Burn the Kingdom Down

by Addie Thorley

An action-packed enemies-to-lovers romantasy filled with a romance that will leave you breathless, betrayals that will rip your heart out, and a princess who will stop at nothing for revenge.

One year ago, Rowenna Harrack, the crown princess of Tashir, left her homeland in a wedding dress of chains—sent away to the enemy nation of Vanzador as a captive bride.

Now, Rowenna is dead. Brought home in a coffin after an alleged fall from a cliff.

Second-born princess, Indira, knows her sister's death was no accident. Desperate for truth and vengeance, Indira agrees to wed the prince so she can infiltrate Vanzador, find Rowenna's murderer, and burn their kingdom to the ground.

Indira's plan is simple, she will make nice until she can find out how to avenge her sister and free her country from the rival nation's stranglehold. But when Indira arrives, nothing is as terrible as Rowenna described. As Indira grows closer to her new husband, Prince Alaric, and uncovers more about Vanzador, the source of its powers, and what happened during Rowenna's final days, she's no longer sure what—and who—to believe. Because everyone, even her sister, has secrets. Deadly ones.




"Sharp as a dagger and just as deadly, Indira's daring quest for revenge and her romance forged in fury will keep you guessing and gasping until the breathless end." –Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2026

About the author

Addie Thorley is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Burn The Kingdom Down. Her other books include the Night Spinner Duology (Night Spinner and Sky Breaker) as well as An Affair of Poisons, which was a Barnes and Noble discover great new writers selection and a YALSA best fiction for Young Adults nominee.

When not writing, Addie can be found walking her wolfdog or crocheting tiny plushies. She lives in San Diego with her family.

You can find her online at www.addiethorley.com or on Twitter @addiethorley.

Reviews

[Sarah (stuck in a slump)]

˖᯽ ݁˖ DNF @ 53%

I tried. I really did. I was even skimming chapters so I could try to finish it, but I was bored, and I didn’t care to know what was going to happen. I didn’t even want to see Indira and Prince Alaric fall in love. At first, the story was really interesting. The magic system was cool and easy to understand (which is a plus for me), and I was invested in the mystery of what happened to Indira’s sister, Rowenna. But Indira was asking for trouble, I swear. She was accusing everyone and their grandma of killing her sister when she could have been sly and tried to earn her enemies’ trust so she could find out what actually happened and bring Vanzador down. But noooo–she just had to do things the hard way.

Also, what I found kind of annoying was the inner conversations she was supposedly having with Rowenna. They were repetitive and, I feel, unnecessary because we knew from the get-go how Ro felt about Vanzador and how politically motivated she was, so whatever Indira learned about her sister’s new life could be something both the reader and Indira could digest and draw conclusions as the story progressed and more information was revealed. The conversations were like spoilers about Ro’s true character, which made the plot and the ending (I did jump to the end to see how everything panned out) predictable and unsatisfying.

But it wasn’t a bad book. I didn’t stop reading this because of any hatred for the characters or the story. I just didn’t think it was worth finishing. But this is just my opinion, and I’m critical to a fault, so I definitely recommend reading other reviews for this book. 🖤

٠࣪⭑ Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. ٠࣪⭑

[✶meow for heals✶ · Rating 1 out of 5]

19 Jun. '26

I love reading Gen Z lingo in a secondary-world fantasy novel. LOVE. IT. SO MUCH.

Respectfully, this was the worst book I've read in a long time, and I don't understand HOW because the first three or so chapters were absolutely fine! In fact, the setup was great, character introductions were strong and impactful ... and then it's like the author was suddenly replaced by an alien doppelganger from there on out.

⓵ The plot and narrative arc did not work for me. I'm not fussed if a story lacks originality. Everything in the world of literature has been done to the moon and back. Even with recycled tropes and ideas, their execution can still be immersive, powerful ... even surprising. Unfortunately in the case of Burn the Kingdom Down, everything was so lacklustre and generic that I predicted the main twist before I even hit 50% of the book, and the fact that our FMC, Indira, never once even considered it was so irritating.

The problem is the author's foreshadowing has no subtlety and always immediately flags as a clue. This is because the world-building and story development lacked depth.
There was no exploration of the world and themes around it. We never received any random bits of tidbit to develop the characters OR world beyond the immediate scope of the plot, and hence the very few times we DO learn a random tidbit about ANYTHING, it immediately flags as this is not random at all, this information was purposely designed by the author to be inserted—which the author never does unless it's related to the main plot—hence it must be a clue to something.

Predictability of the plot was one thing, but let's talk about the plot itself. This is how I understood things:

➺ The kingdom of Tashir grows bagavra, a plant that they need in order to grow other crops—i.e., it acts as a fertiliser to stimulate their otherwise infertile soil. At least, I think that's what they need it for.

➺ The kingdom of Vanzador needs bagavra in order to enhance their earth-bending abilities. But they need a shit ton of bagavra, and they cannot produce/grow it themselves.

➺ Both kingdoms enter a treaty, as Vanzador needs bagavra, and Tashir needs Vanzador's earth-bending ability to create a mountain wall to protect them from the raids of a third nation we never ever see once on the page.
Of course, the treaty also comes with Tashir being required to send Vanzador a princess as a bride. Vanzador needs their bagavra so Tashir could've just said "fuck you, we're already sustaining your survivability at the expense of ours" but whatever. They agreed to the bride addendum for the sole reason that the author needs the forced marriage trope in order to get the story underway.

