Cbr18bingo 26 (published in 2026)
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the first volume in what I hope will be a multi-volume series by Ilona Andrews. I loved this story full of magic, mystery, danger and possible romance. It starts with a familiar trope — the protagonist finds herself plunked into her favorite fantasy novel series where her actions can change the direction of the story and her life is in danger. I’ve enjoyed Sarah Rees Brennan’s The Time of Iron series which has a similar set up, but TKWNKM definitely forges its own path. Main character Maggie, rather than inhabiting the body of an existing character, becomes a new character with unexpected powers. As much as she tries not to influence the story, circumstances seem to conspire against her. How did she end up in fictional Kair Toren? Will she survive the political unrest? And what is she going to do about the threatening (but super hot) Sleepless Duke?
Maggie is a 25-year-old Texan who wakes up cold, wet, naked and alone in Kair Toren, the capital of the Kingdom Rellas in her favorite fantasy series. She has no idea how she got there or how to get back home, but she does know the kingdom, its history and its characters very well. Maggie, like many others, is a super fan of the 2-book series (an expected book three never materialized). She first read them when she was a teen, and has re-read them countless times over the years as well as participating in online fan forums. She knows this world backward and forward. The kingdom has 8 powerful ruling families, and they all have specific magical powers. Certainly, there have been wars, intrigues and grisly deaths, but Maggie arrives at a time when the situation is about to become highly volatile and unstable. She also discovers that she has two formidable powers. One is her knowledge of the books, which means she actually knows the future. This knowledge will be a double edged sword, allowing her to help certain people avoid horrible fates, but it also attracts the unwanted attention of powerful actors who can tell that someone is interfering with their plans, plans that involve destabilizing the monarchy and bringing on a brutal authoritarian regime. The other power she has is that she, apparently, cannot die. When killed, her body somehow regenerates, although not without considerable pain. Maggie does not know if there is an expiration date on this power and doesn’t wish to find out, but when she joins forces with a family of mercenaries, a group of spies/assassins, and the feared and revered Sleepless Duke, Ramond vi Everard, Lord of Selva, it seems that she might get the answer to that question sooner as opposed to later.
Maggie is a really engaging protagonist. She uses her knowledge carefully and skillfully so that she can win over powerful friends and also so that she can help folks in danger. The first part of the story involves a daring rescue of some children from a slaver. It gets a bit gory (as do some other sections of the novel), but it was exciting to read and allows Maggie to discover her own strength and determination. There are a lot of intersecting plot lines that involve things such as child abduction, a serial killer called The Butcher, old grudges between powerful families, and a king who seems to be weakening. There are also a lot of great characters: Clover, Maggie’s lady’s maid and seamstress extraordinaire; Kaiden, the street urchin/lock picker; the mercenary Magnar family who provide personal security for Maggie; Solentine, the head of the Shears, who are spies and assassins, and who possess some impressive magic; and, in addition to Everard, there are several other Dukes/Knights who have scary magic and who might be attracted to Maggie for a variety of reasons. Do they want to use her? Kill her? Seduce her? Maggie’s relationship with Everard is complicated and I look forward to seeing where this goes. But since TKWNKM just came out this year, it looks like I am going to have to wait a while. I am already impatient for the next volume.
