This book is actually incredible! I can't believe it's a debut!

The story was so fast paced and I had to pull myself away because it just kept getting so good and I had to pace myself. The characters were really likeable and I loved Lira's character arc. I loved the storyline and I just wish there was more! I could read about this world all day, the worldbuilding was great and I felt like it was really thought out and worked really well.

Easy 5*'s, I can't wait to see what else the author puts out, and tbh one of the best books I've read so far this year!

Some may say that this is a Little Mermaid re-telling... me, not so much. Although featuring mermaids this story revolves around Sirens, in particular, a Prince killing Siren and a Siren killing Prince, as you can well imagine... drama ensues.
I heard that tagline and expected and insta-love filled 350 pages with mild peril but plenty of lessons to be learnt. I was wrong, bizarrely for me, I loved the slow burn romance that quietly unfolded beneath the surface (pun intended) the underwater setting was a brilliantly refreshing. I loved the action and the plot twists and reveals, of which there were plenty. However, I would have loved to of spent more time in the world and explored the different regions a bit more. For me, this book could have been doubled in size or turned into a duology, but it was so great to actually read a YA fantasy STANDALONE, rather than a series dragged out over years and years. It was a brilliant read and I would recommend to anyone looking for a dark YA fantasy with an incredible setting.

A brutally fast-paced retelling of an alternative Little Mermaid featuring an ongoing war between humans and sirens. The world building is incredible and I loved reading about all the different backgrounds of not only the MCs and the crew but also the individual countries. The action never let up and each plot point was calculated with expert detail. I can;t wait to see what Alexandra writes next!

Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Two Stars

Oh boy, oh boy, am I salty about this one. To Kill a Kingdom has a fantastic concept - and I'm serious about that. The Little Mermaid but the mermaid is a murderer and the prince is a seafaring siren hunter. It sounds amazing. And in practice, it's -almost - amazing. So you have to understand me when I say that I am so very very upset this was written the way it is. Because I nearly put it down about five or six times before completely giving up, and I still only made it 37% of the way through.

This isn't dark, it's just abusive. There's no weight to it, no emotional stakes. Just pulled strings for the sake of being edgy, and I think it's dangerous because these characters are going through what, in theory, are really horrific and terrible things. But the emotional backlash is being so glossed over that it's almost romanticsed and I don't think that's at all fair. Maybe if it wasn't marketed as dark and didn't end up going on to be a romance (which, let's be honest, was obvious from the second you heard she kills princes, I mean there isn't even any convincing attempt to suggest otherwise). Dark is when bad things happen and they feed into the story because a person can't possible go through it without it affecting their story. This felt like it was trying to get on the YA bestsellers list by being edgy.

I think that Elian was also of more interest to the author than Lira was. I know she's trying to push a strong female protagonist, but when your male lead has a more interesting story - which you devote about twice as many speaking lines, chapter perspectives, active decisions to and more - you're shooting the woman in the foot. You can still have strong female characters without them being the protagonists, and that's okay if that's the story that needs to be told. But so much of what I read in this book was a specific story that didn't make logical sense as to what the characters believed and how they had acted by until that point. I couldn't engage with the plot because all that I could think was 'this doesn't make sense', 'how does that work?', 'why are they doing that?'

Going back to the unconvincing darkness to further this, I struggled with this book because the people weren't real enough to be believable. An example being that Lira, our protagonist, hates her one-dimensional-force-of-upmost evil mother, but will do whatever she says. Despite thinking of herself as a rebel? And yet says she's fearsome, but doesn't react like a person scared of another person at all. Why? Because she's protecting her friend? Having someone to defend doesn't evaporate your fear, it gives you a reason to push through it. I didn't feel like Lira was having to push through anything. She was just bad-mouthed and volatile to the whims of whatever the plot needed. (There was a moment where I thought she was going to have her voice taken away, like in the original fairytale - I mean they literally say she'll be 'without her voice' - and that we might get a chance for her to actually have to act and grow as a person. But no, we can't possibly have our spunky heroine without the ability to drone on annoyingly for no purpose than her own arrogance.)

Maybe I'm overreacting. I feel like every point I have to make about this isn't dramatic enough for me to rate it as lowly as I have. But at the same time, I just don't feel like I can give it any higher. I know some people are enjoying it, and I'm happy for them, but I just cannot stomach lazy, underdeveloped, contradictory and consequently problematic writing.

