I really liked Shadows of the Lost. The fantasy world Maxym created is a really cool concept, is beautifully detailed and she captured the complex emotions of the characters well. This is a fantasy/romance mixed with adventure and a little spice. The pacing was right on point and was hard to put down.

This ARC I received through Netgalley. My review is honest and voluntary.

There is a bit of a pacing issue with this one, its almost too fast for you to catch your breathe. Where it feels more like a sequel than the first book, however, if you like when youre thrown into a world this book is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

It felt really good to be reading this and to be transported back to Lendria, which I first fell in love with while reading The Beast Charmer series.

The main characters in this book, Kost (he's one of my favourite from the Beast Charmer series!) and Gaige, are generally very likeable. And the way Gaige's handling his new situation was understandable and kind of expected. It's also nice seeing everyone at Cruor were doing their best to help him, their newest member.

The story picked up from the previous series. I felt that this could be read as a standalone, but you'd get a better understanding of the world and the characters if you read the Beast Charmer trilogy. This book was told in multiple POVs. The pacing was good! There was a good amount of slow burn, and thankfully the pay off was worth it.

They got their happy ending here, no cliffhanger kind of ending. However, there were some unsolved mysteries at the end of the book and I cannot wait to see those mysteries solved in the upcoming books.

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Honestly if you had put it is a high fantasy spicy lgbtqia book it would have gone over a lot better. Kinda of a shock to get to a certain point and nowhere in the description is it mentioned that it is a queer rep fantasy book with spice. I recommend advertising it as such because the lgtbqia community would gobble up this book. Beyond that it was okay. I dig it but it just isn’t for me. Fox that one mistake and watch this book fly off the shelves. My criticism is literally just for the publishers as the author wrote a truly epic book.

4.5/5 stars! This is the first book in the "Guild of Night" series by author Maxym M. Martineau. The premise of this book sounded dark and intriguing, and I was really excited to get started. I love books featuring assassins but they have to be written well to hold my attention. Martineau's did this and more. This is a high fantasy story and makes you fall for both Kost and Gaige. I found myself rooting for their happily ever after and am now anxiously waiting for the next book by this author.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Shadows of the Lost had a fascinating premise, which is what drew me to the book to begin with. The world of Charmers, beasts and the undead was an interesting one, and something I loved about this book was the end matter, which included a dictionary of the various magical beasts and a charmer colour quiz. Both Kost and Gaige held appeal as characters and as a couple, yet despite all these positives, somehow the book didn't quite come together for me and I was unable to get full invested, my mind constantly wandering as I read. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where the issue was -- maybe in the pacing -- but overall this was, for me at least, a book that had many good points and a lot of potential but didn't quite manage to become a cohesive work. As such, I am giving it three stars.

(My review will go live at the links below on 15 May 2023, as per your request to hold reviews until a month before publication. At that time I will also share on social media.)

This high fantasy was definitely different. It was good and I highly enjoyed this. It definitely kept me wanting more.
I just reviewed Shadows of the Lost by Maxym M. Martineau. #NetGalley
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Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC. This review is my own and contains my own opinions.

The world Maxym creates is absolutely stunning. The beasts and the people are magical and yet feel like they could be your best friend.

Kost and Gaige were characters I enjoyed from the original trilogy, so when I learned that they were getting their own book, I was over the moon.

The story was quick, and the pacing was great. There was a good amount of slow burn without it being so drawn out that I got annoyed (though I did scream "communication" out loud to both of them at some point or another).

You can easily picture the world, as it's described so beautifully.

I can't wait for her next books and to see where the rest of the guild continues.

DNF at 38%. I requested an ARC for this book because I really liked the synopsis, but ever since the very start of the book I was confused. I felt like I was always missing vital information. There wasn't any world-building and I was left guessing half of the magic system. At 38% I went to check the blurb again to see if I had missed something and I hadn't. I then went on Goodreads to see if there were any reviews and one review let me know that this book is connected to another trilogy, which isn't specified anywhere. Since I haven't read the trilogy, I don't see any point in reading it until the end. However I can say that I really like how well-worked the characters are and I can see how this would be a good follow-up for another series.

