Book Review: To Kill a Kingdom

Title: To Kill a Kingdom 
Author: Alexandra Christo
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retelling | Romance | Mermaids
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends 
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.
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 (goodreads)? 

To Kill a Kingdom was deliciously dark. 

First Thoughts [#157]

First Thoughts is a feature where I give my initial impression of my current read.

Book Review: Wild Beauty

Title: Wild Beauty
Author: Anna-Marie McLemore
Genre: Young Adult | Magical Realism | Romance
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Format: ARC
Source: ALA

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.
The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family (goodreads).

Wild Beauty was a beautiful book, but it was also boring. 

Book Review: Heartless

Title: Heartless
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult | Fantasy | Retellings | Romance
Publisher: Fiewel and Friends
Publication Date: November 8, 2016
Format: Physical
Source: Purchased

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.
At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.
Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans (goodreads).

Heartless is imaginative and heartbreaking - everything you'd expect from Marissa  Meyer!

[Meme]Waiting on Wednesday [#52]

Hosted by Breaking the Spine

Title: Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult // Science Fiction // Fairy Tales
Publisher: Fiewel and Friends
Publication Date: January 27, 2015

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.
Mirror, mirror on the wall,Who is the fairest of them all?
Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now (goodreads). 

This series just gets better and better! And how often do you get to hear the villain's side of things? I'm curious as to how Levana came to be. You know someone had to have broken her heart, I just wonder who!