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Maggie the Undying #1
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me
Not yet published
Expected 31 Mar 26
Outlander
meets
Game of Thrones
in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1
New York Times
bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will in a cataclysmic war.
For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn't take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters' ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she's coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will in a cataclysmic war.
For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.
20 pages, Audible Audio
Expected publication March 31, 2026
86 people are currently reading
25700 people want to read
About the author
Ilona Andrews
147 books33.5k followersIlona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.
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November 9, 2025
I grew up on portal fantasies. It was a tremendously popular trope for 1970s and 1980s fantasies, from the junior reader The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Phantom Tollbooth, followed by Pamela Dean's The Secret Country, to the terrible Thomas Covenant series, to some of Andre Norton's Witch World, to Zelanzy's Nine Princes in Amber and Terry Brooks' Landover. You get the idea. It was a popular trope back then. The Andrews have thrown their own book into the ring with This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. Despite them occasionally hitting bestseller list with their Kate Andrews series, I suspect this one will be much less successful.
It begins with a young woman, Maggie, who states in the first chapter that if this was a 'normal' portal fantasy, "I was meant to appear in this new world as a woman of prophecy with magic holy powers... I would be met by a prince or some high ranking and stunning noble... failing that, I could wake up in the body of the female lead...after she... died... Alternatively, I could come to in the body of the villainess... If not the heroine or the villainess, I could be their best friend." But Maggie enters as none of these things; she "went to sleep in my apartment south of Austin and woke up in Kair Toren."
Oh dear. I am all for meta fiction, but that is too much non-specific description of how the story could have gone. If you are going to run us through the plot scenarios, pull a Jo Walton and do a direct genre homage. However, I continued because of an interesting hook: in chapter two, she dies and revives. Django Wexler had a lot of fun with that in How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, so I was encouraged with the potentially fun angle. The other hook to this story and it's accompanying metaness is that Maggie seems to have stepped into the beginning of her favorite--but unfinished--fantasy series. It turns out the first plot line they suggested to us will be the one they follow: a woman of prophecy.
Well, alright. So I follow along and it seems we are doing a sort of story-within-a-story framework (never my favorite; see Horowitz) only instead of Maggie telling the original story, she provides a plot summary and then outlines possible actions based on what happened in the book.
"That subplot was the first time in my life I had screamed at a book. She was this cool, powerful woman who wanted nothing to do with the swamp that was the political underbelly of Kair Tonen, and the narrative had crushed her in the worst, most painful way possible. Galiene was one of the reasons I needed the third book to come out. I wanted my vengeance, damn it." So she gives Galine some advice: "You will die in a fire, bleeding and hugging your daughter's lifeless body. You must bring her into the Garden. Hreban cares about public opinion and won't risk attacking it directly. Don't wait. Go right now."
Well, this could work, potentially. Except the pattern that is used in chapter three and four--current plot event, historical book significance, and future book plotting--tends to be how Andrews approaches every single plot point. Renting a private room, seeing a thief punished, meeting with the king of thieves: all are described through that triplicate structure before it meandering into action. It makes it extremely slow going. Worse, the fact that we are getting the plot of an imaginary book as recounted by a character in this book means we can't form our own conclusions. We are literally being told what happens and how Maggie interprets it. Jasper Fforde used this to some effect with his Thursday Next series, but instead of an imaginary book, he relied on the reader's familiarity with such classics as Jane Eyre. Using a familiar story provides the reader with a sense of anticipation--we know how the plot of Jane Eyre goes; what will this author do with it? This technique works better with a more simplistic mythic story such as Guy Gavriel Kay uses in The Finovar Tapestry series, but this story of Kair Toren is too complex.
So, dear reader, I made it to 35% before I quit. I was just having a hard time caring about this mythical story within a story, even as told by someone who was passionate about it. Oh, and I didn't go into it, but Maggie meets at least three different men that seem to be attracted to her. I might have eyerolled a bit.
I do have book OCD, so I jumped ahead to the last few chapters to get a sense of which kind of portal fantasy this was--was it the kind where the heroine returns to Earth? The parallel universe? Or a settle in? I won't spoil the answer, but I will share one very strong personal peeve: there's a cliffhanger ending. A big one. I was seriously irritated and disappointed, because in all their series, I felt like Andrews have done a decent job finding an endpoint that still leaves the reader wanting more. This endpoint... wow. You only do this kind of ending if you are a budding author pushing out your first novella for free and wanting your reader to buy the second.
Despite my strong love for the Katie Daniels series and the first of the Hidden Legacy series, this is one that I can't recommend. I suspect it will be a hard sell for even the hard core Andrews fans.
It begins with a young woman, Maggie, who states in the first chapter that if this was a 'normal' portal fantasy, "I was meant to appear in this new world as a woman of prophecy with magic holy powers... I would be met by a prince or some high ranking and stunning noble... failing that, I could wake up in the body of the female lead...after she... died... Alternatively, I could come to in the body of the villainess... If not the heroine or the villainess, I could be their best friend." But Maggie enters as none of these things; she "went to sleep in my apartment south of Austin and woke up in Kair Toren."
Oh dear. I am all for meta fiction, but that is too much non-specific description of how the story could have gone. If you are going to run us through the plot scenarios, pull a Jo Walton and do a direct genre homage. However, I continued because of an interesting hook: in chapter two, she dies and revives. Django Wexler had a lot of fun with that in How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying, so I was encouraged with the potentially fun angle. The other hook to this story and it's accompanying metaness is that Maggie seems to have stepped into the beginning of her favorite--but unfinished--fantasy series. It turns out the first plot line they suggested to us will be the one they follow: a woman of prophecy.
Well, alright. So I follow along and it seems we are doing a sort of story-within-a-story framework (never my favorite; see Horowitz) only instead of Maggie telling the original story, she provides a plot summary and then outlines possible actions based on what happened in the book.
"That subplot was the first time in my life I had screamed at a book. She was this cool, powerful woman who wanted nothing to do with the swamp that was the political underbelly of Kair Tonen, and the narrative had crushed her in the worst, most painful way possible. Galiene was one of the reasons I needed the third book to come out. I wanted my vengeance, damn it." So she gives Galine some advice: "You will die in a fire, bleeding and hugging your daughter's lifeless body. You must bring her into the Garden. Hreban cares about public opinion and won't risk attacking it directly. Don't wait. Go right now."
Well, this could work, potentially. Except the pattern that is used in chapter three and four--current plot event, historical book significance, and future book plotting--tends to be how Andrews approaches every single plot point. Renting a private room, seeing a thief punished, meeting with the king of thieves: all are described through that triplicate structure before it meandering into action. It makes it extremely slow going. Worse, the fact that we are getting the plot of an imaginary book as recounted by a character in this book means we can't form our own conclusions. We are literally being told what happens and how Maggie interprets it. Jasper Fforde used this to some effect with his Thursday Next series, but instead of an imaginary book, he relied on the reader's familiarity with such classics as Jane Eyre. Using a familiar story provides the reader with a sense of anticipation--we know how the plot of Jane Eyre goes; what will this author do with it? This technique works better with a more simplistic mythic story such as Guy Gavriel Kay uses in The Finovar Tapestry series, but this story of Kair Toren is too complex.
So, dear reader, I made it to 35% before I quit. I was just having a hard time caring about this mythical story within a story, even as told by someone who was passionate about it. Oh, and I didn't go into it, but Maggie meets at least three different men that seem to be attracted to her. I might have eyerolled a bit.
I do have book OCD, so I jumped ahead to the last few chapters to get a sense of which kind of portal fantasy this was--was it the kind where the heroine returns to Earth? The parallel universe? Or a settle in? I won't spoil the answer, but I will share one very strong personal peeve: there's a cliffhanger ending. A big one. I was seriously irritated and disappointed, because in all their series, I felt like Andrews have done a decent job finding an endpoint that still leaves the reader wanting more. This endpoint... wow. You only do this kind of ending if you are a budding author pushing out your first novella for free and wanting your reader to buy the second.
Despite my strong love for the Katie Daniels series and the first of the Hidden Legacy series, this is one that I can't recommend. I suspect it will be a hard sell for even the hard core Andrews fans.
Want to read
March 12, 2025.....soooo basically an isekai???? Absolutely. @ TOR- hi :))))
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
ARC provided by TOR - thank you so much
it might be the nostalgia OR getting bts tickets for my birthday talking: but five stars, i loved this. review to come sooooon <3
it might be the nostalgia OR getting bts tickets for my birthday talking: but five stars, i loved this. review to come sooooon <3
September 5, 2025
2025 Spring Bingo (#SpringIntoLoveBingo🌷): Bookish MC
I read this book five weeks ago, swore I’d write a review ASAP to capture my immediate reaction, and then promptly reread this book constantly for a month. Yeah. I have no good excuse. What started as “skim this scene to refresh my memory for the review” slowly evolved into disorganized, frenetic chapter gloms at 2 am. I bewilderingly managed to reread out-of-order for a month, but I think I’ve hit each scene at least four times. My memory is understandably fuzzy.
The problem is, what lies ahead is not what I wanted to write. That nonexistent review contains massive spoilers across the entire 180K (I think? This thing is a brick, lol) word count. THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME** plot points are difficult to analyze beyond the blurb’s premise. A lot of shit happens, almost immediately, and it is not cool to spoil readers more than 7 months ahead of publication. I might write that review a year from now after an audiobook reread, but for now enjoy my incoherent, spoiler-free ramblings.
