Oh man, this is a real tough one to rate. I thoroughly enjoyed about 90% of the book however I just was not on board with the romance, and it's marketed as a fantasy romance. If the romance was removed from this book (or even with another of the males) it would have been an easy 4.5 to 5.

Maxym M. Martineau created an absolutely beautiful world, full of magnificent and wonderful beasts. This could have been a book about Leena travelling the world taming beasts and capturing hearts and I would have been happily along for the ride.

Leena is a strong, empathetic individual who has an innate connection to the world and creatures around her. Noc is ... there? I got to around 75% of the book and I still didn't feel any type of way about him, which isn't a positive when he is meant to be the LI of the story. I get that he's being portrayed as a broody assassin, however I don't feel like I ever really got to know who he was or what his end goals were. I also feel like while the romance strengthened Noc, it was came across as a weakness for Leena.

Oz and Calem were absolutely beautiful and I wanted to see more of them. Oz reminded me of one of my all time favourite characters and I thoroughly enjoyed that comparison.

There were a few tropes that I cringed at, others enjoy them but they're not for me. I'd love to never hear or read the word mate again.

I would recommend this book purely to meet Effie, the Laharocks and every other beautiful beast.

It was bit too scharine romance and declaration of love for my liking but overall an enjoyable read. The concept of beast taming and beast realm all too fascinating, I have overlooked some problematic parts.

That being said, I hate fated mate, romeo-juliet type love stories but Martineau has created enough complexity around couple, it is almost works in this case. I have no problem digesting Leena and Noc's said love story.

Recommended:
Yes, if you like pokemon and Fantastic beasts

Leena is just an exiled beast charmer trying to get by and get back her home and her life. Not is the head of a deadly shadow wielding assassins guild trying to live with a nasty curse. When their lives crash into each other everything becomes very complicated.

Someone wants Leena dead and the Cruor aka Noc’s guild have taken on the assignment. They are the best and always get the job done or die trying, literally. Once a contract is made there is no going back the person has to die. When one of the assassins goes off to get the job done he is surprised when Leena turns the tables on him. She has enough of her own problems and her own mission she doesn’t need an added complication. So she strikes a deal with Noc to provide him with a few good beasts in exchange for her life. Simple enough, right? Of course nothing is ever so simple.

Leena goes off on her Pokémon journey... I mean she goes off to capture beasts for Noc and three of his assassins. Kost... the one who failed to kill her. Ozias the seemingly nice one that she becomes fast friends with and Calem the notorious flirt. Together the 5 of them go off on a beastly adventure to you know catch them all.... it really is like adult Pokémon with Fantastic Beasts but only better cause there are assassins and not the world’s most annoying kid or barley likable wizards.

Anywho Lenna doesn’t know that the contract for her life can’t be broken and Noc in need of a beast for his own purposes doesn’t see fit to inform her of such. He’s got a curse and a beast just might be what he needs to break it. All he has to do really is not get close to Leena or let her charm him. Easier said than done of course.

I kept putting off finishing this book because I knew from the start that once I got to the end I would want there to be more... I was right. Now that I have finished I’m all obsessed and whatnot. It was quite the rollercoaster of a tale and I need to know what’s coming next like yesterday.

One minor annoyance I must express here is the whining Kost and Noc do about Leena turning the tables on Kost when he went after her. Um he was trying to kill her so of course she defended herself that makes sense. Their gripping about it not so much. Sure she knocked the pride right out of Kost but wouldn’t he have done the same if he was in her shoes and someone tried to kill him? Sure it’s his job or whatever but really she had every right to defend herself what was she supposed to do? Say “oh no an assassin is after me I must surrender and make his job easier?”.
.

I tried. I really tried. But I skimmed the last half of the book.