So already we're starting on a flimsy pillar but fine, I can still buy it up to this point. Sadly the flimsiness stacks up as the plot progression comes along with a litany of inconsistencies that could've been prevented with something as basic as proper world development and exploration.
When Rowenna, Indira's older sister, is returned to them dead, Indira is brought to Vanzador as Alaric's new bride, with her default assumption being that either Alaric (the heir and her new husband) or Soren (the king and Alaric's father) had actually killed her sister.

☒ The investigation that takes place and shapes the main arc of the story revolves around Indira trying to figure out what really happened.
Frustratingly, Indira's investigation itself is the most low-IQ thing I've ever witnessed, it makes the US police department seem 10000% more competent by comparison.

Yes, Indira's "tactic" is to literally question every single person for clues on what her sister was up to and what happened to her. She is not even subtle with her questions, making it blatantly clear what she's doing. She's not even subtle to other people around her about what she's doing. The whole palace knows what she's doing.
Our FMC doesn't survive this book because she's clever or resourceful and managed to outsmart the villain. The only reason the real killer didn't immediately kill her is because the "real killer" doesn't exist.

Even the main climactic event takes place due to Indira's sheer stupidity. Once again she is manipulated and lied to, and instead of taking literally five seconds to clear things up (very easily done with no risk, by the way), she just decides to stab someone.

Similarly, its resolution ALSO isn't achieved through Indira's active investigations or problem-solving. It happens because the main villain literally steps out and infodumps everything to us all.

So when later this scene happens:

───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
Alaric reaches for me and gently tilts my chin up. "Hey, what's going on in that brilliant head of yours?"
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────

This is prime example of dissonance between what the author thinks she has portrayed -vs- what actually is portrayed. Your FMC is a moron. Having the MMC tell us she is "brilliant" only makes HIM a moron by extension.

Now with the main arc out of the way, I want to get granular and complain about the individual pillars that held this story up in the first place.

☒ The consumption and uses of bagavra is the smallest yet most fundamental thing in this world, and yet the more we learn about it, the more plot holes begin to form. We learned from early on that bagavra can't be consumed because it causes madness/insanity. Tashir has even experimented on this, and those few caught experimenting are ... punished (put to death? banished? imprisoned? not sure).
However, we later also learn that bagavra is widely consumed in Vanzador, in fact it even acts a medicine of some kind, and the only thing they needed to do in order to avoid insanity was ... consume it in small doses!! 😭😭😭😭😭 As a tea, even!! 😭😭😭
So you're telling me, THE only kingdom that CAN produce bagavra, who has BEEN producing bagavra for as old as time ... who's on the brink of STARVATION mind you and main crop of production IS bagavra ... never bothered to try consuming it IN SMALL DOSES?!?!?!?!?!?

THIS COULD'VE SOLVED YOUR STARVATION ISSUE SO MUCH EARLIER AND YOU DIDN'T DO THAT BARE MINIMUM BECAUSE THE FRUIT STANK?!?!?!?!??!

Ever heard of durian, bitter beans, dogfruit, etc. etc. etc.... real-world stinky as fuck fruits/beans that people have historically found ways to consume in order to........avoid starvation???

Another fundamental pillar of the plot is, of course, the individual abilities and "magic system"—though, calling it a "system" is extremely generous. But forget Indira's plant-growing power or Alaric's earth-bending for a second.

☒ The memory projection is what really got to me. Later on, we learn that it is possible to insert memories into objects and later view them. Like, as a cinematic projection. I shit you not.
First of all, the way that the MMC, Alaric, even learned of this was SO RANDOM AND LACKLUSTRE that this entire ability pulls off as a lazy plot device and deus ex machina.
He just happened to see a woman doing this, and then blackmails her into teaching him how to do it as well. That's it. Who the woman is? How did she know about this ability? How/why she's keeping it secret? What happened to her and where she is now? How is it that NO ONE ELSE knows about this veeery important ability which apparently anyone can learn, by the way? No idea.

The problem is, this ability is one of the main plot devices upon which the climax hinges, as well as the events that lead up to it. You do not have the luxury to be lazy when you're dealing with such a crucial plot device! And speaking of which,

☒ The final culmination of events and climax can only be described as limp and underwhelming. The king's death happened in all but a few paragraphs, and can I also say that having characters fall to the death with a ground-crumbling-beneath-their-feet moment is like, so boring after the FIRST time you introduced someone perishing in this manner?
The fact that we see AT LEAST FOUR SCENES of people falling off a cliff-face is not just unoriginal at this point, it's overdone and all the drama and impact has been squeezed and sucked dry to its last drop, ok. Find another masturbatory scene.

Not to mention that the whole conflict of this story is a big bunch of nothing burgers. The whole magic system is so haphazard that once you learn what's really going on, your only reaction is "Sure, why not. I guess so."

I mean, the earth-bending abilities come from these three rocks that are stitched into your skin. Except it only works for people of the king's bloodline. Plus the original king who discovered this ability ... didn't have these rocks stitched into his skin, and apparently he was still able to earth-bend his enemies to death, sooo ...🤷🏻‍♀️
The only point of these rocks is so that the author has yet another plot device for the main characters to be chasing after, because otherwise it won't make sense for them to try to take the earth-bending abilities for themselves. "Sure, why not. I guess so."

Doesn't stop there. In order to use these earth-bending abilities, however, the earth needs a tribute, and that is in the form of memories. Huh? What? Why? Memories, of all things? Sure, whatever. If you say so.
So of course the Vanzadorians are obligated to feed their memories—through a prayer ritual kind of thing—into the ground. But the king needs more and more memories (why? Beats me, but sure, whatever. I guess so) and as a result, people are giving more and more away and this leads to some kind of sickness thing that puts them into a catatonic state (sure, I guess so) that can only be treated by bagavra (sure, I guess so) hence the treaty.

