Burn the Kingdom Down coming April 7th, 2026 from Sourcebooks Fire; 448 pages
Content Warning: Violence, some sexual content
About the Author: “Addie spent her childhood playing soccer, riding horses, and scribbling stories. After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in journalism, Addie decided “hard news” didn’t contain enough magic and kissing, so she flung herself into the land of fiction and never looked back. She now lives in San Diego with her family and wolf dogs. When she’s not writing, she can be found crocheting plushies and eating cookies” (Bio from author’s website).
Find Addie Thorley on the following platforms:
Princess Indira of Tashir watched her sister, Rowenna, marry into enemy lands with her head held high and a wedding dress made of chains. A year later, Rowenna returns—dead. Now, Indira is forced to fulfill the tenuous treaty between the garden kingdom of Tashir and the mountainous Vanzador. Indira’s wedding dress isn’t made of chains, though. It’s made of heartbreak, grit, secrets, and lies; all of which surround her new husband, Prince Alaric. Indira has one goal: to destroy Vanzador from the inside out, starting with her sister’s murderer. As Indira digs deeper into her sister’s death, she learns that no one is who she thought they were— especially herself.
Move over, fantasy world, there is a new queen on top. As a huge fantasy and romance fan, I have such high standards when it comes to this genre. And oh boy, did this book come through. Thorley did a wonderful job because this book is brand new. The magic system, world-building, and characters are interactive and engaging. For instance, the magic is all grounded in the earth, and the plants themselves are the backbone of society and magic. I was really fascinated by the structure of the world (Indira’s castle is literally underground, and Vanzador is on a mountain). It’s truly like no other romantasy you have ever seen. Indira is a real character—she is flawed and broken, and she isn’t the stereotypical female main character in fantasy. She isn’t the “chosen one,” she’s not a fighter, and she spends most of the book questioning herself. The enemies-to-lovers romance was between two broken characters, and you just wanted to root for them. You want Indira and Alaric to find the truth about Rowenna’s murder and their place in each other’s hearts. It’s not hot and heavy, it’s two enemies who find common ground where they least expect it—in each other—while trying to overcome the urge to kill each other. It feels like a natural progression for a great romance. From beginning to end, Thorley knew her characters; she knew where they were going and how they would get there. Everyone who even remotely loves fantasy and romantasy should read this book immediately.
Burn the Kingdom Down releases on April 7th, 2026.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Hayley Bigelow, Pine Reads Review Writer