Episode #48
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews | Book Review
"I fell asleep every time I opened it." That's how Madeline started her review of this month's book club pick, and Hannah wasn't about to let that slide. This week on Check This Bookout, we review ‘This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me’ by Ilona Andrews, a portal fantasy where a die-hard fan wakes up inside the unfinished, cliffhanger-ending series she's read a hundred times, and has to survive a cutthroat medieval world while trying to save her favorite characters. We break down our ratings, debate whether the slow first half almost cost this book a DNF, and dig into the writing style, the political great houses, the found-family arc, and that delicious slow-burn romance. 🤍 All CTB Links: https://linktr.ee/checkthisbookout 💌 May Book Club: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews 📖 Books Mentioned: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying) - Ilona Andrews Magic Bites (Kate Daniels series) - Ilona Andrews Bastion (The Immortal Great Souls) - Phil Tucker Kingdom of the Wicked — Kerri Maniscalco Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas The Wheel of Time — Robert Jordan Outlander — Diana Gabaldon A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones — George R.R. Martin This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me Synopsis: "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." ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 – intro 00:01:38 – rating reveal 00:05:08 – spoiler-free plot overview (outlander meets game of thrones) 00:04:50 – spoiler warning begins 00:08:14 – writing style and the info-dump debate 00:18:45 – world-building, maps, and geography confusion 00:27:12 – how dark this book actually gets 00:28:47 – plot and character breakdown 00:39:44 – reynald/ramond tension and found family 00:41:20 – the serial killer subplot 00:47:51 – the butcher and rising stakes 00:49:08 – the adoption scene (fav moment) 01:02:53 – the final climax 01:03:57 – silveren theory 01:07:42 – final ratings reconsidered 01:08:52 – romantasy or epic fantasy 01:12:33 – wrap-up #booktube #bookclub #bookreview #bookpodcast #fantasybooks
