**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
To Kill a Kingdom is a young adult standalone fantasy by Alexandra Christo. This book totally rocked my world you guys. I loved the fact that it was a standalone. (though I would love to see some more novels in this world, whether they be sequels or companion novels.) To Kill a Kingdom was a book that a few of my bookstagram friends read really early on and were not shy about raving about. It made me so excited. That coupled with the fact it was about sirens, and my excitement rocketed up a few more notches. And then I picked up the book. And for the first 30 pages or so, I was very underwhelmed. Then I started to get nervous. Normally if a book is really hyped, I enjoy it as well, but there is nothing worse than expecting to love a book and then not liking it. So I had a mini freak out. I wanted to like To Kill a Kingdom so much. But then I read on a bit...and I totally fell in love. To Kill a Kingdom is a book that gets better and better and better as it goes on. By the time I was done reading, I had become great friends with Lira and Elian. I was not ready to say goodbye to them at all. 

My point is, if you are reluctant to pick this book up because of the hype or if the beginning is just not for you- keep reading! This book became one of my top reads of 2018 so far. The characters came to life for me. Watching Lira come into her own, and watching her interact with Elian and his crew was pure magic for me. I love how fierce and sassy she is. And I loved watching Elian fall for her. I really really loved the slow build of the romance in To Kill a Kingdom. One of the best romances I have read in a fantasy novel this year, hands down. 

Lira is a siren, who feasts on the hearts of princes. And she is so well known, that on land Lira is known as the Prince's Bane. But she angers her mother, the sea queen so much that she gets transformed into a human. I could definitely see where the book drew on the Little Mermaid, but the story that Alexandra Christo tells is a much darker, and much more fun tale. I loved the adventure that Lira and Elian embark on. I love the slow development of their relationship, and their general distrust of one another. They are two smart cookies. To Kill a Kingdom is told from both of their points of views, and to be honest, I fell in love with both of them. They are two of my favorite characters I have read about in a while. They don't fall into any of the typical traps and molds that we see in YA fantasy or fiction in general. Alexandra Christo did a fantastic job fleshing out the characters (hehe, yes Lira is great at fleshing people out.) and she did an equally wonderful job of creating a captivating story that was entirely her own. To Kill a Kingdom is a fantastic standalone. I loved the progression of the story and I loved the wrap up. But I loved it all so much, that I want to see more. To Kill a Kingdom is so so good. 

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs