Review: To Kill a Kingdom

To Kill a Kingdom
by Alexandra Christo
Kindle Edition, 346 pages
Published March 6th 2018 
by Feiwel & Friends
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

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?

A delicious twist to the popular The Little Mermaid fairy-tale. I love that both of the protagonists are very strong - willed and have opposing views in the beginning. Lira; the siren is such a kick-ass heroine which makes her in an equal footing to Prince Elian. And as fate would have it their slow burn romance is simply satisfying to read and provided a much needed break from the piles of instant love in other YA fantasies. 

And the best thing about this..is it's a stand alone. No filler chapters that bore you to tears just because the publisher wanted it to be part of a series.Seriously one of the best YA fantasy I've had the pleasure to read in 2018! 

Can't Wait Wednesday #90

Can't Wait Wednesday is a wonderful meme hosted by Wishful Endings based on Waiting on Wednesday created by Jill from Breaking the Spine where we highlighted an upcoming release that we're eagerly anticipating. 

We Hunt the Flame
by Hafsah Faizal
Expected publication: May 14th 2019 
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

Zafira is the Hunter, disguising herself as a man when she braves the cursed forest of the Arz to feed her people. Nasir is the Prince of Death, assassinating those foolish enough to defy his autocratic father, the king. If Zafira was exposed as a girl, all of her achievements would be rejected; if Nasir displayed his compassion, his father would punish him in the most brutal of ways. 

Both are legends in the kingdom of Arawiya—but neither wants to be.

War is brewing, and the Arz sweeps closer with each passing day, engulfing the land in shadow. When Zafira embarks on a quest to uncover a lost artifact that can restore magic to her suffering world and stop the Arz, Nasir is sent by the king on a similar mission: retrieve the artifact and kill the Hunter. But an ancient evil stirs as their journey unfolds—and the prize they seek may pose a threat greater than either can imagine.
Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, We Hunt the Flame is a gripping debut of discovery, conquering fear, and taking identity into your own hands. 

Wow..that blurb sounds so amazing! I hardly ever read a YA set in a middle east setting so I'm really looking forward to this. Besides, it's about time that we have more diverse characters in YA. 

Review: Opposite of Always

Opposite of Always 
by Justin A. Reynolds 
ebook, 464 pages
March 5th 2019 
by Katherine Tegen Books
ARC from Edelweiss
Goodreads | Amazon| B & N | TBD

Jack Ellison King. King of Almost.

He almost made valedictorian.

He almost made varsity.

He almost got the girl . . . 

When Jack and Kate meet at a party, bonding until sunrise over their mutual love of Froot Loops and their favorite flicks, Jack knows he’s falling—hard. Soon she’s meeting his best friends, Jillian and Franny, and Kate wins them over as easily as she did Jack. Jack’s curse of almost is finally over.

But this love story is . . . complicated. It is an almost happily ever after. Because Kate dies. And their story should end there. Yet Kate’s death sends Jack back to the beginning, the moment they first meet, and Kate’s there again. Beautiful, radiant Kate. Healthy, happy, and charming as ever. Jack isn’t sure if he’s losing his mind. Still, if he has a chance to prevent Kate’s death, he’ll take it. Even if that means believing in time travel. However, Jack will learn that his actions are not without consequences. And when one choice turns deadly for someone else close to him, he has to figure out what he’s willing to do—and let go—to save the people he loves. 

I haven't read a good YA contemporary for a while now so I was pleasantly surprised with this funny, sometimes a bit tragic romance. I love the fast-paced witty conversations between the main characters and how natural it seemed. Love the friendship between Jack, Franny and Jillian and just the overall journey of the book. Although the plot line of relieving the same time over and over again is nothing new, I just love how the author was able to spin this one with a few unique twists and turns. Love it to bits! But that ending is too vague for me. I was hoping for some closure for Jack and Kate. But all the time loops just get me super confused about what the ending is.