Shadows of the Lost by Maxym M. Martineau is the 1st book in her Guild of Night series. This series is a spinoff of Martineau’s wonderful Beast Charmer series. Shadows of the Lost focuses on Kost and Gaige, with Oz and Caleb and many of our favorite characters playing big parts in this story.

Gaige was a Beast Charmer, taming magical beasts, who loved him; but he died, and was brought back as one of the immortal assassins of Cruor. Kost, is the leader of the assassins, and he sees how Gaige is struggling to handle the shadows; together with Oz and Caleb, they try to train Gaige. Though it’s been many years, Kost still has feelings for Gaige (LGBTQ), and now that he is an Undead, he finds it difficult to resist him. Gaige fights off his nightmares with the shadows, and soon realizes there is something pulling him into those dreams. When Gaige tells the others that it is not his shadows that is creating havoc with the beasts all over; Kost agrees there is something more dangerous. . Leena (great to see her again) helped Gaige to be able to be with the Beasts he loved. In a short time, both Gaige and Kost succumb to their feelings, as their emotions and love proved how good they were together

When Gaige disappears, the whole team, Ozais, Caleb, Kaori, Isla, Raven realize that a very powerful old mage has taken Gaige. Kost, Ozais, Caleb and Isla enter the Shadow Realm to find and save Gaige.

What follows is an exciting, intense, action-packed adventure to find the evil mage. The villain in this story was extremely powerful, taking control of minds and absorbing them. The battles to fight were intense and intriguing, and as we raced to the climax; we were on the edge of our seat to see who will survive. To say too much more would be spoilers, and you need to read this book in its entirety. I loved seeing so many characters from the previous series, including Noc and Leena; as well as the Beasts that we loved.

Shadows of the Lost was an amazing and epic high fantasy, wonderful romance, great characters, and mythical beasts. This was a tale of love, danger, courage, dark shadows, monsters, camaraderie, with wonderful world building. Maxym M. Martineau has once again given us a fantastic start to this new series, which was so very well written.

While this book is listed as the first in a series it actually takes place after a trilogy. I was very lost reading this. All the event they talked about sounded so exciting and interesting. While the events in this books felt rushed with little to no context. It did make me want to go read the prior trilogy though. But this one fell flat for me as a “stand alone.”

I wish I had the words for how I felt about this book! It was…there are no words! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this book from start to finish!

Not what I expected. Too far on the erotica for me, but even with that. I did not really enjoy this one. The premise, the descriptive writing, and the world-building is well done.
I am sure there are fantasy readers that will absolutely love this one, and if you are a fan of erotic fantasy then give this one a read.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

The main character of this book used to be able to form bonds with magical beasts and was a member of the Charmers Council. After his death and resurrection, the main character ended up becoming an Assassin of Cruor and struggles with his new reality. The male lead is the leader of the Assassins, and the one who brought the main character back from the dead. They both have issues that they must overcome so that they can trust each other again when they are both lost in the shadow realm.

This is the first book in the GUILD OF NIGHT series, which is a spin-off to THE BEAST CHARMER series. It is highly advised that readers should read THE BEAST CHARMER series before the spin-off series to have a better understanding about this particular fantasy world that this book inhabits. There are also some characters mentioned in the first series that are in this first book, which may help readers have an inkling about those same characters as they make appearances in the story.

This is a fantasy book with a New Adult queer romance that has some spicy moments in the story. The story is told in multiple viewpoints, though primarily told by the main character and the male lead. I appreciated reading how the main character is struggling with the changes in his life, as well as how the male lead is feeling guilty about his own actions in relation to the main character. It was nice to have other characters' perspectives, but it would have been nice to either have a smaller number of viewpoints or have the story told in third-person perspective. I did enjoy the spicy moments of the book, which definitely enhanced the romance of this book. Also, the fantasy aspect of this book is interesting, like the magical beasts and the shadow realm. Overall, a nice addition to the fantasy world created by Maxym M. Martineau, and I look forward to reading future additions to the series.


** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own. **

This book was good but it just didn’t blow me away. I enjoyed the found family between the undead assassins 🫶🏼 I also loved the beasts and how they build strong connections with certain people

This is a spin-off series and I haven’t read the main series. There was very minimal world building and reintroduction of earlier storyline’s to set up this new series. I ended up being constantly confused while reading this book and wasn’t able to connect as a result

Read if you like reading about:
- Fantasy worlds
- LGBTQ+ romance
- Second chance
- Dual POV
- Unique beasts
- Undead assassins
- Found family

Rating: 3.5-4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

I think I would have liked this book more if I had read the series before this one.

I thought the book did a good job, explaining everything that happened in the previous books, but I think I would have liked it more knowing all the little things from them.

I thought the world was well developed and I am interested in learning more about it, but I had to stop reading/listening to the audio because I felt so lost. If I had known that this was a spinoff series from the first trilogy, I would have read those books first before diving into this very interesting world that the author brought us.

I will say that if you have read the first trilogy you will probably love this book because you already know the characters and the world building.

Once I read the other series, I will be picking up this book and giving it a true review.

I did receive the audio of the book as well, and I do not have anything to say that is bad against the narrators at all. I thought they did a wonderful job, and it was not confusing at all to know who was talking and who wasn’t.

I found myself immersed in this novel. Although I discovered that there is a prior trilogy that would likely deepen my attachment to the characters and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the novel's world-building, I still thoroughly enjoyed this installment. I would not recommend reading this without reading the previous books.

The writing style is captivating and engaging, pulling readers into a richly crafted narrative. The characters come to life with depth and complexity, each possessing their own unique charm and quirks. The romance woven throughout the story is beautifully written with lots of yearning, evoking a range of emotions and leaving a lasting impact.

One aspect that stood out to me was the fascinating portrayal of magic. It was refreshing to see how a different magical background shaped the abilities and experiences of one of the characters. This added an intriguing layer of depth to the story, highlighting the diversity within the crafted magical realm.

One of the book's strengths lies in its exploration of the theme of found family. The bonds formed between characters create a sense of warmth and camaraderie, evoking a strong emotional connection. Additionally, the mystery element adds an extra layer of intrigue, although some aspects may have been somewhat predictable without more nuanced foreshadowing. I also found myself utterly captivated by the presence of the beast companions. These unique and endearing creatures added an element of wonder and companionship, further enriching the story.

Overall, this title boasts a good writing style, interesting characters, and a beautifully crafted romance.

Shadows of the Lost
by Maxym M. Martineau
Fantasy Romance LGBT
Erotica
NetGalley ARC

Gaige used to be able to form bonds with magical beasts until he died and was brought back to life as an Immortal Assassin, losing that bonding gift and exchanging it for the ability to control shadows, shaping them into weapons that could kill just as well as a real one, if he could learn how to control them. This was not the life he wanted, he loved his magical beasts, not the shadows. And every time he loses control the animals of the woods become aggressive.

Kost, the leader of the assassins who chose this life for Gaige can only watch him rage against his new life, fearing every time Gaige loses control that Gaige will succumb to the shadows and be lost to them all.

Written in first person, this book is told from the perspectives of Gaige and Kost, (but a few others do have their own chapters) and is mostly centered around Gaige whining about not wanting the life and not being able to control his shadows. Kost whines about not being able to help Gaige and is racked with guilt because he was the one who decided to have Gaige brought back to life.

At first, I thought the characters were teenagers, but no, they are adults.

And worse, both of them whine about their feelings for the other and how they can't be together, and this whining takes up the first fifty percent of the book. But the world, its magic, the people, etc. is brushed over because it has already been established in the previous series, which I had no idea this book was a spin-off of. Had I known this, I would not have requested this book since I haven't read that series. I am taking away a star for this because I had no background, nothing to connect with, or a reason to care about the characters. It would've been simple for the publisher to make this fact known. And because of the endless whining, this book loses yet another star.

