In This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, husband-and-wife author duo Ilona Andrews (Sapphire Flames) launch a fantasy series packed with danger, political machinations, and emotional heft. Maggie is living a normal life in Austin, Tex., making ends meet through her job and grocery-delivering side gig. Or she was, until she woke up naked in Kair Toren, a city that only exists within her favorite fantasy book series. She assumes that she's experiencing a subgenre known as portal fantasy, in which a person is magically transported and transformed into the hero of a fantasy world. But Kair Toren isn't the kind of fantasy city anyone would want to visit, and Maggie doesn't appear to be inhabiting the life of an important character.
Maggie begins to follow the book's original storyline and plans to steal from a minor villain to get off the street. Her plans go awry and she falls to her death in the river, only to find herself alive again. Things speed up from there, as she becomes a purveyor of information, desperate to prevent the war she knows is coming and the deaths of many fictional characters who are suddenly, undeniably real. Andrews's world-building is effortless, texturing the ruthless realm through Maggie's recollection of characters and setting even as she experiences events and nuances that weren't included in her books. With a propulsive plot, vivid characters, and perfectly paced reveals, this thrilling and satisfying first installment will leave readers desperate for more. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer