This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is here.
Happy release day to the first volume in the Maggie the Undying trilogy!
Here are some of the retailer links for your convenience. This Kingdom is available in ebook, audiobook and hardback formats. The UK release will be on the 2nd of April.
A Letter from House Andrews
Dear BDH,
This Kingdom is finally here.
You know we don’t do feelings, because we are professionals and all that, but this release is unlike any other we’ve had. So much time has passed between the first clumsy idea of Maggie and today, filled with work, pressure, and sheer effort.
It doesn’t seem real.
Any time you do something different as a writer, you take a risk. And this one is different. It’s an entirely new world, completely unlike our own reality. We filled it with fantastic creatures, strange magic, and archetypes: the Golden Knight, the Noble Assassin, the Fire Mage, the Mad King. The side characters are heroes of their own stories. We wanted to condense the essence of what makes fantasy books… well, fantasy.
We hope you’ll enjoy a plunge into the world of Rellas. It is our sincerest hope that it reminds you of why you love fantastic worlds and the strange people who inhabit them.
And now House Andrews has made us all emotional compromised… release day without treats? Not on my watch.
The unbelievably talented Helena Elias has another character reveal for us.
You’ve probably met him already in the Garden of Soft Blossoms…
Now that the book is out in the world, this is the place to talk about his secrets and everything else in Kair Toren. Reactions, theories, favorite moments, things you need to scream about, whether you’ve just started reading or already devoured the book – we’re here for all of it.
I’ll also be collecting your questions for House Andrews, who will answer them on the blog or in the Zoom release Q&A we’re planning in April.
This is your official This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me discussion thread.
Attention!
There are spoilers in the comments below.
There is one specific plot twist in Chapter 23 we’re asking you not to discuss just yet until everyone catches up. Thank you for your cooperation.
New Here?
If you’ve just discovered Ilona Andrews through this release and you want more, welcome! You’re surrounded by people who understand exactly how you feel.
There’s a Start Here button now on the homepage just for you.
Reading guides, series breakdowns, freebies, quizzes, and so many wonderful adventures await you.
See you in the comments.
Looking for a knight. 6’5” blue eyes
I almost died laughing. Thank you for that moment.
I loved the whole book and think I need to reread it immediately, which is unusual for me.
Maggie talks about screaming at a book when she was at the garden. I screamed at the amazing, clever plot twist during chapter 23!
Finished the first reading. starting second reading now! BARSA!
All I can say is wow! Portal fantasy isn’t my favourite genre and I was a bit sad that the next book in the Hugh’s series was put on hold so I wasn’t sure if I could love this book. I am an idiot and should have had more faith in House Andrews. There isn’t a single thing they have written that I haven’t loved and re-read over and over again.
Maggie is no exception, absolutely hooked from the very first page. I had to give myself a break when the tension got to much (the Butcher scene was pretty intense).
Maggie stands with the other HA lead female characters but in her own totally kickass way.
Honestly I feel emotionally wrung out but completely satisfied by this book. Bravo and thank you.
Maggie is so unbelievably addicting, I feel the opposite of isekai’d! Enjoying my fantasy and then being rudely shucked back into the real world.
Maggie is just so … cool ? Anyone else feel that? Unsure if I’ve ever thought of a book heroine as cool but there’s something about Maggie! So savvy and she does her own thing. (and the romance and the yearning… thats what we like to see. not even surprised everyone in a 2 metre radius fell for her hard).
Please please please book 2 please ? 🙏🏻 (channeling all the chalantness)
Also, I’m gearing up to 3rd read of this book which is starting to feel a little groundhog day, but needs must…
this may well kick off an IA book re-read spree, perhaps after the 5th Maggie reread…
Needs must indeed🙂
We desperately need a character list. I’m completed reading on audible and getting confused! Please help. I don’t proper name spelling to try and create my own list!
There will be one on the This Kingdom website, when it goes live 🙂
Is it me? Or does Solentine feel like Montgomery?
Yes, Solentine feels very Augustine. Business oriented, loves his family, initially an a-hole to herione, aggrievated BFF to main male lead.
I fished Maggie last night. I then screamed!!! The book ends in a spoiler, and now we have to wait for book 2!!!
When will book 2 be out? I know it’s still a work in progress, so defintely not soon enough.
Sob…
you didn’t fish Maggie though, Sushi did!
Some typos are my favourite typos, this is definitely one of them 🤩
Would love a POV of Evarard’s meeting with Joris (the poisoner) at Selva at some point- to give the BDH insight into what actually happened there and how Evarard got around him.
Thanks as always!
Gillian
Yes, pls, this!
I do love this book and the characters. I am not sure yet if it will still stand up on the thirtieth reading like the other books but I will certainly try it. My only critism, so far, is that it lacks the humour which is a hallmark of the other books and which helps me cope with all the drama.
Good work Ilona Andrews, please keep it up. When is the nest book out?
(I am an addict!)
Done. Ok. You can all talk now… LOLOL omgomgomgitwas so goooood… And now I don’t know who I like most!! You both make such appealingly cool characters! And droolworthy!
Okay. Here’s my question:
Who do we think the knight is that saved Silveren? Someone had to have raised him.
Why do we think Reynalds fate changed? And we all agree that was definitely the day Maggie came into Rellas. That makes Matheo seem like the author to me….but did he live past the first book? I feel like no sense we know additional things happen after the Sun Margrave dies. Which makes him as the author less solid to me. I feel like it has to be someone who is alive at the end of book 2….maybe the person standing on the execution block. We don’t know who that is yet right?
What do we think of the fact that the Duke – such a huge character doesn’t have a POV in the books? That feels like a clue.
I need to do a reread. I saw Silveren as the “dead” nephew coming from a mile away but I was so focused on that I think I missed other stuff 🤣 tunnel vision
I felt that the duke would be the romantic interest exactly because he had no PoV (it would have been weird to literally fall in love with a character in a book). But then when I read the first chapters, I thought that Reynald was someone that might one day get invited for an interview at the Inn- so that worked out in the end^^.
I didn’t even see Silveren as the man from the garden, much less a hidden prince (umm, is he a prince, or just the king’s nephew?), so maybe I’m in a different tunnel and I’m right about other things: I agree that the hair ornament is sort of a declaration of engagement, but because he’s a devious duke, maybe it’s also an object of magic (like maybe a magical GPS?). But I don’t think they will need it to find her when she’s kidnapped, because they have Tsuri: a magical tracker beastie, who is bonded and knows Maggie’s taste (she bit her three times the first day, she might even have been tracking Maggie rather than the serial killer in the infamous chapter 23).
I guess we can speculate about Reynald’s fate change: it could be the price to be paid to have Maggie change the timeline or it could just be an indication that the timeline was already changed before Maggie joined, so it’s not her fault.
Oh, I meant after the kidnapping, not during 23, still doing rereads:)
I’m wondering whether the ‘knight’ rescuer turns out to be related to the Crimson Empire and the true villain of the story.
Possibly it’s just because Silveren seems to have had a really rough deal but given that the current king is a monster who only sits on the throne because there’s no one better, I’m hoping that Silveren can be redeemed.
Then again, Arvel has big plans …
I love both the Crimson Emperor as the end-game villain and Arvel as the new royal dynasty (I mean, beautiful golden knight turned king is a wonderful trope in a story meant to be full of tropes; plus, I think we recognise it as a trope but haven’t really seen it used that much in recent times, but please correct me if I’m wrong).
This was so, so good! I can’t wait until the next book. This is my new favorite book!!
Thabk you both!
This was so, so good! I can’t wait until the next book. This is my new favorite book!!
Thank you both!
How can three moons appear in the sky at the same time in three different phases? Boggles my mind. maybe if the gibbous and last quarter are widely spaced and the crescent is being eclipsed by the planet? I am having trouble picturing how that works
Could the striped one actually be a planet? And tides,! Does Kair Toren have flood problems. Bet those moons make crazy tides . Loved the book. So many mysteries
That’s actually a pretty intriguing question! I’ve read multiple books where the world has more than one moon, but I never considered this 😀
I guess different phases are possible, but they would rise and set at different times (as their visibility from Kair Toren would depend on their position on the orbit). So I think the amount of time all three were visible at once would be quite small, but I don’t know, I’m not an astronomer 😀 I tried to imagine what would happen if the orbits of the moons were at different angles to each other, but my brain said:NO.
