With the recent release of This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me, Ilona Andrews has been getting some much-deserved love and attention in the bookish space. However, since a lot of their works are self-published or come from smaller publishing houses, there are a lot of people who aren’t too familiar with their epic backlist of titles to explore. And it’s an extensive backlist – even people who’ve read a couple Ilona Andrews books before are probably still missing out on some gems.
I wouldn’t proclaim myself an Ilona Andrews expert by any means, but I have read pretty much all of their main works multiple times, so I think I can at least attempt to provide a guide to finding the best Ilona Andrews book/series for you!
If you prefer shorter, more visual content, please also feel free to check out a briefer version of this post from my bookstagram account here. Otherwise, read on!
First things first, the best place to go for all things Ilona Andrews news is definitely their website! Not only do they keep it up to date with all the information about their upcoming releases and backlist titles, Ilona also writes regular blog posts and there’s even a quiz to help you find your perfect Ilona Andrews series (which I think is pretty accurate). The link above also includes summaries of all the series and Ilona Andrews’ recommendations on what to read based on what you enjoyed about This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me ,so overall it’s a great resource.
In some ways, that page makes this guide a little bit redundant, but I wanted to share my own personal opinions about the series as well, so I’m making it anyway! I also won’t be assuming you’ve necessarily read any Ilona Andrews books when making my recommendations!
First things first, let’s get a quick overview of all of Ilona Andrews’ books. The key thing to note is that they don’t really do standalones – all of their books are series of varying lengths (or will be eventually).
- Kate Daniels (2007-2018)
- The Edge (2009-2012)
- Innkeeper Chronicles (2013-present)
- Hidden Legacy (2014-2022)
- The Breach Wars (2025-present)
- Maggie the Undying (2026-present)
They technically have a couple of other works from very early in their career, but these are largely novellas or discontinued series, so I think focusing on the six series above is probably enough (and also represents the extent of what I have myself read).
I’m going to work through each series in chronological order, and then I’ll give some overall recommendations at the end. Feel free to use the links above to skip around if you’re only interested in specific series.
Kate Daniels
The Kate Daniels series is by far the longest Ilona Andrews series, and also contains multiple spin off series and standalone.
The main plot of the series follows Kate Daniels and consists of 10 books. There are also a couple of novels and novellas that can be read as extras within that storyline, as well as two (so far) novels from Kate’s perspective as part of a spin-off sequel series. In terms of “how many books do I need to read to get the full story”, though, the answer is : 10. Having read all ten of these myself, I need to start working slowly through some of the spin offs and other POV novel/las. The main series is complete, but there are more spin-offs coming.
Also: despite this being a long fantasy series, each individual book isn’t actually all that long! The first couple are around the 270 page mark, and the later books are around 300-350 pages. So not nearly as intimidating as it first appears!
Note: IA recommends skipping books one and two… I do not. However, they say this because books one and two were (in their words: “meh, because this [was] our first one and [they] didn’t know what they were doing”). They’re not that bad – still fun – but the series does definitely get better from book three. But I think you miss out on too much if you skip to book three, so I would try starting with book one (I personally still enjoyed it).
(Side note: this is the series that I (and a lot of other people) most hope we get re-releases of with better covers – the covers of the last five books are okay, but I’d like matching covers and preferably in trade paperback size rather than mass market paperback like they were originally released as…. However, this is not one of the self-published series so IA has no control over if/when that might happen.)
The Kate Daniels series is an urban fantasy series set in a world where magic and technology vie for power. At the point when our story is set, technology has become so powerful and now magic is fighting to take back control, flooding through the world in waves, frying technology and bringing mythical monsters and calamities in its wake. The first few books in the series focus largely on Kate’s job as someone you can hire to clean up magical hazmat (i.e. if you suddenly find a massive monster from mythology in your garden threatening to eat your family, call Kate and she’ll deal with it). As the series goes on, a wider political story begins to unfold as the secrets of Kate’s background are revealed.
The story is about 70-80% fantasy with a romantic subplot, a great cast of characters that become a loose, unlikely found family and slow burn. It takes multiple books for the characters to get together, but we also get to see multiple books of them working together and growing as a couple – and that’s one of my favourite things about Ilona Andrews’ books generally: you actually get to so people go through stuff together with their romantic interest, and the story doesn’t just end when they get together (or shortly after). There are a couple of spicy scenes (which are generally well-written and plot-relevant) but this is one of the least romance-heavy Ilona Andrews series. (The romance is delicious, though.)
