As you probably guessed by now, Beast Business has been pushed back to Friday. Arabella POV ran too long. Don’t laugh.
Today we bring you a companion to the free preview of This Kingdom.
Here it is again, if you missed it. It is a promo done by the US publisher and available everywhere the US edition reaches.
Amazon / BN / Bookshop / Google Play Books / Kobo
Nobody knows Kair Toren better than a stelka. Stelkas can’t talk, but if they could, they would tell you all sorts of secrets about what going on in the capital of Rellas.
This stelka is going to take us on a tour of Kair Toren as envisioned by Candice Slater.
The Mage Tower.
The Mage Tower is ancient. It smells of magic, and if you get too close, your fur will start crackling. This is where mages of Kair Toren make their magic. Sometimes stupid birds fly into the flower petals at the top and the magic fries them. They are good eating.
The Garden of Soft Blossoms
The Garden is located in an ancient fort, with thick stone walls and towers. It sits on the edge of the city, just south of the North Wall and looks over one of the rivers. It smells delicious. There are a lot of humans there, mostly at night. Sometimes you can sneak to the back and raid the garbage in the back courtyard by the kitchen for yummy tidbits.
The Bad House
This is the bad house. It smells like human blood. The humans inside are mean and they will kill you if you come close. But it won’t stay the bad house for too long. This is where I’m going to live eventually. I will get to sleep on the human bed, and people will give me yummy meat.
The Map
Here, you can have this map. Click it to make it bigger. See, I can be kind to humans. I am not all teeth. Although my teeth are pretty amazing. Chomp.
This is your official spoiler thread for This Kingdom. Speak freely! Ask your questions here, in the comments. The humans said they might do a zoom later and even answer some.
This is awesome, thank you for the wonderful visuals! Also for the “bad house” spoiler!! I read the preview and loved it, I’m so looking forward to the book release!
Thank you for all the creative beautiful delightful shinys! The perspective of our cute guide is TRULY appreciated right now! So excited for the end of March!
Thank you Ilona, Gordon, ModR and the Horde for holding this space and continuing to make it a bright spot on the internet!
I am truly grateful.
Sending peace, health and safety to all!
I loved it so much! I almost didn’t want to read the preview because I knew it would just leave me chomping at the bit for more, but I couldn’t hold myself back! Okay, so,
***SPOILERS BELOW***
.
.
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-based on the above info re: stelkas, assuming the “bad house” is the slaver’s place I’m going to assume that somehow Maggie is able to take it over? I place bets that she keeps the kiddos, at least a couple if they don’t have anywhere else to go because where else are they supposed to go in that world?
-I think we’re definitely going to see the guy who gave her money again. Mr. Terrifying. At least I hope so. That was no chance encounter!
-We know Maggie’s goal is to stop a war, so is she going to be stopping the guy who left out the thief as an example? I think this is most likely. She’ll need to build her influence, household, and money to get it done. And knowing she has less than a year to make it happen puts a lot of stakes in her early moves.
-Have I mentioned my deep love for political fantasy? It’s a very deep appreciation. I think the only thing that would have made me squee harder for this book was footnotes, but it’s not part of the style for isekai or portal fantasy so I’ll let it be. Otherwise Every. Single. Other. Box. Was checked! And knowing that they’re ALREADY working on a sequel??? ~swoon~
Please don’t get mad at me, Mod R, but I just started devouring Beast Business and — I’m not sure if all edits have been approved and that’s the final version but — there’s a change in POV at the very beginning where it becomes first person. Specifically, the moment that they’re giving Augustine a box. I don’t know how easy it is to fix that or if it needs to be, but wanted to bring it up just in case…
Hi Danae, why would I get mad? Do I ever get mad 😀
Thank you so much for pointing it out, I have fixed in the excerpt on the website 🙂 (in case anyone is wondering, Danae is not reading the actual book, that’s not out yet- you too can find the excerpt here https://ilona-andrews.com/featured-release/).
The excerpt is the pre-edit manuscript draft pasted in last week when Ilona made the featured release page for us all to enjoy. There have been at least 3 versions since :D. Thank you for your patience and grace with us, our brains go “bloop bloop” atm if you come close and listen haha.