I can tell you that moon orbits have been calculated and astronomers consulted during the writing of the book on this specific topic, but because I do not math, everything went way over my head.
I have added your question to the list for House Andrews and they will be able to explain all the research and planning 🙂
My little nitpicking heart jumps for joy 🙂 🙂 🙂
Mine too, even though I was ready to reply “hey, there’s huge magical creatures they defy gravity, the heroine keeps getting resurrected and the hero keeps cutting his enemies in half; just call it magic and be done with it”. I’m impressed there was research done for something I hadn’t really given a second thought to during the first (and second) read 🤯.
Well, I wasn’t going to lead a Pitchfork Party for Moon Justice, I just found it interesting 🙂 The fact that HA actually invested the time to research such a detail is really darn awe inspiring, but I would have been fine with ‘it’s magic/made-up science/reasons’ too.
I love that HA spent time researching the phases of 3 moons question. I seem to recall it being mentioned, maybe by Ilona on the blog? But it’s this attn to detail that makes them so great!
Love this book! And now my husband finished and has started recommending it to ppl. Ha! I’m planning to use this to get him to read more HA, so pondering what’s next…
Does anyone know where I could get a list of characters with a brief (non-spoiler) description?
When I read a book, I can cope with many characters with no real problem. Unfortunately, when I listen to a book, and it’s got more than a few characters, I’m lost. I’ve listened to this book three times now and I’m enjoying it, but I feel like I’m missing out because I still can’t remember who is who. It gets to the end and I have no idea where the characters have appeared before, which is which, what they can do. It is really frustrating.
Even just a list of names with no descriptions beyond the name would be so great! Please help.
I believe there will be one on the Maggie the Undying website when it is made live 🙂 . If not, I have already made a note to ask for it.
There’s one on reddit that someone put together … good details (but spoilers)
i just need to know when the second one will be out. Im dying
There is no official release day yet, but the first draft is almost done 🙂
¿conoces esa sensasión donde quedas tan conmocionado que por un momento hasta tus pensamientos se detienen?…creo que ustedes lo abrevian en ingles con 3 letras: ¿WTF?
. Perdon por el lenguaje coloquial pero en este momento no se si los amo o los persigo por la eternidad gritando “barsa, barsa” = “segunda parte ya” “barsa, barsa” =”amamos Reynald”. Creo que al menos tengo que agradecer que no terminara en suspenso fatal, digo Maggie no esta en las mejores circunstancias al final pero no le han hecho mas daño y todos los que queria salvar estan vivos.
Ahora sobre esa pequeña parte de que va a ser una trilogia… ¿puede convertirse mejor en una serie?Maggie es el tipo de libros que genera un impacto duradero, quiero decir lei mas de 500 hojas y facilmente podria haber leido mil por el estilo de lectura facil y ameno, no hubo una sola linea o parrafo que me saltara por aburrimiento, no hubo divagaciones, explicaciones inecesarias ni informacion de relleno, todo lo escrito tenia un proposito y te mantenia en vilo hasta el final. Sospecho que Maggie llegara a ser el tipo de libro que recomiendas de generacion en generacion,sin importar el tiempo. Esto va a ser ENORME.
Estoy tan orgullosa de formar parte de la horda, HA sin duda se ha superado.
Ahora, detalles:
1. Quiero que en algun punto Maggie tenga hijos y se desarrolle su personaje mas alla del “vivieron felices”, por alguna razon nadie nunca se detiene a mostrar esa nueva faceta de los personajes, son geniales hoy y sin duda seran mas geniales como padres, y antes de que me digan que es demasiado pronto quiero que recuerden que en el capitulo 23 la parte que dice: ella es mia. Apoyo la libertad de eleccion pero por favor, con un beso ella estaba lista para subirse a ese tren y no bajarse nunca. Ya estoy imaginando como seran sus hijos y que poderes heredaran *inserte aqui risa histerica de fan trastornado esperando con ansias la segunda parte*
2.¿cuando sale el segundo?
3. ¿cuando sale el tercero? si ya se que acaba de salir el primero pero no puedes razonar con un fan loco, menos aun la horda que es perfectamente razonable hasta que esta en abstinencia literaria.
4. Me imagino a Solentine acabando con su segunda, a Clover con alguno de los guardias contratados, a la maga con el mago (despues de devolverle el favor por supuesto), a Arvel con la que iba a ser esposa de Ramond, etc etc.
5.Probablemente el villano se reforme y acabe siendo un gobernante magnanimo despues de derrocar a Sauven con la ayuda de Maggie.
6. Probablemente en algun momento separaran a Maggie de su interes principal, ella regresara a su realidad justo al final del segundo libro despues de no poder evitar q su personaje favorito acabe sobre una caja y con una soga al cuello, y ella pasara parte del tercer libro intentando regresar.
Estoy segura que hay muchas cosas mas pero eso lo dejare para la segunda relectura
7. ¿alguna posibilidad de alguna serie o videojuego de Maggie?
¿por favor, por favor?
¿Nadie mas penso en lo genial de un videojuego?
Un videojuego sería increíble. ¡Esperemos que haya interés y que algún día suceda, pero por el momento no hay noticias oficiales al respecto!
Oh meh gawd with all the plot twists!!! wtf?.. Thank you thank you thank you!!! when IS the second one coming? NO PRESSURE! I mean it. you seriously delivered the Goods! Cannot wait. Never thought anyone but Kate could do it but Maggie, you’re my boy blue!!! oh meh gawd!!!!! there were like 4 major plot twists in the end. Within like 10 pages. Sooooooo good.
Dear Authorlords, thank you ☺️.
Not just for writing a great story, but also for feeling (and being inspired by) the same obsession and longing for the proper ending to a half finished story as we have suffered. My own personal experience was just with the Song of Ice and Fire, but I understand from the comments that others have felt this frustration with other book series and obviously “No! Beloved characters have met a horrible end and I must have my revenge, otherwise it’s not fair!” is a feeling many of us share. So again, thanks and take your time, we know life happens and we’ll be here whenever, to enjoy the fruits of your labour 😇.
Now, on to business: is there any way we could have a wiki? Is that done exclusively by fans or can we have one supervised but not necessarily written by the authors? Maybe with all the lovely art, with extra maps (of the kingdom and perhaps eventually the continent or even the entire world) and descriptions of all the characters and their affiliations (perhaps with hidden spoilery notes for future volume references or site- exclusive extras). And yes, of course I’d like the same for all the series; yes, with art😈.
There will be a special Maggie the Undying website 🙂 – and there are plans for a companion book with all the things you enumerated.
Yay🥰
+1
All the different names and Houses and characters being described early on were hard to follow with the little early context. Later, I had to go back an reread sections on the diferent players to try to put it all together! I think I got it figured out, and I will clearly NEED TO READ IT AGAIN (poor me!) now that I know who is who. But a reference on the organization of the houses and the people involved, the government officials, etc, would make it a lot easier than trying to do searches in my kindle reader.
Thanks for bringing us Maggie!
I have to admit that I am a little upset about the plot twist we cannot discuss. But it is ok, as I do not like it when a story is too predictable. I am sure that there will be more info about this in future books that will help us make more sense about this as it seems tied in with how/why Maggie is even there.
Oh, Gee, now the W*iting starts again……:)
Okay, spoiler hypothesis below!
I think Maggie and Silveren have the same powers or very very similar. Based on current events, they are both undying – I am sure that Maggie was 100% successful in her kill. Silveren controls the people by his Call – Maggie broke his control over Luke and it seemed like Silveren was trying to control Maggie too, but couldn’t, so that’s why he used Clover to force Maggie to go with him. Silveren controls magical beasts – a very cute and very magical stelka got attached to Maggie immediately.
Maggie doesn’t have control over her magic so it’s not conscious what she does, but the signs are there.
