The Inheritance

Breach Wars #1

by Ilona Andrews

We are at war. The interdimensional invasion brought us unimaginable suffering, but it also awoke talents slumbering deep within us, a means to repel and destroy our enemy. Every day new gates open, leading to breaches filled with monsters and valuable resources. If you are a Talent, your country needs you. The world needs you. Be the hero you were born to be.

Adaline is a Talent. Ten years ago, she had a happy marriage and a job she loved. The invasion shattered both. Now she works for the government, searching the breaches for magic metals and medicine to help Earth repel an interdimensional enemy. Two kids, one cat, bills, benefits, mortgage and school tuition...Risking her life became routine.

She had gone into the dimensional gates hundreds of times. She was always well protected. This time everything goes wrong. Now Ada is trapped in the labyrinth of alien caves unlike any other. Her only companion is a scared German Shepherd named Bear. Together they must uncover the breach's secrets and escape, because Ada promised her children that she will come home.

The future of humanity depends on it.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic, Paranormal, Aliens, Adventure

278 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2025

About the author

Ilona Andrews is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona is a native-born Russian and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army. Contrary to popular belief, Gordon was never an intelligence officer with a license to kill, and Ilona was never the mysterious Russian spy who seduced him. They met in college, in English Composition 101, where Ilona got a better grade. (Gordon is still sore about that.)

Gordon and Ilona currently reside in Oregon with their two children, three dogs and a cat. They have co-authored two series, the bestselling urban fantasy of Kate Daniels and romantic urban fantasy of The Edge.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been going through a book slump for the last six months. My work schedule is crazy, I'm dead on my feet, and fall asleep the second I pick up a book. And yet I stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish this one. Wheeeee!



Ada! Bear! Jovo! Elias! That world! That link to the Innkeeper series! Ancient 40+ years old MCs! Those exotic pets creatures! That punch! (The bastard SO had it coming!) That cast of characters! That slightly oversized kitty! That ending! That everything! I want more!



P.S. This is SO much better than the serial version! (In case you were wondering and stuff.)
P.P.S. If we don't get the second installment by the end of the month, I'm unleashing the crustaceans on IA. But hey, no pressure and stuff.



To be published August 11, 2025! It should be available for download on IA's brand new online store on release day! Take that, Amazon!

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to shout it from the rooftops: Ilona Andrews has done it again.

Every time I think Ilona Andrews can't possibly world-build up to their previous standards, they surprise me and blow my socks off. Considered my socks blown.

The Inheritance was the kind of book that got better and better as it went on. It was such an adventure. This book definitely takes place in the same general ecosystem as Clean Sweep, as you might pick up on from little tidbits of the characters the MCs meet along the way, but the story feels wholly its own.

Ilona Andrews always manages to take a female MC and make her such a bad ass without it feeling done. As a middle-aged mom, I appreciated the middle-aged mom as the main character, and I admired her strength, resilience, and perseverance.

I'm obsessed with the enemies and allies that Ada made along the way in her journey. I was so enthralled reading that I devoured it in one sitting. It was that good.

Ilona Andrews, take my money. All of my money. I'm ready to pre-order the next bagillion in the series.

goodreads|instagram

[Corina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot wait to dive into this gem!! I have been so patient, I honestly deserve a medal for waiting months. Temptation was real—always lurking—but I never once succumbed to the serial. Nope, I knew I wanted to read it all in one glorious swoop, soaking in every bit without the torture of waiting for the next instalment.

So this week, it’s finally happening. Tuesday is the day I cherish this book… until I'm halfway through and wishing it would never end. :D

Just finished and… WOW!!!

I’m completely obsessed with Ada & Bear—and I can already see a re-read in my future. Honestly, the only thing keeping me sane right now is knowing there’s a second book on the way

[Anna [Bran. San. Stan] · Rating 4 out of 5]

The IA duo have again delivered something marvelous, something immersive and intensely captivating. The worldbuilding is wonderfully creative and imaginative – just as we are used to by everything IA have given us. Orginally released as a serial on their blog/newsletter, I still opted to wait to read the short novel in its entirety. And it was worth the wait.