☒ You can tell a story is poorly developed when its world and characters don't act out of any kind of internal logic or consistency, but out of what the author needs for the story to work.
For whatever reason, instead of the NORMAL diplomatic approach, Vanzador just has to be all antagonistic and cruel and force their way into a trade deal. Y'all could've worked something out much better without acting like villains. There was LITERALLY NO REASON for them to be dumping Rowenna's dead body and being so callous and insensitive about it?! And demanding for feasts, acting like literal brats, and then the very second they leave Tashir, they're just acting like ... normal people.
Like, what is this performance????? It doesn't further their goal in any way whatsoever. The only reason they needed to act like villains to the Tashirian kingdom is because the author needed to create an enemies-to-lovers trope somehow and make them look suspicious as fuck, because she can't think of any better way to create tension.

The trope itself is so poorly executed, our FMC goes from despising and suspecting the MMC one day, and the literal next, she's pining for him.

Someone almost tried to sexually assault her. Why the fuck is she pining for the MMC, whom has NEVER shown her any kind of care or compassion before? Whom she SUSPECTS MURDERED HER SISTER?!

This is literally the last scene she had with the MMC before she was suddenly pining for him:

───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
"Unhand me," he snaps.
I squeeze tighter. "Maybe you didn't physically carve those words or shove Ro off the cliff, but it's obvious you had something to do with it. An innocent person is dead because of you. Doesn't that bother you?"
Alaric reels back as if I slapped him. "You know nothing about the blood on my hands or how it haunts me."
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────

And then she's hoping to see him after someone attempts to assault her 🙄 fuck off.

Oh, did you think I was done?

⓶ The prose and writing style was not much better. The quote I screenshotted at the beginning of this review is just the creeeeam on top of this whole entire hot mess. In fact, I completely spiralled reading this due to the prose alone.

☒ Your psychobabble does not belong in a secondary-world fantasy story, okay? It's not just a matter of terms such as "paranoid" and "jaded" and "panic" (the far more forgivable terms I found in this book, by the way).
But Burn the Kingdom Down is in fact so advanced into the realm of interpersonal and social psychology that the characters are familiar with constructs and tactics such as "toxic" and "manipulative" and "coping mechanisms" in a way most people in our own world wouldn't have even understood before the 21st century:

───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
"She spared me from attending council meetings (...). And steered me away from toxic friendships (...). She even helped me make the best alliances among Father's councilors (...)."
"The way you describe Rowenna..." Delphine bites her lip (...) "She sounds a bit manipulative."
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
I can admit that's all her voice ever was now—a coping mechanism. A crutch.
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────

And if you are going to do this—if you create a society that is even aware of more advanced forensics of psychology such as "grooming":

───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
"You were allowed to have other friends," I argue. "But you groomed me to be completely dependent on you."
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────

then I expect your society to, indeed, be advanced in every other lower level of Maslow's pyramid as well.

Instead, while we see our FMC waxing on about "grooming" and "trauma" and "codependence", and even her pet MAID recognises symptoms of "manipulative" behaviour, at the same time, they aren't even familiar with the most fundamental term of "depression":

───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────
"She missed several days of her apprenticeship, then stopped going altogether, often remaining in bed until late afternoon, staring at the wall."
"Sounds to me like melancholia," I say (...).
───────── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ─────────

and they "treat" it with sunshine and herbal teas. That is not an exaggeration.

Sooo, you know all about "grooming" and "coping mechanisms" and "manipulative" behaviour and "toxic relationships" ...... but you don't know even HAVE THE BASIC CONCEPT OF THERAPY???

NONE OF YOUR ABOVE PSYCHOBABBLE WOULD HAVE EVER EXISTED WITHOUT FIRST THE PRACTICE OF AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS THAT STEM FROM THERAPY, BY THE FUCKING WAY.

Yes, I am slowly devolving back into madness. Same "secondary-world fantasy" that has "St. John's worts" and "sirens", by the way. I guess St. John the Baptist and hence also Jesus existed in this world. Fuck me.

[Gali · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Burn the Kingdom Down” by Addie Thorley is a gripping enemies-to-lovers YA romantasy filled with political intrigue, mystery, and secrets - one I devoured in a couple of sittings. The writing pulls you straight into the story, with engaging characters and satisfying plot twists. This is very much an action-driven book, with the romance slowly building and woven into the plot.

The book follows second-born Princess Indira of Tashir, a nation of planters. She is a master gardener with the rare ability to grow bagrava, a highly sought-after plant coveted by their enemies for its power to improve farming conditions and induce euphoria, among other things.

Vanzador, a rival nation, promises protection in exchange for a bagrava tithe. The Vanzadorian king has the power to literally move the earth itself - but the price is high, as we discover later on. Over the years, their demands increase, placing a chokehold on the already struggling Tashiri. Crown Princess Rowenna Harrack is taken as a captive bride to marry Prince Alaric, an additional incentive to ensure Tashir’s obedience.

A year later, Rowenna returns home in a casket, and Vanzador’s king, Soren, demands her sister Indira as a replacement. Indira agrees to the marriage so she can uncover what happened to her sister, avenge her death, and burn their kingdom down. Yet when she arrives in Vanzador, things are nothing like the stories Rowenna described in her letters, and Indira finds herself torn between her old home and the new life she is expected to lead.

