Sci-fi and fantasy publisher Tor describes THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME as “the page-turning politics of Game of Thrones meets the worlds-spanning romance of Outlander in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1 NY Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.”  The series name is hilarious: Maggie the Undying.  Since I will happily inhale anything that Ilona Andrews writes, it was a no-brainer to grab this and stay up all night to devour it.  Then I had to immediately turn around and re-read it to savor it the second time through.

Maggie is such a kick-ass heroine, true to the authors’ style.  She wakes up naked in a strange world, which turns out to be the same fantasy world she’s been obsessively re-reading about in her favorite unfinished book series back home on Earth.  She quickly figures out that this kingdom of Rellas is on the brink of war and destruction, mirroring the novels she has practically memorized.  Maggie uses her knowledge of the intricacies of Rellas to try to nudge the kingdom away from cataclysm.

Themes of THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME include portal fantasy of the isekai variety, found family, and breathtaking levels of political intrigue and scheming.  It’s a long book, 480 pages in the hardback edition, and there is definite info- dumping from Maggie.  These downsides are well- compensated for by the overall gloriousness of this epic tale, however.  I don’t want to tell too much about the story because readers will be best served by avoiding spoilers.

Other members of the Book Devouring Horde, or BDH, so- named by the authors to describe their loyal and passionate fan base, might be a bit surprised by the feel of THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME.  The book feels slightly different enough from their other series, such as Hidden Legacy or Kate Daniels, just enough that I kept reminding myself that it is epic fantasy.  Ilona and Andrew Gordon (aka Ilona Andrews) maintain their stupendous world building, however, and their flair for evocative description.

THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME easily joins my “Keeper” bookshelf of all-time favorites.  Thankfully, there is more to come in the world of Rellas and Maggie the Undying.  Book two has not yet been announced, but it can’t come soon enough for me!  I’ll just have to go and re-read Andrews’ backlist again while I wait impatiently for more of Maggie and Everard.