Title: Shadows of the Lost
Author: Maxym M. Martineau
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Connected Series: Beast Charmer Series| Kingdom of Exiles, Frozen Prince, & The Shattered Crown
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Overview: The story starts where the end of The Shattered Crown left off. We are once again surrounded by magical beasts and the shadows of Crour. This time however, we get an inside look at some of the previous side characters as Kost and Gaige take the lead in this new series. We get to learn more about them and how the events of the last book have affected them as well as their relationship. With Kost now the leader of Crour, and Gaige fighting back the shadows he never wanted along with the loss of everything he once cherished, this book sets the mood for something amazing! New answers to questions we had, and new questions to answers we had always assumed, make this an exciting adventure!

Favorite Things: The depth of emotion and description from each character as they view the events of what has happened and what is happening from two different main points of view, gives this read a roller coaster of emotion. There is no right person and there is no wrong person, but there is tons of heartache. We also get more background information on characters that give us an idea of why they act and think the way they do.
And my all time favorite part of the story comes from discovering/changing what we have always known and understood about the shadows. I think this was an amazing addition to the world of Lendria.
Spice . . . who doesn’t love spice? And DAMN did we get our fill. And although I was not expecting it to pop up (and hoesntly had to skip some), it was something that helped to solidify the tension had finally been broken like an over filled water balloon.

Least Favorite Things: Unfortunately I do feel like the resolution of the two characters came on a bit suddenly. The drawn out feel of tension was absolutely perfect, however, the resolution was more along the lines of a light switch than a dimmer slowly getting brighter. I would have loved to feel more hesitation on both sides, but mainly from Kost. Gaige was somewhat on the right track, but it just ended up feeling like he got off easy. That’s not to say Kost didn’t get what was coming to him, but there was no real “I forgive you for what you’ve done, and I hope you forgive me for how I acted while I processed this.” Or “I’m sorry I made you go through that, but I couldn’t lose someone else. I know it hadn’t been my choice.” This is more of a personal opinion rather than anything that would affect the overall story in nay way shape or form.

Overall opinions: This book is absolutely amazing and a must read for anyone who loves Fantasy and Romance mixed together with epic adventures. The world Maxym created allows you to discover new things with each book, and the visuals that it gives off really makes you feel like you’ve jumped into the pages. The spicy romance in this book is hot as fire. One true love takes a back seat as found love after loss thrives.

I really enjoyed the idea of Charmers and how magic works in this universe. It had a great concept that I was invested in, I thought Gaige was a great character and I really felt for him. The book overall does what I was looking for and deals with the struggles of what happened to Gaige. Maxym M. Martineau has a great writing style and I thought the characters they created were realistic.

"Boo. He’d grown surprisingly attached to me, and I hated leaving him behind. But Iov was more than eager to take up the duty of caring for his wounds and feeding him. Boo had won over every assassin within Cruor’s walls, but none more than Iov. The number of apples and honey that man fed my beast was probably the reason for Boo’s increase in weight."

"Shadows of the Lost" by Maxym M. Martineau is a great fantasy book told from multiple points of view that takes place in a world full of magical beasts, Charmers who can control and summon them, undead assassins, and monsters.

Meet Gaige, a former Charmer brought back from the dead and is now one of immortal assassins of Cruor. Unlike his assassins brothers, he can't control his shadows. He misses his previous life, is full of aghast, and feels disconnected from the others.

Meet Kost, the head of the assassins with issues of his own. As he works to assist Gaige with his struggles, Kost must also confront his own broken heart."

The plot thickens when undead beasts start attacking the realm. Kost suspects Gaige's lack of control causes those attacks and must find a way to help him, discover what is igniting the attacks, and stop them once and for all.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book very much. Brilliant characters, magical world-building, and a whole load of adventure made this a great read. The romance that was woven into the story added spice to the otherwise dark tale, and I enjoyed the interactions between the characters which added depth and complexity to the plot. It could have been shortened a bit, but it still was a great read. I would recommend this book to lovers of the fantasy genre, especially those who like dark fantasy tales!

Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The spice, the pacing, the magic all amazing. I absolutely adored this book and enjoyed each of the three listed aspects the absolute most. The characters were well built but gosh were the light spice, the incredible magic, and the quick pacing was incredible.

Oh my gosh one of the best books I’ve read this year ! It’s got the perfect amount of suspense , angst , and the bits of romance that we get to see in this book is just chefs kiss . If your looking for a fantasy book that keeps you interested and you can’t put it down this is the book for you , thank you NetGalley for this arc !