Thus begins an exciting adventure chock-full of magic, political and sexual tension, slow-burn romance, love, and twists. With themes of grief, manipulation, sisterhood, friendship, betrayal, trust, revenge, and moral conflict, the author weaves a story I truly enjoyed. I especially liked the message of hope - that just as plants can be propagated and replanted, there is always a chance to start over and try again. The author also explores how far we are willing to go for our loved ones, and the difficulty of letting go.

I loved the emotional dynamics between the characters, especially the bonding and emotional connection between the sisters, as well as the vivid world-building, the plant-based magic, the memory tithing, and the prose. Indira isn’t perfect: she’s fearful for her safety yet impulsive, strong yet riddled with self-doubt, capable in some ways and weak in others - and that’s what makes her human.

Indira's inner monologues with her deceased sister beautifully reveal her doubts and emotional growth, and I was glad to see her find her voice. I enjoyed Indira’s growth and the gradual build-up of her relationships, especially with the prince. Alaric is complex as well, full of past trauma and demons of his own, and I loved watching him slowly open up.

The last third dragged a bit and could have been tightened. An epilogue wouldn’t have gone amiss either, so I’m deducting a star. Still, this is a well-plotted, well-written, and fast-paced novel that stands well on its own. I loved this book - just in case that wasn’t clear - and highly recommend it to fans of slow-burn romantasy with political and sexual tension, true enemies-to-lovers dynamics, clean romance, and lifelike characters in a setting that leaps off the page.

* Triggers: attempted sexual assault, forced marriage, death.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2025...

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really do love fantasy, but romantasy feels like an entirely different breed. Some work for me and other's don't. This one unfortunately fell into the 'don't' category. Meh would be the way to sum up my feelings. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't something I was invested in. I think the mystery aspect was what kept me intrigued and reading. My biggest issue was our FMC, Indira. Romantasy often relies on the same annoying formula and somehow Indira was both weak and pathetic and strong and badass. Not even the fun kind, just annoying. I couldn't care enough from the start to feel like her anger was earned and it came across as bratty more than anything else. She felt one dimensional but it wasn't just her, it was like that for every character.

I will give credit that the mystery and the worldbuilding was well done with great writing. I just couldn't find myself engaged with the story or the romance.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and netgalley for the arc.

[Noi (in & out)]

I'm so ready

[minnie. [traveling hiatus!] · Rating 3 out of 5]

── .✦ 3 stars!
𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 .ᐟ review #17

burn the kingdom down was a pretty good book, but it didn't really stand out to me. it's a slow, drawn out court mystery, which i actually really enjoyed, and i also found the magic system to be quite fascinating. there is memory harvesting magic, and the earth magic is split into rock and plant, both types worshipping mother earth and communicating with her through song. the magic system was my favorite part of this novel because of how unique and interesting it was. the mystery elements was woven beautifully with the court intrigue and politics, and it was fun to read. the plot twists and betrayals felt a bit predictable, and the book was quite slow in the middle. no one's motives were straight forward at all, and i love morally gray characters, but for some reason i didn't love the romance. the enemies to lovers and slow burn was written well, but at certain points the characters really annoyed me. it was fun to read and the book definitely had many plot twists and two faced characters, but it wasn't anything special. thank you so much to netgalley, addie thorley, and sourcebooks fire for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion and review!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a romantasy and a murder mystery all wrapped up in one. Indira is positive her sister, who was forced into a political marriage just a year prior just to return in a coffin, was murdered. The best way to prove it and find the murderer? Marry her sister's widower and return to his kingdom with him to solve the crime (which they say never happened). Not really the way I would go about it, but it's fiction.

I loved this book so much and would read any sequels put out by the author. Really hope there are more. It isn't necessarily set up for one, but at the same time, I am sure the author could manage. Even if it's same world, different people. Not like every single problem the kingdom had magically disappeared overnight. That would be nice. If the only solution was electing people in love, and that healed all the problems in the world.
Hmmm. Although, maybe. What are the chances most of the politicians we have in office are actually in love with their spouses?

Anyway . . .

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the free Kindle book. My review is voluntarily given, and my opinions are my own.

[Fátima Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantasy that holds all the answers within itself

3.5⭐

A YA fantasy with a very unique world and magic system, unlike what's common in the current market. Before anything else, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I think it's important to point out how the magic, the universe, and the politics are the strongest points of the narrative, and the reasons why I was so eager to continue reading. The magic is somewhat linked to the land, even to agriculture. Indira has a magical power, a gift that everyone wants, and this makes her a valuable character and intensifies the political squabbles of the kingdoms. In a way, the magic is also linked to memories, and it's disconcerting to see how we can never be sure of anything because memories can be altered and sacrificed (I won't give any more spoilers, I promise). I found all of this very ingenious.

The world-building had enormous potential, to the point that I could clearly see this book as one of the best of 2026, but many unique and interesting things are only mentioned, when they could have been better developed and could have been the main factor in immersing us in the story.

The mystery is very engaging, and even though I guessed the final plot twist around 40% of the way through the book, I was still interested enough to get to the end. I even think some things took too long to happen and almost lost their timing. I also wanted to point out how inconsistent the pacing is in the book; sometimes too fast, sometimes so slow that it almost makes you lose interest.

I had the sad impression that Indira had suspicions but wasn't concerned enough with finding answers. From the beginning, many characters were very suspicious, even her family members (especially her sister), but it always seemed like she didn't want to know the truth. At the beginning, she mentions several times how she considers her father a coward, who uses a mask of calmness to prevent others from seeing how he truly lacks the courage to do anything, and she even compares herself to him at the start, but the impression I get is that she never stops being exactly like that.