**I am not typing out this title again so we’re going to stick with “THIS KINGDOM.”
Basic premise: epic fantasy reader Maggie goes to sleep in Texas and wakes up, without explanation or warning, in the streets of the “fictional” kingdom of Rellas, the setting of her favorite unfinished trilogy. While her initial priority is simply to survive and get off the streets of Kair Toren, Maggie soon realizes with horror that Rellas is months away from total annihilation (from internal power struggles and the neighboring Crimson Empire’s invasion). For her own survival and the well-being of her new friends, Maggie decides to alter key events and break the timeline with her bookish knowledge. The twist: while there may be limits to resurrection magic, Maggie cannot die. She can break bones, lose limbs, and experience pain, but eventually she will awaken from death with her self-healing body.
“Well,” he said. “‘Undying’ is a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but ‘dying horribly and then waking up in a lot of pain’ is a bit of a mouthful.”
Like every isekai heroine, Maggie can magically speak, read, and write the languages of the fantasy world. Even though there are some terms and idioms that cannot be translated perfectly, her brain interprets everything as English. If you are a reader who can only tolerate a Tolkienesque vocabulary in epic fantasy, this is not the book for you. The novel is in Maggie’s 1st person POV, so it makes perfect sense that her brain (and the mysterious isekai magic) would translate everything into modern English. I know that the Tiffany Problem and readers decrying “inaccuracy” in fantasy novels (lol okay) are real phenomena, but it shouldn’t apply here because we are reading the thoughts of a 21st century American woman.
There is an interesting irony that the “fictional world” of Rellas is a hopeless, grimdark fantasy but THIS KINGDOM is very much not. Don’t get me wrong, THIS KINGDOM is uncozy by most metrics. There are cruel, petty tyrants uncaring of citizen liberties. There is a disgusting slaver who kidnaps and hurts children. There is torture. The heroine dies VIOLENTLY several times. I cannot emphasize the uncozy aspects enough. And yet… There's something about this book that scratches the “cozy funny book noise” receptor in my brain. Part of it is that I have complete trust in the authors to not add gratuitous misery for the sake of misery. In an IA novel, the good guys (mostly) ride off into the sunset and the villains are appropriately punished for their sins. Part of it is that Maggie maintains her optimism and sense of humor in the face of impending doom. She’s not the only one: several secondary characters have heartaching backstories, but they are persevering and healing in the present. Their friendship and antics and jokes feel cozy to me. Or maybe I’m the weird freak who finds coziness in terrifyingly violent found families who could murder me at the drop of a hat. Some favorite scenes include [Spoiler Character] beating other characters’ asses during sparring, Maggie gaping at all the trinkets and merchandise at the market, Maggie struggling to learn etiquette and a formal dance for a royal affair, the [Spoiler Creature] repeatedly bringing [Spoiler Gift] to a confused Maggie… that’s all cozy to me. And now do you see why I’m struggling to write this review without spoilers?!
Affectionately, THIS KINGDOM is tropetastic. If you’re familiar with epic fantasy or isekai at all (I myself have read dozens of isekai comics on Tapas), certain surprising reveals will not be *that* surprising. But as with any successful trope execution, what matters is the journey and not the mere presence of the trope itself. I love the attention to details that a reader may not have considered before. For example, what are the consequences to an isekai heroine’s lack of identification papers? No reputable landlord or innkeeper will allow Maggie to enter premises even if she can scrounge up the coins. This *hugely* limits her options in the beginning and influences her survival decision-making. Later on, Maggie needs to invent a reputable, legitimate business to explain her income and new household to Rellasian Treasury authorities. Rellas, like our world, has a suspicious bureaucratic government that will audit unpaid taxes if you don’t have documentation or proper permits to operate businesses.
This is not a narrative that jumps from Point A to Point D in the fastest possible route. The meandering detours into Maggie’s adventures are intentional so that readers can fully immerse themselves within Rellasian worldbuilding and understand each character's backstory. For example, there is a scene where Maggie realizes that she needs to perfect the [Spoiler Item] recipe because Rellas doesn’t have a good version of this product and she desperately needs money. As Maggie points out, there is a common isekai plot point where the heroine will magically invent some fun Earth good (like popcorn) and earn millions to fund other goals. But Maggie’s invention doesn’t magically appear out of thin air to save the day; she has to brainstorm and experiment with ingredient proportions to develop the damn product! It is a surprisingly difficult task because Rellas doesn’t have the same plants or products as Earth, so Maggie’s crew continuously tinkers with the product throughout the book. The whole affair soothed the part of my brain that binge-watches Great British Bake-Off and House Hunters International. Like… this is what I mean when I say THIS KINGDOM exudes cozy vibes. It’s not, but it also IS. Glad we cleared that up in a non-confusing manner. /s
Sidenote: You may be wondering why I, noted romance reader, have not mentioned the romantic interest yet. Y’all. I am bursting at the seams. I CANNOT TALK ABOUT IT FOR GOOD REASONS. It is going to kill me to stay silent for another 7 months, but this is my cross to bear. All I can say is that this is IA’s greatest romantic ship. They might actually dethrone Kate/Curran for me, and I *never* suspected that KC were ever in danger of losing their #1 status. This ship is haunting me in my dreams. And now I really will shut up before I start crying about hair ornaments.
This is a book that rewards rereading. Yeah, you’ll have fun on the first read and gasp at the shocking reveals (well, there’s enough foreshadowing that you might predict some twists). But it’s only in the rereads where you can trace the little breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the book. It’s a wildly complex storyline: not only does the reader have to know what originally happened in the grimdark fictional series, you also have to understand why Maggie is changing shit and then grasp how her alterations collapse the timeline in unforeseeable ways. It’s three separate plots crammed into one book. Layers upon layers upon layers. I didn't fully appreciate the nuances until my third reread. I know some readers might be overwhelmed by the avalanche of new information, but that is a hallmark of the isekai genre. Hang in there, because the payoff is *so* worth it. This might not be a selling point to some folks, but I crave the intricacy and foresee several rereads in my future. Speaking of rereads: I’m on my hands and knees, BEGGING GraphicAudio to adapt THIS KINGDOM. I might pass away in joy after experiencing a full-cast narration.
Something that worries me is that I see no *true* happy ending for the meta conflict. There are basically two layers of external conflict, right? The first layer is Maggie using her bookish knowledge to save Rellas from internal warfare and the Crimson Empire’s upcoming invasion. The second layer is Maggie’s meta existence in the “fictional” world: she has a loving family back on Earth, but she’s growing attached to her new found family (and romantic interest) in Rellas. And, well, she will have to choose between the two worlds eventually. It’s not explained *why* the meta transportation occurs (why is Maggie always resurrected? Why did she enter the book series? Who wrote the book series on Earth and for what purpose?), but I anticipate this will be resolved later in the series. And when Maggie eventually chooses Rellas as her permanent home, it seems unlikely that she world-hops between Earth and Rellas to have brunch with her parents every Sunday. I trust the authors to deliver a satisfying, emotionally resonant ending… but it will be bittersweet and I am semi-dreading that eventuality.
If you’ve reached this far: congratulations, because reading my disorganized word-vomit review could not have been fun. But I selfishly hope you’ll give THIS KINGDOM a chance, mostly because I need to FLAIL about the romantic ship and agonize about the sequel wait with other fans.
Final tangent: I am 99% sure what the magical creature will be on the sequel's cover, and I am SO EXCITED to see a visual representation.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I read this book five weeks ago, swore I’d write a review ASAP to capture my immediate reaction, and then promptly reread this book constantly for a month. Yeah. I have no good excuse. What started as “skim this scene to refresh my memory for the review” slowly evolved into disorganized, frenetic chapter gloms at 2 am. I bewilderingly managed to reread out-of-order for a month, but I think I’ve hit each scene at least four times. My memory is understandably fuzzy.
The problem is, what lies ahead is not what I wanted to write. That nonexistent review contains massive spoilers across the entire 180K (I think? This thing is a brick, lol) word count. THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME** plot points are difficult to analyze beyond the blurb’s premise. A lot of shit happens, almost immediately, and it is not cool to spoil readers more than 7 months ahead of publication. I might write that review a year from now after an audiobook reread, but for now enjoy my incoherent, spoiler-free ramblings.
**I am not typing out this title again so we’re going to stick with “THIS KINGDOM.”
Basic premise: epic fantasy reader Maggie goes to sleep in Texas and wakes up, without explanation or warning, in the streets of the “fictional” kingdom of Rellas, the setting of her favorite unfinished trilogy. While her initial priority is simply to survive and get off the streets of Kair Toren, Maggie soon realizes with horror that Rellas is months away from total annihilation (from internal power struggles and the neighboring Crimson Empire’s invasion). For her own survival and the well-being of her new friends, Maggie decides to alter key events and break the timeline with her bookish knowledge. The twist: while there may be limits to resurrection magic, Maggie cannot die. She can break bones, lose limbs, and experience pain, but eventually she will awaken from death with her self-healing body.
“Well,” he said. “‘Undying’ is a bit of a misnomer, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but ‘dying horribly and then waking up in a lot of pain’ is a bit of a mouthful.”
Like every isekai heroine, Maggie can magically speak, read, and write the languages of the fantasy world. Even though there are some terms and idioms that cannot be translated perfectly, her brain interprets everything as English. If you are a reader who can only tolerate a Tolkienesque vocabulary in epic fantasy, this is not the book for you. The novel is in Maggie’s 1st person POV, so it makes perfect sense that her brain (and the mysterious isekai magic) would translate everything into modern English. I know that the Tiffany Problem and readers decrying “inaccuracy” in fantasy novels (lol okay) are real phenomena, but it shouldn’t apply here because we are reading the thoughts of a 21st century American woman.