Based on that and the fact that specific abilities run in the family, I suspect Maggie and Silveren are related! Brother and sister maybe?
If not related, then maybe this is more symbolic in nature. They are the two sides of the same coin, one strives for order and good, the other for revenge and pain, while using the same abilities for these opposite goals.
Hmm, I’m not sure about that. A stab in the kidney isn’t necessarily instantly lethal and it’s reasonable to assume that a magical knight would have access to magical healing and loyal retainers to protect him while he’s getting healed. The undying thing seems to me more like a temporary ability, like a spell was cast to attract people who can affect the course of events and the undying is a part of that (maybe? too crazy?). I think that Maggie’s magic has more to do with predicting/ affecting the future, I mean I think it doesn’t just come from memorising the books, I think there’s also her own personal magic there: for example she says at one point (words to the effect) “if the margrave doesn’t die on that day, he will die on the next one”: she knows this; in earlier chapters she was worried about affecting the timeline but by the later chapters she has stopped second guessing- possibly she doesn’t even realise yet.
As for the animals, it’s specifically mentioned that they’ve attracted to magic and also that Maggie has a lot of magic. It’s not mentioned that she’s controlling them any more than any of us control our pets (would she need to pick up Sushi to keep her safe during the mage fight if she could simply order her to sit down? Would Tsuri keep biting her?)
So I don’t think Maggie can control beasts, but I do think that the undying thing is…complicated.
Maggie predicting the future could make sense and there are other possible hints at this – for instance when meeting the drezmur, she’s dead sure that if she moves, He will drag her on its back, which seems quite specific to me and couldn’t have come from the books
I think she knows he will drag her on to the drezmur’s back BECAUSE of the books. She has a very good idea of how he behaves in high stakes situations. If she runs he will treat her like prey. If she stays and stands up for herself, she will earn more respect from him. She hasn’t been inside his head but she has seen quite a bit of how he handles different situations. Plus there’s Sol’s warning.
she does know him quite well at that point, but I think the books have skewed her view of his character, if anything. She doesn’t see into his head, but I don’t believe he’s like he is described in the books (likely because of narrator bias encouraged by Sauven) and Maggie has issues accepting it.
Also there is her ability to faithfuly reproduce scenes from the book to the point she knows it should be impossible. It might not be predicting the future exactly, but it is more than just remembering what should happen.
I had the same thought about Maggie and Silveren being related because of the healing and ability to break the Call (I missed the beast one). The trial was 25 years ago and Maggie is 25/26, so this could be a Once Upon a Time situation. When Ralibor lost perhaps Silveren’s mother could have just given birth and she sent the baby away with retainers who raised her on Earth. Its definitely got Jon Snow vibes. Also solves the problem of Maggie losing her Earth family when she stays in Rellas. They’d be coming home.
Hmm, think Maggie’s mother might be Aelis? and that she faked her execution and fled to Earth and married a soldier and had another child (do we know if Maggie is the eldest?). Or that she escaped with someone from Rellas? But then, if she had known what would happen 25 years later, would she have left her son behind? Ok, probably not Aelis, but maybe other people escaping Sauven. I wonder how a Crimson Empire connection would fit with this.
The initial stabs to his legs, to the femoral artery, of a person who has basically had his legs rebuilt after the childhood trauma could be explainable. The stab to the kidneys is harder to explain. Magic?
Maggie breaks Silveren’s hold on Luke, but felt the call from Sauven so clearly isn’t entirely immune.
In the first book they’re clearly symbolically opposites, one fundamentally pessimistic and defeatist looking for nothing but revenge, whilst the other seeks to change the narrative and build something better.
This difference feels not so much about good versus evil, as an awareness and concern for the consequences, maybe nihilism versus realism?
Or possibly sociopathy or psychopathy vs. empathy. Which, ultimately, comes to the same thing as awareness of and concern for the consequences *to others*, and therefore to evil vs. good.
I’m not at all sure Maggie was successful in her kill. Things don’t necessarily go the same way in actual combat that they do in practice sessions. Even if she hit the artery with absolute accuracy, it’s not an instantaneous death. For all the reasons Theolessa states above, Silveren could have extracted himself magically, or been magically extracted by his loyal followers, in time to heal by magical means.
I also think Maggie’s insight about ending up on the drezmur could be chalked up to her emotional intelligence, learned or innate. There’s good research indicating that so-called intuition is in fact the result of learning through experience, which may be accessed unconsciously during later experiences.
Nonverbal cues like body language can often provide enough information to predict how someone, sometimes even a complete stranger, is going to act or react to someone else’s behavior. That of course assumes that someone in the situation is capable of reading those nonverbal cues, but they do exist.
Loved the book. Was there an homage to The Knights who say Ni? One of my lol moments was when Gort described Lute’s wound as a scratch and if a hand was cut off it would be described as a flesh wound 🤣
I had such a great time following Maggie’s plunge in Rellas ! HA never disappoints…
It is definitely different from their other series but it still felt like home with Ramond’ s Roganesque flavor, Arvel’s Arland vibe and the feeling that Ramond/Solentine dynamic could be what Rogan and Augustine would sound like in armor and jerkins.
The contrast between a high fantasy world and the thoroughly modern references used to describe it is so much fun.
I also love that they keep weaving in this series themes that appear in a lot of their work like power structure and power abuse or PTSD and the way a society treats its veterans
I still have so many questions and can’t wait for next book. Like, why Maggie ? Could her whole family be linked to Rellas since it’s her mother who gave her the first book to get her out of her post break up funk ? (If any other French reader are around, check Kamo by Daniel Pennac to see where I got that probably ridiculous theory)
Will Clover’s former lady get a well deserved comeuppance ? (Still waiting for karma hitting back Maud’s mother in law)
And how will Sushi save the day ? Cause of course they will !
Thanks again to HA for a lovely time reading this. I will even forgive the cliffhanger !
Ooh, I love the idea of the whole family joining- they’re the only thing that would pull her away so if they join, she can have her HEA in Rellas.
Omg, Clover’s former lady is exactly who I thought of when Maggie was complimenting her after the umm..ball (I only listened to the book twice, can’t remember what it was called). Yes, I’m so with you on Maud’s former MIL.
Sushi🥰- I hope there’s descriptions and art for all the animals too, not just the human characters.
Happiness 😊 can’t wait for the next book!! Really🤩
“and there was a distressing lack of kittens”.
*chef’s kiss*
Enjoying my first reread 😊 Thoughts:
*A club/mace is Maggie’s go-to weapon 😅🤣 – could that somehow be connected to Bors’s magical abilities?
*Will Maggie save the rest of Derog’s victims – the ones listed in Lasa’s ledgers, as well as River Fog and the girl he was supposed to steal from Derog (which won’t happen now that Maggie has averted that timeline)?
*Will the ML – or at least one of the supporting characters, like Matheo – travel with Maggie to the real world?
**The ML trying to cope with modern technology, without magic or influence, could be hilarious 🤣🤣Also, him complaining about how he’s portrayed in the book after reading it 😉
**It would be fun to watch interactions between Maggie’s brother – a 21st-century army guy – and the ML, a medieval-style fantasy warrior 😁
* About the soap guild – will they try to sabotage Maggie? For example, by stealing her soap recipe or preventing her from getting a trade permit, since her soap is superior to theirs and sold at a lower price.
I won’t be surprised if next book she’s facing assassins and interrogating them, to have them be from the guild. “This is about the soap?! Seriously?!”
Will Gort ever realise his artistic potential?
I didn’t think I’d be into the trope, but I couldn’t put it down. I simply end up loving every story the authors write.
The world is so rich and detailed, and the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. Can’t wait to see where the story goes.
One thing that I’m looking forward to is watching Maggie develop more into this spymaster sort of character. Her knowledge of the books taught her how to navigate the world, and know I want to see her apply these newfound skills even without her encyclopediac knowledge, especially since I have a feeling that the next book might step out of Kair Toren.
Also, could River Fog be a grown up Kaiden? I found Maggie’s nudge for him to become the best thief possible seemed like a nod towards his future.
