Tag: urban fantasy

ARC/ALC Book Review: This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me (Maggie the Undying #1) by Ilona Andrews

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Portal Fantasy
Length: 480 pages
Author: Ilona Andrews
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: March 31st, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A page-turning, unforgettable fantasy set in a city peopled with ruffians, spies, malcontents and murderers. Experience out-of-this world adventure and dangerous politics as Maggie tries to survive waking up in her favourite fictional world.

A heart-pounding epic from No. 1 New York Times bestselling author duo Ilona Andrews.

When Maggie wakes up cold, filthy and naked in a gutter, it doesn’t take her long to recognize Kair Toren. It’s a city she knows intimately from the pages of a famously unfinished dark fantasy series – one 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 encyclopaedic 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 return home, she finds herself enmeshed in the schemes – and attentions – of duelling princes, dukes and villains. This all while trying to save them and the kingdom of Rellas from the ending she’s seen on the a cataclysmic war.

This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me is the beginning of the most epic adventure yet from genre powerhouse writing duo Ilona Andrews. For fans of Samantha Shannon, Sarah J. Maas, Danielle L. Jensen and isekai portal fantasy.

Thank you Tor Books for the gifted ARC.

NOT WHAT I EXPECTED.

This is my VERY FIRST Ilona Andrews book (and I only just learned they are a writing duo too). And I gotta say…I think I was expecting somethign different? Something that felt sweeping and all consuming and I don’t know if this is just this is just a specific book issue or across the board concern. Someone tell me if there’s a different book I should try instead?

The romance actually felt further back in the plot line than I was hoping for. And that would have been fine if I thought the plot was standing strong enough on its own. I feel like not enough was tackled and it could have been shorter.

I realized that I also don’t love fantasy books with this particular setup. I have totally liked portal fantasy before but with the added element of Maggie ending up within her favorite book series, it didn’t work for me. I didn’t like that she knew what was going to happen all of the time (even when that started to change).

I’m somewhat curious about reading book two? I did think the audiobook narration was good. No complaints there. I don’t necessarily feel like I struggled to get through this but it was missing some key elements that would have ranked higher for me. I did like the interactions between Maggie and the love interest and wanted even more. I loved that it was a slow burn at least.

Overall audience notes:

  • Portal fantasy
  • Language: mild+
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: moderate-high
  • Content warnings: mentions of assault, child abuse, ser!al killer, torture, captivity

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Book Review: Half City (Harker Academy #1) by Kate Golden

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 496 pages
Author: Kate Golden
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: February 17th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome to Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. Keep your daggers sharp, and your wits even sharper.

Viv Abbot is an average twenty-one-year-old girl. She lives in an expensive city where the rent is too high, works long hours at a thankless job, and is dating a guy she doesn’t even like in the hopes of winning her prickly mother’s approval.

She just also happens to be a demon hunter.

Ever since her father’s murder, she’s been forced to hunt deviants alone, meaning everyone, including her family, sees her as an outsider. . . . Until the day she crosses paths with a dangerously alluring demon, Reid Graveheart. The reformed deviant tells her of a school for people just like her: Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. If she enrolls, she’ll learn to hone her craft, work with other hunters, and never be alone again.

But Viv has a deadly secret. One that not even her new friends at Harker can know about. Not when the school might hold the answers to untangling the mystery surrounding Viv’s father’s death. When strange occurrences begin to plague the students, Viv will have to figure out who she can trust, and fast. All while trying to ace her classes, not fall for a demon, and make it through her first year at Harker in one piece. How hard could that be?

THIS WAS SOLID.

I previously enjoyed Kate Golden’s romantasy trilogy so I’ve been excited to pick this one up and yet again, it’s delivered! I’ll definitely be picking up book two to see what happens next. I’m a little curious how it’ll work out based off of romantic plot points. I took off half a star because I felt the page time vs. the *love* that apparently had formed didn’t line up. I would have loved if this great slow burn had been pulled into book two.

This gave me Shadowhunter vibes. There’s vampires and werewolves and demons and hunters who try to take them down. I thought the addition of the college and dark academia setting worked well. There’s an air of mystery that is played out beautifully without heavy info dumping or insanely slow sections. The pacing made me fly through this thick book.