There is an interesting irony that the “fictional world” of Rellas is a hopeless, grimdark fantasy but THIS KINGDOM is very much not. Don’t get me wrong, THIS KINGDOM is uncozy by most metrics. There are cruel, petty tyrants uncaring of citizen liberties. There is a disgusting slaver who kidnaps and hurts children. There is torture. The heroine dies VIOLENTLY several times. I cannot emphasize the uncozy aspects enough. And yet… There's something about this book that scratches the “cozy funny book noise” receptor in my brain. Part of it is that I have complete trust in the authors to not add gratuitous misery for the sake of misery. In an IA novel, the good guys (mostly) ride off into the sunset and the villains are appropriately punished for their sins. Part of it is that Maggie maintains her optimism and sense of humor in the face of impending doom. She’s not the only one: several secondary characters have heartaching backstories, but they are persevering and healing in the present. Their friendship and antics and jokes feel cozy to me. Or maybe I’m the weird freak who finds coziness in terrifyingly violent found families who could murder me at the drop of a hat. Some favorite scenes include [Spoiler Character] beating other characters’ asses during sparring, Maggie gaping at all the trinkets and merchandise at the market, Maggie struggling to learn etiquette and a formal dance for a royal affair, the [Spoiler Creature] repeatedly bringing [Spoiler Gift] to a confused Maggie… that’s all cozy to me. And now do you see why I’m struggling to write this review without spoilers?!
Affectionately, THIS KINGDOM is tropetastic. If you’re familiar with epic fantasy or isekai at all (I myself have read dozens of isekai comics on Tapas), certain surprising reveals will not be *that* surprising. But as with any successful trope execution, what matters is the journey and not the mere presence of the trope itself. I love the attention to details that a reader may not have considered before. For example, what are the consequences to an isekai heroine’s lack of identification papers? No reputable landlord or innkeeper will allow Maggie to enter premises even if she can scrounge up the coins. This *hugely* limits her options in the beginning and influences her survival decision-making. Later on, Maggie needs to invent a reputable, legitimate business to explain her income and new household to Rellasian Treasury authorities. Rellas, like our world, has a suspicious bureaucratic government that will audit unpaid taxes if you don’t have documentation or proper permits to operate businesses.
This is not a narrative that jumps from Point A to Point D in the fastest possible route. The meandering detours into Maggie’s adventures are intentional so that readers can fully immerse themselves within Rellasian worldbuilding and understand each character's backstory. For example, there is a scene where Maggie realizes that she needs to perfect the [Spoiler Item] recipe because Rellas doesn’t have a good version of this product and she desperately needs money. As Maggie points out, there is a common isekai plot point where the heroine will magically invent some fun Earth good (like popcorn) and earn millions to fund other goals. But Maggie’s invention doesn’t magically appear out of thin air to save the day; she has to brainstorm and experiment with ingredient proportions to develop the damn product! It is a surprisingly difficult task because Rellas doesn’t have the same plants or products as Earth, so Maggie’s crew continuously tinkers with the product throughout the book. The whole affair soothed the part of my brain that binge-watches Great British Bake-Off and House Hunters International. Like… this is what I mean when I say THIS KINGDOM exudes cozy vibes. It’s not, but it also IS. Glad we cleared that up in a non-confusing manner. /s
Sidenote: You may be wondering why I, noted romance reader, have not mentioned the romantic interest yet. Y’all. I am bursting at the seams. I CANNOT TALK ABOUT IT FOR GOOD REASONS. It is going to kill me to stay silent for another 7 months, but this is my cross to bear. All I can say is that this is IA’s greatest romantic ship. They might actually dethrone Kate/Curran for me, and I *never* suspected that KC were ever in danger of losing their #1 status. This ship is haunting me in my dreams. And now I really will shut up before I start crying about hair ornaments.
This is a book that rewards rereading. Yeah, you’ll have fun on the first read and gasp at the shocking reveals (well, there’s enough foreshadowing that you might predict some twists). But it’s only in the rereads where you can trace the little breadcrumbs sprinkled throughout the book. It’s a wildly complex storyline: not only does the reader have to know what originally happened in the grimdark fictional series, you also have to understand why Maggie is changing shit and then grasp how her alterations collapse the timeline in unforeseeable ways. It’s three separate plots crammed into one book. Layers upon layers upon layers. I didn't fully appreciate the nuances until my third reread. I know some readers might be overwhelmed by the avalanche of new information, but that is a hallmark of the isekai genre. Hang in there, because the payoff is *so* worth it. This might not be a selling point to some folks, but I crave the intricacy and foresee several rereads in my future. Speaking of rereads: I’m on my hands and knees, BEGGING GraphicAudio to adapt THIS KINGDOM. I might pass away in joy after experiencing a full-cast narration.
Something that worries me is that I see no *true* happy ending for the meta conflict. There are basically two layers of external conflict, right? The first layer is Maggie using her bookish knowledge to save Rellas from internal warfare and the Crimson Empire’s upcoming invasion. The second layer is Maggie’s meta existence in the “fictional” world: she has a loving family back on Earth, but she’s growing attached to her new found family (and romantic interest) in Rellas. And, well, she will have to choose between the two worlds eventually. It’s not explained *why* the meta transportation occurs (why is Maggie always resurrected? Why did she enter the book series? Who wrote the book series on Earth and for what purpose?), but I anticipate this will be resolved later in the series. And when Maggie eventually chooses Rellas as her permanent home, it seems unlikely that she world-hops between Earth and Rellas to have brunch with her parents every Sunday. I trust the authors to deliver a satisfying, emotionally resonant ending… but it will be bittersweet and I am semi-dreading that eventuality.
If you’ve reached this far: congratulations, because reading my disorganized word-vomit review could not have been fun. But I selfishly hope you’ll give THIS KINGDOM a chance, mostly because I need to FLAIL about the romantic ship and agonize about the sequel wait with other fans.
Final tangent: I am 99% sure what the magical creature will be on the sequel's cover, and I am SO EXCITED to see a visual representation.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2026
Thank you to Ilona Andrews and Netgalley for the ARC. This does not affect my opinions or content of the review.
4.5 Welcome to a New Genre Stars
Imagine one day you wake up and are in one of your favorite, if not more brutal, books. You have been part of a fandom for this series for years, waiting for the final book to come out, speculating on theories and dissecting timelines and character motivations etc. If this was Game of Thrones, you know about the Red Wedding, how much of a bastard Joffery is, who is going to betray who. If you got dropped into that world, what would you do? Could you save some of the characters that you loved. Could you hope to get them some of the justice they might deserve?
Maggie has to ask herself all of these questions and more when she wakes up in a ditch, with no clothes, in a world that she knows like to back of her hand because she has read and reread stories of this world for years.
Because this isn’t coming out for awhile I’m not going to give anything away. But I want to say congratulations to Ilona Andrews in their new endeavor into a new genre for them. You were right, this isn’t like anything you have written before, but I still found so many of the things I normally love in your other books.
There are some new things that IA is trying out. While this story did complete a defined plot arc, there is more to come and a bit of a cliff hanger. There was one really big plot twist that had me reeling and I had to stop and go back to the first few chapters to check a few things before moving on. There were some smaller twists ones that didn’t hit quite that hard but were different than in other books in their UF series and left definite impressions.
Overall, I had a great time with Maggie The Undying as she tries to right some of the wrongs in her favorite Dark Fantasy. I can’t wait to see how the audiobook captures this story when it comes out, or the things that I pick up on the second read through.
4.5 Welcome to a New Genre Stars
Imagine one day you wake up and are in one of your favorite, if not more brutal, books. You have been part of a fandom for this series for years, waiting for the final book to come out, speculating on theories and dissecting timelines and character motivations etc. If this was Game of Thrones, you know about the Red Wedding, how much of a bastard Joffery is, who is going to betray who. If you got dropped into that world, what would you do? Could you save some of the characters that you loved. Could you hope to get them some of the justice they might deserve?
Maggie has to ask herself all of these questions and more when she wakes up in a ditch, with no clothes, in a world that she knows like to back of her hand because she has read and reread stories of this world for years.
Because this isn’t coming out for awhile I’m not going to give anything away. But I want to say congratulations to Ilona Andrews in their new endeavor into a new genre for them. You were right, this isn’t like anything you have written before, but I still found so many of the things I normally love in your other books.
1 -Strong main character. Maggie isn’t a fighter or someone who kicks butt in normal ways. But she is smart, quick with a plan and resolute once she has decided on a course of action. She is also pretty funny sometimes.
2 - Cool worldbuilding elements. In Urban Fantasy they have created multiple worlds with elements in things we already know from this one. So just think what can happen when they get to do it from scratch and use elements like Knights, Mages, Dukedoms, Hired Thugs, Ladies Maids, Holy Orders, Towers, Castles…etc. They really brought in a lot of great worldbuilding elements.
3 - Amazing side characters. Like most IA books I’ve read the side characters really shine and the found family that Maggie is surrounding herself with has a lot of potential. I absolutely fell in love with Maggie’s new Lady’s maid Clover. Her backstory makes you just want to hug her and get the vengeance she deserves. As always all the side characters feel three dimensional and real.
4 - Interesting Love Interests While there really wasn’t a shortage of possibilities for potential love interests for Maggie, I definitely have my favorite. And like most of the romantic leads he isn’t some Gary Stew but complicated, a little morally gray and slightly devious. It will be interesting to see how it all works out. But so far the journey has been memorable.
5 - Cute Animal Companion I do love the unusual pets IA comes up with to be companions and Maggie has one to add to the pet gallery.
There are some new things that IA is trying out. While this story did complete a defined plot arc, there is more to come and a bit of a cliff hanger. There was one really big plot twist that had me reeling and I had to stop and go back to the first few chapters to check a few things before moving on. There were some smaller twists ones that didn’t hit quite that hard but were different than in other books in their UF series and left definite impressions.
Overall, I had a great time with Maggie The Undying as she tries to right some of the wrongs in her favorite Dark Fantasy. I can’t wait to see how the audiobook captures this story when it comes out, or the things that I pick up on the second read through.
wishlist
July 9, 2025💥 April 23, 2025: it's available for pre-order!! And we only have to wait ONE BLOODY SHRIMPING YEAR before the book is published, yay!