[Edit: Mod R]
Oh, Kaiden, I didn’t catch that at all, but it does make sense. Except he doesn’t need to steal for a living anymore, so maybe he’ll join the information acquisition business?
My guess is he’ll apprentice with the Shears.
I had that thought too! but then I second guessed myself because wasn’t sure if it aligne with the timeline in the original book. I don’t know over what period of time the first two books take, but I worried that River Fogg was older than Kaiden could be, unless his subplot is like 5-10 years in the future?
It can’t be Kaiden, as River Fog was the person that dig out the tunnel and then it was boarded up before he had the chance to escape. When Kaiden is at Derog’s, the tunnel is already there.
River Fog didn’t dig out the tunnel. Another victim of Derog dug it out and River Fog met that victim when they were older.
Nothing can dissuade me from this belief: Ilona Andrews are supernatural. Their level of brilliance is not natural. They have fallen through a portal to present day and salve their feelings of missing their families back home by writing about them in books. I’m not even mad thinking about how long it’s going to be for the next one because it gives me time for re-reads. Amazing book, I enjoyed every letter of it.
Wow!!! To HA, congratulations on this amazing book, what a lucky hoarde we are!! That dedication 😭🥰 Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I finally finished reading it this morning, it took a while due to work, various commitments and rather demanding children!! Then it has taken me all day to read the comments on this post!!
I was so excited about all the different versions of the book coming out that I pre-ordered the kindle edition, the Amazon addition and made my Mum in the UK order the Waterstones version 🤣 I wanted to order more versions, but it already seemed like a lot when I hadn’t even read the book yet!! But I worried over nothing because of course HA delivered in that spectacular way they always do!! I look forward to my hardcopies!
At first I thought, wow, I don’t even feel like I’m reading something by HA, and then I thought, wow, look how talented they are!! They have created this whole new world and described it so amazingly well (as always), and given us SOOO MANY beautiful characters to love and cherish!! Especially Maggie, I just love her!! And then as the story progressed I felt the HA in the story. When I got to the epilogue I almost cried because I didn’t want it to be over, I can’t w*it for book two!! I will cross my fingers that we don’t have to w*it a whole year or more!! I didn’t mind the cliffhanger because either way I knew I wasn’t going to be chalant about w*ting for book 2🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
I won’t speculate about my theories, there is nothing new I could add to what the rest of the hoard has already pondered about, so I will just thank you again HA for this wonderful adventure!!
I’m so excited about about a whole Maggie website! I’m definitely going to start re-reading tonight because there are so many characters and new creatures etc. We definitely need a glossary! And the artwork 😍 I can’t w*it to see more!! I also had wondered why there was not a picture of Reynald 🤔👏🏼👏🏼
oh my goodness, I could gush all day about how much I loved it, but I need to go read it again and read all the other blog posts I’ve missed while I was making sure I didn’t see any spoilers 🤣
♥️♥️
Loved the book! Thank you so much for this wonderfully engrossing story! I am slightly confused about a point in the Yolenta embezzling and smuggling subplots and think I’ve missed something important. Can anyone clarify? When Maggie agrees to let Reynald talk to his friend in the Justice Chambers, their stated goal (end of Chapter 16) was to rattle Hreban’s cage by leaking word about the iron and seeing if Silveren moved to counter. However, the next day after the Justice Chamber’s men swarm the Yolenta warehouse due to Reynald’s tipoff, Maggie is internally monologing that Dreantia Yolenta would find out about her niece’s smuggling when the iron showed up at Falcon Point and is caught by her inspector. This implies that the iron smuggled in the salt barrels is not confiscated by the Justice Chambers at the Yolanda warehouse on the pier during their raid. If that is the case, what is the point of the Justice Chambers raid on the Yolenta warehouse?
Holy Smokes. What a ride! What a fantastic and absolutely lovely ride!
Maggie’s story is probably going to top my love of Kate Daniel’s story…and that’s saying something.
So many others have already said all the things I would’ve said about the plot and the twists BUT the thing I am (secondarily) obsessing over, is the hardcover binding. The number of times I geeked out over the fact that I could see the WHOLE map, the pages open so beautifully right from the start, and the overall feel of an amazingly bound hardcover. I literally want to get all my other books rebound to have the same feel as this one!!
House Andrews, this work is exquisite as ever! What a gorgeous world to enter. I’ll be Maggie all day, escaping once again into its pages, any time I need to live in someone else’s head. I can’t handle the darkness she can, appreciating your take on stories well told but not drowning in the dark. These days I have less bandwidth to haunt the Horde site, but appreciate you all no less. Thank you HA & allfor slogging through each phase of the story. And as ever…. I’m challant about being stuck over this cliff!!!
l have about 4 hours left of the audio book and I’m really enjoying it! Thanks for a new world full of characters to fall in love with.
“He didn’t just hold grudges. He cuddled them and tucked them in at night.”
Love this line so much.
lol. Most amusing!
IA has the best lines!
Remember the swampy edge:
carried grudges like they were family heirlooms. 😉
Bought the book – read the book – LOVED the book – um when is the next one out – I need it……..
Loved loved loved it! Just wish I’d practiced more restraint and didn’t finish it so quickly.
My two main parting thoughts:
Firstly, I’m gonna need our girl to start learning some offensive and defensive magic.
Secondly, I hope we are all wrong about Arvel and he doesn’t fit the typical pattern. Although, at this point that seems unlikely as he’s already done the typical overstepping and underestimating. I don’t want him to be a romantic interest, he’s too dull, I just don’t want all other viable options cut off way too quicky either. I don’t know, I just want there to be an element of surprise in her love life; that would force some emotional growth and complexity onto these possessive male archetypes.
Has HA decided what the business name for Maggie and Clover’s soap company will be?
I loved it. Loved the darker voice.
Loved all the beasts.
Clover has magic because she could feel it in the contract. How much magic does she have and what can she do with it? Was she the unnamed child that was kidnapped and killed in the alternate future to “clean up” and she and the man who kidnapped her were both killed?
the second read was even better. the flirting is so fun, the stakes feel real because we love and know the characters. the ball seen is so fantastic, love the new brother getting to scold the new sister. I like ramond, I like averl, but I hold back from fully shipping her with anyone because she isn’t from there. how to cheer on a relationship when she’s either loosing her family and her reality, or loosing the love of her book dreams (in a way, even though it seems the sleepless duke was not her main crush … maybe, can’t wait to find out) I can’t wait for the next book. thank you both again!
What an amazing story!!!!!!
Like so many others I avoided the blog and fb group during my reading to avoid spoilers… I reached chapter 23, had to take a stop, go back a full chapter and re-read… Then I had a 6hr trip, not driving, and I could fully submerge myself in this wonderful story…
And then I finished and didn’t know what to do with myself… so came back to the blog, read all the comments and the bonus scene with Clover, then all the comments on fb, and now starting a re-read and a re-listen at the same time!!
Can’t wait to get the next blog post with all the easter eggs, and the dedicated website, and the companion book, and all !!! Still hoping that the merch could be shipped to EU, I would so like a mug like Maggie “good morning, I see the assasins have failed” !
I don’t really mind the cliffhanger end… It would not have had the same impact at the beginning of the second book so it feel better this way!
I would like to add a question I’ve not seen yet in the comments :
Will we get to know who’s the father of Galiene’s daughter ?
Also I love the questions about the 3 moons phases, and if we will know who was the knight that saved the son of Ralimbor…
As an epic fantsay fan long before I started on urban fantasy, romantasy and so on, I so loved this new style!! Maggie is already one of my all-time favorite! Thank you for writing such a perfect book !!
AND do galiene and her daughter survive? (still don’t have the book delivered…)
I waited for a whole week before starting the book. I know un-BDH behavior, it went from OMG omg omg! To What????? This book feels to me a culmination of all your previous books voices. Thank you HA for this world.
+1 for the scrapbook with art in it.
Wow! You hit the mark; I would not change a thing in your story!
I particularly like how some characters are not who you initially think they are and are pretending to be someone else. Along those lines of thinking, I did think that Silveren might actually be Latour.
Loved it! Now I’m ready to devour the next.