The blurb of this book kept begging me to read it, and I was so excited when I finally got around to picking it up. A siren murderess and a prince on one ship? Who doesn't want to read that?! 

I frickin' loved the sirens, to start with. Most of my experience with sirens (hah) comes from Homer and classical mythology, so I loved how they were reworked in this really dark turn of a story. They were ruthless and barbaric, and just absolutely fascinating how they worked. I think the connection they had with the hearts was written really well, how important they were made out to be. 

I just absolutely love it when mythology and world building is done well. Christo's world building was done brilliantly (although I wish there had been a map!), and she really made me believe that this was a world that could exist somewhere. I loved that each country/state had its own kind of trait - like being the centre of invention, or war, or romance. It kind of reminded me of the factions in Divergent a little, but with less fighting between them. 

The war against land and sea has long been one that people have written about, but Christo really put a great turn on it. Also, the Sea Queen was a fantastically murderous character. She was so frickin' ruthless! (And I don't know about anyone else, but I was getting major Disney's The Little Mermaid Ursula vibes.) 

The whole structure of this book was really well put together and Lira and Elian were both such great characters. Where can I find me an Elian? (But seriously, though.) Their romance was done so well that I didn't even realise they were changing towards each other at first! This is enemies-to-lovers done at its best, my friends. 

I feel like the only let down, for me, was the plot. This was a book very much propelled by characters, and although I was of course interested in their quests, I just loved "being" around the characters and reading their conversations and interactions. That's not saying that the plot wasn't good - I think it was, and it featured just about everything I love about plots - but the characters were for me the main focus, and I think that Chriso loved her characters a lot and it kind of showed. The plot was good, but it didn't get me as excited as just reading Elian and Lira and Kye and Madrid banter with each other. 

Overall though this was a great read - the characters were absolutely fantastic, and the idea of the whole book was a brilliant new spin on the Little Mermaid. I never really liked the Disney film as a kid, but I couldn't help but borrow some of the cartoon's imagery to help bring the characters to life in my own head. 

Rating: 4/5

The story started great, mesmerising and enticing. But somehow along the way it seemed to lose heart, I fell out of love with the main character and her world. The hero was still intriguing, but the ending did’t satisfy the way I had hoped

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book!

YA fantasy retelling based on The Little Mermaid while incorporating a few other fairy tales. This novel is dual perspective, which I love, following Lira and Elian. Lira is the princess of the sea, a siren known as "Princes' Bane" who takes and collects the hearts of princes'. Elian is a prince and pirate, a hunter and killer of sirens. When their paths cross they must work together to achieve a common goal.

I read this within a couple of days, I was completely hooked from page one. This book was on my 2018 most anticipated list and I am so glad I had the opportunity to read it!

At times the world building was a little confusing and I think this would have been great as a series, I felt like it was rushed in places, especially towards the end.

I loved all the characters, each and every one brought something unique to the story.
I really liked the relationship between Elian and Lira, however, I wish there was a bit more development between them. I loved Elians humour and Lira's strength.

Overall, a gripping YA fantasy which I would recommend reading if it sounds like something you would enjoy.

I will be posting my review on Instagram within the week.

4 stars!!
After following the siren princess on a hunt, we jump straight onto the boat of a prince, Elias, who is acting more pirate captain than the next King of Midas. Elias and his crew on the Saad hunt sirens, making the world a safer place for the other kingdoms.
Lira is known as the Princes Bane, every year on her birthday she steals the heart of a prince, but after upsetting her mother, the Sea Queen she is punished by being made human, with the one goal of taking Elias’ heart. She’s lost her power and understanding what it’s like to be human while trying to fool the crew of the Saad into thinking she’s an innocent girl.
I enjoyed this story, the love interest angle is discreet but works well as a backstory that you can’t miss out, the supporting characters are all likeable for their honour, history and valour; Lira and Elias are characters that seems to surprise themselves which makes the twists interesting.
As for the Sea Queen, she’s the only character I could picture easily – in my head I say her as Ursula.
Overall, I would describe this book with one word – FUN!

