The time it was about To Kill a Kingdom

Posted March 6, 2018 by Stacee in Blog Tours, Interviews | 1 Comment

When I saw the synopsis for To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo, I was all over it.  Murdery siren and a pirate prince? Count. Me. In.  So of course when I got the invite to be part of the blog tour, I couldn’t sign up fast enough.

Before we get to my interview with Alexandra, let’s check out the book!

Title: To Kill a Kingdom
Author: Alexandra Christo
Pages: 384
Pub Date: March 6, 2018
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Find it: Macmillan | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon | Goodreads

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?

Sounds good, right?

1. Please give the elevator pitch for To Kill a Kingdom.

After a siren with a thirst for royal blood is cursed into humanity, she discovers the key to regaining her fins lies with the pirate prince who hunts her kind

2. Which came first: the world or the characters?

Lira! I kept thinking about how fairytales always had a virtuous princess who fell in love and needed saving by her prince. I wondered what it would be like for that princess to be a villain. For her to be the one that people needed saving from. For her to literally steal hearts instead of giving hers away. And there Lira was!

3. Why do you love Lira and Elian and why should we root for them?

Lira and Elian go on an emotional journey, as much as they do a physical one. They start off with the weight of kingdoms on their backs and the pressure of who they should be competing with who it is they want to be.

Of course, there’s also the fact that they’re both kick-ass warriors who will do whatever it takes to defend their people. Lira embodies girl power and is unapologetic about who she is. And Elian is a dreamer, out to explore the world (and save it!), regardless of what people think.

I love Lira and Elian because, underneath it all, they’re just two people trying to fight to be themselves and live the lives they choose. Which I think is something we can all relate to (even if we don’t have our own kingdoms to rule!).

4. You have a lot of great characters here. Who was the easiest and the hardest to work with?

Elian was the easiest. He was so clear to me from the start. I knew who he was and what he wanted and how he’d feel in any given situation. With Lira, it was a different story. She goes through such a huge change physically and emotionally when she becomes human. How she reacts to something as a siren is different to how she reacts as a human. She also has a really dark past and, unlike Elian, who has his crew to lean on, Lira tries to do everything alone and constantly has her guard up. It was a challenge to make her such a badass, but also a sympathetic character that readers could root for. I got there in the end though! And I think people will love her just as much as I do.

5. Without spoilers, which scene was your favorite to write?

I like the scene where Lira first meets Elian in her human form, because it was one that had been swimming (hah) around in my mind for so long. Suddenly, she’s thrown into a new world and has to think on her (human) feet and adapt to this crazy new situation, with a bunch of facetious pirates standing in her way.

Speed {ish} round: 

1. You find out that you’re being published for the first time. Describe the next 5 minutes.

I remember when this happened and it was a complete rush. The excitement coupled with overwhelming anxiety. The feeling of wanting to shout it from the rooftops and do a happy dance around the room, before remembering I was at work and that would be super weird. I called my mum and tried to keep my voice down (successfully). I also tried not to cry (unsuccessfully).

2. What three things would you take to a desert island? 

A notepad (pen included). My phone, so I could listen to podcasts and answer emails for as long as possible before the battery dies (yes, I’m that kind of person). And . . . a smoothie maker?

3. You can only read one book for the rest of your life. What is it?

The Diviners series by Libba Bray. Which I know is cheating because it’s not just one book, but I’m indecisive and need all the Sam I can get!

4. What book character would you want to date and who would you want to be your BFF?

Gansey from The Raven Cycle is forever my soulmate. AND I WANT THOSE BOAT SHOES.

Karou from Daughter of Smoke & Bone would be my BFF (if she’d have me!). She’s hilarious and fiercely loyal and she’d make some amazing friendship bracelets.

5. You wake up and discover you are Bella in Twilight. You know how it plays out. What do you do differently?

Go back to Arizona and watch old episodes of Buffy.

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Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn’t be a fairy. She has a BA in Creative Writing and works as a copywriter in London, both of which make her sound more grown up than she feels. When she’s not busy making up stories, she can be found buying far too many cushions and organizing food crawls all over the city.

Alexandra currently lives in Hertfordshire with an abundance of cacti (because they’re the only plants she can keep alive).

website | twitter | instagram | goodreads

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Huge thanks to Macmillan for the invite and to Alexandra for taking the time! To Kill a Kingdom released today!

Have you read To Kill a Kingdom? Did you love it?

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