Then it turned into porn. Bye-Bye star...There is nothing listing this story as erotica, and this is erotica. There are details, pages of graphic details of sex acts, and they are not your 'typical' acts. Had I known this was thirty percent of the story, I would not have requested/read it. For me, romance leaves those acts behind closed doors.

So to sum up, this book is sixty percent whining, thirty percent erotica, five percent story, and five percent index/quiz/author info.

Had there been more about the world and the magic, and less whining and porn, I think I might've liked it more! And had I known this was a spin-off, I would have read that series first.

Will I read the original series now? It sounds interesting, but...
Will I read the next book in this new series? Doubtful!

2 Stars

In Shadows of the Lost, Gaige is haunted by something hiding in the shadows, something hunting him. Something keeping him from reaching his potential in his new role as an immortal assassin of Cruor; a role that was thrust on him, a role he isn’t sure he wants. Kost, the leader of the assassins watches helplessly as the man he loves falls deeper and deeper into the darkness of these shadows.
This book is part of a larger series and I would recommend reading the other books leading up to this one to be able to dive deeper into the story. It can be read alone. The author does her best to make sure the reader knows who is who and some of the background information on the world and what has taken place leading up to the events in the book, but it would be that much better having read the books previous to this one. That said it is a well written slow burn MM romance, set in a beautiful developed world full of great characters and exciting action.

I am thrilled to be back in this world with an offshoot series of The Beast Charmer trilogy.

I recommend reading that trilogy first. Shadows of the Lost focuses on Kost and Gaige rather than Noc and Leena, and there's a new storyline. However, both Kost and Gaige played such prominent roles in that series AND you get to witness their initial interactions and connection. I feel like that definitely enriches the reading experience for Shadows of the Lost.

As I mentioned previously, I loved being back in this world. Charmers and their beasts, the Kitska Forest and its monsters, Cruor and the undead assassins, mages and their powers. I'm here for all of it.

I was rooting for Gaige and Kost in the last series, so I was all for reading their story. My secondary character favorites (Calem, Ozias, Kaori, Raven) were back as well, and we even got some snippets of Noc and Leena. I loved having the group all together again.

No doubt I'm invested in this new series by Maxym M. Martineau, and I'm really hoping for a certain couple to be the focus of the next book.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Not reviewing, as I didn’t realize it was a continuation of the author’s prior trilogy, which I haven’t read and likely won’t be able to any time soon.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read the series that came before it. Nothing in the blurb indicated that this was the continuation of a story, so I was caught by surprise and pretty confused at the beginning of the story.

By the halfway mark, I had a decent understanding of what was happening, but there were times when characters or relationships were brought into the story with little to no explanation as to their significance. It was especially jarring to have a few random chapters from the points of view of side characters.

The concept for this world is fun and I feel like there's a lot more to these characters than I'm aware of. If you're considering reading this, I highly recommend reading the previous series first.

After being brought back from death, a former Charmer must now find a way to live with his new powers and life as an assassin while dealing with the loss of his former gifts and figuring out what exactly his relationship to the leader of the assassin’s and his former love are. Gaige used to be a Charmer, someone with the ability to create bonds with magical creatures but after dying and then being brought back to life he is now an assassin, and his new abilities include shadows that he can’t control and the loss of all his former bonds to the creatures save for one. Then there is the anger, anger at the very man who brought him back to life and who damned him to this new status of life, Kost, the leader of the group of assassins and the man that Gaige was falling for. Kost know’s what it means to lose those he loves and he just couldn’t lose Gaige, even if it meant bringing him back and having him hate him. Gaige has strange new shadows that he can’t control and refuses to train and learn how to control. If it goes on any longer he will endanger everyone around him and Kost will have to cut him off. Yet with more strange creatures showing up and Gaige being plagued by strange dreams, both Kost and Gaige will have to work out what their relationship is and if they can move on to the future together. Can their old wounds heal and can they find peace in each other, can they get back to what they were to each other and can they find a way to save each other form this new threat. This was definitely a fun read and I enjoyed that we got to see both Kost and Gaige heal from their past pains. They both had so much to work through and figure out, and they learn to communicate with one another I really loved that. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series but found that I had no trouble grasping this one and I definitely will be reading the rest of the books set in this world!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca, Sourcebooks Casablanca for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