Much time is spent accompanying our protagonist and narrator Adaline Moore in the so-called breach – a miniature dimension filled with extremely dangerous creatures (and profitable resources) that bridges the alternate Earth and a largely unknown hostile world. In this breach, accessed through randomly appearing gates that can ultimately be collapsed by destroying a so-called anchor in the dimension, Adaline, orginally part of a mining crew, needs to survive. She has the Talent of being an Assessor, locating profitable resources that are needed in the fight against the alien creatures; creatures that will be released to Earth under certain conditions and without intervention, murdering everyone they come across. As for Talents, those have appeared in some of the human population after the first gates ruptured and spewed forth creatures; they are manifold and can be combat or non-combat classes (like an Assessor), for example. Traveling in the breach with Adaline and Bear, a German shepherd, we get to see a strange, colorful habitat with strange colorfol creatures, showcasing the Andrews‘ unparalleled imagination of anything alien.

But worldbuilding is not the only thing IA do exceptionally well; their characters are always well developed and manage to draw me in completely. Our protagonist and narrator Adaline, badass single mom of two, is yet another great character. I really enjoyed seeing a MC in her forties, which made her especially relatable to me.

We also follow Elias McFeron and Leo Martinez, who are called in to figure out what went wrong in the latest snafu involving Adaline, her mining team with escorts, and the assault team. I was extremely satisfied that the two men didn’t blindly believe the tale of one of the few survivors of the former crew. I just hate it when misrepresentation leads to misconceptions. In case you were wondering why I’m being so cryptic: I‘m deliberately keeping most of this vague so I‘m not revealing too much. That’s also why I‘m stopping here; I hope I whetted your appetite enough! Also, if you’re not yet an IA fan, this novel can be read as a standalone. (There is a link to the Innkeeper Chronicles though.)

All in all, I can‘t wait to read the sequel! The ending promised so much more.

If you’re interested in what LitRPG is and how this novel differs from it, this link is for you: https://ilona-andrews.com/blog/lit-rp...

[Katyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, today I am a sleep-deprived mess because I stayed up until 3am finishing this book. I tried to make myself quit around midnight, but it was a complete fail. Anyway!

This is one of my favorite authors (or I guess I should say two of my favorite authors), so it isn't a huge surprise that I loved it. I held off on reading the serial version they released of this story on their website because I'm just horribly impatient once I start a thing and know the characters. After their first Innkeeper serial, which I both loved and died a bit inside weekly at having to pause after just one chapter each week, I decided to just hold off for the whole thing to land and get published. (Though my sleep schedule would probably be happier if I read the serial version, ha!)

I really loved it. It is a fun mash-up of UF and sci-fi, with a some flavors of dystopia (not entirely - society didn't collapse, but the whole world was changed by these gates) and even some of the dungeon crawl RPG tone at times.

The basic set-up is that one day these holes/gates popped up all over the globe. They were kind of freaky but didn't seem to do much - you could see inside them and they were a gate to a different landscape, something alien. The world panicked at first, but then a month went by and nothing happened...so everyone just went about life as usual, slightly annoyed at the new traffic hazard but otherwise unimpacted. Until about 8 weeks after the gates appeared, when suddenly monsters started spewing out of them. Basically, the gates are the launch of an invasion. The attackers have created these kinds of pocket spaces, and filled them with monsters. There's an anchor inside that seems to gather energy for however long it takes (depending on the size of the pocket space, or something like that), and then opens the Earth-side gate so all the monsters can pour out. The monsters seem to be the first wave of invasion, softening up the planet before the aliens arrive to conquer. At the start of the book, this has been going on for 10 years, with humanity fighting to stop the incursions. They're stopped by sending a team into the gate and destroying the anchor before it can finish charging, so the monsters never get released onto Earth. Though the team has to fight through said monsters to get to the anchor, so it isn't exactly a walk in an alien park.

Two other things have kept humanity from outright losing this war.