I was so ridiculously excited about this that I read the date wrong! 🤦♀️🤦♀️ It won't be released this year but in March 2026. As in MARCH TWENTY TWENTY SIX.
Coming March 31, 2025!!!!!
I was so ridiculously excited about this that I read the date wrong! 🤦♀️🤦♀️ It won't be released this year but in March 2026. As in MARCH TWENTY TWENTY SIX.
Coming March 31, 2025!!!!!
Currently reading
January 22, 2026Okay, I'm trying to read this one again. I am ready. Years of isekai manhwas have prepared me🙂↕️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an ALC of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Sooooooooooooo.. I have a tiiiiiny, teensy, weensy, measly ,little, question.. 🙌🏼 🙌🏼nothing too major🙌🏼🙌🏼.. but, um, is it too soon to give out The Best Book of the Year award? Who am I asking this to exactly?? ..I have absolutely noo idea, but it HAD to be asked!
This crept in with more stealth than Chris Kyle and set a record! LITERALLY! I finished this on the last day, of the first month, of the year , and it's my first 6🌟 read of 2026!
This book goes in the category of those I was magnetically pulled to and I couldn't really explain why.. The synopsis was intriguing however something about the cover made me skip it at first. But, I just couldn't stop thinking about this one..I can now confirm that it was my own personal misunderstanding , stupidity, and ever so wrong judgement.. When I initially saw this, I couldn't help but think it was very.."Mother Goose" looking.. And at first, I (wrongly) assumed that would mean it would be, maybe more "basic" or "childish". But I LIITERALLYYYYYY.. couldn't have been more wrong!!!!!!.... It had a "Mother Goose vibe" all right!..but in the electrifying, alluring , and downright awe inspiring magical way that first made you fall in love with books!.. Like, the Magic Tree House but for adults!! 😭😭😭😭😭.. This was absolutely nothing short of epic! To the point where I actually listened to it in one sitting. (I do listen at 2x the speed).. normally I fit reading into my schedule but with this book my outside world ceased to exist and I was on its time!
It's SO hard to not give spoilers away here because this is the kinda book you just can't shut up about once you've read it! But for y'all I'll do my best.. because this really should be experienced without them.
I will say, I review on Fable a lot.. And those that do also know how it asks you to describe the book by picking from a variety of descriptive bubbles. One description that is often used for the storyline and the settings is "lush".. If I'm being honest I always struggled to understand that one slightly, until now! This was just SO rich in absolutely every possible way! Timelines, characters, settings, E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.. Everything about this book is the definition of "lush" and beauty.
If this story had been part of the Magic Tree House, I would have blown that Tree House to smithereens in a nanosecond! Eliminating any chance of going home..I was SO sad when this story came to an end and I was forced to leave! I wasn't readyyyyyyyyy! 😭.. To be fair I would never be.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is one of those rare reads that will alter your inner cortex forever!
EASILY one of my favorite books of all time and I'm SO excited to see this is part of a series! Because Seriously, SpongeBob would envy my readiness! I need more of this ASAP!
Along with being my first 6🌟 read of the year I'm also officially in my first full-time book hangover of 2026! While I wallow in self-pity, you should definitely check this one out.
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
Sooooooooooooo.. I have a tiiiiiny, teensy, weensy, measly ,little, question.. 🙌🏼 🙌🏼nothing too major🙌🏼🙌🏼.. but, um, is it too soon to give out The Best Book of the Year award? Who am I asking this to exactly?? ..I have absolutely noo idea, but it HAD to be asked!
This crept in with more stealth than Chris Kyle and set a record! LITERALLY! I finished this on the last day, of the first month, of the year , and it's my first 6🌟 read of 2026!
This book goes in the category of those I was magnetically pulled to and I couldn't really explain why.. The synopsis was intriguing however something about the cover made me skip it at first. But, I just couldn't stop thinking about this one..I can now confirm that it was my own personal misunderstanding , stupidity, and ever so wrong judgement.. When I initially saw this, I couldn't help but think it was very.."Mother Goose" looking.. And at first, I (wrongly) assumed that would mean it would be, maybe more "basic" or "childish". But I LIITERALLYYYYYY.. couldn't have been more wrong!!!!!!.... It had a "Mother Goose vibe" all right!..but in the electrifying, alluring , and downright awe inspiring magical way that first made you fall in love with books!.. Like, the Magic Tree House but for adults!! 😭😭😭😭😭.. This was absolutely nothing short of epic! To the point where I actually listened to it in one sitting. (I do listen at 2x the speed).. normally I fit reading into my schedule but with this book my outside world ceased to exist and I was on its time!
It's SO hard to not give spoilers away here because this is the kinda book you just can't shut up about once you've read it! But for y'all I'll do my best.. because this really should be experienced without them.
I will say, I review on Fable a lot.. And those that do also know how it asks you to describe the book by picking from a variety of descriptive bubbles. One description that is often used for the storyline and the settings is "lush".. If I'm being honest I always struggled to understand that one slightly, until now! This was just SO rich in absolutely every possible way! Timelines, characters, settings, E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.. Everything about this book is the definition of "lush" and beauty.
If this story had been part of the Magic Tree House, I would have blown that Tree House to smithereens in a nanosecond! Eliminating any chance of going home..I was SO sad when this story came to an end and I was forced to leave! I wasn't readyyyyyyyyy! 😭.. To be fair I would never be.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is one of those rare reads that will alter your inner cortex forever!
EASILY one of my favorite books of all time and I'm SO excited to see this is part of a series! Because Seriously, SpongeBob would envy my readiness! I need more of this ASAP!
Along with being my first 6🌟 read of the year I'm also officially in my first full-time book hangover of 2026! While I wallow in self-pity, you should definitely check this one out.
Until next time,
Hades
🩵
January 27, 2026
Screaming crying throwing up, the pain of getting to read an ARC copy for the first book in a series that ends in a cliffhanger…but this was worth every single second. 😭
I honestly haven’t been able to stop thinking about all of these characters, night and day, day and night.
Will have to collect myself before I write a formal review but will refrain from listing any spoilers until the book is officially out.
Illona Andrew’s have been my favorite authors alive for years now…so this is no surprise what so ever, but I never thought they could get better at what they do. And yet, here’s TK showing me they absolutely can. I laughed, I cried. I shrieked. I gasped. Portal Fantasy has never been done before in the west. Not like this. The right people to tackle such a monster/complex plot and only they could have done it justice.
Time to stare at a wall for days/weeks/months now while I miss these characters more than anything.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Can't believe this is the rating I'm giving this book but.. it is. It's real.
All that to say.. three stars is not a bad rating. This is not a "do not read". This is just me warning you, from one IA superfan to another — and also to those who aren't — to maybe adjust some expectations, so you can enjoy yourself more than I did.
Full review to come.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
All that to say.. three stars is not a bad rating. This is not a "do not read". This is just me warning you, from one IA superfan to another — and also to those who aren't — to maybe adjust some expectations, so you can enjoy yourself more than I did.
Full review to come.
** I received an ARC from the publisher (thank you!) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. **
October 26, 2025
The future always had the last laugh.
WDYM WE WERE ABT TO GET A [REDACTED] SCENE AND THEN INSTEAD IT ENDS LIKE THAT DAMN IT😭 AND NOW I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2027 FOR BOOK 2 WHY DO I KEEP DOING THIS TO MYSELF😭😭 Need to start banning myself from reading 2026 first-in-a-series books I can't do this anymore😭😭 (i cant resist though🆘)
Genuinely the way I am so?????? Like???? I knew I would adore this book but THIS MUCH??? I kid you not this is 100000% in my top 5 books this year (2025) for sure like HELLO I AM OBSESSED. Absolutely zero complaints. 480 pages of this book was NOT ENOUGH I was lowkey getting depressed as I was reading the closer I got to the end because I didn't want it to be over. I already feel the urge to reread and I literally just finished. Every aspect of this book was amazing. The plot!! The world!! THE CHARACTERS‼️ I WOULD DIE FOR SO MANY OF THEM, MY LOVES.
One thing you should know about me is that I am a complete sucker for isekai manhwas. I have read god knows how many isekai manhwas and do they have really similar plots?? Yes. Do I still eat them up every time?? Yes! It really is that *that* type of genre where you can't get enough. I don't care, I will always love them. So of course I was immediately hyped when I saw that This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me was an isekai like hell yeah!!! I've only ever read one another isekai in novel format and that was Long Live Evil, which... let's just say that was a disappointment. BUT THIS????? 1000000/10⭐ THIS IS WHAT I WANTED. Maggie getting thrown into the world of her favourite fantasy novel and said series being incomplete so she doesn't know how it ends?? And she hasn't been reincarnated into another character, it's just her own self thrown into in. The way she quite literally started with absolutely *nothing* entering this world and used her knowledge of the books to rise up was so thrilling to see. Meeting all the characters that she did (imagine meeting your fav characters!!! ugh I wish) and the bonds she formed with so many of them was so wholesome and sweet. And then learning so much about the world itself... I'm in awe genuinely. There's such an insane amount to learn about and it might feel overwhelming but it's so fun. And there's still so much to learn, I'm so hyped!! The politics was also so interesting and I was extremely invested with the way things worked in this kingdom. And of course the plot! So many crazy incidents and the revelations omg the amount of times I gasped?? I love how everything came all together. I would so reread this book to catch all those hints again.