The BDH will have the best Beast Business and extras and Arabella POV surprises possible on Friday, no worries 🙂
**The Horde screaming and cheering across the world all at once.** 🥳🎇😁
Ohhh. thanks for the next spoiler. Maggie acquires the Bad House and get a cute pet. The sneak peak was fun. This is super cute.
Loved the sneak peek!
Any way of getting this from the UK? Very sad 🙁
I’m sure it is brilliant but I’m very determined to wa*t for the whole book. I have it preordered and will buy and devour immediately after it’s out! Sadly getting only a bit now will drive me seriously mad. It’s not so long now and we’re getting a whole Augustin/Diana/baby tiger novella on Friday! I thought we will be getting it as a serial and was completely caught off guard by it’s sudden appearance and release date so soon! Thank you, it was the best surprise ever!
Hold firm! I said I wasn’t going to read it….and I did…..and now I will be tortured with questions for 2 months. Don’t do it! 🤣
Please, do you know why is Inheritance listed twice on Audible? Today came another release announcement about it and only difference I can see is the higher price…
One is from back in the day when it was an Audible exclusive in October.
In January, the exclusivity period ended and the file got sent to all the audio retailers. Unfortunately, the Audible system picked it up as a second release and we have a ticket with them to sort it out, but they are slowwwwwwww.
Thank you for your patience!
If ‘Parting is such sweet sorrow’, then waiting can be the same. “Beast Business” will come, as will the full book of Maggie.
Chortle: I’m sure that neither will be ‘Maggies Drawers’.
My thoughts this morning, “Oh God. If I don’t put Maggie down Right Now I am going to be late for work” and “When does Maggie come out again???”
HA!
You can at least keep track enough to know that you’ll be late for work!
I HAVE actually been that person whose husband said, don’t you have work today and I am in bed and it’s time to get in my car…
Take shower or be on time??? 🤔
In bed devouring a HA new release
Thank you. I was feeling lazy about starting a new series, but it’s Ilona Andrews so I know it will be good. But having the tour with Kair sparked my curiosity and a bit of excitement to get tucked in. I must pace myself given the book is not out until March!
Cried when I read this. Things are so bad in MN right now.
Big, big hugs of support and solidarity from across the pond.
🫂 🫂 🫂
Maggie has a steam deck! she’s just like me I love her already.
also #teamsleeplessduke until otherwise swayed✌🏻
IMHO ~ I am in love with the ALL of the art I have seen for Beast Business. I know that it is all subjective. This art work is my favorite of all that you have…not to say that the other isn’t good. I just think that Augustine deserves to be a poster ~ Diana is the perfect match for him. Their edges seem to blend so perfectly.
The links don’t seem to work for me because I am in Germany. So I guess no preview novella for me….
Have you searched on Amazon Germany or just used the .com link?
Because it’s there and lots of readers from Germany have read and commented on it 🙂 https://www.amazon.de/Ilona-Andrews-ebook/dp/B0GGCXD843/
We’re not able to link every single country and domain in a blog post, sometimes we can just point you to the retailers and you need to do a search in the catalogue that applies to you 🙂
Can I just confess that I will be taking March 31st and April 1st off of work so that I can devour this book?
It is happening. I am not even going to pretend it’s not.
I do have a question…spoiler alert!
It seems that Maggie and Reynald waited “almost 4 months” before infiltrating Derog’s compound. I am guessing she waited for the right timing? Where did she stay during that 4 months? I can’t imagine she stayed at the terrible place she previously rented. I am hoping that gets answered later in the book? Did she ever get her money from Solentine? Again, I am guessing there will be some filling in of the missing 4 months. Maybe the sample release chapters are not in the same order as the book? Can anyone who has read the ARC tell me? I am sure they would not just leave that part out (as I am writing this I am realizing I need to just w*it and all will be revealed in the book). Don’t tell me what happens just that it will be revealed (of course it will). I am stupid, nevermind. LOL.
Why did I read the sample???
Why????
Now I have to w*it over 2 months to read the rest and get my answers!
Ugh. I did this to myself. 😆
Also, super excited for Beast Business! My comments above are about This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. 😆
And on a side note, props to whoever decided NOT to call it something with Serpent, Wings (or Feathers), Blood, Bones, Shade, Night, Metal (insert choice), Flame (Fire, Ashes, or Smoke) in the title.
