To Kill a Kingdom
Hundred Kingdoms • Book 1
by Alexandra Christo
Why You'll Love This
She collects princes' hearts; he hunts sirens — and then they're stuck on the same ship.
- Great if you want: a dark Little Mermaid retelling with real teeth
- The experience: fast-paced, enemies-to-lovers tension with a swashbuckling backdrop
- The writing: Christo keeps dual POVs razor-sharp — each voice is genuinely distinct
- Skip if: you want nuanced worldbuilding over romantic momentum
About This Book
In a world where sirens are apex predators and princes are prey, two enemies find themselves bound together by the worst kind of fate. Princess Lira has spent her life collecting the hearts of royalty—literally—but one act of defiance strips her of everything: her song, her power, her very nature. Prince Elian hunts sirens for sport and survival, sailing closer to danger than any heir to a throne should. When their paths collide, both are chasing something they cannot afford to lose, and both are keeping secrets that could get the other killed. The tension isn't just romantic—it's existential, charged with the kind of mutual threat that makes every scene crackle.
What makes this book work as a reading experience is Christo's commitment to giving both protagonists equal ferocity. The dual point-of-view structure never lets either character soften too quickly, and the prose leans into its dark fairy-tale roots without tipping into self-parody. The pacing is relentless, the world-building is confident without becoming encyclopedic, and the slow erosion of animosity between Lira and Elian is handled with genuine restraint—making every shift in their dynamic feel earned rather than inevitable.