Read this if you…
- love unique world-building
- love a badass FMC (I’ve heard Ilona Andrews’ books described as ‘competence porn’, and although all the characters are flawed, they’re also very good at what they do – so this is a selling point for pretty much any of their books!)
- love some good banter
- like a longer (and complete!) series
- enjoy mythology, folklore and/or murder mysteries
The Edge
The Edge series is one of Ilona Andrews’ shorter and simpler series. Its official status is “finished for now” – the main story is definitely complete – but it’s part of a multiverse and some of the side characters do pop up in other series (specifically the Innkeeper series!) You don’t need to read this series before reading the Innkeeper series, though – they’re just fun easter eggs!
This is a couple-per-book style series, however I highly recommend reading them in order as there is a (loose) overarching plot. A lot of people like book two the most, I personally enjoy book one the most. Overall, I think it’s my least favourite Ilona Andrews series but it’s still fun and it’s definitely less commitment than Kate Daniels!
The books are set in a world where our magic-less world and another magical word, are connected in the middle by the Edge where there is some magic, and this is where a lot of our main characters come from (at least in the beginning). These books are heavily focused on the romance (maybe 60-70%) and the rest of the plot tends towards political machinations and rather gruesome battles.
Read this if you…
- have read a lot of Ilona Andrews and haven’t given this a go yet – especially if you want to find out about the easter eggs in the Innkeeper Chronicles!
- enjoy couple-per-book series
The Innkeeper Chronicles
The Innkeeper Chronicles is the oldest ongoing series (as in, the main storyline is still incomplete) by Ilona Andrews. The books usually start out as a free serial on their blog before being edited and self-published (I always read the final version).
The series consists of five novels (four of which are from the main character Dina’s perspective, but all of which are necessary to the plot) and one novella. There are also a couple of extras on the Ilona Andrews website. We don’t yet know when the next book will be out, but it will be. The series is not abandoned – and they would be silly to abandon it, since it’s their most popular series (according to their own website). It’s also my personal favourite.
The Innkeeper Chronicles follows Dina, an Innkeeper whose job it is to run an inn for intergalactic visitors on Earth (and keep their presence a secret from the humans living in her quiet town). The guests aren’t always so cooperative, but Dina is determined to keep her inn running – hoping that one day, one of the guests will recognise the photo of her parents and give her a clue as to where they might have disappeared to.
This is one of the least romance-heavy books (I would say potentially even less than Kate Daniels), although there is still a romantic subplot, especially in the first few books. What’s better, is that once our romance is established, the characters display an excellent example of working together and supporting each other (crazy, I know). This series also has the absolute best, most eclectic cast of side characters from all corners of the universe.
Read this book if you enjoy…
- books that straddle the line between sci-fi and fantasy
- learning about lots of different sapient species and planets – but with a side of wonder rather than lots of hard science
- cosy books (setting-wise) with high stakes plots
- found family dynamics
- a slight slow burn followed by mutual support and cooperation
Also read this series if you have read or intend on reading either The Edge series or The Breach War series – these three series (at least) are part of a confirmed multiverse/shared universe situation (not needed to understand the plot, just to pick up on the fun easter eggs)!
Hidden Legacy
Hidden Legacy is one of Ilona Andrews’ finished series. It consists of two trilogies, and the first trilogy can be read alone, as the second trilogy follows a different couple and the story is satisfactorily wrapped up. If you want to read the second trilogy, however, you must first read the first trilogy. There are also a couple of optional spin-off novellas.
Set in a world where a serum has resulted in hereditary magical powers, this book features a family-run private investigation agency that gets caught up in the political manoeuvrings of the magical families that run society. But they might be hiding some pretty powerful members of their own.
Apart from The Edge, this is the most romance-heavy of the Ilona Andrews’ series, although the political intrigue and investigation aspects also recall some of the fun and danger of the Kate Daniels series.
Read this series if you want…
- slightly more romance
- a shorter, complete series (especially since the first three form a complete story!)