Retellings of The Little Mermaid are far and few between, I have found, which is why I was so delighted to read this book and come out loving it! It felt like the most wonderful blend of Hans Anderson's original and the Disney animation, with a deliciously dark twist surrounding it.

First things first, our 'little mermaid' is actually a Siren in this book. A change I wasn't completely sold on at the outset, but quickly realised it was a fantastic idea on author Alexandra Christo's part. Lira is the daughter of the Sea Queen and next in line for the throne. Her mother has trained her to be deadly and ruthless, not just to humans, but to her own kind. (Killing Crestell, anyone??) The only person Lira lets herself feel anything bar hatred towards is her cousin Kahlia, who is the only living thing that resembles a friend.

But our story doesn't just focus on Lira, this book is split between her point of view and that of Elian, the prince. Part time prince really. Elian also has a renowned reputation for being a pirate, known as the Siren Killer. How awesome is that for a twist?!

A full review that includes some of thethings that I really and truly loved about this book can be found on my Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2378689893?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Many thanks to Hot Key Books and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful retelling written so wonderfully I was hooked the entire way through. I loved Lira and everything about the world of the sirens!

With a hint of The Little Mermaid, but a lot more action and drama, this was a truly enjoyable and entertaining book. I loved the character of Lira, the siren known as the Prince's Bane, because of her penchant for ripping out the still beating heart of a prince to celebrate each of her birthdays. This year, as she is about to turn 18, she sets her sights on the Siren Killer, Prince Elian , who prefers the freedom of life as a pirate, to ruling his future kingdom. To complicate matters, Lira's mother, the powerful and violent Sea Queen decides to punish her for a slight by turning Lira human, and depriving her of her most powerful weapon, her siren's song. Only by killing Elian and returning to her mother with his heart will Lira be freed from her curse.....unless that is she can overthrow her mother by reclaiming a powerful magical artifact. The only problem is she's going to need Elian's help to do it.
I loved the attention to the creation of the characters in the book, obviously Lira and Elian, but equally impressively the crew of Elian's ship , every single one of them is a delight, and the banter between them is a delight. The world building is also good, with a diverse array of kingdoms, each of which has its own peculiar ruler or rulers., several of whom we meet on our travels. The pacing is excellent, the action flowing naturally, as does the development of the relationships between the various characters., and the writing is simply a joy.
A truly dark re-imagining of an already disturbing fable, this book feels like riding a wave, and as the events of the plot reach the finale , it becomes almost like a tsunami.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a strong female character who was sassy and had good comebacks. It was nice that both of the leads were killers and it was interesting to see how they dealt with that. The book was an easy and fast read hooking me in from the start. The only downside was that because it was a proof copy now and again it was hard to work out who was talking due to spacing and layout not being done correctly.

This book was absolutely fantastic! Once I started reading it, I just couldn't put it back down again.

Verdict: A killer little mermaid retelling.

Lira is a murderous siren known as the Prince's Bane, for each year she steals the heart of a promised ruler to add to her collection. Her horrid mother, the sea queen, enjoys tormenting her, and thinks that the mercy Lira shows her victims makes her unfit to rule the sea.

Prince Elian is a siren killer. He travels the seas with a band of misfits - similar to a pirate, minus the plunder, pillaging, and general illegal behaviour - but one day must return to rule Midas. He finds his impending duties suffocating, but when he hears whispers of a relic that could kill the sea queen herself, he barters his freedom away to find its location.

When Lira washes aboard Elian’s ship with legs instead of fins, the pair are thrown together in a quest to find the second eye of Keto, a powerful crystal strong enough to kill the sea queen.

So it’s a little mermaid with a dark twist, with the myth of Midas worked into Elian’s kingdom.

Everything about this book is simple yet strong, from the smooth yet beautiful prose, the small cast of well-fleshed characters, and the clear concept: find the eye of Keto, kill the sea queen. The overarching plot is fairly predictable as soon as the pieces are set up, but the journey is laced with surprises, and there’s plenty of action, romance, and magic to enjoy throughout.

The dual POV works well for this tale, because both characters are compelling to read about. Elian is heroic, charming, and good with a sword, a leader by example and someone who enjoys humour. Lira is a brilliant anti-hero, a murderer but not at heart. She plots the kill the prince to steal the crystal, and that keeps the tension throughout.