Maggie and Reynald went to infiltrate Derog’s compound the very same day after meeting at the teahouse (or, more accurately, that same night).
The “almost 4 months” refers to how long it had been since Reynald (after returning from his military tour and finding his wife dead and his son vanished) had learned that the one who kidnapped his son was Derog. Thus, it was almost 4 months since Reynald had been trying by himself to find a way to get to Derog in his fortress for information or revenge (according to the original novel, which Maggie had read). “He’d had almost four months to figure out a better way and he hadn’t.”
Ahhhh! Ok I missed that. Thank you!!! ❤️
once again I am entrapped er intrigued by a new story. I read this short preview not knowing what I would think of this story. I love most of what Illona Andrews writes and am a proud Horde member.
I was unsure how I would feel about this one. I was happy to get a feel for how this story would go. Now I have to know what happens next.
Darn you Tor and Author!!!(;
I stayed up till midnight to read the preview last night! It is wonderful and I couldn’t put it down. Thank you so much, this is amazing!
And it’s to the BDH…..we are so well fed.
Not laughing, but obviously Arabella has a lot to say. So obviously she needs her own book or books to fully express herself in:) OK, am smiling & maybe chuckling a little, but it is a chuckle/smile of anticipation & excitement for the upcoming release of Beast Business, complete with Arabella POV:)
Awesome! Have preordered the book and can’t wait to read it.
I was touched and delighted to see the dedication to the BDH.
I love the comments and questions here – it feels like the best book club! Where is the author, who is the man in the Garden, who is the romantic interest, how long will Maggie take to revive, will the kids be able to find their way home… etc.
The world reminded me of GoT, with all the violence. And here is Maggie, bringing kindness and light, one act at a time.
It reminds me of when someone asked Brandon Sanderson if he would finish GoT, if asked. He laughed and replied that then everyone would make peace, get married and live HEA. 😆
Maggie is bringing these good qualities to her world.
thank you for the lovely preview.
Spoiler speculation: Now wondering if the author of the books is the child seer. Since the books talk about things that happen in the future in the world Maggie is in, it would need to be someone who can either time travel or has knowledge of the future, and maybe something about how the seer came to be able to publish the two books in the “real” world or cross realms is connected to their amnesia in This Kingdom?
There was also something about the reasoning that the seer was his kid that seemed interesting. Maggie cited the fact that the kid had prophecy which was a rare trait as coincidental evidence that it was his kid, but it wasn’t quite explained whether his child had previously been said in the books to have this ability, and then this other character (who may or may not be the same person) popped up with the same ability, or if it’s something that runs in the family, in which case it could be a relative that is the author of the books. Leaning towards not something that runs in the family though, since the book said hereditary magic is in the Houses, and other magic popped up randomly.
It made me think that maybe Reynald has the gift of farseeing too. “It would have been a cosmic coincidence for him not to be Reynald’s son. The gift of farseeing was very rare.” What part of his gift might have played into Reynald’s immediate acceptance of Maggie? That is my question. Especially from someone who has been so recently and epically betrayed.
I like your theory of his son being the author. I personally think the author could also be the anonymous guy she met at the Garden since he seemed to know her or at least know he would see her again. Fun to speculate!
I was speculating in a comment above that maybe the author (not a fiction writer, but a chronicler!) had recorded Kair Toren’s actual history (the original timeline) in the books Maggie read as fiction, and magic was used to somehow reverse time and bring Maggie to Rellas at the starting point, but I’m liking the possibility of mage foresight being used to chronicle Rellas’ original “future” in those books even more. Then, the events described in the book never actually happened–but would absolutely have happened, had Maggie not been brought in to alter those events.
Continuing the theme of Maggie altering events, if the third book was never published because the author died in the portal world and couldn’t continue, then there would be no third book until Maggie altered events enough that the author lived, making it the most extreme example of the lengths a reader would go to to get the final book in a series! 😀
Hahaha. “the most extreme example of the lengths a reader would go to to get the final book in a series!” I love this.