I started the book, LOVE it, and need to know now- who will be Maggie’s main love interest?? I like to know ahead of time so I can pay all the attention to every single interaction they have 😂
I’ve read the story 4 times now to try and lock in the details. Because just like Latour, I’m sure HA has also left clues hidden in plain sight. I have a couple of questions as I try to patiently wait for Maggie2.
1. Will Clover get her revenge? Please say yes. Her former mistress needs a HA lesson.
2. Sol asked Arvel if he had danced the first dance with Maggie without knowing her name. Wasn’t it the 2nd dance? Not really important, but it made me stop and rerun the scene in my mind again without a solution.
3. Arvel is plotting a long game. Thanks for the snippet!!! Sauven better watch his back!
4. Does Maggie have enough magic to ride her own durzene? How far can she fly before she dies and comes back?
5. Does Maggie ever tell Sol about the guy selling info at the Tree Moons?
I have more, but it’s a long post. :folds hands and waits:
Sorry! I accidentally posted on someone else’s question by mistake! Wasn’t sure how to fix.
When Arvel was telling Maggie about not caring about his potential spouses’ history and lineage it made me think Clover could be an option, and an elevation in status like would help facilitate any revenge she might want.
Well, Clover is 17, so probably not her with Arvel, but I supposed Arvel will end up with a wife not born to nobility (I suspect Isadau). As for Clover’s revenge I wouldn’t worry. You may recall a certain Blademaster becoming enraged at the house and going “give me name!” I doubt that was an idle question. Man is planning to burn that house to the ground. He takes the Shield/Sword dynamic very seriously and when other violate those responsibilities so egregiously there will be hell to pay. If not him then Maggie. I can’t wait!
+1 re: Arvel
Other potential options: Galiene or Digi. It has to be someone capable of penetrating that monstrous ego.
Clover is 17, but also she was scandalised by her lady wanting to scrub the floor, so I’m not sure she’d be one to challenge social norms by marrying a lord. I do wonder what kind of magic she has though (it could be just the budget balancing/ stylist thing) and how much🤔
1) I’m sure its coming
2) He asked for HER 1st dance, not the first dance of the evening
3) Yep that was awesome
4) It pushed passed Everard to get to her, so I’m thinking at least as far as him
5) Oh…I think she forgot
I quite like the idea of Arvel ending up with Omelyana of Gor, mainly for the symmetry of the thing.
If he really is aiming at the throne, then he could use someone to marry that would help achieve that goal so someone politically or militarily significant and she qualifies.
Plus she gets a really rough deal: no woman should end up as an emotional doormat in her own marriage.
Regarding 2, if u reread when Maggie is talking w her Dancingmaster, it is mentioned that the very first dance of the night is a demonstration dance, not open for others. That dance is just ending around the time Maggie arrives. So the dance w Arvel is the first dance where anyone can dance as well as being Maggie’s first dance.
just want to say I have to read it again because there is just so much detail. I feel like I’m missing important stuff that you are sneaking in. I loved it.
I loved it.
I loved it
and now I can’t wait for book 2. lol.
this was so much better than I hoped. thank you for writing this. and thank you for keeping it a secret so that I could enjoy it in the moment.
Same.
And I’m not even done with it and I’ve had to go back a couple times
Please explain there are several mentions of brothers near the very end. It appears to be Maggie speaking- she had one brother. Can you please explain. Also. What happens with Reynald at the end?
Thank you
Hi Kare, have you finished the book? 🙂
Finished reading and now rereading! It’s awesome!
I had to come back to this thread just to ask: IS THE SALT FRESH?
I’ve read it, and I loved it!!!
“Three hours after we met, you sold yourself into slavery and then died.” Lives rent-free in my mind.
The way that had me cackling.
Can’t w*it for Maggie to return, but I will, p*tiently. Heh
Also, ngl,
I was *completely* prepared to cheer Maggie on with the dilf veteran widower with no noble title and a teenage son
but alas, The Duke of The North power is too innately strong, even HA isn’t immune to it 😆😆
not that I mind even a little bit, love me a good ol’ black hair, red eyes, ‘keeps-the-border-stronghold, ‘gruesome-reputation-even-the-crown-fears-his-power’ DotN
The way I was kicking my feet at all of the isekai trope checkmarks – and for the record, it was that isekai blog post those years ago that *yanked* me straight down that rabbithole and I haven’t been able to claw my way back out yet – all to prime me for peak Maggie enjoyment I suppose… well played, HA, well played 😉
Agreed. I was totally down for veteran with baggage and no title as ML.
That said, black and green is a favorite color combo of mine.* 😀 And Everard is clearly a good guy when he can manage it. So now I’m down for Raggie, since baggage and no title aren’t on offer.
*Almost bought black chaps with green trim once for that very reason. Then I remembered that I only wear chaps in hot weather (so I can wear shorts to the barn, and only cover my legs for the actual ride) so black would be spectacularly impractical.
Well done, House Andrews! Well done!
Thank you for the lovely bonus scenes. Noticed in the Arvel bonus scene, he refers to big plans. In the book itself, it describes that the only place higher than he already has is the throne, so it feels like he’s aiming for the throne and feels he is close to getting it. Really looking forward to Book 2!
Except that makes his pursuit of Maggie feel a bit out of place?
One of the easiest and quickest ways to gain political support for the throne would be through marriage
Yes, but his ego is solid enough that, however realistic his assessment may be, he doesn’t care.
Question for the Q&A: how did Ilona and Gordon keep everyone’s voices separate? Meaning, Maggie sounds like a modern American in her head, but can switch into noble-Rellas speak as required. Reynaldo sounds distinct from Everard sounds distinct from Sol/Arvel, etc. Do they each write certain characters?
About 4 hours left of the audiobook now. Awesome story. One question. The planter 5,6 and now red berry. Originally I thought it was a mark of the other world calendar. Now I haven’t the foggiest. What are the next to chapter markers?
Yes, they are “other world calendar”. Chapter 1 opens with “Month of Planter, Day 6”. There’s an explanation of the Rellas calendar at some point, although all I can remember is that a week is eight days and every month has four weeks. The authors omitted the “Month of” wording on subsequent notes, but those chapter headers are their way of showing the passage of time — sometimes the next day, sometimes longer.
What Molly said 🙂
This was the first book I abstained from reading passages in the blog before it was published. Almost folded a couple of times, but held strong. 😏 SO GOOD! Now I’m reading through all the extra goodies on the blog and starting my first reread. (First of several rereads no doubt😉) Looking forward to what appears in the merch store. Thank you! *ecstatic reader dance*
Proof of a good read? On a reread, I still read past my bedtime!
Ok, finished my rereads, and some random thoughts that I haven’t seen addressed yet.
So this is basically the authorlords doing Game of Thrones, right? The parallels are pretty obvious. I’ve spent the week wondering, if I were stuck in Westeros, who would I go to for assistance. Help seems pretty sparse, so it’s nice that Rellas is a bit less brutal.
What was the translucent thing that ate the corpse at the very beginning of the story?
I’m assuming Ramon giving Maggie that hair ornament is the equivalent of Curran feeding Kate soup?
Except, Maggie knows what it means, where as was Kate was like “Cool, soup!” and Curran was like “Haha, one step closer to marriage!”
In general, I like R/E better than Arvel, but my one exception is that in the ballroom scene, Arvel brought her there confident that she would shine and enjoying her do so on a battlefield he knew she would rule, whereas R/E wanted to hide her away because all he saw were threats. Yes, not the best people whose attention to have, but would have been nice if he stood beside her instead of wanting to throw a figurative blanket over her head to hide her.
To be fair to R/E, Arvel has no idea the dangerous game Maggie is playing, but Everard does. Arvel has never had to watch her die. R/E has twice. Maggie’s anonymity keeps her as safe as it is possible for her to be while completing her mission.
What Jen said. R/E has a much more complete understanding of the potential consequences for Maggie.
Arvel threw Maggie off the deep end to see how she’d handle it. This is the entire reason he invited her to the big shindig. Arvel didn’t at all care about what would happen if it went poorly for her. He would have just shrugged and said oh well, not the woman for me after all. He wants a woman well able to handle the power politics end of things.