And despite understanding Indira's grief and all her actions and reactions at the beginning of the book, the more she evolved, the more it seemed that she simply didn't want to evolve and used that as an excuse. As an anchor, actually. She makes many mistakes, and rarely learns anything from them. I didn't feel a very significant evolution. The beginning of the romance also seemed forced, almost as if it were calculated to be started at that percentage of the book to ensure it was categorized as romantasy. In fact, I don't consider it a romantasy, because the relationship unfortunately doesn't have that much strength in the plot, but I would say it's a fantasy with a romance subplot (especially since what captivated me most in the book was really the magic and the mystery).

Clearly, the book's main focus was on the characters, the court, everything involving royalty, and it was quite sad to realize, halfway through the book, that I wasn't inclined to like any of the characters. Some actions and dialogue bothered me quite a bit, and more than that, the personalities weren't a strong point, which was a shame, considering the universe seemed so brilliant. I think I expected more action than dialogue from them, and more ways to connect with at least one character. Maybe the problem is me.

In the end, I think the book had enormous potential that wasn't fully realized, but I recommend it to everyone who enjoys fantasy with more personal development and mystery. I enjoyed reading it and I believe many readers will feel the same. And I intend to read another fantasy book by the author in the future.

Full review: https://youtu.be/FzsqSyWU558
Review: https://youtu.be/q-FuH9kz70I?si=yLkxm...

[Dozelina 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book and it took me a while to put my thoughts in order and write this review.

On one hand, the potential is definitely there. This could have easily been a 5 star (or more) read. The premise is strong, revenge driven princess, political marriage, enemies to lovers, uncovering secrets… it sounds amazing.

Buuuut... something just didn’t fully pull me in.

At the beginning, Indira felt like a strong and determined character. Her motivation to uncover what really happened to her sister and get revenge made sense. But as the story progressed, I found myself getting more and more frustrated with her.

She spends a lot of time suspecting everyone, constantly jumping to conclusions, pointing fingers, then changing her mind again. It started to feel repetitive, and I didn’t feel like she was really learning anything from her mistakes.

What also didn’t fully work for me was how much her inner thoughts revolved around her sister. I understand the grief and the fact that she lived in her shadow, but at some point I wanted to see Indira step into her own identity more and that only really happens very,veeeery late in the story.

The romance was… there. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t feel strongly about it either. Alaric is supposed to be this strong broody prince, but instead he felt a bit flat at times.

One thing I did find really interesting was the memory aspect and how memories were used and how they managed to manipulate them. I was also invested in Indira's powers and how she can grow plants and other plant related things. These parts stood out and added something unique to the story.

Overall, I didn’t dislike this book, but I also didn’t feel fully invested in it. It was a very easy read and had great ideas, but I guess, we didn't vibe too well.

⭐ 3.5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the ARC.

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this one, the premise is exactly my kind of romantasy: a political marriage to an enemy prince, a heroine seeking answers about her sister’s death, and a court full of secrets. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully live up to how strong the setup was.

The book leans much more into internal conflict and palace conversations than plot progression. For long stretches, it feels like Indira is circling the same suspicions without uncovering much new information, which made the middle drag. The mystery itself is interesting, but the reveals come late and then resolve very quickly, so the pacing ends up feeling uneven and slow for most of the book and rushed at the end.

Indira as a main character was a mixed experience for me. Her grief and anger are understandable, but her decision-making often felt repetitive and occasionally frustrating because she jumps to conclusions and rarely learns from earlier mistakes. Instead of character growth, it sometimes felt like she was reacting rather than developing.

The romance is definitely slow burn, but almost too slow. There’s tension, but not a lot of emotional depth to balance the mistrust, so I never fully bought into the relationship by the time the story wanted me to. I also wished the worldbuilding and magic were explored more the ideas are there, they just stay pretty surface-level.

Overall, this isn’t a bad book, it has a solid concept and some strong moments of political intrigue, but it didn’t quite deliver on the emotional payoff or momentum I was hoping for. I also had an inkling of what the ending of this story would bring. I just didn't trust some of what we were being told/shown throughout the story. I’d still recommend it to readers who prefer character-focused court drama over action-heavy fantasy, but it didn’t end up being a standout for me.

Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read this one early!

[Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg this is one of those books that will have you staring at the wall when you finish! So unbelievably good! If you're a fan of Hurricane Wars or Bridge kingdom you absolutely have to add this to your tbr.
It's a slow burn, enemies to lovers with a murder mystery and some twists that turn as sharp as blade! Thank you Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this arc!

[InMyNestaEra89 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been quite a while since a book made me say "WAIT - WHAT??" THAT MANY TIMES, and all in the last 10% of the book! I loved this book so much. It kept me hooked with the prospect of the FMCs revenge arc, and the author did an amazing job of keeping you guessing til the end as to who was genuine, who was lying, and who could actually be trusted. I can genuinely say I did NOT see that ending coming!

I also loved how the story slowly became more about Indira learning how to be her own person and realizing how much she let her sister dictate her life. Her character growth was beautiful and I ADORED seeing her become her own version of a strong, powerful woman.

[Chasing Silhouettes · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Go with them to Vanzador and find their weaknesses. Punish my murderers and burn their kingdom down.' (Ch 6)

YA Fantasy | Mysery | Enemies-to-Lovers | Betrayals | Revenge Quest | Political Intrigue

When Indira got to Vanzador, it was as if she'd entered an unseelie court — curious and curiouser. My thoughts, as I read along, was perhaps Vandazor was under a spell, an enchantment, or an illusion. The way the people acted and the atmosphere just screamed that something was very wrong.