dnf at 16%

16% in, I still don't understand the first ting about the worldbuilding. The only fact I know for sure is that the group of people this book focuses on are able to tame fantastical animal hybrids with powers that remind me of pokémon. Some of the assassins (?), on the other hand, are undead. There are also undead pokémon. Shadow tendrils are being wielded, which sounds awfully familiar.

Really, if the interpersonal relationships were more interesting, I could have forced myself to pay more attention to the fantastical elements of this M/M romance, but Gage and Kost were about as three-dimensional as two crêpes. Laid out next to each other, not put in a delicious little pancake pile. I did not get the point of the relationship drama, and I did not care.

I stopped reading before I wasted too much time on this book, and you probably should too!

Unfortunately, I did not realize when requesting this that there was a prior trilogy that this relates to. This is completely my fault.

However, this world the author creates is beautiful and magical. The creatures, the shadows, all amounted to a very intriguing ambiance. I wish I could have connected more with this story and it's characters but I have no doubt those with more knowledge of this world will enjoy this!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Shadows of the Lost is the new book in the Guild of the Night series, featuring Gaige and Kost. While they appear in the previous Beast Charmer trilogy, this book can be read as a standalone. Gaige is struggling with his new life as an immortal assassin. He finds it impossible to control his shadow powers, which will soon lead to dangerous consequences if he can’t master them. Meanwhile, Kost is trying to show Gaige that life as one of the immortal assassins isn’t as miserable as he fears. When a destructive and strange new power manifests, Gaige and Kost will need to work together to stop it and reveal who is behind it.

Gaige and Kost have a very sweet romance and I enjoyed watching them form connections while trying to unlock Gaige’s control of his power. Gaige is mourning the loss of his beasts, which I really liked learning more about. Kost was able to help him create a beautiful solution to his loss. There are plenty of supporting characters from the previous trilogy and also intriguing new ones. I’m hoping to learn more details about the villain in the next book, because they felt a little over the top at times.

I loved the tight bond between the band of brothers; even when Gaige was having the most difficulty with his powers they never gave up on him. I also loved the acceptance of the queer-norm world. It seems clear that Ozias and Calem have future romances to come, which I’m looking forward to. The world-building excels in creating types of creatures and their powers. Shadows of the Lost would be perfect for anyone who enjoys stories about magical creatures, shadow powers, and sweet queer romance.

Thank you to Maxym M. Martineau, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a unique world! Very well explained, but I do wish that I had read the Beast Charmer trilogy first, just to better understand all of the characters. I loved the characters we met and the story went at a really good pace! There were a few moments where I feel like a reference to something that happened before the book was a little out of left field, but I’m sure it’ll come into play if this is a series. Overall, I really enjoyed it!

Shadows of the Lost is an exciting, action-packed, angst-filled fantasy novel that takes place in the same world as the Beast Charmer series. Shadows of the Lost follows Gaige, as he struggles to come to terms with his new reality, and Kost, as he attempts to balance leading the assassins and ensuring Gaige's safety. All of the characters (and adorable beasts) from the original series are back. I absolutely love this series! The author's world building is flawless and the character development is fantastic. The characters are morally gray with their own problems and obstacles to overcome. Each character has their strengths and weaknesses. Gaige is trying to figure out who he is now that he is part of the shadow world. Kost wants to be there for Gaige but knows he's also responsible for the rest of the assassins. There is plenty of action, romance (and spice), and beasts! I cannot wait for the sequel to Shadows of the Lost. This is easily one of my favorite books of 2023!

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the arc in exchange for review.

well upon starting this i had no idea this was a spinoff of a different series and i think i probably would've enjoyed it more had i read the source material.