But seriously, I find it plausible that the third volume couldn’t be written before because magic time reversal back to point zero happened before history advanced that far; or alternately, magic foresight from point zero into the future only reached far enough to encompass the first two volumes. Either way, the third volume = the resolution of the story was always going to be created from someone like Maggie altering history and shaping a different future than the one originally intended for the world of Rellas.
The artwork is as always,perfect!
I loved the preview and the stelkas. I’m trying to be chalant until March!
I just want to say that it came and got devoured before this post even went up, and I can’t wait for the rest.
Love the book, and I got my brother to read the preview too!
I really like the emphasis on how Maggie’s experience in this world is more vibrant than her read. Her recollections of the book description and her own views make it very clear that she’s in the real world. Can’t w*it for the book!
FFS!!! I now have to w@*t for the rest of the story!!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!! IT IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I know I shouldn’t have read it, I should have w@*ted but it is so good, sooooo goooooddddd. How will I hold on?
I keep trying to be less dramatic, but I can’t seem to help it. That’s how good it is.
Me too! I am bashing my head because I knew better than to read it and now I shall have to pay for my impatience! Ughhhh. Why did it have to be so GOOD!?? 🤦♀️
Right?!?!?!? So amazing. House Andrews always delivers. I still feel extra dramatic about w@*ting for all the goodness.
I already preordered TKWNKM and I refuse to go near the extended preview because cliffies, so instead I’ll enjoy the info that Arabella has an extended POV, which means she has something to say, which means there’s a greater chance that we’ll get her story someday! 😁
Delighted by the preview and looking forward to rereading it, along with the rest of the book when it is released.
Apologies if this has been asked and answered before – what is the significance of the name Maggie, if any?
I ask because one of my favorite scenes in Kate Daniels’ world is in when Maggie (aka Christopher’s emotional support dog) bites Curran on the ankle. This is the book with Roman, the wedding planner and is my favorite of the series. I’ve always wondered what happened to Maggie, since I don’t think she reappears in next book.
Just a concidence?
Also, if you are considering topics for a Frinday interview, would love a conversation involving Roman, Sean and Oro about planning for Arland’s bachelor party. Since Roman is an expert on all things wedding and Oro watches a lot of movies …. the possibilities are endless.
Oooooo!!!!!!!! What a fabulous idea!!!!!
Oh my!! This is exceptional. I LOVE IT! I read it all and I CAN NOT WAIT for the rest. I know, I know, I’ll just have to. But holy cow you two have out done yourselves yet again. the BDH exist because you are freaking amazing at creating a place to go and live! I am always sad when one of your book’s end. But alas, you are always making more! Better and better. Am I gushing? YES! This book is going to be awesome. The 1st 126 pages have blown me away!!!
Thank you so much to HA and Tor for the extended preview.
I have a few questions, which I’d love to see answered, if not too spoiler-y.
1) Given that Maggie discovers that there’s much happening in Rellas that isn’t mentioned in the books, can we assume that Rellas is an independent real world, and not simply a writer’s creation?
2) Will the narrative explore possible limitations on Maggie’s resurrection powers? (On a personal note, I feel that as powerful a “goldfinger” as unlimited life points for the main character lowers the stakes quite a lot and seeps tension out of the narrative–because I don’t have to worry for Maggie’s life, just for her well-being.)
3) When Maggie was held hostage by Derog in Chapter 8, was she right or wrong in assuming Reynald would let Derog go free in that situation?
4) Is this the kind of isekai where the main character will get the choice to return to their original world?
Alternate question: Is time flowing normally in Maggie’s original world while she’s gone?
Good list!
For question 2, I’d love to know if there are limits, but I don’t think it will lower the stakes. Maggie is our main character, so we know even if she wasn’t undying she would not die; at least, not until the end.
From another POV, it almost raises the stakes because now we worry about the wrong people finding this out, and how much pain they could put Maggie through. I’m seriously concerned about her being burned alive. The continuous drowning possibility she mentioned in the book is also unimaginable.
+1
I respect your opinion, but I still, respectfully, disagree.
Like you rightly pointed out, yes, as readers, we do expect that our MC in any book won’t die in medias res, and especially not in a first-person narrative–and we’re usually not wrong to expect that. But there are always exceptions to that “rule” (Veronica Roth’s Allegiant comes to mind), and that string of tension in the narrative, no matter how frail, matters.