First impressions of Indira were that she came off as a little judgmental and accusatory, hostile even. She made assumption after assumption, but nothing was as she had been led to believe. If I were in her shoes, I'd be dizzy, confused, lost, and a bit crazy. And perhaps she was a touch unhinged — her sister's death and supposed murder mystery taking her to that manic edge.

'I’m just a brokenhearted girl, talking to a ghost.' (Ch 14)

It didn't help that everyone and everything was a bit strange and bizzare in Vandazor.

'I need time to unpick all of these tangled threads. Every time I think I’ve found the end of one problem, it loops back around, and I’m ensnared in another.' (Ch 14)

Aside from all that, their magic abilities were fascinating, loved the positivity that could be evoked from them. Though, it did seem that it was rather concentrated on the main characters and rare instead of something that might exist outside of those specific few.

Really love fantasies that cross-genre with suspense and mystery! Plus, there were moments of wry humor and comical acts that gave me a little chuckle here and there.

' “What about any of this could possibly be funny?”
“Unlace your breeches and I’ll show you,” I whisper, laughing even harder when his cheeks flush a mortifying shade of pink.' (Ch 7)

As for being a romantasy, there was barely a hint of attraction, let alone potential romance, for the good majority of the first half. The slow burn started sparking a bit just past the halfway mark, but when it happened, the slow changes in them kind of made me smile. Still more of a fantasy mystery than a romantasy, though.

“When you’re the smallest, weakest plant in a gardening bed, you have to grow twice as fast— and branch out in unexpected ways— to capture enough sunlight to thrive...." (Ch 39)

Then came the unexpected Earth-shattering twists! 🤯

eARC courtesy of NetGalley | Sourcebooks Fire / Sourcebooks

[Cosper · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is very much an obvious first book. Absolutely no hate is meant by this review. I’m not sure if it was just the book I received or what, but there were very many grammatical errors and repeated sentences. I can excuse one or two but the errors were consistent.

I think if the author waited a bit longer to publish and was more precise in her editing the book would have been way better.

That being said, I think it has potential. The world building and power system is very interesting. And the character development was good.

All in all though, it needs some work.

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!

Burn the Kingdom Down is an incredibly addictive enemies to lovers YA romantasy featuring the most delicious slowburn romance and a strong FMC you can't help rooting for.

It honestly completely pulled me in from the very first page! The premise alone is so good (a princess infiltrating the enemy kingdom, hoping to BURN IT DOWN), but it's the execution that really made this shine. Beautiful writing, high emotional stakes, betrayal, grief, anger, and unwavering love between sisters.

At its core, this is a revenge story, but it's also so much more than that. I was fully invested in Indira's journey into the enemy kingdom to uncover the truth about her sister's death and loved following her character development through the story.
She goes from being rather narrow-minded to questioning everything she knew about her sister and the enemy kingdom, and I loved seeing her slowly starting to let people in, after only ever trusting her sister. Slowly realising that the way she was planning to go about things might not have been perfect and that there might be a more peaceful way.

The slowburn between her and the arrogant Prince Alaric, who isn't as cold as he pretends to be, was EVERYTHING. The tension, the mistrust, the way it builds gradually… I was giggling, kicking my feet, and guilty of being fully emotionally compromised.

And then the twists??? I genuinely didn't see them coming, and that's saying something from someone who easily guesses most twists in books. The worldbuilding itself was intricate with slight dystopian vibes and the way magic worked unique and unlike other fantasy books I've read.

My only criticism is that the pacing was dragging a little in the middle, but honestly, it didn't take away from how much I loved the book overall!

So if you love YA fantasy filled with political intrigue, slowburn enemies to lovers romance and stories driven by grief and revenge, then absolutely pick this one up!!

[Vanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

IVE NEVER READ ABOUT CHARACTERS THAT TALK THIS MUCH

i swear none of the other evil monologues can hold a candle to how much these people yap especially in time critical situations it was pissing me off

other than that i enjoyed it a lot i loved how she actually hated him not that bullshit so many authors pull where the fmc “hates” the mmc but cant help folding at the sight of him

also the last 10% was a bit messy and its annoying cause i feel like it couldve been fixed with some minor edits

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A promising synopsis but unfortunately the story lost me. I found the slow burn aspect of everything to drag on, the romance, the mystery, and then everything revealed and wrapped up too quickly to make the payoff worth it. The middle portion of the book is where I struggled the most. Overall, perhaps a better read for someone else.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc

[Lex ✿ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐

This was a fun YA romantasy and murder mystery all wrapped in one. From the very first chapter, I felt like I was immediately hooked and wanted to know what exactly was going to happen next. The touch of sisterhood was a great addition to, I loved that the FMC was so invested to find out what happened to her sister & I really felt her anger and grief coming right off of the pages for Rowenna. The enemies-to-lovers trope will always get me and this story was no different! The tensity in dynamic with the MMC was so much fun, especially because Idira has no choice but to wed her late sister's widower. I mean, that just sounded so interesting! As their chemistry began to grow after spending time with one another, I couldn't help but really love them.

The concept of this book was absolutely solid and truly such a fun time, especially for those who love a murder mystery and romantasy. It perfectly combined the two genres to make an intriguing premise and was all laid out perfectly. Even with the slow burn, I feel like the pacing was just right.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

[Dede · Rating 5 out of 5]

I throughly enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. I loved the storyline and the characters. I normally don't read Fantasy, but I did enjoy the book. I would definitely recommend this book. I liked how she figured out to find who killed her sister and saved her kingdom!