My expectations were completely squashed. The blurb said Assassin’s Creed and I got The Throne of Glass instead. It was all talk and no substance. I’m pretty sure authors just think assassins are cool and use the word to create interest. Then they realize they don’t know how to make assassins cool and the book turns into a cliché love story.
I’ve played three Assassin’s Creed games and this book had no similarities. I read half the book and none of the four assassins had killed anyone. What’s the point of calling them assassins if they don’t kill? I don’t need everyone to die, but if a book includes assassins, it might help if they lived up to the title. They’re hyped-up as these ruthless killers but all they do is take a road trip and struggle to win some fights. They’re useless.
I didn’t care about the beasts so I’m not gonna talk about them.
What about the beast Charmer, Leena? Noc, the love interest, rambled on about how formidable, strong and fierce she was. How she’d undo him and shatter his world and blah blah. I didn’t see it. I kept being reminded of her capabilities but she never proved it to me. The first chapter was promising and then she turned pathetic and lust-sick. She said how she had to get away from these assassins. Then she fell in love, made friends and didn’t want to leave. Am I supposed to get behind her character?
Noc was apparently attractive, deadly, distant and powerful. Yawn. I’ve heard it all before and seen it done better. He’s not likable. He’s tortured by his past and couldn’t let his emotions take over. Oh boo-hoo. I’m thinking, “Why don’t you be a man and tell people why you can’t show any sort of friendship?” I guess he’s not smart enough to see how much time and pain he could save by being honest. And he’s totally the long-lost/dead prince, right? If that’s a spoiler, it should have been less obvious.
The three other assassins were just stereotypes. Big softy, jock womanizer, and fashion boy all failed to be anything other than cardboard companions. Small attempts were made to deviate from those stereotypes but they were all unsuccessful. Softy liked to cook and was hopeless around women. Jock had anger issues but liked feeding children. Fashion was trying to protect Noc because he’s the only one who knew Noc’s secret. I do not care. None of them were assassin material and none of them made a good impression on me.
Noc and Leena. Loc? Within a day of meeting each other Noc turned into an ogler and Leena wanted to talk to him because he’s fascinating or some such nonsense. Never mind that she previously thought she walked to her death. Or that Leena somehow managed to almost kill Noc’s best friend. No build-up occurred and nothing believable happened between them. It went from no trust to the guy in Singin’ in the Rain saying, “I love you I love you I love you I love you,” in about a week. In what world does that make sense?
And speaking of the world…What was the world? It’s supposed to be fantasy but then a train shows up. Huh? She wore makeup and there’s modern swearing. A chandelier turned on by itself. One of the assassins had red eyes like it’s normal. But there were no guns, telegraphs, steamboats or anything else to say what kind of world it was. What happened to fantasy being fantasy? Why does it now need modernity? No reason was given for these odd choices so why were they included?
What would you say are some of the most overused phrases in description? Eyes shooting daggers, emotions conveyed by eye color, someones face being granite? Yeah, it’s all here. I know this is a romance and you expect cheesy writing and cheap similes. But this one skipped the cheese and went for unoriginal. It lacked subtly. Everyone’s thoughts blazed across their eyes and nothing was left for me to decipher. All the descriptions bored me and were forgettable. Too much tell and not enough show.
One other thing: how do regular people feel about beasts? Have none of them tried to hunt them down? Leena said several times not to approach beasts but does everyone know that? How do regular people manage to not get accidentally killed?
So in conclusion, the next time a book has assassins or is compared to Assassin’s Creed, I’d like a body count first. This book could have been good, but the oozy romance overshadowed everything and the slow story and boring characters made it even less appealing.

This book is pitched as Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Despite me not loving the Fantastic Beasts movie--I didn't even finish it!--the description enthralled me. I read the full summary and was hooked.

The book is told in first person and alternates between Leena and Noc's POVs. Leena is a Charmer, a person who is able to summon beasts. Basically, she connects with or "tames" them, and takes them to her beastiary, which is a magical world where all the beasts can live happily. She's able to summon them back to her world, where they will do whatever she asks--protect, maim, kill etc. This makes for some pretty awesome fights.

Leena started out as a kickbutt character. As the book went on, she became a little too caught up in her feelings for Noc, but that didn't make me put the book down. I devoured it in a few days, and am anxiously waiting for the next one.

