Drum roll, please!
This stunning cover is brought to you courtesy of Andrew Davis. It is absolutely beautiful and we are delighted. You can find more of Andrew’s work on his Instagram.
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me

The page-turning politics of Game of Thrones meets the worlds-spanning romance of Outlander in this blockbuster new epic fantasy series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.
DELUXE EDITION—featuring gorgeous sprayed edges!
When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy, and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren, a city she knows intimately from the pages of the famously unfinished dark fantasy series she’s been obsessively reading and re-reading while waiting years for the final novel.
Her only tools for navigating this gritty world of rival warlords, magic, and mayhem? Her encyclopedic knowledge of the plot, the setting, and the characters’ ambitions and fates. But while she quickly discovers she cannot be killed (though many will try!), the same cannot be said for the living, breathing characters she’s coming to love—a motley band that includes a former lady’s maid, a deadly assassin, various outrageous magical creatures, and a dangerously appealing soldier. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes—and attentions—of dueling princes, dukes, and villains, all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the way she knows their stories will end: in a cataclysmic war.
For fans of Samantha Shannon, Danielle L. Jensen, Sarah J. Maas, and isekai and portal fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse author duo Ilona Andrews.
Snippet
Knight Captain Jehan had a dilemma on his hands. I wasn’t sure what he had expected, but I clearly wasn’t it. I wore a gown in a beautiful green. My hair was braided and styled to the latest fashion with silver cord and appropriate ornaments. My makeup was flawless, and I was looking at him as if he were a mosquito buzzing around me. Clover stood behind my chair, her hands demurely folded, her eyes downcast.
Knight Captains acted in the same capacity as police lieutenants in most large cities back home. Kair Toren had four main City Guard stations, each headed by a Station Commander, who had anywhere from four to six knight captains under his authority. The knight captains supervised the sergeants, who in turn supervised the guards. In terms of position, Jehan was upper middle management, and he hadn’t gotten that far by being dense. Intimidating a commoner was one thing, although under Rellasian law, even a commoner could appeal. Detaining a noblewoman without a solid cause was an entirely different matter, and if handled incorrectly, could cost him his career.
I had been ushered into his office three minutes ago, and he had yet to say a single word.
The Knight Captain gave me a heavy look. He was in his mid- to late thirties, maybe even early forties, a tall man with a severe expression and some silver in his hair. He wore a black and teal tabard over dark chainmail. A teal half cloak hugged his throat and draped down his back with a metal pauldron on one shoulder. A complicated belt of dark leather wrapped his waist, offering a variety of pockets filled with various things a City Guard Knight Captain might find handy.
His office was a large square space in the middle of the Southern Guard Station. He sat behind a heavy wooden desk, with stacks of paper and scrolls on both sides. Behind him the Kair Toren flag stretched across the wall, teal, edged with black, with a stylized Skyline of Eagle Roost in gold. The Justice Chamber was attired in royal colors, mostly purple, but as municipal police force, the City Guard had its own color scheme.
One of us had to start this conversation or I would be here all day.
“Knight Captain Jehan, I presume?” I asked.
“Correct. Whom do I have the privilege of addressing?”
“You sent your people to my house. Surely you know who I am?”
“That is what we are here to determine.”
Knight Captain Jehan was treating me to the medieval version of the “you’re in big trouble” cop stare.
“So you do not know who I am.” I crossed my arms. “Is this how you find out? When you’re not sure who lives in a house, you just have them dragged down here? It seems like an odd use of the Guard’s time and resources.”
He didn’t say anything.
“Or perhaps I am a special case? I can’t help but note that the Guard station closest to my residence is in the north. Instead, I had to travel for the better part of an hour and cross two bridges to be brought here. Why?”
He glowered at me. “Here, I ask the questions.”
“Please start then. Whatever we can do to speed this thing along.”
He opened his mouth.
Something thudded outside the office, followed by the sound of raised voices.
“Just one question before we begin,” I said. “Am I charged with a crime?”
He unhinged his jaws. “Not yet.”
The commotion got louder and closer.
“Am I being detained?”
“Not exactly.”
“If not, am I free to leave?”
Welcome to twenty-first-century police-encounter protocol.
“Just a moment.” He turned toward the door.
“If I am being detained, I request the services of a law scribe.”
“Hold that thought.” Jehan rose, stepped outside, and shut the door behind him.
Behind me Clover snickered.
