Reviews tagging 'Violence'

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

101 reviews

haleydeppert's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

In the beginning half, this book was very dull to me. About halfway through, it became enjoyable. Then, at the very end, I was glued to the page! I was also expecting more romance. Letโ€™s just say, the romance aspect was quite sparse. However, since I did enjoy the last half of this book, I would give it 3.5 stars!

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I have had a copy of this book on my bookshelf for years, and finally made the time to read it.
"To Kill a Kingdom" follows Princess Lira and Prince Elian. Lira is a siren, and one of the deadliest ones at that. As a punishment for perceived crimes her mother, the Sea Queen, transforms Lira into a human and tasks Lira with collecting Prince Elian's heart. If Lira does not succeed, she will be a human forever. Prince Elian has devoted his life to hunting, capturing, and killing sirens. During one of his trips, he rescues a drowning woman, Lira, and although he feels like there is something off about her, he cannot help but want to trust her, at least a little.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Sometimes when a book sits on your shelf for too long, it will not live up to the idea you had of it, but this book surpassed my expectations.
This story is very much a reimagining of "The Little Mermaid", but much darker and more sinister. Lira uses her siren's song to lure princes into the ocean, and then she steals their hearts. Elian is not so easily swayed by the enchanting lure of a mermaid's song. Because of this, "To Kill a Kingdom" felt like the perfect mix of classic story reimagined.
I HATED the Sea Queen. She was harsh, unforgiving, and just awful to read about.
Lira is a complicated character, which makes reading from her all the more interesting. Lira brutally and ruthlessly murders men, which can be difficult to read. However, I also felt so much empathy for her because her mother is absolutely awful to her. Lira is just trying to make her's and the other siren's lives better, but that is not easy with such a vindictive ruler.
Elian was not my favorite to read about. He is very standoffish and very much driven by selfish motives, in my opinion. Yes, he is noble for wanting to help the humans be safe from the mermaids once and for all, but he is still very rough around the edges, and he elects to treat Lira like a prisoner without much reason to think she has done anything wrong.
The plot was definitely engaging, and I really enjoyed exploring the sea with the characters. I was a little disappointed with how much of the story is above the water, but I suppose that was more authentic to the retelling.
Overall, this was enjoyable. I had a good time reading it and it is definitely a solid recommendation for anyone looking for a dark take on "The Little Mermaid". 

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rileydobereading's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted 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


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earlieststar's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.75

CW: depictions of drowning
would be 4 but the .25 is bc i wish this book was double the length.
fight at the end felt a little rushed and too magic-y for me. couldnt envision it properly and it lacked explanation on what the magic system was supposed to be.
aside from that i loved the characters, and both elian and lira are developed and lovable and genuinely well thought through.
the worldbuilding is really interesting. again, i wish we saw more of it, but im glad that it was overexplained nor dragged on. its just- the book is good and interesting and i wanted more of it. but its well written within the length and honestly, it might have gone off the rails if we spent a couple hundred more pages in the world so ill take my wins.
i liked the mythical side of the sirens a lot. they truly do feel brutal and otherworldly in this really engaging way.
slow burn in a 300 page standalone is hard to achieve but the tension was delicious. thank you for the food.
the vibes are also immaculate and there was some really good banter.

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davianareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny 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? Yes

5.0

I didnโ€™t realize that this book is a Little Mermaid retelling going into it, but enjoyed it thoroughly. There were a few typos that I was surprised by and it threw me out of the story somewhat. Also, there is a bit of filler along the journey. However, the banter between characters was highly enjoyable and I found all of the characters to be lovable, even if some of the side characters fell a little flat. 

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comfyhedgehog's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-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? No

4.5

 โžธ ๐Ÿฐ.๐Ÿฑ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜€
''๐ธ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘  ๐‘Ž ๐‘๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘˜ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ฃ๐‘Ž๐‘ , ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘“๐‘–๐‘™๐‘™๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘™๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘‘๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ฆ.''

Brimming with determination and the lure and threat of siren songs, To Kill a Kingdom is an enthralling dark, seductive YA high fantasy standalone novel entwined with romance, betrayal, princes, hearts, doubt, desperation and the power that comes with strength, second chances and change.