1 - After those first gates popped open, some humans spontaneously developed superpowers. The world now calls those people Talents. Talents are widely varied - some people have combat talents, some have healing talents, some have cool utility talents like the ability to dowse for useful ores, etc. Which leads us to ...

2 - We realized these pocket spaces are filled with useful things that can really up our game, stuff like rare metals, plants that have advanced our healing, etc.

So now the mission each time a gate appears is two-fold. Mission 1 is sending a combat team in to shatter the anchor, and mission 2 is sending a foraging team in to grab up whatever good things are in the pocket space before it folds.

Our FMC Ada is an Assessor Talent - she can look around a space and spot the usefulness of everything in it (like, she sees them glow in colors - yellow is dangerous, red is useful), and additionally she can look at a thing and immediately know its use (like, this plant will make a super advanced medicine, this ore is unbreakable). She's part of the foraging mission, obviously.

Anyway, things go to shit in the current gate dive, and the book is Ada and her dog (Bear) trying to survive in this alien cave system and find the way out, even as the whole experience is changing them on a fundamental level.

At first I thought Ada had a kind of lame superpower, but let me tell you, in a survival situation, that's the best power to have. She could instantly know that this is safe to eat, this plant has pollen that will kill us if we breathe it, etc. Of course, she'd still die without some combat ability, but as I said, their time in this gate - their exposure to things - evolves both Ada and Bear pretty dramatically.

I really loved the book, and I'm so thrilled that the authors have said there will definitely be a sequel - there's so much left to do and explore in this world, it feels like we've barely gotten started! Also, Ada barely gets to meet the person I assume is the MMC (Elias), so there's that to look forward to. And I can't wait to see how Ada keeps all the ways she has changed secret. It would also be a shame for her to go back to a simple government Assessor job - I want to see her be the badass she has become!

However, this book has a satisfying ending, so even though it will likely be a long wait to book 2, we're not left dangling.

[Elena Linville-Abdo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: 5 out of 5

I am not ashamed to say that the writing duo behind Ilona Andrews books is my favorite contemporary writers. Seriously, I don't think there is a book by them that I read (and I read almost all of them) that I didn't love. This one is no exception.

The Inheritance takes place in the same universe as Innkeeper and the Edge series, though on a parallel Earth that is, it seems, loosely attached to Dina's world (at least to Baha-Char).

And it stars an absolutely badass female protagonist. Ada isn't a fighter. In fact, as Ellias would say, she is the definition of a non-combatant. Her talent is to come into a breach once the fighting has been done, determine what rare minerals or biologicals are there, and tell the mining crew where to dig (or what to pick up). But boy does she get an upgrade in this particular breach... 

I won't touch any more on that, because that would spoil the story, but let's just say she is a different person when she comes out, all the while staying true to what has always driven all her actions - keep her children safe and ensure that they inherit a better world than the one she has to live in.

And all through this story, Ada is absolutely human and relatable. I understood her reactions and her motivations, and I admired her determination to push ahead to matter what, even though she had to make some hard choices. The presence of Bear, the ever-awesome German Shepherd turned killing machine also helped.

Ellias is just as interesting a character, though we got less of him in this book, which was understandable. This is Ada's story. Ellias mostly had to sit on his butt and fume about the delay of getting back into the breach (and destroy a desk or two in his impatience). I can't wait to see how their relationship evolves in book two. Once they overcome their suspicions, they could be unstoppable. 

It was also so satisfying to see London get a good portion of karma by the end. I reread that passage several times just for the pleasure of seeing him fly 20 feet backwards.

All in all, the House Andrews delivers yet another fantastic book in an original and interesting world... And now we have to wait a couple years before we get the sequel.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this writing duo so it was no surprise that I devoured this book. I somehow had checked out and had missed this one so it was a more than pleasant surprise for my August. The main character was really interesting and I was relieved to read that this will be at least the first of two books. I really loved the dog and aliens characters as well. The world building was good and I would like to see more in this world. Ada works with a guild to enter the gates and mine them for important resources. She has a helpful talent and is doing her part. When everything goes wrong on one expedition she is left behind and has to fight and explore her way home with only a dog as an ally.

