Waiting On Wednesday ... Into The Crooked Place

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is Into The Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Into the Crooked Place begins a gritty two-book YA fantasy series from Alexandra Christo, the author of To Kill a Kingdom.

The streets of Creije are for the deadly and the dreamers, and four crooks in particular know just how much magic they need up their sleeve to survive.

Tavia, a busker ready to pack up her dark-magic wares and turn her back on Creije for good. She’ll do anything to put her crimes behind her.

Wesley, the closest thing Creije has to a gangster. After growing up on streets hungry enough to swallow the weak whole, he won’t stop until he has brought the entire realm to kneel before him.

Karam, a warrior who spends her days watching over the city’s worst criminals and her nights in the fighting rings, making a deadly name for herself.

And Saxony, a resistance fighter hiding from the very people who destroyed her family, and willing to do whatever it takes to get her revenge.

Everything in their lives is going to plan, until Tavia makes a crucial mistake: she delivers a vial of dark magic—a weapon she didn’t know she had—to someone she cares about, sparking the greatest conflict in decades. Now these four magical outsiders must come together to save their home and the world, before it’s too late. But with enemies at all sides, they can trust nobody. Least of all each other. 

I really enjoyed Alexandra Christo's wickedly dangerous take on sirens (and a little bit of a retelling of The Little Mermaid) in To Kill A Kingdom so I was eager to see what she would write next.

Her follow up seems to be diving into criminals and magic which is always intriguing. It sounds like it could be a fun, fast paced read so I am excited to get my hands on it in October when it releases.

Expected release date - October 8, 2019

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo
Release Date - March 6,  2018
Publisher Website - Raincoast Books

Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages -  384 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

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?

The opening line of To Kill A Kingdom immediately sets the tone for this retelling of The Little Mermaid. It prepares the reader for a dark and vicious take on the classic tale, and presents a unique take on a story many know so well.

Alexandra Christo's writing is precise. Every word is used to advance the story or setting in some way. It is a story that could have easily been drawn out to create a series, and I respect that it was instead crafted into a much tighter stand alone. It makes for a better story and one that, I feel, showcases Alexandra's writing talent.

The settings used within the story are strikingly vivid. Each land visited is brought to life from the golden hues of Midas, to the snow covered beauty of Pagos. The descriptions make this novel read like a movie and I could easily picture not only the characters, but the world the inhabit. It's a fully realized world with a mythology that is vital to the story and it is where the writing truly shines.

Lira is the siren known as The Prince's Bane. The siren who has taken a heart for ever year she's been a live. The siren who only kills Princes. She's deadly, vicious, and the perfect weapon for the Sea Queen. It is Lira who grows the most during the journey she takes. She also is used to prove that hatred isn't something that someone is born with, it is taught. I enjoyed Lira because she's so headstrong, focused, and willing to learn and grow. She's a great character that is a stark contrast to the wide eyed Ariel.

Prince Elian is more pirate than Prince. He would rather be on the ocean than in his kingdom. He wants nothing more than the freedom to control his own destiny, and to kill the murderous siren who hunts his kind. He garners loyalty from this crew easily and has plenty of charm. He's the type of book character who steals your heart. He is more fleshed out than the Prince in this story typically is which is always welcome.

The nods to the classic tale of The Little Mermaid are small and peppered throughout. The transformation scene from siren to human is, like a lot of things in this novel, bloody and brutal. I could feel the pain radiating from the page and the agony Lira must have felt. It is a punishment in every sense, and something that stayed with me during the rest of the novel.  The Sea Witch's tentacles will immediately bring to mind Ursula from the Disney classic, but the family connection between her and Lira makes it even more heartbreaking.

The hatred between Lira and Prince Elian ensures that this is not an instalove situation. She very much wants to rip out his heart, and he would not hesitate to kill her if he knew she was the infamous Prince's Bane. It is a slow process of Lira getting to know who Prince Elian is, and seeing the good things that humans do for each other that changes her entire perspective. I makes for a deliciously torturous build up to them falling for each other. The romance, while being important, is not the sole driving force of the narrative. It allows this story to be a little richer and more interesting as a result.