Princess Lira, also known as the Prince's Bane, keeps a heart for every year she has been alive hidden in the sand of her bedroom. Lira has ripped out, and buried seventeen. All that out of princes' chests. Hearts are power, and if there's one thing that Lira's kind, the sirens, crave more than the ocean, it's power. Lira is siren royalty and the daughter of the ruthless Sea Queen. A twist of fate forces Lira to kill one of her own, and as punishment, the Sea Queen curses Lira in the one thing the sirens loathe the most- a human. Now without her siren song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver the heart of the infamous siren killer to the Sea Queen, that of Prince Elian, or remain a human forever. Prince Elian is heir to a powerful kingdom, but the ocean he calls his home. The hunting of sirens is his calling. But it's not easy. When he rescues a drowning woman, he's not sure if he can trust her. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good. But is she telling the truth? His goal is to kill the Prince's Bane. But will he be able to, when he and Lira go on this sail together?

โ‚ŠหšโŠนโ™ก ๐Œ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ:
Before going into this book, I didn't really expect to like it as much as I did. YA fantasy novels are a hit or miss for me, especially with the enemies to lovers trope. But once I started reading, I couldn't put the book down. The story had me in its grip from the moment I read the first sentence. I really liked the ๐ฌ๐ž๐ญ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  of the book. The dark seas and underwater kingdom creeping with siren songs, and I liked the idea of the multiple kingdoms and how they differ from each other, and how we travel through these kingdoms on a ship named the Saad alongside Lira, Elian and the rest of the crew. It truly felt like a voyage. The world I found to be unique but not too complicated. It was easy to understand, but I in the meantime also felt this sensation of wonder and curiosity, but also in the meanwhile the constant threat of danger. I found the ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  to be ๐›๐ž๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ฅ. It felt like a melody, and read for me like a dark fairytale, and I was often enthralled by some combinations of words and sentences I read, and often kicking my feet as well. Like this!:

''In the pits of our souls, if I amuse myself with the notion that I have a soul - Elian and I aren't so different. Two kingdoms that come with responsibilities we each have trouble bearing. Him, the shackles of being pinned to one land and one life. Me, trapped in the confines of my mother's murderous legacy. And the ocean, calling to us both. A song of freedom and longing.''- Lira

Speaking of that, the ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐Ÿ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐ญ and ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž in this book! Although It was for me quite predictable how the story would progress, It didn't bother me at all and I had a great time, especially because of the ๐ฌ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐›๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง. I really really really loved the slow burn in this book! In the beginning, the goal of Lira and Elian is clear: Lira has to rip out Elian's heart out of his chest, and Elian has to kill Lira. But throughout the book they both have this inner question: do they really want to do that? There's this constant taste between the two of distrust, lies and deception. And that of hesitation. But there's also a whisper of longing and attraction. And that of curiosity. And it makes it so much better when they have these moments when they take the time to take a look in each other's heart and get to actually know a piece of each other as a person under the stars, or the moments when their feelings for each other win over the obligations they both feel they have. It made it all feel so much more real and exciting, especially more exciting and nerve-wrecking when Lira and Elian get to the point of actually having to face the conflict with all the emotions going on like that of blossoming love and the distrust after betrayal yet the sliver of hope. I was feeling for them a lot, and rooting for them both individually as together. I was so invested in the story, I wanted to read further and further. There were a few cute moments, and which also showed how much the two actually have in common. Aahrrhh I loved the slow burn.

''Are you ever going to kiss me?'''
Slowly, Elian says, ''That's not a favor.''


And the banter and subtle flirting!

''Remind me not to get on your bad side,'' Elian says.
''Too late.''
He grins.


I liked the characters individually a lot. And their ๐œ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก. What I liked the most is how self-aware they both are. They get a lot of many difficult decisions to make, and struggles to face, but they both know who they are. They know their strength and weaknesses. And from the moment they meet each other, even though there are these teasing and sarcastic remarks and because they are each other's enemy and bane, they respect each other and their selves. And what I truly liked a lot as well was how Lira wasn't written as the damsel in distress who needed saving, nor did Elian think of her as so, or as losing a part of herself or her strength once she fell in love with Elian. No, she remained her own person individually and became even more resilient. And the same counts for Elian. I LOVE that so much! Can we get more of that? The ending I find to be perfect as well. They each follow their heart's calling, and don't lose their selves, but keep on seeking each other out as well. I liked the other characters also. I enjoyed reading the relationship between Kye and Madrid, and that between Lira and Kahlia. And the friendship between the crew.

