From the Bookshelf of Ranters and Reviewers…

To Kill a Kingdom (Hundred Kingdoms, #1)

Alexandra Christo

Start date: November 1, 2020

Finish date: November 30, 2020

Discussion: BOTM

Why we're reading this: November BOTM
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November 2021 Series BOTM Suggestions
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 19 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:56PM

October 2021 Continuation BOTM: The Wicked King
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last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:55PM

What Members Thought

May 04, 2021 chaity rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2021

As a self-proclaimed enemies to lovers enthusiast, I refuse to acknowledge the existence of this trope in To Kill a Kingdom.

There I said it. By all means, don't fight me. I'm social-distancing. Do try maybe-

So here are the reasons why I picked this book up :

a) The title seemed like a cross between two pieces of my heart- To Kill a Mockingbird and Crooked Kingdom (yes, I came up with this!)
b) I'm soft for pirates (shoutout to Treasure Island)
c) The brat: Pretty dark cover.
c) My cat's evil ste

...more

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Apr 08, 2021 fireheart✰ rated it liked it

The ending tho..

4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2021 Amelie rated it liked it

Shelves: standalones, buddy-read

“The thing about taking something that’s not yours is that there will always be someone out there ready to take it back.”

Lira is the legendary Princes’ Bane, the Siren next in line to rule, who is known for collecting the hearts of princes she has murdered. But when an unexpected series of events leads to her being punished and cast out by the Sea Queen as a powerless human, her only chance of regaining her previous life is to bring the heart of the infamous Siren killer, Elian, to her mother. W “The thing about taking something that’s not yours is that there will always be someone out there ready to take it back.”

Lira is the legendary Princes’ Bane, the Siren next in line to rule, who is known for collecting the hearts of princes she has murdered. But when an unexpected series of events leads to her being punished and cast out by the Sea Queen as a powerless human, her only chance of regaining her previous life is to bring the heart of the infamous Siren killer, Elian, to her mother. When Lira crosses paths with Elian and his crew who seek to find the key to destroying the Sea Queen, Lira is left with the choice to either cast aside her humanity and fulfil her mother’s commands, or assist them and seek peace.

I found this to be an enjoyable dark fantasy novel which had quite an interesting concept. The world introduced was fascinating, especially with the brutal culture of the Sirens who claimed a human heart every year in the month of their birthday. It was also entertaining reading about Elian’s pirate crew and the interactions and endless banter between each of the characters. The plot itself was straightforward with the characters embarking on a quest to find the key to destroying the Sea Queen, but I liked how this made the story easier to follow and left room for a more character driven story where the main characters came to question their motives and actions. The plot was relatively fast-paced and engaging, and I liked how the narration switched between Lira and Elian to provide more insight into their motives and thoughts.

“If your only instrument is a sword, then you will always strike at your problems.”

Though it was entertaining, I did feel like the plot was lacking in certain areas of the book. The quest to find the crystal was hyped up and described as a challenging feat no one had ever pulled off, yet the characters accomplish this with little difficulty and very few obstacles in their way. Lira makes little effort to kill Elian throughout the book, and is easily conflicted between her duties and her love. Elian who remained blissfully unaware of Lira’s identity for the majority of the book, was incredibly naive and unsuspecting and was almost instantly infatuated with her. Even when their identities are revealed to each other, Lira and Elian didn’t make much of an effort to kill each other and didn’t seem impacted by the news. Though this was partly due to the fact that they had fallen in love by that point, it still felt unrealistic and the romance itself felt underdeveloped and rushed towards the end.

“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 out to us both. A song of freedom and longing.”

The characters were incredibly compelling especially with their flaws. I found it interesting how both Lira and Elian struggled with parental royalty expectations, as well as, how Lira wanted to kill the Siren killer, and Elian wanted to kill the Princes’ Bane, despite only Lira being aware of both their identities. The characters themselves are morally-grey and far from perfect, but eventually come to experience a sense of humanity towards each other and within themselves. Lira was an incredibly compelling character who remade herself into a crueler person to live up to her mother’s expectations and conceal her vulnerabilities. I liked reading about her coming to question her motives and teachings, and how she eventually embraced her humanity and allowed herself to open up to human emotions. I also really enjoyed reading about her friendship with Kahlia who she always looked out for and protected.

I also enjoyed reading about Elian and how he struggled with the royalty expectations placed on him, and preferred living out an adventurous life out at sea with his pirate crew. His insecurities were depicted well especially in showing how trapped he felt under his parents’ expectations. I also found it enjoyable reading about his close relationships with his fellow crew members who offered support and were a source of banter.

The romance between Lira and Elian was interesting and I enjoyed reading about their bickering and banter, and how they bonded and recognised the similarities between them. I do think it could have been better developed though since their relationship had only consisted of their flirting and bickering, and then a sudden leap to romance between them. I would have liked to see more build-up in the romantic side of things and more sides to their relationship than the banter.

Despite the lack of development in the romance, and the over-simplicity and predictability of the plot, I still found this to be a solid read which had enjoyable moments and compelling characters. Its dark premise was incredibly compelling and unique, and I’d still consider this to be an enjoyable standalone novel which I would recommend.

3/5 stars ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Sarah rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-enjoyed

Very good book. My favorite character is Lira. A dangerous siren ready to kill any and every prince who comes her way, but she is keen to kill one specific price, the prince of gold from Midas, to show her mother that she is capable to reign the oceans and become the sea queen. The conclusion is amazing, and I love how she got to bring the human lands with the sea realm. And I really love Lira's relationship with Elian. ...more

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Nov 22, 2020 Maja ☾ rated it liked it

it was good, i liked it, but it could’ve been so much better:// idk what went wrong, but by the end the plot felt kinda forced and was very predictable.

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