A deep male voice roared something in the distance. I couldn’t quite make it out, but it might have been “Where?” Whoever he was, he sounded pissed. Rhythmic thuds drew closer. Somebody was coming down the hallway in heavy boots.
The door flew open.
That cover is beautiful. Can’t wait for the book to be released.
Beautiful cover, and preordered a;ready, of course!
I CANNOT w**t…. Trying to contain myself
WOO!
I admit I am at work, with tons on my plate, it has already been a stressful morning and then I saw this. Happy feelings now, it made me smile.
Squeee!!! I just preordered the hard back! I’ll be getting the eBook AND the audio, too! I’m SO excited!
Next year is such a long time to wait. So very much looking forward to this book.
gorgeous cover. I cannot wait.
100% off topic but
TAPAS INNKEEPER IS AVAILABLE AT MY LIBRARY
YAY!!!
just started and it’s so fun
Yay! So glad you like the format!
Oh oh, what comes next?! Okay definitely looking to get this one. Now I must wait as Chalant as possible.
I love the cover. it is beautiful.
Aaaand, pre-ordered to pick up at my local bookstore. 😀
Wow! It’s soooo Gorgeous. Love it 🥰
Beautiful cover. I love how much it says about what you’ve shared about Maggie.
I have to say though, I think my absolute favorite thing is that M in Kingdom. because there’s all this rich detail going on in the cover, and that M doesn’t otherwise match the stark title font (only other embellishment is the opening “T” bookending the emphasis). it’s a finger being waggled in the face of the book and it’s just so perfect. 😀
Amazon just suggested this book to me on the “Books You Might Like” section of their webpage at 50% off for the Kindle edition pre-order. So “WooHoo! They are helping with getting pre-orders. I noticed it when I recognized the book cover.
very excited aaaaaaa
That cover is Beautiful! It reminds me of the Patricia McKillip covers from back in the day. I will have to get the hardcover now for my shelf of Joy! Thank you.
Can‘t wait to read it! And a cool cover, too! 🤩
This looks so cool! I can’t wait to read it
Woot woot!🙌🏾🙌🏾
I’m late catching this train but thanks so much for sharing your beautiful cover. I might have to buy the hard cover… it’ll still go on the reader but I want to see 👀 the cover!!
Thank you also for the snippet, which of course I inhaled with my eyes…
Something food to look forward to in 2026 ☺️☺️☺️
Wow!
I really like the cover.
It reminds me of books I’ve seen on epic fantasy/adventure/sci-fi book shelves in bookstores from back in the day. Authors such as Ursala K. Le Guin, Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, Elizabeth Moon, Piers Anthony, Mary Stewart, Terry Brooks, Marion Z. Bradley and so many more… the covers were so colorful, wild and straight out of fantastical imaginings of the artist and the author. I’m dancing in my chair with glee! Can’t hardly wait for Maggie 2 and a new cover reveal.
I noticed this post didn’t get as much love/comments as your next one: “No Friday Inheritance” post, but that’s okay — we’re special!
Thank you for sharing your creative imaginings with us, your Book Devouring Horde. May we always be worthy and deserve to earn your words.
Toodles!
Hello,
Amazon only has a hardcover print version. Will a soft cover be available? I suspect yes, but I would also like to pre-order the soft cover book.
Beautiful. Bright. Intriguing.
I get the value of cross-marketing by popular authors, especially with a new genre. But, I‘m waiting for the day the blurb on the cover just says: „We‘re trying something new. – Ilona Andrews“ That is simply the most compelling recommendation!
💕
Hiw did I miss this post 😂! I haven’t been on Facebook lately, that’s how!
I so love this snippet and the cover is AMAZING!! I’m so sold on this book already, you both write it I will read it 😆!!! I can’t wait for March, 2026 now!!
Thank you for this!! But I also need Hugh book #2 please!!!
I just finished the ARC(and then immediately flipped back to page one to re-start the entire thing, which should be an indication of how much I loved it), and now that I’ve read the book I think the cover is a great representation of how fresh, spectacular, and *special* what y’all have written really is. I’ve been reading your work since Magic Bites came out when I was a teen, and now I have babies of my own, so I really feel I’ve been with y’all for the whole journey, reading everything and rooting loudly all the way; with Maggie, I believe y’all are about to launch into the stratosphere. The BDH is about to get a lot bigger.
I adored the book and I cannot wait for the whole word to read it <3
Kimberly, thank you so much! You are so kind. I’m thrilled the book worked for you. This made my week. I almost cried.