And ofc the Duke behaving like a maniac was also not helpful, but also not premeditated. I do wonder what all he has had going on while he was separated from Maggie? Maybe his behavior will b understandable if we knew whatever craziness he had endured while trying not to get poisoned? Gotta figure the poisoner made more attempts when the first one failed.
So, is Maggie’s given name a Horde cookie for us Kate Daniels fans?
I just finished Maggie. I saw very few of the twisty-turns coming, even knowing I was being willingly hoisted on a flag pole in a gale.
Time to re-read. Gah! I loved this journey and look forward to it being continued.
Okay, Mod R said no time travel…That’s leave us with:
1) The author is someone in Rellas who could look into the minds of people both in the past and future at least ten years ago
2) The author’s imagination/powers some how created the Rellas Maggie is sent to out of remorse because the ending of the series would have broken their hearts
3) The Earth author is somehow psychically linked to someone in Rellas who could look into the minds of people both in the past and future at least ten years ago
Yeah…IDK. I’m sure the Authorlords have a well planned explanation, so I’m not too worried. I just watch a K-Drama “Bon Appetite Your Majesty” that ended with only a partial explanation for its shenanigans and I may have cursed at the screen. However the House Andrews has never let me down, and I have no reason to think they’d start now.
I’m looking at Maggie’s teacher, who smiled and asked her what would happen if there were no third book. Iirc Maggie was in eighth or ninth grade at the time, so the teacher would likely have been at least eight years older, and possibly more.
Even if the teacher was female, there’s a long tradition of female authors using male pen names, and I know of at least one male author who had a solidly female profile for his female pen name.
1. A prophet? Who traveled to Earth long enough to publish the books and then left. Alternatively, Maggie’s mother?
2. The books don’t describe something that happened, only something that might happen- that can also be prevented from happening.
3. Someone with magical abilities from Rellas (yes, I’m still attached to my mage theory and very curious to see the workings of the Tower) made predictions, wrote books and maybe created portals?
I agree with you about the Authorlords planned explanation, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun guessing in the meantime, so tell us what you think of my crazy theories 😇
This is the hardest audiobook I’ve ever listened to. first, I’m sad that I didn’t get to read the dedication cause I Audible just jumps into the book but this is the first time not being able to flip through pages has hurt me. I need a wiki. I need a list somewhere I keep getting confused. There’s a lot of S names in this book
This is the hardest audiobook I’ve ever listened to. first, I’m sad that I didn’t get to read the dedication cause IAudible just jumps into the book but this is the first time not being able to flip through pages has hurt me. I need a wiki. I need a list somewhere I keep getting confused. There’s a lot of S names in this book
Wow that was amazing. Had to put my best buddy to sleep on Thursday, so having this book, especially in audiobook format, was a godsend. Thank you HA. The dedication was lovely. Chapter 23 hit me so hard; it felt like a death. Loved Sushi. The escape from the ballroom with her favorite cousin and brother left me in stitches. Kate is one of my favorite characters, I but enjoyed having a heroine who used her brains and knowledge rather than kick ass fighting skills. Can’t wait for book 2 but gives lots of time for multiple rereads.
Question: Did Hreban die in the fight or did he survive?
From the epilogue “Hreban was behind bars and Silveren was hopefully dead.” 🙂
loved it ! thank you! amazing !
I loved
* The family tree cemetery- a beautiful concept
* regarding the mordok-having asked for instructions, lute got trained as well- and I see the Tzeri can help again going into the 2nd book
* 6’5” blue eyes- thx to the BDH i wouldn’t have caught that tiktok reference
liked that she could break the magical hold that the Garden guy could spell
* Avaria- is she over her issues with Maggie ? can she be trusted- she got the info on the contracted people but she betray Solentine or is she over being petty and mean?
* Isadau- wild card ?
* drezmurs- the description sounds like the cover art
* where is the Tangle on the map ?
* appreciate the multiculturalism
I was so with the BDH member who sent “I can’t even” memes and yet I’m also with others that are good with the cliff leaner – deaths were prevented and the Night of a Thousand Fires was stopped and the mastermind is exposed.
AHHHHH- When is the next book? How many times have others in the BDH already read it? I’m on number 3. So so very good!
Thank you so much for Maggie. It’s been a hard week and as with all Ilona Andrew’s’ books,Maggie is a keeper.
Have we discussed the significance of the book titles?
-Thieves of the North
-The Lords of the East
North is Selva, Okula, and the Crimson Empire. The thieves we’ve come across in the first book are all in and around Kair Toren though–Derog, the Yolentas, Hreban stealing the Sun Margrave’s position, Silveren stealing the throne.
East could be Kair Toren, which would make sense if the second book deals with the civil war and fight for the throne.
Also who is Maggie’s favorite character and have we met them yet? She says Solentine is ONE of her favorites, but she’s pretty firm that her ‘favorite’ is left with a noose around their neck at the end of book 2. Solentine is supposed to go insane on the battlefield after Izarn dies–maybe his actions there end with his head in a noose?
And what is the narrative significance of there being no scenes in Everard’s POV, beyond the obvious of it making them perfect for each other in the classic “I can read everyone but you” trope? If Latour exists or ever existed in Rellas, WHY would such a major character be exempt from POV, especially since there are obviously tons of subplots that concern him and those around him?
I’m excited to get more of the mages in book 2! They’re obviously a big part of Rellas but we only got glimpses of them in the Isadau subplot, and no one even talks about them much. But I think if there’s a place Latour is hiding, it has to be there, and barring Sushi’s influence, how else would Maggie have been isekai’d if not through magic?
Okay off to reread again. The listen+read feature on kindle is AMAZING.
Much love Authorlords!
I’m also excited about the mages and I agree there must be significance in the book titles. We need bigger and more detailed maps, of the entire world, not just Rellas. Hey, we wouldn’t be a Horde if we didn’t occasionally state extravagant demands😈
About LaTour and PART OF WHAT WE KNOW:
1. Mod R said time travel was NOT involved, not a part of the internal structure/form of this series.
2. The word Latour is French for tower.
3. In the book there are many towers, and individuals who have towers are powerful in some way, be it physically, through land ownership, or magically.
4. Mages have 12 levels of magic, Maggie only has information up to 10 levels based on the books she read, the upper two are not yet defined.
5. Maggie appeared on this world from ours when a break occurred in an already established time line. This break happened before she had interaction with Kair Toren.
6. We don’t know yet why this break in the timeline occurred, we just know it did, and was pivotal enough that Maggie could somehow, someway be transported there.
7. The events of book one and two had already occurred on some version, or versions of Kair Toren previously. Maggie arrived about one Month into book one as she knows it. Initially Maggie does not know if she is in a “book” or in a “real” world.”
8. Either on a version of Kair Toren, or through some other way, (remember, no time travel), this timeline had previously been thoroughly witnessed by someone with the ability to read the motivations/minds the of the individuals around them from every walk of life, and that person recorded them in the books.
9. This information had been made available on earth and was read by Maggie, initially when she was young enough for it to shape her world view, educational choices, and pretty much entire growth process into maturity.
A VERY SMALL PART OF WHAT WE DON’T KNOW:
1. Which is almost everything.
2. Was Maggie’s natural intelligence and abilities recognized from childhood, and as she grew and interacted with the fan message boards was she targeted as a potential option to “save” Kair Toren?”
3. There are characters that Maggie has information about that could be LaTour.
4. The information in the books she read could be deliberately misleading, such as Hreban’s uncle being killed by his father. Did that really happen or was that what Hebran thought had happened and what Latour had written. Could the uncle be a “LaTour option” and as a Hebran have the power/ability to read the hearts of people, and then see even more deeply into the history and actions of those individuals? Was he a very powerful threat to his brother and that’s why he was supposedly killed?
Honestly,
HA writes such fabulous books we keep diving down these rabbit holes like Alice in Wonderland.
No wonder we devour them.