Maggie as a FMC was absolutely amazing. I ADORE this girl so so much. She's such a well written and lovable character, there's literally nothing to hate about her. Her kindness knows no bounds, she's so sweet like?? (no wonder so many were smitten with her, I would be too-) I also just greatly admire characters who get thrown into another world and oh did Maggie have it rough in the beginning (tbh the whole time really😭) Absolutely terrifying of a situation and she really pushed through. I love the ideas she would come up with and how clever she was in approaching certain situations. Like give me your brain!! I just know if I were thrown into my fav fantasy world, I'd die immediately (which lowkey mood tho because thats also what happened to Maggie pretty fast LOL). I so want to give Maggie a big hug though because omg the amount of traumatizing experiences she went through.
And then regarding the other characters oh my god!!! ESPECIALLY THE MMC UGH I LOVE HIM THE LOVE OF MY LIFE NEW BOOK BOYFRIEND, I WOULD GIVE MY HEART TO HIM IN A HEARTBEAT IDK HOW MAGGIE RESISTS HIM??? Or well I do know, but I am not that strong I fear. I want to talk more about him but I genuinely think it's more fun to know absolutely nothing about him so👀 Guys, just know he is absolutely so sweet, cunning, menacing, and swoony. The amount of scenes I highlighted with these two???? The romance was such a slow burn and when they finally kissed I literally screamed. I FREAKED OUT. LIKE YES I WAS WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT FINALLY‼️ I NEED MORE OF THEM ASAP THEY ARE SO ADORABLE, I GENUINELY LOVE THEM SO MUCH, MY HEART😭 The development in their relationship was so natural, I adore it so so much. At this point I'm going to give something away I swear, I want to fangirl so much about them. Maggie and [redacted] are literally my OTP, and that ending was absolutely CRIMINAL. I will not be able to look at hair ornaments the same way until 2027.
The other characters were also so lovable, the found family vibes oh my god??? And some characters I didn't expect I would also love so much by the end with some unexpected developments?? WHICH BTW??? THE AMOUNT OF TWISTS THIS BOOK HAD WITH SOME OF THESE CHARACTERS LIKE HELLO???? I KID YOU NOT I WOULD GASP IN ASTONISHMENT. Mind you I did this with an audience around me, so I just looked insane gasping at my ARC. But seriously who would've thought??? And it happened TWICE, like!!! DAMN. But oh if it wasn't also hilarious in its own way please. And then there were other twists that I also didn't see coming and I can't wait to further see how the story plays out because of this!!! (Also the amount of times this book made me laugh??? Like please these guys are so ridiculous I love them LOL)
I read this all within 48 hours so yet another reason to add this book to your TBR!!! I know the worldbuilding and politics might feel slow to some, but I genuinely was invested the whole time and adore how much detail was put into it. Ilona Andrews, you have officially made me a fan, I will absolutely be reading your other works!! (I've had Magic Bites on my shelf for so long, I so am getting to that ASAP now)
What an amazing start to an epic fantasy series, I am beyond excited to continue!! I'll be in pain waiting for the next 491+ days (oh my god I won't survive actually) but in the meantime, I will scream about this book to anyone and everyone.
Thank you Tor for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!!
Want to read
July 25, 2025We’ve got a title and a synopsis—now all we need is the cover! And of course, the agonizing wait until March 31, 2026... pretty sure my patience will hit its limit before then.
I’m a HUGE fan of Ilona Andrews—they’re probably my most beloved and most re-read authors. So getting a brand-new story? Absolute peak excitement. And apparently, it’s going to be LOOOOONG AS HELL—sign me up immediately.
The only problem? The wait is going to kill me. 2026 is basically a lifetime away, and now I have to pretend I know what patience is? Yeah, that’s not happening. Someone, please rescue me!
I’m a HUGE fan of Ilona Andrews—they’re probably my most beloved and most re-read authors. So getting a brand-new story? Absolute peak excitement. And apparently, it’s going to be LOOOOONG AS HELL—sign me up immediately.
The only problem? The wait is going to kill me. 2026 is basically a lifetime away, and now I have to pretend I know what patience is? Yeah, that’s not happening. Someone, please rescue me!
October 30, 2025
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
Did I finish one of my most highly anticipated 2026 releases, or did it finish me? Ilona Andrews is one of the most consistent of my favorite authors, always delivering on incredibly well-developed (urban) fantasy worlds; fast-paced, high-stakes action; memorable (and funny!) main and secondary characters; and scorching romances. And, if THIS KINGDOM is anything to go by, Maggie the Undying will end up as one of my favorite series of theirs, right up there with the Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy series.
I didn’t know what isekai meant before going into TKWNKM, but if you’re hesitant about the concept, don’t be. IA don’t waste any time and drop Maggie right into the fictional world of her favorite fantasy series. Maggie is no passive damsel in distress, and instead cleverly uses her near encyclopedic knowledge of Kair Toren to make a name for herself and try to save the world.
The amount of detail that IA have put into this world… I honestly don’t even have words. They not only had to imagine Maggie’s present-day timeline, but also an entire backstory of the many kingdoms of the world in which she has become trapped. Much of this information is crucial to the main plot, and so while some of it was a bit info-dump-y for me, I was always impressed by level and intricacy of their worldbuilding.
Compared to some of IA’s other female protagonists, Maggie is less stabby muscles and more political mastermind. She concocts elaborate schemes to try to reduce the amount of murder and violence happening around her, but she is no less fascinating to read about. Character reveals are used for some of the key plot points, so follow along for the ride!
From start to finish, TKWNKM is a giant rollercoaster ride and hard to put down. There is another, 100% deliciously hot and steamy alpha male love interest, which I am all for. I screamed and gasped and yelled at my Kindle throughout, and am left absolutely dying for Book 2. If you’ve already been an IA fan, you’ll love this. If this will be your first IA, welcome to the fandom of incredible fictional worlds, jaw-dropping action and stakes, and heroes and heroines you’ll emotionally invest in.
Did I finish one of my most highly anticipated 2026 releases, or did it finish me? Ilona Andrews is one of the most consistent of my favorite authors, always delivering on incredibly well-developed (urban) fantasy worlds; fast-paced, high-stakes action; memorable (and funny!) main and secondary characters; and scorching romances. And, if THIS KINGDOM is anything to go by, Maggie the Undying will end up as one of my favorite series of theirs, right up there with the Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy series.
I didn’t know what isekai meant before going into TKWNKM, but if you’re hesitant about the concept, don’t be. IA don’t waste any time and drop Maggie right into the fictional world of her favorite fantasy series. Maggie is no passive damsel in distress, and instead cleverly uses her near encyclopedic knowledge of Kair Toren to make a name for herself and try to save the world.
The amount of detail that IA have put into this world… I honestly don’t even have words. They not only had to imagine Maggie’s present-day timeline, but also an entire backstory of the many kingdoms of the world in which she has become trapped. Much of this information is crucial to the main plot, and so while some of it was a bit info-dump-y for me, I was always impressed by level and intricacy of their worldbuilding.
Compared to some of IA’s other female protagonists, Maggie is less stabby muscles and more political mastermind. She concocts elaborate schemes to try to reduce the amount of murder and violence happening around her, but she is no less fascinating to read about. Character reveals are used for some of the key plot points, so follow along for the ride!
From start to finish, TKWNKM is a giant rollercoaster ride and hard to put down. There is another, 100% deliciously hot and steamy alpha male love interest, which I am all for. I screamed and gasped and yelled at my Kindle throughout, and am left absolutely dying for Book 2. If you’ve already been an IA fan, you’ll love this. If this will be your first IA, welcome to the fandom of incredible fictional worlds, jaw-dropping action and stakes, and heroes and heroines you’ll emotionally invest in.
Want to read
May 11, 2025as someone who has read over 100+ isekai manhwa over the last 10 years this is my superbowl, this is my oscars, this is my endgame, this is my world cup.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
What if one day you woke up and found yourself plopped into your favorite grim dark fantasy series. The one you reread multiple times a year. The one you have memorized word for word, cover to cover. But strangely, you haven’t been swapped in for one of the classic princess or warrior characters. You seemingly don’t have any special abilities in fact. You wake up naked and afraid, and eventually discover one thing to be true: no matter how many times this world kills you, you don’t ever stay dead.
Apparently this is called an “isekai” aka a portal fantasy. Fabulous concept no notes. Execution wise, I am a bit more conflicted. I’ve been struggling with the recent Ilona Andrews books I’ve read. Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy were camp and wonderful to me. Everything I’ve read since then hasn’t hit the same (Fated Blades, The Inheritance). In all honesty, I thought this book would be another wash until I hit the 50% mark. Then I sat up in my chair. I love a switch up like that.
The world building does feel a bit awkward because of the nature of this story. Maggie is a character placed into a world she knows deeply, textually at least. So she’ll literally just recite the information / plot that she knows to us. I don’t really know how else this could have been handled but it falls into a very meta pattern of: book event, the significance of this event in the story, and then how she’s going to deal with / make the best of / change that event. So this book has a gazillion side quests. The structure of which got a bit repetitive until that 50% mark. Then for some reason… :) :) :) my attention was grabbed.
One of my favorite things about Andrews books is how easy they are to binge. The writing is straight forward, no frills. The dialogue and inner POV can range from hilarious to a bit cringy. But usually I can look past this. It’s…let’s call it camp. In TKWNKM, I got pulled out a bit by the language / dialogue trying to be youthful/ modern (Maggie is a 26 year old modern day woman who is stuck in a dark fantasy world that also for the most part uses current vernacular). See: “She put a jar of honey in front of me. I spooned some into my cup and tried the tea. Like being kicked in the teeth by a caffeine horse. Wooo!” I think we could have done without the “Wooo!”. Or perhaps: “I was sitting on a wall in a magical city, and a hot, deadly swordsman had brought me tea and pastries and was entertaining me with his war stories. Dreams fanfics were made of.” -_- ignoring that thank you.