More importantly, however, is there’s a very big difference between the reader knowing the MC won’t die because she’s the MC, and the MC being literally undying. The former is an abstract, amorphous “knowing” and doesn’t influence the reader’s interaction with the narrative. The reader identifies with the MC’s perspective; when the MC fears for their life/is cognizant of the risk of death among dangers and extreme threats, that tension, that uncertainty, that fear seeps into the narrative and transfers itself to the reader as well. Not so for a character who is undying inside the narrative.
Which brings me to my second point. There’s a very big difference between *the reader* knowing, from outside the narrative, that the MC won’t die; and *the MC* herself knowing the same, from inside the narrative. The former doesn’t influence the narrative/plot, the latter does, very much so. Even if the MC says there are still risks and she wants to act as if she didn’t have this “goldfinger”, she will still have a subconscious reliance on it in extreme situations. Because she knows she won’t die, she can act a bit more recklessly, take a few more risks, solve otherwise unsolveable (or seemingly unsolveable) situations by… just dying once. Just endure the pain, and come back to life. Proof: the scene at the end of the extended preview. Maggie only chose that option because she knew she was undying. It would not have been an option for any other MC, in any other book, who knew they only have one life to lose.
I’m not saying Maggie isn’t in horrible pain when she dies, I’m not saying she can’t be made to suffer terribly if an enemy wanted to torture her. I’m just saying all of that applies for an undying MC as well, plus the undying MC can actually die. Maggie can’t die, and will even heal perfectly the physical traces of her death. So, by contrast, how can there not be lower stakes for the immortal MC versus the mortal one?
This is just my personal opinion, and I anticipate reading about an undying MC for once will be quite a shift in perspective, and lots of fun. But I also believe this will have an impact on how high the narrative can strum the tension for me, if there are no limits on the undyingness.
I suspect the real stakes and limits of the character will land more clearly for you on a reread and hopefully when you have the opportunity for full read, because at the moment they seem to be eluding 🙂 . It appears from your comments it’s easier to map familiar genre assumptions onto her and miss where the text is deliberately diverging from them. But the tension here is not built on whether Maggie can die once—it’s built on whether she can ever escape if she finds herself in an experience of dying indefinitely, which is not a lower-stakes condition at all.
There may be a gender gap as well, what you see the “worst case” and what a women readers do. It is well known female audiences rearrange the severity of harmful acts. Murder in fiction is easier to deal than rape is for example, because readers are emotion-led. Some criminal acts involve maintaining an emotional negative state for a prolonged time and others are “cleaner”.
This is amazing.
So far, I’ve gone to bed late; lost my place in my exercise routine countless times because I’m wondering about different aspects of Maggie/Kair Toren.
Some epics take several pages (if not chapters) to get warmed up into the story.
Others start with so many POVs that you continually back track to remember who is doing what and why.
Still others jump so hard from different scenes that you get whiplash.
None of this is true with you all.
Amazing. Thank god I’m retired, so I don’t have documents to research and write anymore!
totally bummed out, can’t get the preview as in NZ.
Well, you’ve got another winner hitting publication! To nobody’s surprise, Maggie is just simply fabulous.
Thank you so much for the large preview. Since the world of Rellas grabbed me right away (as yours always do), I am now impatiently waiting for March 31(?) and the whole book.
Take care of yourselves, please. (We need you to finish all the goodies on the “coming soon” list in a timely manner…)
I’m so glad you liked it!
The comments and questions here are fantastic, the full book will blow everyone’s mind, I’ve had a huge grin on since yesterday knowing what awaits 😁
Can’t wait. Really.
Did I miss Beast Business isnt up for preorder?
There is no preorder period, it will just drop on Friday 🙂
I have to admit I was a little skeptical of Maggie going into the preview because the description is SO similar to the plot of Long Live Evil it threw me off. I am incredibly happy to be wrong because the first 100 pages has me hooked! Instantly preordered and I don’t know how I’m going to distract myself for 2+ months…
Both books play with the basic premise of the isekai genre, but that is where the similarities end 🙂. It’s a bit like saying all romances are the same because there’s a couple that end up together 😉
Thanks for the map!
not available in Australia on Google play!
