Burn The Kingdom Down by Addie Thorley

Blurb:

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

Review:

A year before the story begins, Rowenna Harrack, the heir apparent and prize princess of the Tashir, left her homeland to wed the heir to an enemy kingdom. One that taxed and punished her people, and took her in marriage as a way to further dishearten her homeland. Captive, she never interacts with her people after she leaves—not even the sister she left behind, Indira. The inadequate, shy, skiddish younger sister who’s always felt flattened in Rowenna’s shadows.

Now, Rowenna is dead. 

The first Indira knows of Rowenna’s death is her casket, the second she knows is her alleged fall from a cliff and to her death. But Indira suspects that her sister’s death wasn’t the accident that the enemy kingdom claims. Determined to uncover the truth and exact vengeance for her sister’s death, Indira agrees to marry the same prince her sister had been engaged to in her place—the very man who she suspects murdered Rowenna.

With a plan to infiltrate the enemy kingdom of Vanzador and burn the kingdom down from the inside out, Indira believes her plan is simple. She’ll befriend those she meets until she discovers the kingdom’s weaknesses and can bring it to heel. Yet when she arrives, things aren’t as she supposed, and most of the people aren’t as horrible as she was raised to believe. As she grows closer to the Vanzador people and the husband she’s freshly married to, Indira uncovers more about Vanzador and what occurred during Rowenna’s final days in the kingdom. The truth she seeks might just destroy her—or set her homeland free, at last.

I don’t know if I’m allowed to scream in all caps in a professional review, but I shall try: AHHHHHHHHHH???? This book. Is so. Good. Good isn’t an adequate word. It’s truly unlike everything I’ve read before.

I’m not going to lie, I picked up this novel because I saw it on NetGalley, noticed the pretty cover and intriguing title, and requested it. I am SO glad I did—and that I listened to my uncanny sense of when I will enjoy a novel I know nothing about. Addie Thorley, who’s an author I’ve never heard of before, truly blew me away with the expertise with this novel.

Although I’m uncertain if Burn The Kingdom Down is a debut or not, I do know that it is absolutely addictive. Fresh, spunky, and descriptive in a way my favorite novels are, this book easily makes it into my top favorite reads of all time. It’s so, so, so good.

While I enjoyed every aspect of this novel, I have to admit that I’m a sucker for plots where a protagonist invades a place she’s been raised to hate only to have her world flipped on its head. The story of growth that Indira undergoes is impactful and emotional and is sure to touch dozens of readers when the book is released.

The magic system was unique in a way I love (I absolutely go mad over unique, immersive, and clear-cut magic systems that make a lot of sense while still being complex), and the way it helps forward the plot is masterfully done. I love reading magic that actually affects what happens in the narrative, rather than only coming into play when strictly necessary, like a forgotten background character.

Like so many of my recent reads and reviews, I want to go rambling about how much I adored this book, and how much you (yes, you, reader!) should read it. I’ll suffice to say this:

Burn The Kingdom Down is a gorgeous story of triumph and betrayal, of false expectations and corrupted histories, and I loved every single second of it.