ARC Review: Burn the Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley

Title: Burn the Kingdom Down
Author: Addie Thorley 
Series: Standalone (?)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery/Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Edition: 448 pages eBook
Source: NetGalley
Pre-Order: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | BAM | Bookshop | Kobo | Powell's | 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis:

   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.

 

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   The premise of this book was what drew me to it. Murder mystery, political marriage, a dash of romance. However, there was parts that left me wanting more. The mystery was the only solid part, even when the MC, Indira, was being irrational and not asking questions. I do get it, she is young and dealing with the trauma of losing her sister. But when things that don't add up present themselves, she doesn't question anything just makes assumptions about what 'really' happened. 

 

 

   While the magic system was well crafted and had a consequence, it did take half the book to get into how it worked. But leading up that, the MC didn't really do much. She rarely learned from her mistakes, and just reacted to things. The relationships in this book all felt underdeveloped. The two friendships she forms aren't explored much as I would've liked. One kind of is, but Indira was too quick to trust one of them, and we never see her form trust for the other. It made some of the reveals near the end make less sense as one betrays her and the other doesn't. But the romance was by far the least developed. It is slow burn, but to the point that they fall in love mostly off-page. They share some secrets with each other, share a few kisses and suddenly they're in love. It didn't feel earned to me. 

   The book also kind of just ends with what felt like a lot of loose ends. From everything I've seen this is a standalone, but it feels like half the story. The number of loose ends and unresolved plot lines makes the story feel half-baked. I don't know if there is enough for a whole second book, but there's just too much left unresolved. 

Over all this book was good. I liked the two magic systems, and it was well written. I just wanted a little bit more.