It’s not available in Australia altogether. It is a promo by the US publisher 🙂
sorry but which edition will these beautiful illustrations be featured in?
I’m sure it’s been said somewhere but I must have missed it
More on that soon 🙂
The pictures are gorgeous! Cant wait for the full book. March is so far away…
So I knew I was gonna like This Kingdom. I had a countdown timer in my head that wasn’t blaring, but it also wasn’t forgotten. NOW, it feels like March 31 is FIVE YEARS AWAY!!!!!!
I am already a huge Maggie fan and I barely know her!!! Also, it got me thinking: I would NOT make it in any of my favorite books. I would be very dead very quickly, especially if I’d stay the me I am.
All in all, loved it, and now I’m impatiently waiting to read the whole thing.
Thanks for the preview!!!
Holy Cow, it was amazing. I’m finishing Silver and Blood and then I’m going to read the preview again.
Just printed a copy of the map (thank you!) and will now go back and read the preview again. So much easier for me to have the map handy to look at while reading instead of flipping back-and-forth to look for something specific between the text and the map. Looking forward to the completed book in March!
It looks like a red panda and a fox had a baby. And it is so cute.
Will there be pushies? I just know some kid is going to want a plushy.
(It’s me. I’m the kid. Ok, in Roland years I am a kid)
Nice cliffhanger! I can’t wait to read the whole thing.
(Though I do understand better now why you weren’t sure it would appeal to your regular readers, and am grateful you gave a long preview so we could figure that out on a person by person basis.)
Wow, wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow wow!
House Andrews have always been great writers, but this is amazing!
I don’t know why, but the line about vomiting, when trying to get the cloak off the bloated, dead person that said something about dry heaving until she peed herself was just an example of the amazing imagery in this book.
Thank you for the taste, and for the dedication to the BDH, it’s going to be a long wait, but it will be worth it!
Just gonna say thank you! Writers are saving what is left of my sanity and it is much appreciated!
I should not have read the extended preview. Now I’m painfully aware of how many days are between me and March 31st. Only eight chapters and I’m on the edge of my seat!
This was absolutely mindblowing…not a restful book just before going to bed, but the minute I saw the download in my kindle, I had to dive right in! Now I need a time portal to whisk myself to Mar 31! HA, you have outdone yourselves once again. Every book seems to be getting better than the last.
**chalantly wriggling in glee at having a morning break to re-read the preview**
Is it March yet?
Zoom questions
1. How much time elapses in The Thieves of the North? How much time elapses in The Lords of the East? How much time elapses in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me? I know Maggie 2 is only partially written but what time frame do you anticipate for it?
2. I think another comment asked about this: what was your process with creating both This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me and Adrian Latour’s two books? Did you brainstorm/imagine/write the fictional books (world building, characters, storyline) first and then brainstorm how Maggie fit into that fictional world or was the creation simultaneous?
3.Were Adrian’s books self-published or traditionally published? I’m wondering if some of his inaccuracies stemmed from an editor who forced edits on him due to implausibility.
4. Did Elaut sell Ulmar Hreban the secret of Galiene’s daughter’s existence before ever approaching Galiene so she needs to act before he can buy the caregivers? I’m trying to figure out where Maggie’s warning fits in the storyline.
I’m wondering if Adrian Latour originated from Rellas and he’s the guy in The Garden and the tale of the toad was actually unique to the book and is used to identify fans of the book from Earth.
That extended preview was magnificant and horrible because now I can’t wait to read the rest!!
So Maggie will get the slave citadel?
I guess we’ll have to read on and see 😉
I should not have bought this preview— I am DYING to read the rest now! So good!
It’s like reading Star Trek from Q’s perspective 🤣🤣🤣
Naturally, I squealed and summarized the entire snipped to my boyfriend who laughed at me and said ‘Tropeception!!’
“Don’t laugh.”
I’m sorry. I laughed.
I still want a Stelka in the worst way! Read the extended preview and was blown away by the expanded book beginning. Well done!
Can someone link me all Maggie’s previous snippets? I seemed to remember there was a scene in which Maggie was talking to someone in the garden and all her people were there to ‘protect’ her.
