To Steal a Throne Summary: A YA Fantasy of Intrigue
TL;DR: The Shadow Queen’s Gambit
In the icy Republic of Virdei, power is a game played high on Mount Saidu, where the Honorate council rules and the poor Opherans freeze below.
Remira Kyler, an Opheran bastard living in Widow’s Hall, secretly operates as the Shadow Queen, blackmailing the elite to protect her half-brother’s throne.
When a newcomer named Kaidren Vale deadlocks a crucial vote and triggers the deadly Tournament of Thrones, Remira must navigate a web of deception, murder, and forbidden magic.
Gabi Burton’s To Steal a Throne is a YA political fantasy about survival, ambition, and the cost of seizing power.
- Trigger: Kaidren Vale, an isha who can detect magic, deadlocks the council and forces a Tournament of Thrones.
- Conflict: Remira must help Lucien win while hiding her magic, investigating an imposter Shadow Queen, and fighting her attraction to Kaidren.
- Twist: Both Remira and Kaidren are framed for murder and must escape to clear their names.
- Ending: A Petruvian invasion exposes a family betrayal, and Remira’s mother disappears, leaving Remira to recommit to finding her while secretly still planning to steal the throne.
To Steal a Throne Summary (Spoilers Ahead)
Spoiler Warning: This section reveals major plot points, including the ending.
Remira “Mira” Kyler is the secret Shadow Queen, an anonymous columnist who blackmails the Honorate council to keep her half-brother Lucien in power.
She lives in Widow’s Hall as an Opheran bastard, hiding her aikkari magic that feeds on lies. Her maid Sefina “Sef” Ceraway helps her gather secrets and act as a body double.
Remira orchestrates a council vote to let Lucien rule another term without competition. But Kaidren Vale, claiming to be the lost Opheran son of Honorate Arliss Vale, votes against it, deadlocking the council and triggering the Tournament of Thrones.
Kaidren also reveals he is an isha, meaning if he touches Remira’s bare skin, he will detect her magic.
Soon, Remira finds blackmail notes signed by the Shadow Queen that she never wrote. An imposter is issuing death threats and forcing Honorate Selva Sixmen to block military reinforcements. Then Honorate Arliss Vale is found dead, poisoned with kishori.
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Remira suspects Kaidren killed his own father.
During the first Tournament challenge, Remira disguises herself as a soldier and tackles Kaidren to help Lucien.
Horrified by Lucien’s indifference, Remira decides that after winning the throne for him, she will steal it for herself. At the public Eteria demonstration, she sneaks a cheat sheet into Kaidren’s robes to expose him as a fraud.
Kaidren responds by delivering a populist speech at Mozeri Temple, rallying Opheran support. Remira investigates the Petruvian delegation and finds burned letters proving Petruvia plans to seize Opheran farmland.
During the second trial, a mountain race, Remira falls into an icy pit. Kaidren rescues her, and their rivalry turns into romantic tension.
Remira searches Kaidren’s room and finds a vial of kishori. At the Masquerade Ball, she orders Sef to plant the poison in Kaidren’s room and publishes a column accusing him of murder.
Kaidren is arrested, but then General Fain searches Remira’s room and finds a second vial under her mattress. She is arrested too.
In adjacent cells, Kaidren admits he had been non-lethally poisoning his abusive father for two years, but he denies giving the fatal dose. Realizing they were both framed, Remira uses her magic to melt the bars, and they escape together.
They flee to Ophera and stay with Remira’s mother, Aja. Remira reveals she erased Aja’s memories seven years ago so she could leave for Widow’s Hall.
They track down the shopkeeper who sold the kishori, who identifies the buyer as Flynn Sixmen. Remira exposes Flynn in a column, and he is arrested. Flynn was secretly Arliss Vale’s illegitimate son and murdered Arliss to prevent a scandal.
In the final trial, an archery match, Kaidren deliberately forfeits to protect Remira, letting Lucien win and keep the throne. On coronation day, Remira stages a fake emergency to force Lucien to transfer powers to her.
But her plan backfires when Petruvian forces, allied with her stepmother Yelina, invade through the unguarded Sulen gate.
Yelina’s treason is exposed: she conspired with Flynn and Petruvia to make Lucien a permanent monarch.
Remira devises a trap using crushed tshira to lock the Petruvian army inside the arena. In the aftermath, Remira learns her mother Aja traveled to Widow’s Hall before the attack and is now missing.
Realizing the consequences of her ambition, Remira recommits to finding her mother with Lucien and Kaidren. Yet she secretly maintains her ultimate goal: to steal the throne for herself.
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Who’s Who in To Steal a Throne
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Remira “Mira” Kyler / Selane | The protagonist and secret Shadow Queen; an Opheran bastard with lie-fueled magic. |
| Kaidren Vale | An Opheran newcomer claiming to be Arliss Vale’s son; an isha who can detect magic. |
| Lucien “Luc” Kyler | Praeceptor of Virdei and Remira’s half-brother; relies on Remira for political survival. |
| Sefina “Sef” Ceraway | Remira’s maid, confidante, and partner-in-crime. |
| Mathson Kyler | Remira and Lucien’s father; a former Honorate who abuses Remira. |
| Yelina Kyler | Lucien’s stepmother and Mathson’s wife; a Petruvian noble who conspires against Virdei. |
| Flynn Sixmen | A decurio soldier and secret son of Arliss Vale; murders Arliss. |
| Honorate Selva Sixmen | An Honorate blackmailed by the Shadow Queen; murdered his wife Neveah. |
| Honorate Arliss Vale | A wealthy Honorate poisoned by Kaidren for two years and killed by Flynn. |
| Ajalique “Aja” Selane | Remira’s mother; her memories were erased by Remira seven years ago. |
| General Tarek Fain | Leader of the decurio military. |
| Ambassador Taelon Night & Lorwen Night | Petruvian diplomats plotting to annex Opheran borderlands. |
Lines from To Steal a Throne Book
“My mother was a liar. Fortunately for me, so is everybody else.”
— Remira Kyler
“You’re either useful to me, or you’re nothing.”
— Mathson Kyler to Remira
“Important votes are always split down the middle, to create the illusion of choice. Give people the illusion of power.”
— Remira Kyler
“I’ve spent five years being useful. Being Luc’s brain so he never has to think, and I’m still nothing. I want to feel like I matter.”
— Remira Kyler to Sefina Ceraway
“Of the two of us, I’m not the one who has to steal power, Remira. I’m the son of an Honorate. The only thief here is you.”
— Kaidren Vale to Remira Kyler
“I hate your brother because, somehow, he doesn’t see you. I hate your father, because you are the most formidable person I’ve ever known, but he makes you feel small.”
— Kaidren Vale to Remira Kyler
“I’ll serve Lucien Kyler the Virdeian throne on a silver platter. And then I’m going to steal it for myself.”
— Remira Kyler
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Book Details & Tropes
- Genre & Subgenre: Young Adult Fantasy / Political Fantasy & Romantic Suspense
- Core Narrative Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Secret Identity / Double Life, Political Court Intrigue, Tournament Arc, Magic Powered by Lies
- Tone & Atmosphere: Cold, calculating, tense, dark, and fast-paced
- Primary Conflict: Remira must navigate the Tournament of Thrones, hide her magic, investigate an imposter, and decide whether to steal the throne for herself
- Pacing Style: Fast-paced, mystery-driven plotting structured around key political events
- ISBN: 978-1547617272 (ISBN-13); 1547617276 (ISBN-10)
- Pages: 368
- Book Structure: 49 chapters, first-person present from Remira’s point of view, interspersed with Shadow Queen columns
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