The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?
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Some spoilers abound! You have been warned.
WOW! This book blew me away. Keep in mind that this is not your typical sea creature-prince love story. At the beginning, I was expecting a predictable love story full of strife and plot armor, but nope! There are certainly elements from the Little Mermaid, but with a twist. Princess Lira is a bloodthirsty siren with sharp claws and she's gunning for the position of heir to the Sea Queen. The Sea Queen is her mother, but I'm saying 'mother' loosely here. She's a stone-cold, manipulative bully who rules the sirens through fear and pain. The emotional, mental and psychological trauma that Lira goes through is immense and heartbreaking. All the same, Lira still wants her mother's approval and will do anything to get it. This is where the hearts of princes comes in. From what I know of mythology, sirens were similar to mermaids and had voices that would enchant sailors to their locations, to crash and die. Super romantic, amirite? In this particular world, sirens were created by the Goddess Keto and there was havoc. Humans versus sirens. Sirens would enchant sailors or princes to come close enough for them to rip out their hearts. Literally, stealing the hearts of men. Some background: stolen hearts give the siren who took them power, especially the hearts of princes.
Like the Sea Queen, Lira is a ruthless killing machine. She has killed 17 princes and took their hearts as a source of power. Unlike her mother, Lira has slowly developed a fan base of sorts. Lira is close the age of ascension and Mommy Dearest is having none of that. Finding fault with Lira's recent "transgressions," she is sentenced to a human-like existence as punishment. As if being stripped of her very identity and power wasn't punishment enough, Lira is recused at sea by none other than the famed "Siren Killer," Prince Elian. Elian has a personal grudge against sirens and certainly has no qualms hunting them down. When Elian hears of an ancient power source that could potentially destroy all sirens in existence, he will stop at nothing to attain this power.
A steady plot and character development for the main characters, as well as the secondary cast members. The world-building and mish-mash of historical locations gives readers a vibrant picture of what Elian and Lira see. I felt the ending was final enough, though I would welcome a sequel if Alexandra Christo wrote one. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book.
4 STARS
About the Author
Hi, I’m Alexandra! I’m a twenty-something writer from England who likes baking, marathoning Korean dramas, and writing about characters with questionable morals.
My books are mostly YA, mostly fantasy, and mostly show that I let my imagination run a little too wild.
My debut novel To Kill a Kingdom is a story about killer sirens and killer pirates, who team up and try very hard not to kill each other. If you like Disney’s Little Mermaid, I hope I haven’t destroyed your childhood memories of it.
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