Most of the previous snippets have been archived 🙂
Thank you for your amazing writing, I really enjoyed the extended Maggie preview! I’ve re-read to the entire Hidden Legacy series in preparation for Beast Business on Friday!
Take care of yourselves 🙂
You need to w*it longer for Augustiner.
Whaaaat?
You get 7k more words of Arabella.
Yay! All is forgiven. I will happily w*it.
Stupid autocorrect.
How come it doesn’t know Augustine?
It has nothing to do with This Kingdom, but today is a joyful day, because The Inheritance audio is now available on non-evil platforms! Starting my first listen!
hello from German little question is the ebook of Beast Business to buy tonight from 29.1=30.1 ore must i waiting on the USA timeline to change to buy the ebook ?
thangs
The files are being uploaded on Friday morning US time, it’s safest to wait until tomorrow for the book 🙂
The system takes a while to process
Fantastic! Thank you!
I adore how self aware this book is. Thank you for the art.
When I try to say something about how stunningly fabulous this preview is, my mind jams my fingers trying to type too many things at once!!!!!
It was AMAZING I’m so excited for the whole book!
I was expecting it to be good but I was floored by how good it was, so relatable (alluding to fanfic for example). I knew that there was a cliffhanger and I did not want to read the preview at first but that resolve lasted exactly one day. Please don’t ever stop writing.
Whaaaa…..Just finished the extended preview.. I don’t know if I will be able to make it to release day….whaaaa
I’m ready for Solentine to become my book bf! I have a feeling he will be the love interest. So many similarities to another IA hero fave of mine.
Monumentally Phenomenal Preview!
Your book is going to take the world by storm.
Long Live Maggie!!
When you are in Australia and it’s the 30th and Beast Business isn’t available on Apple Books yet. The stress, the excited anxiousness, the clock watching!
It’s been uploaded and started populating, some retailers just take longer than others with the system checks 🙂
Thanks Mod R, I’m sneakily checking between jobs at work… the excitement is real!
One of my son’s favorite joys is when he picks out a new book at the library (mostly fantasy) and opens it and there is a MAP. He will be overjoyed to see this. As am I. Thank you for sharing!
I couldn’t resist and ended up reading it 😭 Now I have to wait two months for the rest—it’s torture.
This is definitely one of those books where you need other characters’ POVs. It would be so intriguing to see what they’re thinking when Maggie drops hints about them and their futures.
Kicking myself for reading the preview because now I have to WAIT. FOR. SO. MANY. WEEKS. to read the rest!
I have read the extended preview and now must practice pat**nce and w*it. It was excellent and I want the rest NOW! 😁
Cannot wait for this book to come out 😍
Using this thread to send in my deep appreciation for the free preview. Yum, yum, yuuuuuum!
I’m now wracking my brain for what other snippets there have been, as it was so pleasing to read the tea-scene in its proper context. Was there a list somewhere? I should go hunt the interwebs…
Loving this world, and in particular I like that seemingly for once, a bunch of chiseled jawlines have been bandied about instead of there just being one amazeballz male, and that is it. (It’s been a few days, so I’m not sure there were any corded muscles, as they’re all so dressed, but yeah, buffs abound apparently).
Will now patiently (suuuure) wait for two (sigh) whole (double sigh) months (chalance!).
Love the preview, love the art, love the map (which I went back to at least a dozen times for clarification). This and BB will provide several fruitful rereads during the continuing cold snap. If you could arrange for normal seasonal temps* to return within the next week, I will return to normal outdoor chores and not obsess over when the actual book drops. Thank you for your time and attention in this matter!
*On a more hopeful note, I have named my new heat pump Honey Badger. That technology has improved out of all recognition. The old heat pump could not keep up anytime outdoor temps dropped more than 50F below the thermostat setting. This winter is worse outdoors, but so much better indoors.
Wondering if the character in the hallway was the king, because he said “of course I’d be the king?” in the fable? And a king would be rich as the character is implied to be. But he seems not insane and paranoid, which would make it another example of how the author of the books is not a reliable narrator, if the character is indeed the king. I feel like he pegged her as an imposter because most people that went there were rich, so someone who is not a servant but dressed like someone not rich would stand out, and since normal rich people wouldn’t go there, he’d assume she was someone else trying to be incognito like he was.