- great family dynamics
- a dangerous, slightly cold love interest (but we still love him)
- lots of magical powers and (again) competent characters
- magical politics
The Breach Wars
The Inheritance is the first book in what is set to be a duology. It was first released as a serial on Ilona Andrews’ blog (like The Innkeeper Chronicles) and then later re-edited and self-published (all in 2025).
It’s much more sci-fi than the other books, with our characters entering ‘breaches’ to fight monsters, prevent them from overtaking Earth and extract valuable resources at the same time. Until our main character (and the dog) get stuck in the Breach. There are also some fun Innkeeper easter eggs.
There isn’t any romance in this first book, although I am getting a feeling about a potential relationship in book 2 (which I will be very excited about if it happens). For most of the book Ada (our main character), is alone with the dog and various monsters, although we do get a couple of other POV chapters as well.
Read this book if you like…
- animal companions
- little-to-no romance
- older protagonist (divorced with kids woman in her forties) who still kicks ass
- sci-fi
Maggie the Undying
This is their most recent release, and perhaps the one you’ve most likely heard about already since it got a decent amount of (well-deserved) hype around its release. The first book came out at the very end of March/early April (depending on where you are in the world) and it is set to be a trilogy. It’s also being published by Tor – which means we get pretty hardcover editions and you can easily pick it up in your local bookshop.
This book reads much more epic fantasy than the other Ilona Andrews books, although it’s technically portal fantasy/isekai as our main character wakes up inside the pages of one of her favourite (unfinished) fantasy series. She soon realises this is much more than just a story, however, and starts working to protect those she cares about from the cataclysmic war approaching.
I would say the romance/fantasy ratio of this one is similar to Kate Daniels or the Innkeeper Chronicles – there’s a great romantic subplot, but there’s a very large fantasy plot complete with magical powers, political schemes and general treachery. The story comes with a wonderful cast of characters, an interesting world, an adorable animal companion and excellent sounding food. If you’re interested, check out my review here.
Read this book if you like…
- epic/high fantasy OR isekai/portal fantasy that takes place in another world
- large casts of characters (most of whom you’ll love or love to hate)
- fantasy politics, war, schemes
- competent characters that can (sometimes) outsmart everyone but remain flawed
If you’ve got this far, you might have already found the right Ilona Andrews book for you, but regardless of which one you pick, I can promise you will find:
- interesting and unique fantasy/sci-fi worldbuilding
- competence porn (aka characters that are good at what they do)
- complex characters that undergo character development
- no casual sexism and internalised misogyny (even in the older books!)
- (pretty much) no annoying miscommunication and love triangle-reliant plots
- romantic subplots that don’t end with the couple getting together, but allow you to enjoy them actually being together as well
Here is a quick overview to help you decide where to start:
- If you want to start with a shorter, romance-focused series: read the Hidden Legacy series (especially the first trilogy). The first Hidden Legacy trilogy is by far the best of Ilona Andrews’ more romance-focused stories, and if you like it, you can always read the second trilogy too.
- If you want a complete series with a heavier plot focus and romantic subplot: read the Kate Daniels series, but remember to cut it some slack until book 3 (which is only about 500 pages of reading across books 1 and 2).
- If you want an ongoing series with quite a few instalments already out, the best cosy vibes + high stakes combo and a bit of sci-fi: the Innkeeper Chronicles. This is a fan favourite for a reason.
- If you don’t mind waiting for a sequel, then try either of their most recent series!
If sci-fi is more your thing, go with Breach Wars.
If you’re more into epic fantasy or want to know what all the hype is about, go with Maggie The Undying. We might get a sequel sooner for this one too, since it’s a traditional publishing contract.
Important Links:
- Book List including all series with reading orders, including novels, novellas, short stories and freebies with links!
- The quiz Ilona Andrews put together in case you’re still not sure where to start.
- The Ilona Andrews shop, where you can buy ebooks directly from the author (you can buy physical books from online bookshops, including Bookshop.org)
Now all that’s left is to welcome you to the Book Devouring Horde (yes, Ilona Andrews has a fan name, and the fandom is great fun – I highly recommend reading their blog comments).
Have you read any Ilona Andrews books before? Which are your favourites, and what would you like to read next? If not, where are you going to start your Ilona Andrews journey? Let me know down below!
Keira x.
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