilege. I'm not saying his feelings aren't valid; they are. But there's no denying that he's also entitled, immature, and reckless. I would've forgiven it if there was some form of redemption arc or at the very least an attempt to address it, but there was none. It's a shame because it felt like such an important aspect of his character.
In contrast, I think Lira's character was a much more believable attempt at a tortured protagonist. Though she's royalty like Elian, she did not have the same privilege and support system as him. Her sole parental figure was cruel and abusive. She had no friends except her cousin, with whom she has a complicated relationship with. She was conditioned at a young age that power and cruelty go hand-in-hand and that human ideals like love and empathy were signs of weakness. And yet, as everything unraveled, she began to unlearn these twisted notions and discovered that there is as much strength in them as there are weakness. It was incredibly touching to watch her character grow from a vicious siren princess to a compassionate sea queen. While I do not feel particularly attached to anyone in this book, I find that it was Lira whom I was rooting for the most.
In terms of the romance, it was not as much a slowburn as it was slow paced. When it's a slowburn romance, there are little things happening that gradually build the tension between the two characters. Nothing noteworthy happened in the first half, and even if there were, none of Lira and Elian's interactions oozed romantic chemistry, even the ones that were classically designed to make anyone swoon. They flirted at times, but it was nothing compared to Kye and Madrid. Whatever relationship Lira and Elian had, it seemed platonic at most. Honestly, I wish it went that route because then, it would've made more sense. The romance between them felt so forced and unnatural that I couldn't help but cringe every time they had a scene together.
Perhaps the only thing that excited me about this book was the impressive worldbuilding. I loved reading about the different countries. It's funny how they were far more interesting than the romance itself. I wish we got to see more of them, whether it's Págos, Eidýllio, or even Midas. The writing was vivid, atmospheric, and immersive, but there are times when it was bogged down by too many flowery descriptions and repetitive narrations. This was also true when it came to the characters. Elian constantly went on and on about people always seeing him as "just a prince", and this happened so frequently that almost every other chapter with his point of view featured some paraphrased version of this narrative. I get it, he wants to be viewed as someone more than his birth right, but do I really have to be reminded of it all the time? No. Most of it was unnecessary and did not add any depth to his character.
I know a lot of people love this book, and I wish I did too because I was really looking forward to it when I first heard of the premise. Sadly, it's just not for me.
For one, I was so frustrated with Elian's character. The book made him out to be this typical tortured, brooding main character whose family and duty shackled him from living the life he always dreamed of. And while I have nothing against this (personally, I love the trope), how the story executed it felt shallow and underwhelming. Yes, he's going through shit, but he's nowhere near tortured, brooding, or shackled. His family, though insistent he stayed in Midas, never banned or punished him for his pirate pursuits. They merely expressed concerns for his safety and the future of the kingdom, which is completely understandable given the danger and uncertainty at sea. Otherwise, they supported him through and through. They let him leave after only a few days in the kingdom. They provided him with resources, including his favorite ship. It's also likely that part of the funds used to obtain them were from the people's dime. I find it extremely annoying for him to dismiss this as being "caged" by his princely duties when the only reason he could even go on these quests without any consequences was his privilege. I'm not saying his feelings aren't valid; they are. But there's no denying that he's also entitled, immature, and reckless. I would've forgiven it if there was some form of redemption arc or at the very least an attempt to address it, but there was none. It's a shame because it felt like such an important aspect of his character.
In contrast, I think Lira's character was a much more believable attempt at a tortured protagonist. Though she's royalty like Elian, she did not have the same privilege and support system as him. Her sole parental figure was cruel and abusive. She had no friends except her cousin, with whom she has a complicated relationship with. She was conditioned at a young age that power and cruelty go hand-in-hand and that human ideals like love and empathy were signs of weakness. And yet, as everything unraveled, she began to unlearn these twisted notions and discovered that there is as much strength in them as there are weakness. It was incredibly touching to watch her character grow from a vicious siren princess to a compassionate sea queen. While I do not feel particularly attached to anyone in this book, I find that it was Lira whom I was rooting for the most.
In terms of the romance, it was not as much a slowburn as it was slow paced. When it's a slowburn romance, there are little things happening that gradually build the tension between the two characters. Nothing noteworthy happened in the first half, and even if there were, none of Lira and Elian's interactions oozed romantic chemistry, even the ones that were classically designed to make anyone swoon. They flirted at times, but it was nothing compared to Kye and Madrid. Whatever relationship Lira and Elian had, it seemed platonic at most. Honestly, I wish it went that route because then, it would've made more sense. The romance between them felt so forced and unnatural that I couldn't help but cringe every time they had a scene together.
Perhaps the only thing that excited me about this book was the impressive worldbuilding. I loved reading about the different countries. It's funny how they were far more interesting than the romance itself. I wish we got to see more of them, whether it's Págos, Eidýllio, or even Midas. The writing was vivid, atmospheric, and immersive, but there are times when it was bogged down by too many flowery descriptions and repetitive narrations. This was also true when it came to the characters. Elian constantly went on and on about people always seeing him as "just a prince", and this happened so frequently that almost every other chapter with his point of view featured some paraphrased version of this narrative. I get it, he wants to be viewed as someone more than his birth right, but do I really have to be reminded of it all the time? No. Most of it was unnecessary and did not add any depth to his character.
I know a lot of people love this book, and I wish I did too because I was really looking forward to it when I first heard of the premise. Sadly, it's just not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Blood, Body horror, and Death
dorleness's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Torture, Violence, War, and Murder
kateyjay's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was a dark retelling of the little mermaid with an added in slow burn romance, like every fairy tale there was an obvious direction to the plot right from the start.
The character development in this book is what kept me reading, particularly that of Lira who’s story was one of self discovery however Elian was a little flat and two dimensional.
The first half of this book was rather slow and I feel there was a lot more world and character building that could have been captured, having a world with 100 kingdoms and only touching on (not even really detailing) 4 of them seems like a missed opportunity and there were so many interesting secondary characters that could have been further explored to add intrigue
After all the hype this book had on booktok it just felt a little bit flat
The character development in this book is what kept me reading, particularly that of Lira who’s story was one of self discovery however Elian was a little flat and two dimensional.
The first half of this book was rather slow and I feel there was a lot more world and character building that could have been captured, having a world with 100 kingdoms and only touching on (not even really detailing) 4 of them seems like a missed opportunity and there were so many interesting secondary characters that could have been further explored to add intrigue
After all the hype this book had on booktok it just felt a little bit flat
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Violence, Torture, Gaslighting, and Child abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, Murder, and Slavery
fujo_cat's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this book and finish, but I decided to value my time and enjoyment of things. If I'm not enjoying it enough to want to see the ending, I'm not forcing it. So, yeah. What bothered me the most was how every paragraph felt like it could come straight out of Tumblr with its edginess and overall felt really juvenile, like it was trying to be dark and cool but just failed to be captivating. The characters felt like archetypes and the main characters felt too one dimensional - especially the prince, who was mostly a brat doing whatever he felt like because he has no consequences in life and thinking that is cool ("oh look at me I'm no prince charming cuz I kill sirens how cool is that"); also him calling himself a pirate is so, so cringe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Cursing
Minor: Body horror, Torture, Child abuse, and Death of parent
katvou's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Death, and Violence
Minor: Grief
golden_like_dior's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Blood, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Child abuse, Death, Gore, War, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
yagoar's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Death