Andrews also really want you to know that Maggie is a Good Person. She always does the “right thing” and saves the vulnerable. Even when she turns to violence in this story, it’s For Good. I think it could have been more interesting to see how a world as supposedly dark as this one is, might bring out some depravity in our main character. But thematically I don’t think Andrews heroines are ever really that vibe. Also, there are always like 4 men inexplicably entranced with the FMC; it’s hilarious and a bit ridiculous every time to me. This feels like as good a place as any to talk about the romance. There is a very indulgent part of me that loves an Ilona Andrews male love interest. They are always a man Who Shelter, Who Protec, and who get things done. They are also typically very playful and persistent, unyielding really, in their pursuit of the female lead. It’s a very “I will wear you down with my attention until you admit you are mine” kind of dynamic. I’ll admit… I kinda eat it up. So imagine my surprise when the love interest was really nice and honorable but a bit of a snooze fest,,,, well,,, until,,,, the 50% mark. :) hehehehehehehe I loved the negotiations of power between them.
For some more praise - I enjoyed many of the characters in this. Andrews’s bigger series almost always have a wide cast of really fun characters and this was no exception. There may have actually been a few too many, but I got a handle of all the names and families by the end. Everard and Solentine <3
I also think that the whole “no matter how much I try to change the ending of this story, the timeline fights back” was quite entertaining. It weirdly added some unpredictability to the story because you didn’t know just how the timeline might choose to reassert events.
So ya. Bit of a brain dump. Some good and some bad but overall I still enjoyed this. Maybe a 3.5? 3.75?
Apparently this is called an “isekai” aka a portal fantasy. Fabulous concept no notes. Execution wise, I am a bit more conflicted. I’ve been struggling with the recent Ilona Andrews books I’ve read. Kate Daniels and Hidden Legacy were camp and wonderful to me. Everything I’ve read since then hasn’t hit the same (Fated Blades, The Inheritance). In all honesty, I thought this book would be another wash until I hit the 50% mark. Then I sat up in my chair. I love a switch up like that.
The world building does feel a bit awkward because of the nature of this story. Maggie is a character placed into a world she knows deeply, textually at least. So she’ll literally just recite the information / plot that she knows to us. I don’t really know how else this could have been handled but it falls into a very meta pattern of: book event, the significance of this event in the story, and then how she’s going to deal with / make the best of / change that event. So this book has a gazillion side quests. The structure of which got a bit repetitive until that 50% mark. Then for some reason… :) :) :) my attention was grabbed.
One of my favorite things about Andrews books is how easy they are to binge. The writing is straight forward, no frills. The dialogue and inner POV can range from hilarious to a bit cringy. But usually I can look past this. It’s…let’s call it camp. In TKWNKM, I got pulled out a bit by the language / dialogue trying to be youthful/ modern (Maggie is a 26 year old modern day woman who is stuck in a dark fantasy world that also for the most part uses current vernacular). See: “She put a jar of honey in front of me. I spooned some into my cup and tried the tea. Like being kicked in the teeth by a caffeine horse. Wooo!” I think we could have done without the “Wooo!”. Or perhaps: “I was sitting on a wall in a magical city, and a hot, deadly swordsman had brought me tea and pastries and was entertaining me with his war stories. Dreams fanfics were made of.” -_- ignoring that thank you.
Andrews also really want you to know that Maggie is a Good Person. She always does the “right thing” and saves the vulnerable. Even when she turns to violence in this story, it’s For Good. I think it could have been more interesting to see how a world as supposedly dark as this one is, might bring out some depravity in our main character. But thematically I don’t think Andrews heroines are ever really that vibe. Also, there are always like 4 men inexplicably entranced with the FMC; it’s hilarious and a bit ridiculous every time to me. This feels like as good a place as any to talk about the romance. There is a very indulgent part of me that loves an Ilona Andrews male love interest. They are always a man Who Shelter, Who Protec, and who get things done. They are also typically very playful and persistent, unyielding really, in their pursuit of the female lead. It’s a very “I will wear you down with my attention until you admit you are mine” kind of dynamic. I’ll admit… I kinda eat it up. So imagine my surprise when the love interest was really nice and honorable but a bit of a snooze fest,,,, well,,, until,,,, the 50% mark. :) hehehehehehehe I loved the negotiations of power between them.
For some more praise - I enjoyed many of the characters in this. Andrews’s bigger series almost always have a wide cast of really fun characters and this was no exception. There may have actually been a few too many, but I got a handle of all the names and families by the end. Everard and Solentine <3
I also think that the whole “no matter how much I try to change the ending of this story, the timeline fights back” was quite entertaining. It weirdly added some unpredictability to the story because you didn’t know just how the timeline might choose to reassert events.
So ya. Bit of a brain dump. Some good and some bad but overall I still enjoyed this. Maybe a 3.5? 3.75?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
OH MY GOODNESS
no, I need the next book right now
omg
no, I need the next book right now
omg
October 20, 2025
Classic mistake of reading an arc early. Now I have to wait even longer for the sequel. Obviously that was incredible. I was really trudging through those first 50 pages and then I inhaled the rest of the book in one day. Maggie has been dropped into the world of her favorite fantasy series. The world is far more expansive than just the scope of the book, and the series was also never finished, so she knows very specific things but not all. There is a romance! And I am eating it up. Ilona Andrews always writes the best found families and this one is no exception. Maggie is specifically trying to stop a civil war that she knows is on the horizon. But things keep taking turns that she can’t anticipate. The plot was excellent, there were some great reveals and twists, but the characters are my favorite. I need to see what they get up to in book two.
Want to read
August 25, 2025
Want to read
November 17, 2025BEYOND excited for this!!!
Want to read
January 27, 2026There is a free 126 pages preview available on Amazon (Canada) for free!
July 31, 2025
3.5 stars
I love IA books, especially all in Kate Daniels' universe. I would say this is a mix of Innkeeper Chronicles and The Edge series. I really enjoyed plot and characters, but it kind of ended abruptly. I will definitely read the sequel like anything from this duo.
I love IA books, especially all in Kate Daniels' universe. I would say this is a mix of Innkeeper Chronicles and The Edge series. I really enjoyed plot and characters, but it kind of ended abruptly. I will definitely read the sequel like anything from this duo.
July 21, 2025
Thank you to edelweiss for an e-arc copy.
I'm almost upset that I read this as an arc because it means I now have to wait even longer for the sequel.
This was everything I've been looking for in a new fantasy.
Our main character Maggie wakes up in her favorite book series. Sounds like it could be a great time, shame that her favorite book is an unfinished grimdark fantasy with ambitious, powerful, and some downright evil characters. She uses her knowledge of her favorite series to gather allies and survive (well turns out she can't die, so really she's just trying to die less). Along the way there is a romance subplot, but it is very slow burning.
I could not put this down. Maggie is smart and funny and so aware of what a weird situation she has found herself in. She is a strong modern woman stuck in a a magical kingdom. The world is a fully realized fantasy novel, with the quirky comments from our reader and main character Maggie. This book was exciting, engaging, and such a good time from start to finish. I cannot wait for this to come out to convince everyone this should be their next fantasy read.
Are you looking for a strong, smart, kind, but very self-aware, mid-20s FMC? She takes no sh*t and will defend her new found family to her death (deaths?). This is perfect for fans of Fantasy and Romantasy alike. If you are looking for your next great read, this will probably be it.
I'm almost upset that I read this as an arc because it means I now have to wait even longer for the sequel.
This was everything I've been looking for in a new fantasy.
Our main character Maggie wakes up in her favorite book series. Sounds like it could be a great time, shame that her favorite book is an unfinished grimdark fantasy with ambitious, powerful, and some downright evil characters. She uses her knowledge of her favorite series to gather allies and survive (well turns out she can't die, so really she's just trying to die less). Along the way there is a romance subplot, but it is very slow burning.
I could not put this down. Maggie is smart and funny and so aware of what a weird situation she has found herself in. She is a strong modern woman stuck in a a magical kingdom. The world is a fully realized fantasy novel, with the quirky comments from our reader and main character Maggie. This book was exciting, engaging, and such a good time from start to finish. I cannot wait for this to come out to convince everyone this should be their next fantasy read.
Are you looking for a strong, smart, kind, but very self-aware, mid-20s FMC? She takes no sh*t and will defend her new found family to her death (deaths?). This is perfect for fans of Fantasy and Romantasy alike. If you are looking for your next great read, this will probably be it.
Read
January 30, 2026This is the advanced reader copy I have gotten this year that I am most excited for. I almost cheered out loud at work when I saw I had received it. I love Ilona Andrews and the prospect of a new world wars one I was quite excited for. The story was unsurprisingly amazing. The world building was great and the characters were compelling. A regularly woman wakes up naked and cold in the world of her favorite fantasy series. She has nothing but her extensive knowledge from the books to help her to survive. This world while including magic is harsh and brutal. Maggie has no idea how she got there or how she could get home but she is determined to live. I listened to the audiobook and I loved the narrator. She truly brought the story to life and I had a hard time putting this one down so I could do things like work or sleep.
January 11, 2026
When Maggie wakes up, cold, naked, and filthy in Kair Toren, a city in the kingdom of Rellas, she recognizes it immediately. It's her favorite dark fantasy series, the one with sweeping political machinations and powerful magic. The series that she's been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel. (You know, we all have one.) Now she must survive with only her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, setting, and the characters’ actions, motivations, and fates. Information that she can only use sparingly as to not change the very story that she's living in. But each decision begets ripples and she learns that if she's killed, it's not forever and that even minor characters deserve happy endings. She collects a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, a dangerous soldier, and various outrageous magic creatures, a found family that she cannot abandon to the cataclysmic war she knows is coming. Instead she must save the kingdom.
Why I started this book: Andrews is on my auto-buy list and I jumped at the ARC with both hands. I love their story telling style and several of their series. Clean Sweep and On the Edge and Burn for Me.