Alexandra Christo has written a unique and enthralling read that will appeal to anyone who loves retellings. This one is not the Disneyfied version, nor is it the heartbreaking original. It manages to be a mixture of both and therefore something entirely its own. I eager await whatever Alexandra Christo writes next as I fully fell under the spell of this amazing debut.

2018 Most Anticipated - To Kill A Kingdom

I love retellings. I especially love when those retellings have a twist of some kind. The next book to be featured definitely fits this description. It features a mermaid who has her voice stolen and is turned into a human. A familiar sounding story, right?

This retelling, however, has more in common with the original than the Disney version. Alexandra Christo's To Kill A Kingdom offers up a delightfully dark twist to the classic tale which immediately caught my attention. It is pretty much everything I have ever wanted in a retelling of The Little Mermaid and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

The Goodreads synopsis teases a VERY different version of the little mermaid we all know and love, and a relationship with a Prince that is more antagonistic than romantic. 

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?

THAT TAGLINE THOUGH! 'A Princess must have her Prince'. I am ALL about this. I love the twist that Lira hates humans. She doesn't make the deal to become human willingly. She isn't in love with the Prince. This isn't about her changing for a guy which immediately has me on board with this retelling. The synopsis also has just the right amount of creepiness with the mention of hearts being taken.

Alexandra has graciously taken the time to do a Q and A with me that I hope will have you wanting to check out this book in 2018.

1 What gif do you think best describes To Kill A Kingdom

I think this GIF sums up Lira and Elian's relationship pretty perfectly:

2 If someone were to make a signature cocktail in honour of your book, what might be included?

Well, it is a book about pirates, so we'd have to have some rum in there! Lira would probably love to have something similar to a Bloody Mary in her honour - very spicy, with that bitter edge, and just the right shade of red.

3 There is a definite Little Mermaid vibe to the synopsis of this novel. How much did this classic tale inspire you while writing? 

The ending of the original story really resonated with me. It started as tragic, but then turned strangely uplifting. It didn't matter that the prince didn't love the mermaid, because in the end she found her own happiness outside of that. She was able to earn herself a soul. This led me to think about the idea of earning redemption and so the villainess Lira was born! I wanted to explore the idea of humanity, and if things like goodness are ingrained in you, or if you're shaped by the people around you. Lira's arc is all about figuring that out.

I also really loved the idea that mermaids could dissolve into foam - literally fade into nothingness - and so even if they were immortal, their lives could be fleeting, and it's even more important that they leave their mark on the world. After all, when they're gone there's nothing left to remember them by. This became a big driving force for Lira: to be remembered and revered and to feel like she had earned her place in her kingdom.

4 Name a song you listed to for inspiration while writing this novel

When I write, I'm one of those boring people who can't have music playing or the TV on in the background. BUT there were so many songs I'd be listening to while relaxing at home or heading to work, and the lyrics would suddenly set off a light bulb and I'd have to rush to get all my ideas down. To name a couple:

- Victory (The Silent Comedy)
- Hero (Family of the Year)

5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?

Oh, definitely to the future. I'd like to know where we're going, not where we've been. (And who doesn't want a flying car?)

6 What 2018 release are you most anticipating?

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert - a creepy fairytale book? Right up my street!

7 If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of To Kill A Kingdom?

Sure! Actually, here's the opening paragraphs:

I have a heart for every year I've been alive.

There are seventeen hidden in the sand of my bedroom. Every so often, I claw through the shingle, just to check they’re still there. Buried deep and bloody. I count each of them, so I can be sure none were stolen in the night. It’s not such an odd fear to have. Hearts are power, and if there’s one thing my kind craves more than the ocean, it’s power.

The opening paragraph has given me chills. I love how Lira has seventeen hearts in her collection from the seventeen Princes she's killed. I am predicting Lira is a bad ass and that I will love her.

To Kill A Kingdom releases March 6, 2018 but you can pre-order it right now from any retailer.

Chapters // Amazon // Barnes and Noble // BAM

You can also follow Alexandra on Twitter, and find out more about her books on the publisher website.

What are some of your favourite books, television shows, or movies that feature mermaids? Do books that feature mermaids automatically become a must read for you like they do me? Let me know in the comments.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to find out the next book on my 2018 Most Anticipated List!