Slow Burn, Detailed Lore & Classical Archetypes

Rating 4/5

It is a fantasy readers would love to take part in. Then immediately regret as soon as they realise they lack any of the skills required.  However, if they were blessed like Maggie The Undying they too would have the advantage in Ilona Andrews’ This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me.

An Isekai-inspired, slow burn dark fantasy, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me explores Kair Toren, a fictional city from an unfinished fantasy series where our protagonist, Maggie, finds herself, with no recollection of how or why she is there.  All she does know is she has the knowledge to save her new friends and prevent the beginning of a cataclysmic war.

Though the majority of Andrews’ work has focussed on the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres, This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the first dip into the high fantasy genre for this husband and wife team. Question is, did it sink or swim?

If you had asked me at the start I would have gone with the former.

This is because, the main character is a walking encyclopaedia, so all the introduction  in the beginning led my mind to wander. However, it did show Andrew’s dedication to detail. You do get a sense of Kair Toren’s history, its people, classes etc. And it gives you that cut throat, dagger in the back sort of vibe associated with books by George R Martin and Scott Lynch. You have to be careful who you trust in Kair Toren. Not everyone is a friend. And a perceived enemy could in fact be an ally. But luckily Maggie knows that. Or at least thinks she does. As mentioned, Maggie’s foreknowledge of events did leave me feeling unsure whether to continue. However, as I read further it did something I didn’t expect. With a well-placed twist here and there, it disrupted the cycle and yes while it may have been noticeable to some sharp minded readers it wasn’t to me. Or Maggie herself. No spoilers, but there is a moment in the book where Maggie’s assumption of someone’s identity is incorrect. It was a moment that diverted my expectations and reeled my attention back in. A round of applause to Andrews for that. From there on it was set in stone and I wanted to know more, even if it meant putting up with its very slow pacing.

What is consistent in a lot of Andrew’s works are the found family trope. The same is applied in This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me. The banter expressed between Maggie and her crew mirrors a humour and closeness I’ve missed since that final farewell to the characters in The Kate Daniels series. To some readers that might not mean anything but for me I felt a sense of nostalgia and was reminded how much I enjoyed the classical fantasy archetypes they used in previous works.  I liked how Maggie was portrayed as more shrewd, and less hands on, in a world filled with violence, where a woman’s wit are her most valuable tool.  I liked how 'Reynald' was this brooding, protective force, the polar opposite to Maggie. Together they make a good team. Even though there is a slight possibility that one may be using the other.

Safe to say This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, despite its slow pacing and reliance on exposition, has made a good start to Andrew’s newest series. It’s dark, it defies expectations and offers up an extremely detailed world occupied by nostalgic characters.