[Em Lost In Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Allison E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like the most positive 3 star review ever I swear. It’s like a rly good 3.5 maybe. It’s just that this book is 90% badass mom goes alien monster smashing with a giant german shepherd animal companion. That’s really it. It is also, exactly what I was looking for.

I wanted a pedal to the metal Ilona Andrews palette cleanser after my last book (the jasad crown) ruined my life. A world where Earth experiences random alien portals that open up and spew monsters if not infiltrated and closed promptly? Perfect.

The short length of this story (almost novella?) was ideal and the non stop action well paced… but my favorite part of Ilona Andrews has always been 50% the nonstop monster mayhem and 50% the fun characters and delightful dynamics between them. We only got half of that formula here. You’re in 2 POVs the entire story (that you know are for sure going to meet eventually) (when they do meet eventually at the very last 10% I was satttt). But the main POV (badass mom) really only talks to her dog throughout her journey (Bear is a very good boy). So just not much to sink my teeth into as fun as all the alien vanquishing and level upping was.

This also kinda had litrpg vibes? I don’t think it actually is but I was getting Dungeon Crawler Carl flashbacks.

Anyway I think this series is going to be super fun. I see the vision and will definitely read more when it comes out.

[Chantaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I did indeed finish this in one day. Their writing just WORKS for my brain.

(Also was that an easter egg link to Innkeeper Chronicles???)

There's a good content warning page in the book itself, but for those who need it here and now: the dog lives.

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars ⭐️

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Halloween Bingo 2025

Ilona Andrews is one of my favourite authors, so when my bookshop emailed to say that this book was waiting for me, I abandoned my adult responsibilities and headed out to claim it. The Andrews started this story on their blog as a serial, doling the words out each Friday. I read it regularly and enjoyed it a lot. But, being smart business people, they didn't provide the ending. For that, purchasing the title was necessary.

Although I had read the available blog chapters (several times, actually), I started over from the beginning. It was lovely torture, but a good refresher. There are two sides to the story: Ada, the Assessor, who is trapped in a breach, a portal to a place with strange, dangerous creatures, poisonous plants, and very valuable resources. Her team is dead, as their protectors abandoned them. Outside the breach, we follow Elias, the head of the company responsible for collecting the resources and protecting the recovery team. He suspects that the snafu is caused by one of his staff—he must find a way to prove it and to recover the bodies of his team.

Ada’s situation is serious, but she has received an unusual gift from a dying woman of an unknown species encountered during the event that caused the disaster. Now she has only the team’s German Shepherd for company. Ada must rely on her Assessor talent, her dog, and her determination to get back to her children to get her back to Earth.

As usual, Ilona and Gordon have polished their prose for the final version. Finding the new bits is always fun. And then that ending! It's not a cliffhanger exactly, but it definitely leaves unanswered questions. The authors have indicated that this is a duology, so eventually I expect to learn where things will go from here. I know, however, that they have a lot of irons in the fire, so I will not hold my breath for the second half of the story. Since I want their other books too, this is win-win waiting as far as I'm concerned.

I read this book for the Urban Decay square of my Halloween Bingo card.

[♥Rachel♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten years ago, interdimensional gates opened up all over the world and monsters spilled out. The Earth paid a heavy price, but when those gates opened some humans started registering magical gifts called “Talents”. Now these Talents go into the gates into the “Breach” to mine out special resources to help in the fight against these alien forces.

Ada Moore is a Talent working for the government as an Assessor, going down into the gates to look for valuable resources before they shut the gate down. As a single mother of two, she needs the health insurance and other benefits, so she braves the danger and so far, it’s paid off. However, her mission with combat team Cold Chaos, something goes horribly wrong, and she’s stuck with only the team’s German Shepherd, Bear. Ada’s determined to get out and back to her kids, though. Her time in the breach is filled with danger, discovery and change! I loved Bear, her sweet and fierce companion!