We desperately need a “Crazy Theories” thread or maybe some easily accessible space in the Maggie page when it’s available, it will be awkward to keep coming back to this thread until the next book is out:)
I really loved the part where Solentine is guessing what Maggie is short for and lists a bunch of names, one of which Maggie thinks is made up and then later we see is actually a character’s real name! I laughed so hard when that was revealed, only caught it on 3rd reread though. I wonder what other easter eggs I missed, must reread again
I loved that bit too and imagined the authors having loads of fun making up names, but please, I need confirmation: is Magrefondretta a made up name? (for clarification, I’m Greek; as a child, I used to think that “Kermit”was a name made up especially for the frog, it was a huge surprise to find out there are real people with that name^^).
Just to clarify: this is no shade on Kermits the world over, I’m actually interested to know what the country of origin of the name is. I’m also absolutely certain that most of you would think that several real Greek names (like Pulcheria or Anaximandros) might be made up 🙂
No one in the life sciences or the humanities would think that. You undoubtedly know that huge chunks of scientific terminology and modern languages have Greek roots. While I don’t know the exact stats, that has to add up to a lot of young and older adults, not to mention precocious child readers, recognizing Greek names as real.
Kermit, on the other hand – it’s real, and one of our presidents had a son by that name, but I have no clue about the origin. FWIW the president was Theodore Roosevelt, so Greek first name, and I think Dutch surname.
WOW. The 2nd read thru was almost like reading a new book – it hits so differently once you know plot twists. One of the many clues that went straight over my head but that made me laugh out loud the 2nd time thru – Reynald explaining to Maggie why he needs to hire guards.
Me too!
lol ! I need to sleep, indeed. 😉
Oooh oooh could Maggie be immune to magic from the Great Families?! We saw her break Lute from Silveren’s spell, and he comments on her ability to break his hold during the epilogue but ALSO–
…when she meets him in the Dog Market before they discover the first victim of The Butcher, he’s surprised when she doesn’t go with him and instead stands her ground. At first I thought he was just surprised by her boldness and self-possession but it’s more than that.
“Does that usually work for you? Do you just slide up to a woman and tell her ‘Come with me,’ and she allows herself to be meekly led away from her bodyguards?”
“Sometimes.”
“I’m going to stay right here. If you would like to say something to me, now is your chance.”
“You’re getting more interesting by the moment,” he muttered. “Why are you here?”
We know Maggie has magic, and lots of it. Is her immunity to Silveren’s Voice part of that, and are all people who are magically strong immune? Or is this unique to Maggie? Does Exultant Call and Rageglow work on Everard, for example? On Solentine?
Eeeee this reread’s got it’s hooks in me.
I doubt Maggie is immune to Great Families’ magic in general, because she does feel the effects of Sauven’s magic in the battle. But she definitely is not affected by Silveren’s voice, even though she notices that his voice is very beautiful and kind of hypnotizing.
My hypothesis is that Maggie and Silveren share the magic. Either they are related somehow, or they are the sides of the same coin (that is they have very similar magic but they choose to use it in vastly different ways, for theming reasons).
I am already crushed by the w*it for the next book and second reread sounds appealing lol
Fresh off the last epilogue, I came to this thread to ease the transition back to a world that doesn’t yet have another chapter of Maggie’s story.
Thanks to House Andrews for this gift of a new series. It brought the anticipated flash and dash of magic that they do so well, and the steady moral compass I rely on to pull me through the grim passages. And this time they pulled out all the pacing stops – the sense of momentum and acceleration of the plot were 10/10. I laughed, cried, and yelped wtf loud enough to wake the dogs.
I’m a knitter, and it was like sitting down next to someone pulling out yarns of multiple colors, weights, and fibers from their stash, casting on a new project. It has colorwork and intarsia, texture and cables. Every new skein and twist of the needles adds to the whole and by the end it’s big enough to wrap myself in. Picture the Unicorn tapestries at the Met, knitted into a blanket. And they made it from a pattern that’s in their head.
Thanks again. Your writing lights a candle in a dark time.
Special shout out to Mod R, much appreciated for her humor, wit, and steady hand on the horde tiller
Was that a reference to Zoolander? Hilarious!
Has anyone made a list of characters? I’m having a hard time keeping track of every one😫
really enjoyed, thought it was by far the strongest book they have written I think the break from UF/PNR even in a similar genre really gave there writing a chance to shine ( and obviously I love there regular stuff ). I also like a well written practical character who is a genuinely good person lately it seems most practical characters ie actually think through the situations they are in, are of the Grim dark morally grey variety and my favourite part of that is we didn’t spend the majority of the book with Maggie wondering what’s real she accepts that Relias is more then a fictional world treats its people as real life people and moves on, loved it .
Here goes. First time posting here (I think).
Why was Everard even in Kair Toren at the safehouse when he left to “think” and Maggie found him watching Derog’s slave house?
Why was Solentine running towards Gort at the statue of the Knight Vanquishers? He had obviously gotten information that something was going down… Was he intending to kill Gort? Who was he gunning for?
I think the core of why Maggie is so hurt over the deception of Ramond is because she held back in the cemetery because she did not want to begin something with him, without being 100% honest about who she is. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly willing to start something, without revealing the truth of who he is.
You may want to check me on this – but Everard brought Reynald’s body for burial- totally guessing that Solentine was trying to find Everard since he wasn’t in the safe house – Agree with you about Maggie’s hurt feelings.
I think Sol was running to help Ramond, who had escaped Sol’s protection days before rather than to hurt Gort.
I think Maggie being hurt was more a romance thing (as in “the man I love lied to me”) rather than a story thing, because when it comes to lying, Maggie is living in a glass house and should not be casting stones; she hasn’t told the truth of who she is and how she got there to a single person. Also I think her reactions are affected by her bias: Reynard was one of her favourite PoV characters, so she trusted him and Everard was only known to her by his terrifying reputation. She knows all the big families are ruthless so it makes sense that she would be questioning the motivations of any head of a family.
+1
and she may be in her feelings nevause she doubted him questioned h and looked at his papers- he doubled down on the deception
wow! I finished it and just love the references. to the gamer line about killing templar’s and the Homer Simpson meme and even game of thrones. tell cersi it was me! and so much more I’m forgetting. I bought multiple copies and the ebooks and audible. so hopefully my money will help the next one get made!
I am obsessed! Obsessed, I tell you! This is the first time in my life that I have finished reading a book and immediately flipped back to the first page to start reading it again. And then when I completed my second read through I bought it on audible so I can listen to it in the car to catch even more details I may have missed.
Spectacular entrance into this genre! Judging by the cliffhanger, I like to think that all bets are off in this series compared to your other series and I am definitely here for this wild ride. The wait for the second book is going to be interminable, I need a Maggie fix!
So many hooks for the next book!
I’m guessing that all the lessons on how to stab someone in the leg to nick the femoral artery probably don’t work so well on a man who has had his legs magically put back together after a childhood trauma but the strike to the kidneys has yet to be explained. Magic?
The book has done a really great job of upending the whole villain/hero narrative for me. Silveren has had a really rough deal. It’s understandable why he’s out for revenge and let’s face it, the king is a bit of a d*ck that would be long gone if only there was anyone to replace him. Silveren?
Given the current situation in the Gulf, I’m a big fan of trying to avoid violent war wherever it arrives including fiction but the book also really highlights the basic questions to be asked. Yes, you can tear things down, kill people and destroy everything but then what happens next, who replaces the people you’ve killed and will they be any better. The law of unintended consequences looms large in this book, almost more than the absent book from the uncompleted trilogy.
I’m also in favour of Arvel ending up with Omelyana of Gor for no reason beyond the symmetry of the thing. No woman deserves to be the supplicant in her marriage.
If the ex-lover/beau who rescued the young boy turns out to be the Crimson Emperor (the true villain waiting in the wings) then my bingo card will be complete.
It was such a treat to read Maggie’s story. I always imagine myself as part of the story when reading a book, but I’m usually an original character.
Thank you, Ilona and Gordon, for your imagination, patience and joy you share with us.
Speaking of authors…does Latour ( the author in Maggie’s book) ever make an appearance in the books? Or have we met him/her already? Misunderstood identities seems to be a laitmotif hehehe.
