Maggie The Undying is our new series coming from Tor. It is a trilogy that features Maggie, a reader who is transported into the world of her favorite fantasy series. Sadly, they were not the cozy kind.
The first book, THIS KINGDOM WILL NOT KILL ME, is up for preorder and scheduled to be published on March 31, 2026. It was so fun to write, and we’re so excited to bring it to you.
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.
Praise
“This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me will delight longtime readers and new readers alike! A fantastic cast of characters, a world you want to spend endless hours in, and a perfect blend of humor and high stakes. You don’t want to miss this one!”—Katee Robert, New York Times bestselling author
“Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I loved every page and could not look away! This is the kind of book that will make you forget the world exists—it’s gripping and fun and fabulous!”—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop
“Fantasy, romance, danger—this book has it all. Addictive. I need the sequel stat.”—Felicia Day, New York Times bestselling author*
“An Ilona Andrews book is always a treat, and This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is their best book yet! Perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to step inside their favorite fandom—for better or worse. Filled with Andrews’s signature heart-stopping action, rich world-building, and emotional depth, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me kept me up well past my bedtime, but it was so, so worth it. “—Jessie Mihalik, author of Silver & Blood and Polaris Rising
“Another glorious entry in the Ilona Andrews legendarium. Both a send-off of, and a love letter to, your favorite fantasy tropes, by a master of the genre. Self-aware, tongue firmly in cheek, but also full of heart. The perfect balance of humor, romance, and thrills in one brilliant book.”—Brigitte Knightley, author of The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy
“All the brilliance I’ve come to expect from Ilona Andrews and more: humor, high-stakes adventure, smoldering romance, and a good sprinkle of thought-provoking questions. Perfect for anyone who has ever wanted to jump into a book and rescue your favorite characters.”—Elisabeth Wheatley, author of Tears of the Wolf
“With intricate plotting, brisk pacing, and snappy dialogue, this self-aware take on the portal fantasy is a delight. Perfect for fans of Long Live Evil. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!”—Caitlin Rozakis, New York Times bestselling author of Dreadful
“As addictive as chocolate and more exciting than a rollercoaster, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is fantasy at its best. I devoured this story and then immediately read it again. Ilona Andrews has knocked it out of the park with this one!”—Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author
“With a fun premise and wonderfully deep worldbuilding, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me gives us an ordinary heroine who takes charge and refuses to let the world dictate her fate. Great for fans of Sarah Rees Brennan’s Long Live Evil.”—Django Wexler, author of How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying
“Ilona Andrews casts the kind of spell every fantasy lover craves—an irresistible plunge into another world. I was captivated from the very first line.”—Danielle L. Jensen, New York Times bestselling author
“If you thought Ilona Andrews was at the top of her career, you haven’t read This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. Exciting, complex, with indelible characters and a heroine who cannot die: loved it.”—Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author*
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.
Cover
This stunning cover is brought to you courtesy of Andrew Davis. It is absolutely beautiful and we are delighted.