Right away I was rooting for Ada! She’s a relatable, normal mom, trying to get by and do the best for her two kids, but she’s also resourceful and smart! Her Talent is a special, complex one! I won’t say more.

Back up top, the leader of Cold Chaos, Elias McFeron, a powerful combat Talent, is trying to find out what happened after the news of the mission gets back to him. Going back down to retrieve the fallen is his priority.

I was so excited to pick up The Inheritance, but I waited until I had a chunk of uninterrupted time because I knew I’d want to read it straight through once starting! Ilona Andrews never fails to deliver an exciting, page-turning adventure with complex, relatable characters! While this storyline does wrap up, there’s so much more to come and I’m eager for the next book!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you change if life as we know it no longer exists? A portal has opened up in Chicago, and monsters pour forth. Our heroine’s life changes in a blink, and she becomes one of the brave souls who help humanity by braving the breaches to mine them for valuables and close them before too much damage is done. I won’t give away too much, but our heroine’s journey is filled with monsters, wonders, and her faithful dog.

This was such a fantastic read. I’m biased because Ilona Andrews fed it to their adoring fans bit by bit on their blog, but it really shines as a whole, fascinating story. Do yourself a favor and read it now!

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Andrews could write the yellow pages and I would love reading them. They’re absolute urban fantasy legends in my book (heh, heh)! This specific story is just as creative, fun, nuanced and wonderful as ever. There is a lot of set up, world-building, character introducing and plot understanding throughout, which is SO lovely. IF (I can’t capitalize that enough) this story continues and builds upon everything we learn and discover in this book. And, it leaves so many thing open to future possibilities that It would be such a waste if it doesn’t evolve into a series. (Hint, hint)

[book bruin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy 5 stars! I don’t know how IA does it, but they’ve created another incredibly intricate and fascinating world and magic system. I started this and couldn’t put it down. I fell for Ada and Bear immediately and then Elias and Leo were the icing on the cake! I definitely get potential Kate and Curran vibes from Ada and Elias, but readers should know that there is no romance in this book (unless you count the romance between Bear and Ada lol) Kudos also to IA for having two MC’s who are in their 40’s!

The story is action packed and the included illustrations were such a fun bonus. (Note: I wanted to see them in color (and be able to zoom in), so I viewed them in the kindle app instead of my paperwhite.) There’s a lot to unpack in this book and I will admit that some of the details confused me, but I know all the threads will come together beautifully the end. The book ends with the main conflict of the novel resolved (yay for no terrible cliffy!), but the larger plot and some loose ends are left for future books. I really, really hope we don’t have to wait too long for book 2 because I can’t wait for more!

[Ani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new adventure from an established author.

I have been a long-time fan of this author and love most of their work.
At first, I was a bit hesitant about this book since the premise was so different from what I normally read. I shouldn't have doubted. Yes, it is different from Ilona Andrews' other series, but this story is fantastic and still contains much of what makes them such an amazing author. The characters all feel so real, and the story is very engaging.

I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in this series.

[Diana (DomesticGoddess) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the free online serial. Can’t wait to read the edited version and the ending!

For millennia, humans were terrified of being eaten. It was the most primal of our fears. It drove our progress and our relentless pursuit of technology. We conquered the planet to keep our children safe from the predators that roamed in the night. We thought we put this anachronistic horror behind us. And then the gates appeared, and the ancient fear came roaring back. Once again, we were scared that monsters would attack and devour our children, and all our weapons and our progress would do nothing to stop it.

Sooo good (as always)!

“Promises must be kept, Bear. Especially to children. I promised Tia I wouldn’t die in this hellhole and I meant it. We are going to survive. We will get out of here if I have to crawl on my hands and knees all the way to that damn gate.”

I was sure it wasn’t normal, but nothing had been since I walked into this breach. Normal had packed its bags and left the building.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not calling this a romance because although I think there's an excellent romance in the offing, they don't meet until the end of the book. Great survival story and loved the crossover potential with Innkeeper. Still wish they'd written something else instead of this.