I did struggle to keep up with the logistics in the water action scenes. There’s more focus on the atmosphere of the action than the details, so I chose to go with the flow on this one.

Another weakness of the story is the promise of a anti-hero POV at the start which couldn’t be maintained throughout, or perhaps the timeline of the whole transition. Lira’s character arc and Elian’s ability to forgive are rushed - considering how fresh some of Lira’s kills were - but for the sake of an awesome story, the emotional journey has been accelerated. With the length and pace of the book, I think this sacrifice isn’t detrimental but it is noticeable.

On an editorial note, I would recommend adding the narrator's name to the beginning of each chapter. While the two main characters are very different, their narration style overlaps heavily. It seems like a simple addition that doesn't do any harm but could possibly do good.

Source: With thanks to the publishers via NetGalley.com.

I haven't read many books if any on a retelling of the Little Mermaid before so when I heard that it had strong similarities I had to read it. The Little Mermaid was my favourite Disney film growing up so I had high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed.

With a bit more of an adult theme and by this I mean violence and action it was gripping from the first. I am fascinated with pirates and sirens and how they co-exist in the fantasy world.
Alexandra has created a world where both are striving to live together but there is strife due to the Sea Queen and her beliefs.
The main character Lira is the Sea Queens daughter and Prince's Bane. She has been brought up to capture the hearts of the Prince so the 100 Kingdoms but there is some part of Lira that makes her feel. Lira is the Siren that everyone is looking at to take over her made mother the Sea Queen.
The male main character Elian is the Prince of Midas he does not want the title and is the Pirate Prince aboard his ship with his loyal cruel and nicknamed the Siren Killer.
Elian and Lira cross paths and they both learn something new about themselves and in the end what will win out?
I really enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and the world building and snippets of the other kingdoms kept you intrigued and wanting more. Alexandra has given the two main characters and also the secondary characters with personalities. The sarcasm coming from them is something that has made me chuckle and enjoy reading every page.

"Love and madness are two stars in the same sky. You cannot build a roof to keep out last year’s rain."
Alexandra Christo, To Kill a Kingdom

My Rating: 5 Stars
Genre : Fantasy ,Young Adult .
Published on : March 2018
My thoughts: I am a huge fan of Disney Retelling and to think that Little Mermaid retelling has been done so I had to grab the book. To kill A Kingdom is a fantastic retelling of the of the Disney Classics. I loved the book so much that I read it in a day. And I totally loved the characters ,story line, pacing and everything.
"In my heart, I’m as wild as the ocean that raised me."
Alexandra Christo, To Kill a Kingdom
Well to begin with, the plot corresponds a lot to the that of Little Mermaid. But of course with lots of twists and turn with belief in prophecies and adventure. This book is so much filled with adventure and pirates. The world is fantasy one with amazing characters. I loved the characters because they were so well written and endearing, especially Lira and Elian.
The characters if I talk about Lira, is a Siren who hunts a Prince on each of her Birthday. She is also referred as Princes' Bane and next In line to become Sea Queen . But by showing her humanity she was expelled from the kingdom and turned into a human by her mother ,Sea Queen and the condition to return is to bring Prince Elian's heart.
Lira is a brave ,bold character who listens to her heart in the book.
The pirate Prince Elian who hunts Sirens in the ocean is swoon worthy, benevolent, heroic and a really nice character. I totally loved loved his character . The brave adventurous Prince has taken my heart as well ;) . I loved the world also. There were so many different kingdoms, myths and legends present throughout the book and it was very fascinating.
The romance between them is the cherry on the Cake . OMG !!!
The adventure part of finding Second Eye of Keto is also very fun on aboard of the Ship Saad.
I totally loved the book and recommend it to everyone..
"How strange that instead of taking his heart, I'm hoping he takes mine."
Alexandra Christo, To Kill a Kingdom
I would definitely be keen to read more from the author, because I really loved this one and it managed to grip me in a way only really good books do.

This book was really interesting - I saw it is a twisted view of the Little Mermaid, except she’s a Siren that has no qualms about killing Princes and the evil queen is her mother. This is a YA book with edge. There are no fawning princesses here or damsels in distress. Prince Charming is more ruthless pirate than prince with a band of blood thirsty mates to boot.