Apologies if this was asked before. I hope you can get some well deserved rest soon.
Yet again, a total favorite! Thank you for your talent and dedication to writing for us! I’ve seen some tinfoil hat theories that I kind of agree with, here’s mine: our villain is also undying, could he have been portaled out into Maggie’s world where he told his story to the author (or was the author) and then got portaled back into his world? So excited to see how the story unfolds over time!
Is reading Maggie three times in a row too much? Or not enough? Asking for a friend…
Im with you-what happens at re-read #4?
What a wonderful book! I see so many comments speculating about the man from the Garden, who the author is, etc., so I won’t repeat those. I just want to know if Joris tried to poison Everard and if so how did he do it? Also, how was Everard able to go through the gate in the beginning when he first met Maggie? The gate checkpoint was a little confusing…
I imagine the same way a lot of rich people get inside places that are closed to the public: he paid the guards.
I have a question!
In ch 16, Maggie tells “Reynald” that Everard loses Solentine’s support. She specifically says, “Solentine is loyal to his family, while Everard is loyal only to Selva.” she makes this sound like a bad thing, like Sol is the victim, but if Everard is loyal to Selva, then he’s loyal to a whole lot more people than just family. It sounds to me like Sol is is one who cares little for anyone. what am I missing that makes Sol the one in the right here?
Thank you for considering my question!
We don’t quite know the details yet, but if I had to guess what might cause a rift, I’d say maybe Sol didn’t get reinforcements and consequently lost loved ones, because Everard was busy defending a strategic target.
So what I’m saying is, I don’t think the authors will answer that question;)
And I’m back. I read This Kingdom 2 1/2 times on my kindle before breaking down and ordering the hardback, because I was craving the feel of the book in my hands. I got it today and simply opened it up to a random page and started reading from there.
I just got to the scene where Maggie was being interrogated at the guard station and “Bellen” told the Knight Captain to “Be silent” when he went to call “Bellen” “Lord -.” I started giggling as it finally clicked in my brain exactly what he was about to say, and that “Bellen” was really p’d off in that moment about the captain almost giving his masquerade away.
I had to immediately put the book down and come here to type this, b/c I needed to share with ppl who’ve already gotten to the chapter 40 reveal.
Oooh! Good one! I didn’t catch that!
Thanks again to Ilona and Gordon!
So much joy from this splendid book!!
OH
MY
GOLLY
Your books are AMAZING and the re-reads of ALL of them so satisfying, but this one?!!!!
You two just went next level on your writing. I straight up cackled after the first green fire scene. I did NOT see that plot twist coming. I straight up whooped & cackled! Then i checked my place in the book and i was only midway through!! Monster of a plot twist and so much book left!? This is not a genre I usually seek out but WOW! Your best writing EVER-which was already at such a high bar!
THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!
-BDH4EVER
A question about changed content: I remember a snippet posted a loooong time ago, where Maggie is renting a room from a young widow with a small child; when Maggie departs, she warns the widow to not rent to a particular dashing man who will sweep her off her feet but end up getting her killed. I presume this was an example of a great scene that was removed from the book as the storyline matured? Or are we likely to see it in a different form in a future Maggie book?
The scene was indeed removed in edits. The other manuscripts are not yet complete, so I cannot answer the second part of your question yet 🙂
I think we may have already seen it in a different form, with Galiene and her daughter. It may have been changed to ease Maggie’s introduction to the upper levels of Rellas society.
chapter 29: Does Solentine not know that Maggie is “undying”? . . .she just survived the Butcher and his people were there at her recovery.
I wonder if her body parts disappearing after death is related to the “Fade” at all. Is her real body still on Earth?
What happened to the chest of scrolls that was taken from the vault but not loaded onto the boat?
I did a ctrl-f on the page to see if anyone else has any ideas and didn’t see anything. Does any one know if there are Earth equivalents to the teas talked about in the book? I would LOVE to try some of what are talked about. I even started highlighting in my book descriptions of the teas. Some research may be necessary.
I too would appreciate this greatly. Also, I can’t be the only person getting enagaed in soap making because of this book, can I?
Would you ever write a Damaes x Isadau novella? I need it so bad
When House Andrews named Bellen, did you know that bellend is a very common UK insult? It made me chuckle reading his name, and it seems fitting for him!
In the Bonus Scene not a hair on her head, they refer to the fact that the redeemers are very loyal, almost unnaturally so. My question is how long does Silvereen’s magic last? How many people can he cast it on? Once broken is the person immune from having it being recast?
Question for the Q&A: How many Easter Eggs are in TKWNKM? Since I’m doing multiple rereads anyway, I might as well have an additional goal to go with lol
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC BOOK! Thank you Ilona Andrews!!
I asked these in the FB group but a re-read answered one of them.
1) I wondered if Reynard was truly gone since Maggie hadn’t seen the body. Mateo said he saw his Father die.
2) Silvern knows too much. in the garden scene, how did he immediately know Maggie was out of place? someone mentioned it was his power, but I didn’t find that in my re-read
3) are there two different silverns? how Everard remembers him is so different from the one Maggie met
4) any significance to the Sleeping Duke never having a POV scene in the book series?
5) Maggie seems to empathize so much with Silvern and he is introduced in a way that I feel like he will get a redemption arc. anyone else get this vibe?
6) Any bets on who dies?
I don’t want to bet, but maybe Gort? He was supposed to die senselessly in the original story, so maybe he will die heroically on this one, we are emotionally attached so it will have an impact but he’s an older mercenary so it’s part of his job. Plus it might show Everard that life insurance isn’t a bad thing.
I would hate that, but it makes sense. I feel like Sol may not make it😭 So far she’s saved most of her favorite characters that died (Galiene, Pelegrin).
I think Silvern develops into something more. Another re-read had me notice that he is not all-knowing. He clocks Maggie but doesn’t know the Duke in disguise.
Mod R, if it’s not too late for questions, is there any significance that in Helen’s illustrations, the Duke and Silvern are the only characters without book pages on both sides of them?
No, not at all, that’s just a graphics element 🙂
Something more? Do you mean Silveren might be redeemable or that he might be related to Maggie or that he might be pretending to be Silveren or Mirabor or (tinfoil incoming) might not even be a native of Rellas (Rellas the kingdom or Rellas the world, either one)?
Hey, if we put out many crazy theories, maybe one of them will turn out to be correct in the end 😀
Is Doran a pov in Maggies books?
No, Maggie’s books are just Maggie first POV.
I meant is he a pov in the books Maggie read – not a pov in This Kingdom. 🙂
I think he is, there’s mention of Arvel wishing that Berengur was there to help him at the time Berengur was away because of his mourning; that seems like a thing you would think but wouldn’t say out loud.
I just tried to register for the zoom, and got the message that registration is closed! Email came in early this AM (while I was sleeping). How can it be closed already? Help!
I have to know, which mangas/manhwas inspired TKWNKM because I need to read them! Please, please, please let us know! Also thank you for making such a wonderful book to get lost into. Truly.
What an amazing book, love the world (beautiful but scary), love the characters, love the storyline……
Just a quick thought, has anyone any ideas what the ‘dark thing’ in the river in chapter 2 is? It seems completely random and not related to anything in this story ….but HA, like LaTour, rarely puts superfluous characters or scenes into their books….. Hmmmm
I think the point is that it *is* completely random and not related to anything in the story. It demonstrates that the books Maggie read so many times are not an exhaustive, all-encompassing guide to the world she’s fallen into.
Think of all the novels in English that don’t mention orcas or great white sharks or mountain lions or hyenas. Yet those things exist, whether they have any bearing on the book you are reading or not. Maggie needs to understand that she won’t be able to recognize every single danger she encounters, so caveat lector.
I am still in the middle of the book. But worried about what appears to be a plot hole. Maggie convinces Reynald to trust her by telling him an incident from his past that only he knows about. So.. how could that convince him?
Oh I see (answering my own question), answered in Chapter 28.
Ok Horde, what sambocade recipe are we creating or adapting to be compatible with Shana’s recipe?