[Enid Kelley-Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ilona Andrews continues to amaze!

The Inheritance, like all of Ilona Andrews' books, immediately draws you in and doesn't let go. I love how characters and places from other novels weave their way through the narrative while making sure the main plot stays its own story. 10/10 would recommend to anyone who loves fantasy, suspense and a "take no prisoners" main character.
Once again, House Andrews delivers.

[hea booktubes · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD!!!! I love them your honor. I’m so glad we got to see Elias even though the characters barely met. We love a doggy character and Bear was everything. Love that our MC is an older, divorced, mom. And a badass. I can not wait for book two.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 It's an Ilona Andrews book. What's not to like?

Love, though, just a thread. I am not a video game player, so this book didn't really work for me. I enjoyed reading it but - as I said-I didn't love it. There's potential, that's the best I can say.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes when your favorite authors branch out and stretch out their creative juices you get something unexpectedly wonderful. Ada lives in/on an Earth dimension that is being slowly invaded. Ten years ago portals known as breaches started opening on earth, little pocket dimensions that if you did nothing build up energy until they burst spewing monsters out. Human's being humans decided why wait until it builds and bursts? They decided to go in and kill everything and mine the portal for material in it and get out before it collapses. Ada is supposed to be protected at all costs. She has a rare talent to assess the worth of the portal making them extremely profitable. But now everything has gone wrong and she is trapped in a portal with only a canine companion trying to survive before a new team shows up.

After the first gates burst, some people gained strange abilities that couldn’t be explained by science. To be fair, science tried its hardest, but if it walked like magic and talked like magic, most people decided it was magic.

This was a departure for my favorite writing duo. They thought they'd be writing a small novella serial style, a one and done single player leveling adventure. Hahahah...I don't think they really know how to do that. The Inheritance has turned into a two book series much like the other books they started as serials have.

“Promises must be kept, Bear. Especially to children. I promised Tia I wouldn’t die in this hellhole and I meant it. We are going to survive. We will get out of here if I have to crawl on my hands and knees all the way to that damn gate.”

Ada is great! She is a mother of two who promised she would get back to her kids and she has decided to do whatever it takes to make that happen. I was happy to see a MC heroine in her forties work her way through issues and have grown up problems and reasons for putting in the effort. Her transformation on page from the non-combatant to a bad ass was great especially seeing at the end how much she has changed. The flip backs to her past to a time with her husband made my heart just hurt for her and her children.

I liked that in the final novella version of the book IA was able to flesh out the story just a little more, add a few more Elias scenes and a few of her children as well. It made the story better as a whole. If you read the online serial then you know they didn't give away the ending so this was my first time reading the last few chapters and I LOVED the resolution of the conflict with Ada and London along with what Elias found in the portal, I think that will be a lot of fun to play with.

Overall I had a great time with this almost LiTRPG novella and seeing what cool things my favorite dynamic writing duo could come up with. I 'm excited for audio to experience it all again.

[Spinneretta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

When the breach gates appeared, it wasn’t long afterwards that the Earth was battling monsters coming from the breaches, and teams were being sent into them to prevent incursions.
Adaline Moore is a member of one of them; a breach assessor and government worker who seeks out the various objects of value in the breaches. When an incident leaves her in the breach alone with only a dog for company, she is driven to survive so she can get back home to her children.
Her survival isn’t guaranteed, but then, Ada isn’t exactly normal since she gained a special inheritance…

I read the blog as the authors did their initial serialized telling of this tale, before polishing and finishing it to publish, and I was immediately hooked.
With clear Easter Eggs (and a few less clear ones) for the “Book Devouring Horde” (aka BDH- the authors’ fans), this was bound to be a popular story, but it developed into a richly realised story, set in a fascinating future world on the brink of destruction.

Ada is a woman in her mid-forties, a survivour by nature, and a mother of two. She’s strong, determined, and very smart. I loved seeing her grow in strength and character, as she does whatever it takes to survive.
I also enjoyed Elias, the guild master of Cold Chaos, who was determined to find out the truth about what happened in the breach, and though he didn’t have all his answers by the end of the book, I loved his cool composure, quiet determination, and the savvy tactician in him.

