Parents' Guide to

To Kill a Kingdom

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Bold, imaginative sea-faring fantasy has unusual characters.

Book Alexandra Christo Fantasy 2018
To Kill a Kingdom Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Resa_
Resa_ Adult
March 2, 2022
age 16+

Addictive dark fantasy

I found this book to be very enjoyable but I don´t think that it is appropriate for younger teens. It is pretty dark, there is some swearing a quite a lot of violence. Romance: There is no explicit content but a lot of sexual tension and some innuendo. There are around 3 kissing scenes, one of them pretty passionate. Language: Words like hell, b*tch, wh*re and sh*t are used a few times. Violence: This book is pretty dark. Main characters are a siren, who takes peoples´ hearts, and a siren killer, so there is obviously violnce described. There also some fight scenes and a character is shot. There are some mentions of drinking but not too much. Good message: I liked the development of our MC. Despite the fact that she is raised a certain way, she tries to do what is right and safe for everyone.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much swearing
3 people found this helpful.
pesh
pesh Adult
February 1, 2021
age 13+

Pirates of the Caribbean if the mermaid was the main character.

To Kill a Kingdom is a fresh, exciting young adult novel with an adventurous premise, well-rounded characters and enough lust and betrayal to keep you roped in. This novel has one of my favourite YA tropes - enemies to lovers. While most books with this trope are shy about making the two characters enemies, Alexandra Christo does not hold back... and I'm sure glad she didn't. A siren, and a siren-killer... they were born to hate each other. The chemistry and passion between these two made me not want to put this book down. Throughout the course of their quest the two fight their growing attraction for each other. This book reminded me of a mix between Pirates of the Caribbean and one of my favourite underrated films: Sinbad. I've always been so intrigued about mermaids and here they are, explored beautifully in one beautiful book. I love it!

This title has:

Great messages
3 people found this helpful.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

At the start of TO KILL A KINGDOM, Princess Lira causes the death of one of her fellow sirens and earns the wrath of her mother, the Sea Queen. As punishment, she's enchanted into human form and will stay that way unless she rips out the living heart of a prince before the solstice. Bereft of her fins and gills, Lira is soon at the mercy of explorer and adventurer Prince Elian, who has sworn to destroy the sirens once and for all. Can either of them survive the revelation of their secrets?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (18):

Choosing a siren for a protagonist is a bold choice for a fantasy, but this oceanic romance makes the most of its imaginative conceit. In To Kill a Kingdom, author Alexandra Christo takes an original tack for this tale of star-crossed lovers. Elian and especially Lira are multidimensional characters who undergo interesting transitions over the course of the book, and the monstrous Sea Queen proves to be a formidable antagonist at the climax. The story is neatly self-contained, with no need for a long wait for resolution.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how To Kill a Kingdom uses aspects of ancient mythology. Why are sirens, mermaids, and mermen interesting to modern readers?

  • Sirens and humans are in constant conflict in To Kill a Kingdom. What human conflicts have lasted decades or more?

  • What role does violence play in To Kill a Kingdom? Is warfare depicted as an effective strategy for change?

Book Details

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