Noc was intriguing. He's the head Assassin of Cruor, a group of undead assassins. Fortunately, not zombie undead. Because I hate zombies. They're more shadow-y undead. In fact, they can travel through shadows and hide in them. A super cool skill. Noc has a past that the author hints at from time to time. I'm pretty sure I know who he'll turn out to be, but I'm looking forward to reading about it. I'm also looking forward to learning how he's going to get out of his obligation to kill Leena.

The side characters were fun. Noc's little gang of assassins reminded of Amanda Bouchet's Beta Team. They all have their own personalities, their own quirks, their own way of relating to Leena. I care about them. Always a good thing.

Overall, I think it's the worldbuilding, Noc's past, and the obligation to kill Leena that has me looking forward to the next book.

This is an entertaining fantasy romance, a genre which I've been wanting to see more of. If you like Amanda Bouchet, you should enjoy this.

A new magic system in a new fantasy world, “Kingdom of Exiles” by Maxym M. Martineau been named by Publishers Weekly as the Best Book of Summer 2019. And after reading the ARC, all the recognition it has received even before its release is warranted.

“Kingdom of Exiles” follows exiled Beast Charmer Leena Edenfrell and Noc, the head of the Crour assassins. Leena is the target and Noc is the assassin who took the contract. Still, the chemistry between them is obvious from the very beginning.

Hence, from the get-go, readers ask, how will the storyline accommodate a romance when the lovers are destined to kill each other.

And that is how and where debut author Maxym M. Martineau showed her mastery of her craft. As she built a new fantasy world and a new magic system, Martineau also developed the main characters and the supporting ones.

By the time I reached the middle of the book, I have become invested in all the characters. I need to know how all of them will fare. The fantastic beasts (no pun intended for the Harry Potter franchise) have also become secondary characters as they become part of the storyline.

To romance fans, please take not that this is YA, hence this is a slow burn romance.

To fantasy fans, holy moly! “Kingdom of Exiles” can give established fantasy epics a run for their money. Kudos to Sourcebooks Casablanca editors for finding this one. It’s a coup; because I have a feeling that if Tor editors heard about this book early on, they will also be all over it.

A great read and a great start of a new trilogy. “Kingdom of Exiles” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance is advised for thematic violence.

I honestly had a really hard time in the beginning of this book. I felt like I was trying to jump into a story that had already been going on for a while, or that maybe was even the second book in a series instead of the first. I think I could have enjoyed it a lot more if I had been slowly introduced into the story, the characters, and all of the different creatures/beasts. I felt like I was left to fill in a lot of gaps about what was what.

The positives for me were that the story did feel fresh. It didn't feel too close or too similar to other fantasy novels I've read in any way. And of course I loved the romantic element thrown in because no book I read is quite complete without that!

I would have to think hard in the future about whether books like this are for me. I tend to click more with contemporary novels where I don't have to "put a lot of the pieces together" when it comes to characters or magical elements. I don't think I'll be continuing the series, but mainly because this is not really a fit for my personality, not because the book or author are bad.

I really really really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to fans of paranormal romance and fantasy romance. I am a true sucker for a well developed world and surrounding characters. After finishing this book, I immediately went to see what else Maxym Martineau had written and couldn't believe it when I found out this was her debut novel. I also deeply appreciated the groundwork she laid for future books -without bogging down the storyline of the this book.

I felt very immersed in the story and world that the author built. I loved the beasts and their seemingly endless abilities and constructs. '

Overall I can't wait to see where this series goes!

This book has received a lot of pre-release press, including the ability to ‘Read Now’ on NetGalley. Which means, you don’t have to request and be approved to receive book – just download it and start reading. So I wondered…..what is going on with this debut novel?

It is good. Really good! Kingdom of Exiles may turn me into an annoying fan that starts asking about the next book in the series.

I love the characters. Leena and Noc have a pretty immediate attraction to each other, despite the fact that they started out as adversaries. The reader can sense it. They have both had difficult pasts and neither is forthcoming about details. But their interest in each other will not go away and because of their pasts, the attraction is pure danger.