I know the authors never intended this book to be as long, deep, or as desirous of a sequel as it is, and even as Gordon and Jeannine laughed (see intro) at Ilona’s “short novella” belief, I am fairly certain there were BDH members who laughed with them, and a few that squealed in anticipation too. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this new series, and yes, I am definitely looking forward to hearing more about this world, and about Ada and Elias’s adventures. I loved the small glimpses of a world familiar to fans of the Innkeeper series, and am eager to hear more about how this all goes together!

If you’re a fan of the authors, and a card carrying member of the BDH, then you will love this series and be guilty of crying out for “more please!”. But, you don’t need to be familiar with them to enjoy this tale, nor do you need to have read their other books (though you may want to afterwards).
A very enjoyable story, and a quick read, this will appeal to both portal fantasy lovers and lit rpg fans, in addition to urban fantasy fans.

[SheLove2Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a card carrying member of the BDH (Book Devouring Horde, aka Ilona Andrews fan base), I read the serialized version until they halted to write the ending. Andrews had said in a blog post that this was NOT their normal, but more of a LitRPG. Don't let that stop you from reading this. They absolutely knocked this out of, not only the ballpark, but the whole damned planet!

The serial was awesome but they have added in extra scenes along the way, so if you think you know what happened, you don't. Not really. And that ending.....oh that ending! I was alternately giddy and crying because it was so good. The debrief scene with Elias and Leo vs Ada and Bear is a thing of beauty. That scene alone made the entire book.

Who's the best dog in the whole wide world? Bear, of course. 5 stars

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one and I mean literally no one does it better than House Andrews!

The world building, the characters, the action and Bear made this book awesome.

I wanted more after Ada came back from the Breach. More interaction with Elias. Plain and simple I need the next book now.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solo Levelling adapted into the Andrews’ style?

[Sheia · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆3.84☆

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Setting: Chicago and Inter-dimensional spaces/breaches

✅️ Portal/ Gates
✅️ Inter-dimensional Spaces
✅️ Alien creatures/humanoid figures
✅️ Mystery
✅️ Episodic
✅️ Powers and Talents
✅️ Mature FMC and MMC

To quote Ilona Andrews : This story is not a tornado that will rip your house apart. This is a well-maintained rollercoaster that passed all safety inspections with flying colors.

Trigger Warning: violence including graphic scenes, mental health themes like panic attacks and anxiety, grief, harm to monster animals and abandonment

REVIEW

This was a gigantic dose of information but a running start to a new exciting series.

I am reviewing this a week after reading the book, and I can tell you what left an impression and what did not.

The opening scene and the betrayal that kicked the book off did a good job of enraging me as a reader, and sparking feelings of revenge and vengeance. But that didn't last for the entirety of the book because the dangers the FL faced inside the cave didn't make a cohesive whole, which may sound stupid, but for me the quest of getting out of the breach got lost in the prose.

The first time ML and the FL's kid met left an impression. But I wished subsequently they had more scenes woven into the 'plot' fabric.

All the new characters introduced left an impression and I am excited to know more about them.

Undoubtedly, the third half of the book towards the end was my favorite part because of how the book resolved stuff and the meeting of FL and ML that had little sparks bursting in front of my eyes.

IN SUMMARY, I love the style of writing, the prose itself and the characters, but the plot needs a little more work. I will still be consuming every part of this series because I know romance is brewing and fantasy is my vice.

[Jujubee]

The Beginning of an Epic Journey

I can not express how much the Andrews writing dou nails their world building, fight sequences, character profiles, and intergalactic politics. Every series I've read is loaded with depth and purpose, aka "a page turner!" Thank you again, dear authors, for a most satisfying journey.
A member of the BDH xoxo

[Mandapanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant story and world from these authors. Hopefully book 2 isn’t years away. Off to do a reread of their Clean Sweep series (great crossover BTW!!)