Oohhh a new Burton book!!! Thank you so much for the ARC!

A badass FMC as we've come to expect from Burton, interesting politics, secrets, and deus ex machina moments that push the plot forward.

Mira is out to, as stated, Steal a Throne, for her brother Luc. But things are not usually that easy, or how they seem. Mira has a secret power, that could make things easier or complicate them further. There is also Kaidren, current occupant of the throne -ehem, ehem.

It is a very pleasant YA book. The language, the plot, the repeating of what has happened so far and where we stand, is reflecting that.

I had a great time while reading it, and so I will be recommending it!

4,75 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all thoughts are my own.

Wow, this was such an amazing read! Excellent pacing that kept you engaged and entertained throughout, and I absolutely LOVED Remira as our FMC. She was fierce, determined, and she refused to back down once she set her sights on the throne. She was unapologetically power hungry, and I loved seeing her wield her cunning intelligence. And even when she starts getting romantic feelings for our MMC, she still doesn't sacrifice her ambition for him – it was one of my favorite moments in the book, because it felt so important to show that she wouldn't just give it all up for a man. Because why should she?

And speaking of favorite moments... when she finally drops the act and shows Kaidren her true colors? I ate it up. It was such a fun scene, and seeing him realize how much he had underestimated her was brilliant. I really loved the way their relationship evolved from there, when they slowly start recognizing pieces of themselves in each other as well as truly seeing the other as a worthy opponent for the first time. All the delicious tension gets ramped up, and their banter is sharp and on point. So well done!

There were so many fun twists that I honestly hadn't seen coming at all, and I love when a book manages to do that. I will say however, that the ending felt maybe a little rushed and crowded at times, and I would have liked to be able to soak everything up a bit more. It resulted in some slightly confusing moments in the final chapters – not in a way where I didn't understand it, but where it was hard to keep track of all the revelations, agendas, and big moments happening at the same time.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2026, and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint. It was wildly captivating and enjoyable, and I'm really looking forward to the next one and getting to see how everything plays out. Go read this as soon as it comes out April 7th!

ARC Review — To Steal a Throne by Gabi Burton
Rating: 4.25 ⭐

One moment I was settling into my comfy chair, and the next thing I knew I was there: in the snow, in the tension, in the world Burton built.
The atmosphere in this book doesn’t just set the scene; it claims it. The icy mountains, the skycarts cutting through the cold air, the political rumors.

And then there’s Mira.
She’s the kind of FMC who doesn’t politely step into the story; she storms in and owns every page. Sharp‑tongued, morally grey, no‑nonsense, and absolutely magnetic. She’s ruthless when she needs to be, calculating because the world demands it, but beneath all that steel there’s a softness she guards like a secret.

The world around her is just as intens:
Cutthroat politics, the Shadow Queen giving full Lady Whistledown energy, and magic that feels intimate and dangerous at the same time. And Kaidren? The perfect 'villain'. His truth‑detecting magic against her lie‑powered survival creates a tension that practically sparks off the page.

The pacing is wild. You blink and suddenly you’re halfway through, wondering how the time disappeared. And that ending? Wow.
I'm already craving the sequel.

I thoroughly fell in love with this book. Burton has created such an original magic system that makes for a story fun of twists and turns and intrigue. I appreciated how authentically herself Remira was throughout the whole story and only too happy to lean into the righteous rage that came about as a result of the intersectionality of the way that she was mistreated. The nuance of Mira's magic be that her ability to tell if someone is lying is a side effect of lies as the source of her magic was incredibly clever as it allowed for misdirection, lies of omission, and highlighting the way people can believe themselves to be honest but still continue to let you down. Kaidren was a brilliant foil for Mira as we immediately know that he is being deceptive however the nature of this deception is only very slowly revealed; the fact that he his magic meant that Mira had to avoid his touch added to the brewing tension between the characters and made for a delicious slowburn.

I was completely sucked into the story and found it incredibly difficult to pull myself away from reading to do anything else because I just had to know what was going to happen next. This book was an absolute masterpiece and I can't wait to find out what comes next in Mira's story.

Gabi Burton is such a phenomenal author! I was gripped from the first page and couldn't put this book down until I was finished. Mira had just the right amount of rage, and the magic system was intriguing, especially Mira's. I already can't wait for the next book!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review