Why I finished it: This is the first book in a long time that kept me up until 0300 reading. And I stopped because I needed at least a little nap to make it through my packed day. I finished this book, and immediately started it over. Andrews stories shine with family dynamics, strong magic and high stakes. This is more of the same, but different. Word to the eager reader, this is a new series. There is plenty of exposition in this book, as Andrews introduces the readers to the world. This is handled well in my opinion, but it is a lot, so your mileage may vary. And there is a serious cliffhanger! This story resolves itself, but in the very last chapter a new battle front opens. I was thrilled and stressed that since this book won't be published until 2026, my wait will be so long.
Why I started this book: Andrews is on my auto-buy list and I jumped at the ARC with both hands. I love their story telling style and several of their series. Clean Sweep and On the Edge and Burn for Me.
Why I finished it: This is the first book in a long time that kept me up until 0300 reading. And I stopped because I needed at least a little nap to make it through my packed day. I finished this book, and immediately started it over. Andrews stories shine with family dynamics, strong magic and high stakes. This is more of the same, but different. Word to the eager reader, this is a new series. There is plenty of exposition in this book, as Andrews introduces the readers to the world. This is handled well in my opinion, but it is a lot, so your mileage may vary. And there is a serious cliffhanger! This story resolves itself, but in the very last chapter a new battle front opens. I was thrilled and stressed that since this book won't be published until 2026, my wait will be so long.
Want to read
January 28, 2025omg an isekai novel?! 👀
July 18, 2025
Brilliant. Review to come at SmexyBooks.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
You can find this review along with some of my favourite quotes on my blog, Heart's Content!
The biggest most grateful shoutout to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a complimentary copy of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me in exchange for an honest review!
Books are like pieces of art; and just like art, they elicit emotions within the viewer that is unique to their own perspective. Each author—much like an artist—develops or adopts a style of expression, distinct to themselves. Some, paint stories without lifting their brush off the page, in one single and steady flourish. Some throw buckets of paint onto their canvas and create portraits with the edge of their palms. Some push pins into the wall and draw threads across them all to create their picture.
But Ilona Andrews? They do something that demands far, far more precision from them, with very very little room for error. They take—metaphorically—a single hammer and using the pointed end of it, plant controlled strikes against a glass canvas, constantly skating the edge between breaking their canvas and transforming it into a masterpiece.
Much like glass point painting, often without the final picture in hand, it’s quite impossible to understand the vision of the artist. Only the artist themselves are capable of revealing it, and as a viewer all we can do until then, is wait, seated upon the edge of enthralled curiosity and debilitating anxiety.
Some pieces of art make it hard to look away, some enthral us, some make us smile or sow a seed of curiosity inside us. Some drag us into the depths and we love them so much, we hang them on the walls of our home. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is one of those pieces of art, that take hold of the soul and sow seeds of obsession, love and pain in our hearts.
Every time I read a book written by Ilona Andrews, I find myself thinking “This is exactly and everything I want in a book.” and This Kingdom is no different. I contemplated upon this yesterday; because as a reader who’s journeyed through nearly twenty books written by them, how is it possible to feel this way for every single one of their works? The simple, but extremely complex answer is: their writing. There are several techniques and approaches to writing a story. Some are steeped in emotion and others in straightforward storytelling with a sharp focus on the plot. Some are rooted in the character’s development and others in the politics of their world. Ilona Andrews does all this together, at the same time, in one book. There is as much drama, intrigue, politics, plot and emotion as there is logic.
Ilona Andrews can take any theme—and scene—and bring it to life not just with their skill, but their ability and tendency to perceive and handle anything from its very roots. They ensure that their storytelling keeps the characters’ and the readers’ feet rooted to the ground. They walk the most dangerous paths with the highest of rational, planing and patience. There are no ‘accidents’ in Ilona Andrews’ writing; nothing that constitutes as ‘lazy’ or ‘sloppy’. I think they are quite incapable of it, to be honest. Instead, they build their story brick by demanding brick, pairing every minute of their meticulous planning with fantastic execution and well-established characters, to push their story deeper into the hearts and minds of their readers.
Their ability to write, as much as it is beautiful, is also an extremely efficient implement. They could use it as a weapon or they could use it to craft. We are extremely lucky that they have chosen the latter.
The world in this story is extremely complex. While I may not have ventured into every story written by Ilona Andrews, I have read plenty. I would say, from what I have seen, this might be the most intricate world they have crafted till date. This means that the world building itself needs to begin even before the story starts, which is exactly what the authors do. So, before we know much about anything else, we begin to learn about the world, the people, the magic and its rules. The first ten percent of the book focuses heavily on the world building, wherein the details have details hidden within them. I found myself progressing the slowest during this first ten percent, only because I took my time to read and then re-read some portions. I would urge you, as a reader, to take your time with that first few chapters. The more you grasp then, the stronger the foundation you’ve built. Soon, the world, its names, its people, its history flow into you as easily as if you’ve known this all along. But, it will take time. I’m here to tell you, the time is worth it. This book leans into its fantastical aspects heavily, lean with them and trust they’ll lead you well.
Another aspect (ha! If you've read the book, you’d find this phrase a nice coincidence) of This Kingdom that features prominently enough that it requires a mention, is the politics. Every book of Ilona Andrews has some modicum of politics in it. Whether it’s familial, societal, financial, emotional or otherwise. This Kingdom is no exception. In fact, it might be the torchbearer of this rule. This book is so heavily drenched in politics, that it’s positively dripping with it. Every corner is dangerous in ways that could be worse than death and every cobblestone set in the characters’ path is brimming with treachery and cunning. The politics in this book sits on par with the world building with regard to prominence and significance. Thus, they appear in winding threads that are forever intertwined, until the very last page of the book.
If you’ve read Ilona Andrews before, you know that their stories revolve around a team of characters that build their relationships into what they are from ground up. They inspire loyalty, friendship and love in turns and represent the real meaning of the word family, even without blood binding them. Personally, I’ve never seen the trope of found family being done the way Ilona Andrews do it. I think my love for that trope was inspired and nurtured by them.
There are many ways the narrator of a story can be written to evoke love in the heart of the reader. Pitting them against the harshest elements of life and having them tackle it with grit, honour and intellect is the most common. What Ilona Andrews add to this, is that all their MCs possess a unique quality of contained evaluation of any situation they are in. They contemplate any event with all the emotion you would want from a protagonist, but they act with thought. Even their panic is thought out; their outbursts are rooted in logic and their actions are drenched with care and awareness of consequences. It is, frankly, quite impossible to dislike any protagonist that these two authors introduce to us and Maggie is no different. You can expect her to steal your heart every step of the way, because she will meet—and exceed—those expectations.
The plot of this story is a tale that unravels beautifully and has layers upon layers of mystery that are intricately interconnected. It was extremely wonderful to watch the characters slowly pull at the threads that keep their world together with the single and steadfast intent of making it a better place. That being said, it was also evident that we are yet to see everything that Ilona Andrews have in store for us. This was just the beginning.
Please expect plot twists to have plot twists. You will not be disappointed.
The pace of this story for me was wonderfully even. My only advice to you—as mentioned earlier—is keep to the first ten percent with high levels of focus. This is not a light read, nor one that you can squeeze in between two other reads. This Kingdom will make you want to feast, so ensure you are starving; because the book will demand time, energy and attention from you. Despite what retailer sites say, I refuse to believe this book is less than 500 pages. There is no way I read a book that’s less than 500 pages for nearly twenty three hours. I will expire on the hill that this book is thick.
With sharp, sure strikes, Ilona Andrews craft their story, from scratch, into a masterpiece, that now exists in a way that makes it impossible to forget. You realize as the book ends, that the canvas the authors have used to chisel their art into, is not paper but your heart.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is a complex fantasy that’s lush, emotionally compelling, wickedly smart and addictive and is now my favourite book of this year. Ilona Andrews have delivered their absolute career-best work and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Please do check trigger warnings as always, this book has themes and content that can be difficult for some.
The biggest most grateful shoutout to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a complimentary copy of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me in exchange for an honest review!
Books are like pieces of art; and just like art, they elicit emotions within the viewer that is unique to their own perspective. Each author—much like an artist—develops or adopts a style of expression, distinct to themselves. Some, paint stories without lifting their brush off the page, in one single and steady flourish. Some throw buckets of paint onto their canvas and create portraits with the edge of their palms. Some push pins into the wall and draw threads across them all to create their picture.
But Ilona Andrews? They do something that demands far, far more precision from them, with very very little room for error. They take—metaphorically—a single hammer and using the pointed end of it, plant controlled strikes against a glass canvas, constantly skating the edge between breaking their canvas and transforming it into a masterpiece.
Much like glass point painting, often without the final picture in hand, it’s quite impossible to understand the vision of the artist. Only the artist themselves are capable of revealing it, and as a viewer all we can do until then, is wait, seated upon the edge of enthralled curiosity and debilitating anxiety.
Some pieces of art make it hard to look away, some enthral us, some make us smile or sow a seed of curiosity inside us. Some drag us into the depths and we love them so much, we hang them on the walls of our home. This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is one of those pieces of art, that take hold of the soul and sow seeds of obsession, love and pain in our hearts.
Every time I read a book written by Ilona Andrews, I find myself thinking “This is exactly and everything I want in a book.” and This Kingdom is no different. I contemplated upon this yesterday; because as a reader who’s journeyed through nearly twenty books written by them, how is it possible to feel this way for every single one of their works? The simple, but extremely complex answer is: their writing. There are several techniques and approaches to writing a story. Some are steeped in emotion and others in straightforward storytelling with a sharp focus on the plot. Some are rooted in the character’s development and others in the politics of their world. Ilona Andrews does all this together, at the same time, in one book. There is as much drama, intrigue, politics, plot and emotion as there is logic.