I found the plot gripping and I raced through the pages. The main characters are fully developed and fleshed out but the side ones are not. The premise was really good and there were enough twists and plot turns to keep me engaged. It also wasn’t an immediate love at first sight scenario, which was refreshing. If anything the romantic side was more of a secondary notion to the action. My only quibble is it reads quite young/teensy but that is not a bad thing in itself. It is what it is. Still very enjoyable. Can’t wait to read more from the author.

I was obsessed with The Little Mermaid as a child, we even have a picture of me dressed as Ariel sitting by my Grandma‘ s tropical fish tank when I was about six or seven. It will never see the light of day on the internet, but it’s a thing. As someone who has always been a weak swimmer and is afraid of large bodies of water, yet who is fascinated by the ocean and all that lives within, the idea of being able to swim, breathe and live beneath the waves was incredible to me. To Kill a Kingdom has all the appeal of my childhood mermaid dreams combined with the darkness and classic mythological roots I’ve come to enjoy in my books as an adult. Fairy tales are meant to be scary, and this one certainly lives up to that.

A sort of re-exploration of the classic Little Mermaid tale with a gothic twist, To Kill a Kingdom chooses instead of the traditionally ethereal mermaids to focus on a creature from ancient myths and sailor’s nightmares – the siren. Celebrating their birthday each year by luring a human into the ocean, ripping out their heart and burying it beneath the sand where they live, these creatures are far from the type who would sing about love and brush their hair with forks. If they sing, you’d better hope you can’t hear them or not only will you die, you’ll be glad to do it. There are also mermaids in this tale, but you won’t find them reclining on a warm rock in a bay and you certain won’t want to kiss them.

Known as the Prince’s Bane, Lira has taken the heart of a human prince for every year she has lived and soon will inherit the kingdom of the Keto from her tyrannical mother. Punished for her misdeeds with a pair of legs and a quest for revenge, she seeks the heart of the man she blames for her misfortune. Elian, prince of Midas, does not want to rule. A pirate at heart, he has gained himself a reputation as a siren killer on the open ocean and earned the trust of a loyal, and hilarious, crew of misfits. I loved how this book took inspiration from classic mythology, with the sirens being dangerous creatures whose goal is not love but pure, joyful murder and the land of Midas with its royal family whose blood is supposedly pure molten gold. As well as this, there seem to be a few loving nods to the Disney movie. The character who condemns Lira to a life of humanity on land has tentacles, and the characters that spark her idea to go after Prince Elian have eel-like tails. This may not have been intentional, but I like to think it was a nod to Ursula and her slimy henchmen.

Now you know I’m a fan of world building, and Christo does a superb job with this. The kingdoms of the novel are wonderfully unique and beautifully named. From the Kingdom of Keto far beneath the Diávolos Sea where lurks the Siren Queen, a fearsome sorceress whose power controls the oceans to the land of Eidýllio with its lonely monarch, unable to touch the skin of men without driving them mad with love, each kingdom is characterised through distinctive traits, customs and people. Midas, for example, is literally covered in gold which I can imagine isn’t great fun on sunny days. The book even introduces us a little to Psáriin, the language of the sirens, and I’m one of those nerds who loves a fictional language so this was a big plus for me. On top of this the description is stunning. Characters, races, locations, all are beautifully captured and easy to picture

There is a love story in this novel, as one might expect, but it is excellently done. I loved Lira and Elian, with their witty wordplay and exceptionally different world views, and I found myself actively rooting for them. The pacing of it was excellent, showing both the growth of the relationship between them and Lira’s shift from remorseless human-killer to someone genuinely sympathetic and changed. It was realistic, and not too rushed, and readers experienced alongside her the jarring gap between what she discovers to be right and what she must do to save herself and others. Thematically, To Kill a Kingdom deals heavily with the difference between tyranny and loyalty that is earned, and not demanded. Slavery and freedom of various types and forms litter the book, from the slavers who literally kidnap children and train them to be killers to the Siren Queen’s magical hold on those in her kingdom whose lives hang in the balance at the slightest of mistakes. For some, freedom is the ability to choose who to be and where to go, for others it is the literal escape from shackles and it can even be found in political marriages of convenience if you look closely enough. (One of these is between two women, which is not only normalised but makes total sense for both involved, it’s awesome).