Noc’s brotherhood of assassins proves to be a great supporting cast of characters. Each have their own personality quirks and I am guessing, each will get their own story in future installments. If they don’t, I shall be quite disappointed :) .

There is a third set of characters that I enjoyed. The beasts. As a charmer, Leena is able to befriend and control a wide variety of creatures with different skills sets. Each is a potential ally in sticky situations. But they are also creatures of heart and the ability to bond with the right people. These creatures add to the creativity of this fantasy setting and some of them will also need to get their own story.

The situation seems impossible. There is no way Leena and Noc can ever be together. The hopeless circumstances weigh oh, so heavily on Noc and later on Leena when she learns the facts. The emotion is at times heartwarming and other times heartbreaking. The bond between Noc and the assassins is heartfelt. Combine all this with plot thick with action and intrigue and I dare you to go to bed early.

I am so glad I decided to be among the early readers of Kingdom of Exiles. This is going to be a heck of a series. Now, Ms. Martineau, when is the next book coming out?

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I tried to get into this one, I really did, but I couldn't for a few reasons: no truly likable character, predictable personalities, lacking belief in a character's motives, and it just ...dragged. I don't know. It just didn't do it for me. I ended up skimming and skipping most of it, which I hate doing when it's an ARC, but I simply couldn't get interested in it. Maybe it's one someone else will like, but it is not my cup of tea.

Maxym M. Martineau’s KINGDOM OF EXILES an exciting new fantasy-romance featuring a world of exotic-magical beasts.
Filled with adventure, danger, and romance, The Beast Charmer series opener is a delightful and entertaining read from a new debut voice readers will want to be sure to check out further.

A Deadly Bargain Struck
The story opens with Leena Edenfrell, known as a “charmer” on the run with a bounty on her who lands up making a deal with the very assassin who is tasked with bringing her in.

Exiled from her home for a crime she did not commit, Leena takes jobs selling her beloved magical beasts on the black market for coin until she can clear her name.

When a mysterious assassin strikes a deal with her for a mythical creature in exchange for her life, Leena finds herself caught between her duty and her growing feelings for him.

A Debut Author with a Fresh Fantasy Voice
Maxym M. Martineau’s writing is a breath of fresh air in the fantasy-romance genre. Her world of magical beasts, vivid and exotic, is so captivating, that I just wanted to spend the entire book discovering more about them.

The Charmer and her Beasts
Leena’s ability as a “charmer” and her beasts reminded of the concept of what a “familiar” is when reading a paranormal, only we have such a wide array of fantastic creatures, each with a magical value level according to their rarity, abilities, and how hard it is to charm them. There is this wonderful connection—a bond that forms between Leena and her beasts that readers are going to love.

The Un-dead Assassin
The growing attraction between Leena and Noc is definitely something I enjoyed reading as a romance fan. Noc is a mysterious and tormented hero. He is the un-dead leader and mentor to a tightly- knit group of assassins. A terrible curse has been placed upon him and it is a driving factor in the story’s plot and brooding-romantic tension. His undeniable attraction to Leena, and being magically bound to complete his contract or risk his band of brotherhood assassins, make for a tension-filled romance.

In the End
Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym Martineau took me by surprise with its gorgeously rendered world of fantastic beasts. A world of charmers and un-dead assassins. Although, in the beginning, there was some confusion for me with the world building of the Cruor and Charmers, I found myself captivated by it. I would recommend this to fans of fantasy-romance who are looking for a new voice to follow. I will definitely be on the lookout for the release of The Frozen Prince early next year.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I even have it preordered. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read the ebook early in exchange for an honest review.

First let me start by saying I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I only stopped reading to sleep and even then, it was late. I loved the premise of Leena being a beast charmer. I did not have any idea what to expect when coming into this read in regards to what that would mean and it blew me away. While I would have loved to have spent a little more time getting to know the beasts and their different characteristic and traits, I was engrossed in the options and abilities they gifted their charmer. Leena is a strong and flawed female lead that struggles with trust and self worth. The level at which she engages people and things that should frighten her is incredible and it is hard not to root for her to succeed in everything she tries to accomplish.