[Kayla Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 I enjoyed this book and its world of fantasy and magic without being entirely too complicated. However, there were a lot of noticeable publication errors which distracted me a bit from the story. Hopefully that is fixed. Definitely a refreshing read!

[Claire Statler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so lucky to get to read this before it was released. this was genuinely a really great slow burn enimies to lovers as promised. none of the romance was cringe or spicy, it was completely clean YA also as promised. and it had those good plot twists that were foreshadowed since the beginning but subtly enough that you still never saw it coming.

[B]

DNFd at chapter two. The MC was so fucking whiny.

[Davin English · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for this ARC! This book was very unique in the magic system. I like how the powers were rare and all were somehow tied to the Earth. The bagrava was interesting in itself, the way it affected people in different ways.

I think my favorite part was the memories. It was hard to predict everything that would happen when the memories could be manipulated or sacrificed, so the twists were always a surprise. The fact that they could store the memories in different objects was neat. That was a fun way to get the flashbacks instead of the flashbacks popping out of nowhere like in other books.

I’m giving this 3 stars because of Indira’s character and the romance. I understand why Indira was the way she was, Rowenna gaslighted her their entire lives. However, even when everyone pointed out exactly how Rowenna was and gave proof, Indira never wanted to believe a single bad thing about her sister. When she finally started to believe it and Alaric trusted her and loved her, it only took a memory to destroy everything they’d built. When he wanted to see why she was so upset, she didn’t give him a chance to explain before doing something crazy drastic and then took soooo long in trying to help him. I know this was just how the story was supposed to be built, but I was so angry and frustrated with her throughout the book, I couldn’t bring myself to like her.

Overall, I did enjoy how unique this was and the plot, but the characters were frustrating.

[Millicent Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

★·.·´¯·.·★·.·´¯·.·★·.·´¯·.·★·.·´¯·.·★·.·´¯·.·★·.·´¯·.·★

"Perhaps the afterlife has always been the only place a Tashiri girl and Vanzadorian boy can be together."

~4.75 stars ✨

One year ago, Indira's sister was sent to the enemy kingdom as a captive bride... and Indira would burn the world to bring her back.

This book. THIS. BOOK. I can’t stop thinking about it.
It’s not about politics or war, it’s about people, choices, grief, and love that feels almost impossible. Every character felt so painfully real. No flat villains, no perfect heroes; just broken souls trying to do what they think is right.

Indira was everything I could ever want in an FMC: strong, loyal, fierce, and heartbreakingly human. And Alaric… let’s just say I’m still recovering.

The plot twists. WHERE. DO. I. EVEN. BEGIN. Just when I thought I had the whole plot figured out, NOPE, the story flipped on its head, and I was left gasping all over again.

The writing was beautiful, in a sense kinda poetic, but it felt...natural (if you get what I mean). The only reason I'm not giving it a full five stars is... BECAUSE I WANTED AN EPILOGUEEE
I NEED just one more glimpse of them.

Thank you to Netgalley team and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Josephine Lamont]

Burn the Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley offers an intriguing premise: two rival kingdoms—one wielding plant magic, the other stone—tied together through an arranged marriage meant to secure peace and avenge a sister’s death. The concept is unique, and Thorley’s writing style is engaging and easy to read.

Overall, this feels like the perfect romantasy for younger YA readers (ages 13–15). The romance is clean, the language mild, and the action scenes are gentle—making it an excellent entry point into the genre. Older YA readers, however, may find it lacking in depth and intensity.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Initial Thoughts
Straight away I was drawn in by Carlotta's narrating and the emotions hit straight away! I found myself giggling and gasping. Indira is such a shy soul who just wants to nurse the ground. I didn’t want to stop listening and found myself losing track of time to just be with Indira and Alaric.
Plot
I loved the plot, the unknown, the dangers that kept coming Indira’s way but how her character gained pure strength and devotion throughout! Alaric is very misunderstood and his development was also incredible! The twists that come alongside everything, keeping you hooked and on the edge of your feet, even when Addie rips your heart out, stamps on it and bandages it together! The emotional damage is real!
Characters
The characters were all so diverse, it was fantastic! Not one character lacked personality. I felt disgust for one of the side male characters. I felt untrusting of others and just feel in love with both Indira and Alaric!
Narrating.
I love the narrating! The ability Carlotta had to change her voice and the depth of it was just absolutely incredible! She held my attention throughout and I never wanted to take my headphones of, even when my heart was being ripped out!
Recommend
Yes! If you enjoy a FMC that is determined to save her country and a grumpy MMC who is trying to prove himself, read this!
Overall Wrap up
Is this a standalone? It doesnt look like its a series but the ending was not closed up properly and I was left with so many questions? That still doesnt change the fact that this was 5 star vibes for me because of the characters. I absolutely adored being in the world of Indira.
Stars & Spice – 5 stars. This is a fade to black romance.

Book Information – Burn The Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley.

Narrators – Narrated by Carlotta Brentan.

Genre – YA Romantasy.

Length of audiobook – 15 hours and 2 minutes.

Tropes –
Enemies to lovers.
Elemental magic.
Arranged Marriage.
Found family.
Forced proximity.
Betrayal.

Available on Kindle Unlimited – Burn The Kingdom Down is not available on Kindle Unlimited.

Available Formats – Available on audiobook, kindle, paperback and hardcover.

Publishing Information – The audiobook was published on 7th April 2026 by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group.

Format in Which I Read – I earballed this one AKA audiobook.

Where my copy come From – Source Books - Libro.fm.

POVs – Written in single POV – Indira.