Ilona Andrews can take any theme—and scene—and bring it to life not just with their skill, but their ability and tendency to perceive and handle anything from its very roots. They ensure that their storytelling keeps the characters’ and the readers’ feet rooted to the ground. They walk the most dangerous paths with the highest of rational, planing and patience. There are no ‘accidents’ in Ilona Andrews’ writing; nothing that constitutes as ‘lazy’ or ‘sloppy’. I think they are quite incapable of it, to be honest. Instead, they build their story brick by demanding brick, pairing every minute of their meticulous planning with fantastic execution and well-established characters, to push their story deeper into the hearts and minds of their readers.
Their ability to write, as much as it is beautiful, is also an extremely efficient implement. They could use it as a weapon or they could use it to craft. We are extremely lucky that they have chosen the latter.
The world in this story is extremely complex. While I may not have ventured into every story written by Ilona Andrews, I have read plenty. I would say, from what I have seen, this might be the most intricate world they have crafted till date. This means that the world building itself needs to begin even before the story starts, which is exactly what the authors do. So, before we know much about anything else, we begin to learn about the world, the people, the magic and its rules. The first ten percent of the book focuses heavily on the world building, wherein the details have details hidden within them. I found myself progressing the slowest during this first ten percent, only because I took my time to read and then re-read some portions. I would urge you, as a reader, to take your time with that first few chapters. The more you grasp then, the stronger the foundation you’ve built. Soon, the world, its names, its people, its history flow into you as easily as if you’ve known this all along. But, it will take time. I’m here to tell you, the time is worth it. This book leans into its fantastical aspects heavily, lean with them and trust they’ll lead you well.
Another aspect (ha! If you've read the book, you’d find this phrase a nice coincidence) of This Kingdom that features prominently enough that it requires a mention, is the politics. Every book of Ilona Andrews has some modicum of politics in it. Whether it’s familial, societal, financial, emotional or otherwise. This Kingdom is no exception. In fact, it might be the torchbearer of this rule. This book is so heavily drenched in politics, that it’s positively dripping with it. Every corner is dangerous in ways that could be worse than death and every cobblestone set in the characters’ path is brimming with treachery and cunning. The politics in this book sits on par with the world building with regard to prominence and significance. Thus, they appear in winding threads that are forever intertwined, until the very last page of the book.
If you’ve read Ilona Andrews before, you know that their stories revolve around a team of characters that build their relationships into what they are from ground up. They inspire loyalty, friendship and love in turns and represent the real meaning of the word family, even without blood binding them. Personally, I’ve never seen the trope of found family being done the way Ilona Andrews do it. I think my love for that trope was inspired and nurtured by them.
There are many ways the narrator of a story can be written to evoke love in the heart of the reader. Pitting them against the harshest elements of life and having them tackle it with grit, honour and intellect is the most common. What Ilona Andrews add to this, is that all their MCs possess a unique quality of contained evaluation of any situation they are in. They contemplate any event with all the emotion you would want from a protagonist, but they act with thought. Even their panic is thought out; their outbursts are rooted in logic and their actions are drenched with care and awareness of consequences. It is, frankly, quite impossible to dislike any protagonist that these two authors introduce to us and Maggie is no different. You can expect her to steal your heart every step of the way, because she will meet—and exceed—those expectations.
The plot of this story is a tale that unravels beautifully and has layers upon layers of mystery that are intricately interconnected. It was extremely wonderful to watch the characters slowly pull at the threads that keep their world together with the single and steadfast intent of making it a better place. That being said, it was also evident that we are yet to see everything that Ilona Andrews have in store for us. This was just the beginning.
Please expect plot twists to have plot twists. You will not be disappointed.
The pace of this story for me was wonderfully even. My only advice to you—as mentioned earlier—is keep to the first ten percent with high levels of focus. This is not a light read, nor one that you can squeeze in between two other reads. This Kingdom will make you want to feast, so ensure you are starving; because the book will demand time, energy and attention from you. Despite what retailer sites say, I refuse to believe this book is less than 500 pages. There is no way I read a book that’s less than 500 pages for nearly twenty three hours. I will expire on the hill that this book is thick.
With sharp, sure strikes, Ilona Andrews craft their story, from scratch, into a masterpiece, that now exists in a way that makes it impossible to forget. You realize as the book ends, that the canvas the authors have used to chisel their art into, is not paper but your heart.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is a complex fantasy that’s lush, emotionally compelling, wickedly smart and addictive and is now my favourite book of this year. Ilona Andrews have delivered their absolute career-best work and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Please do check trigger warnings as always, this book has themes and content that can be difficult for some.
June 20, 2025
If you’ve read any Ilona Andrews books before then you know that their urban fantasy stories combine smart heroines, found families, twisty plots, a romance or two, and inventive action scenes all set in real-seeming worlds. Oh, and extremely capable and attractive men. Usually more than one.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is a bit of a departure from their urban fantasies in that it’s a full-on late medievalesque fantasy world, with the cutthroat politics and familial plotting you’d expect from something like Game of Thrones or Wheel of Time. When Maggie enters this world, she recognizes it immediately as her favorite (yet tragically unfinished) fantasy book series that she’s spent years obsessively reading and rereading. Reading dark scary fantasy books from your comfortable couch is far different than experiencing this world and its people up close and personal. And Maggie is tossed into the story right before the entire kingdom is about to go up in flames. Will she try to stop the disaster from unfolding using her knowledge from the books? She may not know as much as she thinks. She’s an IA heroine, so of course she’s gotta try.
I had so much fun with this book! Maggie is a delight. Smart and caring, but also trying to find her feet in a world where she’s powerless and not hurt people unnecessarily. She draws people into her orbit while trying to to keep them safe and I loved that about her. There are dangerous conversations over tea and to die for pastries, swordfights, magical duels, daring rescues, assassins, poisonings, carriage chases, dances, and a conclusion that took my breath away.
It’s everything you’d want in a fantasy series, and I cannot wait for the next book! I’m utterly hooked.
Thank you to edelweiss and Tor for the review copy.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is a bit of a departure from their urban fantasies in that it’s a full-on late medievalesque fantasy world, with the cutthroat politics and familial plotting you’d expect from something like Game of Thrones or Wheel of Time. When Maggie enters this world, she recognizes it immediately as her favorite (yet tragically unfinished) fantasy book series that she’s spent years obsessively reading and rereading. Reading dark scary fantasy books from your comfortable couch is far different than experiencing this world and its people up close and personal. And Maggie is tossed into the story right before the entire kingdom is about to go up in flames. Will she try to stop the disaster from unfolding using her knowledge from the books? She may not know as much as she thinks. She’s an IA heroine, so of course she’s gotta try.
I had so much fun with this book! Maggie is a delight. Smart and caring, but also trying to find her feet in a world where she’s powerless and not hurt people unnecessarily. She draws people into her orbit while trying to to keep them safe and I loved that about her. There are dangerous conversations over tea and to die for pastries, swordfights, magical duels, daring rescues, assassins, poisonings, carriage chases, dances, and a conclusion that took my breath away.
It’s everything you’d want in a fantasy series, and I cannot wait for the next book! I’m utterly hooked.
Thank you to edelweiss and Tor for the review copy.
August 26, 2025
So I absolutely adored Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series, and the moment I saw This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me on NetGalley I smashed that request button like my life depended on it. Did I know what it was about? Not really. Do I regret it? Absolutely not.
Holyfuckingshit this book is fantastic. Like, on-another-level fantastic.
The premise hooked me immediately: Maggie gets yanked into a book world, and the authors don’t waste time with hand-holding backstory. She’s just… there. Starving. Smelling terrible. Getting murdered on her first attempt at action. Struggling to rent a room because she has no papers. It’s the gritty, less-glamorous side of portal fantasy, and I loved it.
Yes, the first chunk drags a bit with step-by-step worldbuilding and painstaking detail, but once you’re in? Oh my god. The banter kicks in around 25% and it’s giving Hidden Legacy levels of snappy, smart dialogue. There’s found family, political scheming, and an underdog heroine clawing her way from naked-and-alone to a full-on force of nature.
The worldbuilding is insanely ambitious—like, Game of Thrones–level depth—and sometimes I did wish for a glossary or a map (fingers crossed they add one in the final edition). But even when I was lost, I was still obsessed.
And the romance? chef’s kiss. The tension is hot AF. Slightly steamier than the early Hidden Legacy books, though no open-door scenes yet. I can’t say much about the love interest without spoilers, but trust me when I say: it’s good. Very, very good.
Bottom line: This book is epic, addictive, and already has me foaming at the mouth for the sequel. I cannot wait to reread when it’s officially out.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Holyfuckingshit this book is fantastic. Like, on-another-level fantastic.
The premise hooked me immediately: Maggie gets yanked into a book world, and the authors don’t waste time with hand-holding backstory. She’s just… there. Starving. Smelling terrible. Getting murdered on her first attempt at action. Struggling to rent a room because she has no papers. It’s the gritty, less-glamorous side of portal fantasy, and I loved it.
Yes, the first chunk drags a bit with step-by-step worldbuilding and painstaking detail, but once you’re in? Oh my god. The banter kicks in around 25% and it’s giving Hidden Legacy levels of snappy, smart dialogue. There’s found family, political scheming, and an underdog heroine clawing her way from naked-and-alone to a full-on force of nature.
The worldbuilding is insanely ambitious—like, Game of Thrones–level depth—and sometimes I did wish for a glossary or a map (fingers crossed they add one in the final edition). But even when I was lost, I was still obsessed.
And the romance? chef’s kiss. The tension is hot AF. Slightly steamier than the early Hidden Legacy books, though no open-door scenes yet. I can’t say much about the love interest without spoilers, but trust me when I say: it’s good. Very, very good.
Bottom line: This book is epic, addictive, and already has me foaming at the mouth for the sequel. I cannot wait to reread when it’s officially out.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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