There's not much I have a negative thought about. The reason for not giving To Kill a Kingdom 5 stars, is because I found I was missing a bit more backstory from some characters and a bit more small romantic moments as build-up. But that's all.

โ‚ŠหšโŠนโ™ก ๐€ ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ก๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฒ๐Ÿฏหš เผ˜ เณ€โ‹†๏ฝกหš:
๐ŸŽง Song playing:
โ†ณ ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐‚๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ ๐›๐ฒ ๐€๐”๐‘๐Ž๐‘๐€
หšห–๐“ขึดึดเป‹๐ŸŒŠ หšห–๐“ขึดโœงหš ...๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘™๐‘™ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘ก ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘œ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘›, ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘™๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ค๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘”๐‘  ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘š๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘‘ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘™๐‘ , ๐‘ค๐‘–๐‘กโ„Ž ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘˜๐‘”๐‘Ÿ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ข๐‘”โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘’๐‘ค, ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘ ๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘ก๐‘ 

โ‚ŠหšโŠนโ™ก ๐…๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ญ-๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐œ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ:
Trigger warnings: violence, death, blood, child abuse, emotional abuse, slavery & genocide.
Sexual content: nothing more than a few kisses.
Vulgar language: there's almost next to none curse words, there's no mentions of the d-word, the f-word of the c-word. It's safe.


โ‚Šหšสš ''๐ผ ๐‘˜๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘ค ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ก ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘Ÿ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘ ๐‘›'๐‘ก ๐‘š๐‘ฆ ๐‘’๐‘›๐‘’๐‘š๐‘ฆ. ๐ผ๐‘› ๐‘“๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘ก, โ„Ž๐‘’'๐‘  ๐‘—๐‘ข๐‘ ๐‘ก ๐‘Ž ๐‘š๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘™๐‘’ ๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ๐‘ ๐‘–๐‘œ๐‘› ๐‘œ๐‘“ ๐‘š๐‘’.'' ๐ผ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘Ž๐‘Ÿ๐‘’ ๐‘–๐‘›๐‘ก๐‘œ โ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘ ๐‘ก๐‘œ๐‘›๐‘’-๐‘”๐‘™๐‘Ž๐‘ง๐‘’๐‘‘ ๐‘’๐‘ฆ๐‘’๐‘ . ''๐ด๐‘›๐‘‘ ๐‘–๐‘› ๐‘Ž๐‘›๐‘œ๐‘กโ„Ž๐‘’๐‘Ÿ ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘“๐‘’, ๐‘–๐‘“ ๐ผ ๐‘’๐‘ฃ๐‘’๐‘Ÿ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘‘ ๐‘Ž ๐‘โ„Ž๐‘œ๐‘–๐‘๐‘’ ๐‘Ž๐‘๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘ก ๐‘คโ„Ž๐‘œ ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐‘๐‘’, ๐‘š๐‘Ž๐‘ฆ๐‘๐‘’ ๐ผ ๐‘ค๐‘œ๐‘ข๐‘™๐‘‘ โ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘ฃ๐‘’ ๐‘๐‘’๐‘’๐‘› ๐‘™๐‘–๐‘˜๐‘’ โ„Ž๐‘–๐‘š.'' - ๐ฟ๐‘–๐‘Ÿ๐‘Ž 

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vi_holmes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm disappointed in this one. This was on my tbr for so long and it just missed the mark for me. 

Lira is awesome and honestly carries the book. I wish it was only from her perspective. Elian was just annoying in my opinion. I struggled to get through his chapters. Kye is right when he says he's naive. And the romance between Lira and Elian felt forced and rushed. Honestly, the romance the way it played out felt unnecessary and I wished it wasn't included.

Both romances in this book are based on just banter alone. It got old fast with nothing else added to it.

I did enjoy the world building, however, and the mythos around the sirens and the Hundred Kingdoms. I didn't vibe very well with this installment but I will still read the next one in the Hundred Kingdoms series.

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rafacolog's review

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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goldengatebridget's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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madalina0_0's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5


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