Single/Dual/Multiple Timelines – Written on a single timeline.

1st or 3rd Person – Written in first person.

HEA, HFN or Cliff hanger – This ends open ended ?

Series or Standalone – Standalone i believe?

Trigger Warnings – Please check content warnings before reading if necessary and please always remember that your mental health matters.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memories are tricky things but when it’s something, or someone, special it can make all the difference.

Watching her older sister be married off to a rival kingdom is the worst day in Indira’s life, that is until she returns in a box and she is forced to take her place as wife to a rival Prince and secure the treaty to save her people. Using the opportunity to solve her sister’s murder she stumbles into something far bigger than she could have ever imagined and with limited allies she has to trust her greatest enemy and save them all.

This one is a bit of a mixed bag.

On one hand the murder mystery aspect is done well there’s a lot of behind the scenes scheming to right a wrong and as a sister myself I know I would move mountains, no pun intended, to find out who killed my sister especially when I could be married to her killer. That being said some of this journey gets muddled by the other more political aspects and while they do converge at the climax I felt underwhelmed with the latter. I wish we got more hints behind the ultimate reveal because though I think it works I wish we had tiny bits of foreshadowing so there was this delicious payoff to a rather unreliable narrator when it came to her love for her sister.

I’m not quite sure I grasp the conflict between both kingdoms and while you can kind of get it on the page the actual cruelty shifts from her homeland to that of her new husband. We see that she and her people are forced to provide and when they fail they suffer from the threat of a rival clan but they never materialize and by books end so much is wrapped in a bow we never really get to the root of the issue or why any of it really mattered.

The characters were fine and the romance okay it’s a shame because their bark is far worse than their bite and I wanted to see more there. Alaric is understandably cold but that bravado is lost often and Indira is growing into her strength but then forgets sometimes quiet and allowing yourself to listen is a better approach. It almost feels like a lot was leading to the showdown and we got lost just trying to get there but hopefully that’s just me.

With such a powerful opening this isn’t a bad read but ironically one I fear will be forgettable.

**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

[SupremelyBooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

There aren't many romantasy books with a murder solving aspect out there, so this was a unique novel in the sea of romantasy so I can definitely recommend it for that alone but there was so much more to this story:

-Making your own convictions and stepping out of the shadow of other's choices (Indira's character growth was so thoughtfully and well done)

-The process of grief was written with such care and truly showed how some of the best pieces of you can leave when you lose someone. The author did such a great job tying the characters together through their shared grief.

"Two broken people finding wholeness in the pieces of the other. Coming together to form an image like stained glass-far more beautiful pieced back together than if the glass had remained a solid pane."

-The slow burn of the romance between Indira and Alaric was written well and the banter was there.
Alric: "Because you're infuriating. I'm far more tempted to shove you off a cliff than I ever was your sister."
Indira: "How romantic, I coo. Just what I hoped my husband would whisper on our wedding night."

I just wish that they had more teasing interactions throughout the story that could have added to the tension between them. I really enjoyed them as a couple, so I really wanted more.

The reason why I didn't give this book five stars was because I wish there was more info given to the politics, the magic and growing system could have really been expanded on. I think the book could have really benefited to an epilogue because it felt like it just cut off about the futures of their kingdoms which was a little disappointing.

[Blair Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t been reading a lot of YA over the past month. But this was a nice little change. I really liked the magic system and the overall plot line and thought it was well thoughts out. We have Rowenna who is the crown princess of Tashir. She was sent as a active bride to the enemy nation. A year later her body was sent back. Now, India, our FMC, is forced to marry the crown prince of Vanzador. The same nation her sister was sent to. Indira wants to uncover the truth about what exactly happened to her sister.
This is an enemies-to-lovers romance, I have been reading a lot of it lately…it is my favorite. And I think it was done very well. I really did like the growth that Indira shows over the course of the book. We do her talking to her sister in her head and her dealing with the loss of her sister and her grief. I think the magic system with summoning of plants was also pretty cool. Earth magic is something I don’t really see as much of and it was a nice change. I also think the ending was pretty solid. I overall enjoyed my time. I did end up starting it right before bed. That in fact was a mistake. I should have just waited to the morning because I didn’t want to put it down. This goes by pretty fast for it’s length.
This is my first dalliance with this authors works and I really do want to check her other works out. I really look forward to my next book by Addie Thorley

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Burn the Kingdom Down, we are introduced to two rival countries, Tashir and Vanzador. Each has something the other needs. Tashir grows bagrava, a magical plant that they use to keep their soil healthy so other crops can grow, and that Vanzador needs to maintain the magic of the King and his son to literally move the earth. And it is the king's power to raise mountains that Tashir needs, to keep them safe from the marauders who want bagrava to basically get high. But the deal between the two nations is a bit lopsided, and Tashir is struggling, not only having to provide increasing amounts of bagrava, but also having to marry off their king's oldest daughter, Rowenna, to Alaric, the prince of Vanzador.

But a year later, Rowenna is dead under mysterious circumstances, and before they even have time to process their grief the Tashir royal family is told that Vanzador expects her younger sister, Indira, to replace her. Going to Vanzador is the last thing Indira wants to do, but she is determined to find out both what happened to her sister and how to take down Vanzador once and for all.

I struggled a bit with Indira at the beginning, because she was just very very angry and basically flailing about and not thinking about what she was doing. But once she settled and started using her head more than her anger, I enjoyed the story. Some interesting and unexpected things happened along the way. The side characters tended to be a bit one-note, but at least it was easy to keep track of who was who. All in all, I was never bored and I enjoyed the book.