He’s also described as having a “regal nose” so a clue he might be the king?
And what is the “famous beauty” is really the Sleepless Duke? Where else could they meet easily in secret in the city? Also think he’s the king because he wasn’t afraid to disparage a Great Family in public.
Agreed. Having read it a second time, I’m leaning toward Adrian Latour being a Rellas native, possibly one of the Big 8, and of course no one can include everything in a book. So he didn’t include the giant amoeba – well, I’ve read American novels too numerous to count that did not mention killer whales or giant squid, because marine biology was outside the scope of the novel.
And if he’s a native, even if he’s politically moderate, his take on political figures is never going to be entirely bias-free. Plus, he won’t have access to the totality of their behavior, public or private. I’m well-supplied with siblings, niblings, inlaws, etc. None of us know everything about anyone in the group. I learned new things about my dad after his funeral, and about my closest friend last year.
Facts that don’t show up in a novel should not inevitably be considered lies of omission. They may reflect gaps in the author’s knowledge, or a simple lack of relevance to the author’s story. So any character Maggie meets could appear and act in ways that don’t match Adrian Latour’s characterization. If it looks like a king and talks like a king and acts like a king, it might be a king – sane or not. And mental health issues aren’t always obvious on casual acquaintance anyway.
The preview was great, ty for making it available, but dang it waiting till March will be hard
The excerpt is amazing and just makes the w*it for the book that much harder. That said, so so many thanks to Tor for making it available. I put it off until heading home from vacation. It made my various long air flights actually tolerable. Too busy reading to be aware of much discomfort 🤣❤️
I think the Preview was perfect! Perfect lengh and ended at just the right moment! We even got the first meet between Maghie and Solentine AAAAGHBCV!!
I heard it’s a love triangle but we all know HA is notiriusly bad a those (which we LOVE! DON’T EVER CHANGE HA!!) and I remember the little sneak peek from 2 years ago with a certain someone coming ito another certain someones Bedroom through the Window and *Banter* sooo yea I’m really fcking happy!!
Now I’m hungry! Thanks again.
the stelka preview you created here is fun to read after you finish the tor release. I am going to have to go back now and try to figure out which was the bad house , I think I know but will enjoy rereading to make sure
I’ve read the extend preview from Tor, I am HOOKED. Too bad it won’t be published by the end of Feb, I’m taking an international trip and I would have loved to listen to this on the plane! Guess I’ll just have to listen to other IA books instead, lol!
Finally broke down and visited Rellas through the extended preview. What a smart choice on HA/Tor’s part. 🙂 Loved the world, Maggie, and our heroic heisting stelka (pleaseeeeeeee). Looking forward to the rest of their adventures in March.
Oh man!!! I read the extended preview and I am so all in!!! I’m already totally invested in these characters. I so hope Maggie’s warning was enough to save Galiene and her daughter!! Not to mention Reynauld. And the kids! Oy! that world does NOT seem like a good one!! Go, Maggie! save yourself and those that you can!!
Looking forward to March!!+
the preview was wonderful. I can’t wait for next month when my pre order drops.
I had no idea there was an extended preview of This Kingdom. I did not remember signing up for it. It’s been a crazy year. Last night I had my semi-periodic insomnia and was browsing my library and there it was. It was like a Christmas Miracle – only later. The Magic Book Genie came through. I read it. I read it all.
Fellow BDHers:
TKWNKM is even better than we imagined. I don’t know how they do it every time, but the story, world, and characters are vibrant, distinct, and unique from any others. I did not guess the twists, yet they made complete sense! I also feel a little like Maggie’s actions healed me a little from my Game of Thrones final season trauma and fury because she was able to right some wrongs that happened in her GoT-like series. I listened to it (and the narration is really good); then, when it was done, I immediately went back to the beginning and restarted it! My one frustration (other than now having to w*it for Maggie 2) is that some of the names in this huge cast of characters were similar to my ear, so since it was audio, I needed to make a list to keep everyone straight. I wish there was a character list.
I can’t wait for you all to read it and to discuss/read about your theories and thoughts!!!
Amazing preview! The art, maps, and questions spark excitement and curiosity such a vivid, engaging glimpse into This Kingdom’s world!