To Kill a Kingdom - Alexandra Christo

When Elian saves Lira from drowning after her mother turns her human and steals her siren's song, he has no idea this is the same girl who almost killed him. Still he doesn't know if he can trust her though they may need to work together to find what they are both looking for.

Lira and Elian are both great characters with as many similarities as they have differences. Both are reluctant royal heirs to their kingdom's throne and both feel like they cannot live up to their parents' expectations. But while Elian has made it his life's mission to rid his world of the threat of the Sirens, Lira spends her life killing princes and stealing their hearts, earning the title Prince's Bane.

To say this is just a Little Mermaid retelling is to sell it short. Though it has a surface similarity in that a mermaid (or siren in this case) loses her song, it is far more than that. There are many more levels to this story and plenty more adventures going on.

I absolutely loved the magical world of Lira and Elian. I found it delightful realising that the Siren language Psariin is actually Greek and many of the place names have hidden meanings. It is full of intriguing Kingdoms with Greek connections. Elian's home land, Midas, where everything is golden. Pagos is the land of ice and snow, while the sirens live in the Diavolos sea.

I have named my cocktail the Prince's Bane. It brings together the Greek theme with ouzo for the liquorice aroma Elian has and the green/blue colour of the sea.

Shake up 1 shot of ouzo, 3/4 shot lemon juice, 1/2 shot each of blue curacao and apple Sourz and a dash of sugar syrup with lots of ice. Strain into a glass and stir in a little blue shimmer to make it even prettier. Garnish with a star anise floating on the top like a little boat on the sea.