Overall I thought this book was superb, and I desperately wanted more of it. Christo is definitely an author I’ll look out for in future, and I’ll almost certainly reread the book at some stage. If you’re a fan of mythology, mermaids and fantasy this is a recommendation from me: read To Kill a Kingdom, you won’t regret it.

A copy of To Kill a Kingdom was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

Okay wow, just wow. Where do I begin!

To kill a kingdom is a slight retelling of the little mermaid, I say slight retelling because while you can see all the nods to the little mermaid in it this was just so much more fantastic and adventurous! I never knew how much I wanted a dark and adventurous retelling of The Little Mermaid until now! I cannot wait to see what other treasures Alexandra Christo has in store for us!

The story follows two different POVs, Princess Lira's - a siren known as the ruthless Princess Bane who rips out the heart of only princes and Prince Elian - A Pirate Prince who along with his crew sails the seas aboard his ship the saad hunting sirens.

This is definitely a book that I wasn't expecting! It is such a fantastic addition to the YA fantasy genre with huge amounts of pirates and swashbuckling adventure, it's also bursting with an array of characters that you just have to root for also the character growth in this is just so fantastic and spellbinding to read/watch.

This book for me was a perfect reading adventure, full of peril, hard choices and a slow burning romance. A book I would highly recommend!

Thank you kindly to the publishers for a review copy via netgalley in exchange for an honest review

To Kill A Kingdom has made its way into the book blogging community a couple months before its release and has known a LOT of hype, too. A loose retelling of the Little Mermaid, a hate-to-love relationship… I had to say, this had already tons of points to win my heart, but to be honest, I didn’t expect to love it this much? I’m not sure why I felt that way, but boy, I’m glad I did love this.

A BEAUTIFUL RETELLING WITH A GREAT WORLD-BUILDING

Right from the first pages, To Kill A Kingdom takes you into an incredibly vivid, dark and crazy-well built world. This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but there is so much more to it than that. First of all, it’s a loose retelling. Second of all, it has sirens, pirates, mermen, mermaids and so on. Third of all, and what probably impressed me most of it all: the world-building is actually so lush and colorful outside of the ocean and I absolutely loved it. Every place we visited on the characters’ journey was detailed, without taking over the narration or boring us ever, painted with beautiful, gold colors and making us get a taste of the food cooking on market stands. I loved the thought that went into world-building, making this book really stand out and alive.

PRETTY COOL MAIN CHARACTERS AND MY FEELINGSSSSSS EVERYWHERE

Yet, aside from the world-building, the characters were also bursting with life and making me have all the emotions. Unapologetic, bold, incredibly fun and unique, I absolutely LOVED Lira’s character. She was strong, yet flawed and if, at the beginning, she was fierce and quite mean, I loved seeing her grow, change, get in touch with her feelings and humanity overall and I absolutely loved her evolution. Our prince / pirate (okay, sailor, that’s for you, Kat) Elian, was quite great as well and I just loved every single interaction our two main characters had.
Yes, this is an enemy-to-lovers kind of story (and this is not a spoiler, I mean, you can guess this right from the start). The relationship felt well-handled as I felt the characters’ feelings change as they got to know each other, let down their barriers and everything else. I HAD FEELINGS about them, okay. Basically that’s it.
The side characters were also quite amazing – I really appreciated the crew and how we managed to get to know glimpses of their past through the narration and how they joined Elian on his adventure. Kye was adorable okay he was my favorite.

A FAST-PACED, ADDICTIVE READ

To Kill a Kingdom was a fast-paced, want-to-devour-it-all kind of story, really and I totally get why my buddy-reader couldn’t wait for me, sometimes. It was quite dark at times there were moments that made me gasp that I did not see coming and the writing was also very beautiful, compelling without being overly complicated. I just found that this book was sort of an addictive read.

OVERALL

With a beautiful world-building, A+ character interactions and development and amazing action scenes, To Kill A Kingdom certainly deserves all of the hype, if you ask me. I’m not putting the 5-stars entirely, because I remain a small bean and it was really dark , hearts-taken-out-of-chests moments and I am a marshmallow. But I’d heavily recommend it to anyone loving retellings, great world-buildings, hate-to-love relationships and just read the damn book already.