I really enjoyed the FMC Viv and what she brought to the story. A flawed character with a strong personality who is deeply loyal to those close to her. It just worked. She has great chemistry with Reid and the friendships were meaningful too.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban fantasy romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: 3ish open door
  • Violence: high
  • Content warnings: loss of a parent, murder, loss of life, weapons/physical violence

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Book Review: Heart of Mischief (Soul of Shadow #2) by Emma Noyes

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: NA Urban Fantasy Romance
Length: 400 pages
Author: Emma Noyes
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: March 10th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

The thrilling sequel to Soul of Shadow, a contemporary romantasy for fans of Twilight, and Teen Wolf, where love, magic, gods, and monsters collide with devastating consequences – featuring beautiful color, designed endpapers and a foil case stamp for a stunning package.

I will make myself strong.
I will find Elias.
I will kill Elias.
I will never trust a boy with my heart again.

These are the vows Charlie Hudson made the day after Elias Everhart betrayed her, nearly killing everyone she loves most. One month later, revenge is still her priority, even as she navigates a harsh new reality: one where her brother and friends can now see Asgard, making them just as susceptible to its dazzling delights – and deadly dangers – as she is.

But when two bodies turn up in the forest outside town, and Elias waltzes back into her life with an offer to help find out what’s happening, Charlie finds herself accepting his offer—but only because feigning an alliance is her best chance to figure out how to kill him. And if it feels like the more time she spends with him, the more her heart softens, it must be a trick of the unusually warm fall air. Because there’s no way she would make the grave mistake of falling for Elias Everhart twice… right?

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted audiobook.

BETTER THAN BOOK ONE.

I wasn’t sure I was going to read this one but then it came across my email and I decided I wanted to try it and here we are! I did like it more than the first (which usually doesn’t happen) and I’m invested enough to finish the trilogy. I liked the evolution of the plot and thought the general situation was overall engaging. That, or it just happened to catch me at the right time, and that’s fine too!

The romance worked for me too. There was a better slow burn dynamic to it and I liked the push and pull between them. Kind of an enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers scenario that I am here for.

There’s still some scenes I didn’t mesh with or didn’t quite work for me and that’s okay.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Urban Fantasy Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: heated make outs
  • Violence: moderate
  • Content warnings: under age drinking, near death experiences, murder

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Book Review: Savage Lands (Savage Lands #1) by Stacey Marie Brown

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Rating: ★★★
Audience: Urban/Dystopian Fantasy Romance
Length: 423 pages
Author: Stacey Marie Brown
Publisher: Blackstone
Release Date: October 20th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Almost twenty years after the barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell in the Fae Wars, Budapest is balancing on the precipice. A battle for dominance is brewing between the elite fae and the privileged humans in Eastern Europe. The prejudice between the sides is bubbling with hate and violence.

Nineteen-year-old human, Brexley, has grown up in privilege, but not without heartbreak. After being orphaned, she is taken in by General Markos, living in a walled city rife with power grabs and ruthless political games. Then one night the course of her life changes, and Brexley is thrown into the most feared prison in the east. Halalhaz, the House of Death—where you go in but don’t come out.

She must learn to live with the worst of fae and human criminals. The rule of hierarchy puts humans on the bottom, where the only way to survive each day is to make alliances with the fae.

Here she meets the sexy, vicious legend, Warwick Farkas. A myth among man and fae. He is as brutal, cruel, arrogant, and as lethal as the lore says he is, ruling the prison with unchallenged authority. Brexley can’t deny an intense draw to him, one that might cost her life.

If The Games don’t take her out first—A fight to the death where only one survives.

Thank you Bibliolifestyle and Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy.

BUT WHY.

I only picked this up because a pretty special edition came across my email and I figured, why not? Reviews are great ya know?

WELL NOW I KNOW.

Honestly, the bones of the book are good. I liked the set up and structure and character dynamics throughout. All of those pieces were solid and I could see where things were going (in a good way) but I won’t be picking up book two.

It was like this author thought the only way to make her book “sexy” or “hot” was to throw in such out of pocket innuendo comments on every single page. I cringed and rolled my eyes too many times throughout going, WHY IS THAT REMARK RIGHT HERE. It was odd and didn’t enhance the book whatsoever.

I imagine the future installments follow the same path which is why I just think it’s best to stop here.

Overall audience notes:

  • Urban/Dystopian Fantasy Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 1ish open door + insanely high innuendo
  • Violence: torture, loss of life, brutal altercations

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