Noc is everything you could want in a broody assassin that daylights as the male lead. The fact that this romance is told from both character's POV is one of my favorite aspects. I don't know if I can ever go back to reading from just the female POV ever again. Noc struggles with his own demons and works toward his own goals. However, he finds that even he can't resist Leena's charm, beast or otherwise. Their romance is kind of far fetched, meaning there isn't a whole lot that goes into developing their relationship or character growth toward one another, but it still resonates as something you want to see happen.

The supporting characters, to include members of the assassin's guild and the beasts, are worthy of their own stories and all of the affection main characters get. I would love to see more of them.

The world building is not as expanded as I personally feel it should be for a book with such a new and different concept. There are gaps in our understanding as a reader that would help us to better understand characters if we understood their "homes" and what helped shape them. There are easter eggs placed in the story about Noc and his true identity that a lot of people are going to miss out on because the book does not really delve into his homeland much. Granted, this is a series so there is time for that still.

Overall, I was pleased with this read and will definitely be looking for the next in the series.

Soooo I promised myself I was going to ~broaden my reading horizens~ this year beyond YA and classics. And that’s where Kingdom of Exiles comes in!

Leena is an exiled beast Charmer, and she has a bounty on her head. She doesn’t know why or by whom, only that it has been outsourced to a group of undead bounty hunters for hire, and they’ve come to collect.

Noc is the leader of the Cruor guild, assassins who have been given a second life after their deaths. They’ve been hired buy a mysterious source to kill Leena. When she manages to finagle her way into a bargain with them–a beast of Noc’s choice in exchange for not killing her–they end up on a journey together that may be a little too close for comfort.

I loved how this book explored Leena, a Charmer, so much. It really felt like Fantastic Beasts and it’s an angle I haven’t yet seen tackled in any book! The beasts were all really inter sting as well as unique, and each serves a direct purpose to the storyline.

Noc needs a beast hat is able to lift his curse–the one that prevents him from showing affection to people he loves. If he does, they always wither and die. As a Charmer, Leena is the perfect mark for this. If he can get a beast that’s will grant wishes from her, he can remove his curse.

But things get complicated when they start to have feelings for each other. I will say the romance in this book is pretty quick–within pages they were already attracted to and admiring each other. It was a little too much for my personal taste but if you like immediate attraction in your romances, this will be perfect for you! I liked also that the fantasy aspect of the story sat side by side with the romance. Both of the prominent draws to Kingdom of Exiles feature heavily, and each are necessary to make the story feel complete!

The side characters were also fun and interesting, my favorite being Oz with his cute little moment with Corinne, which I thought was really sweet!

Though this is definitely a romance heavy read, it wasn’t still an easy page turner that I think UF fans looking for a foray into fantasy will love.

ARC provided by Delacorte through Netgalley, thank you!

I recieved an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I did not connect with our dude Noc which soured my relationship with this book overall. I wanted a romance i could root for, but this was not it for me. That doesn't mean I don't think other people will and can enjoy this book because i really do think they can. But I felt myself disliking him, and finding him annoying and not lovable at all. Which honestly is my main gripe with this book, because overall Leena reminds me of a certain Maria V. Snyder character which I love - and the monsters add so much that I enjoyed into the world-building.
All in all, i'm really sad Noc turned me off this much because I think this romance will really fall into peoples hearts but not mine unfortunately.
The world is gripping, I love what we have been shown and it feels real. Leena is a flawed but believable character. I don't have any particular feelings about the smut in this book - so I'm assuming that I didn't hate it which is in it self a good thing.

Pokemon-like creatures and undead assassins, with a healthy dose of romance. If any of that sounds appealing to you, I'd recommend Kingdom of Exiles as a very fun fantasy read.

Kingdom of Exiles follows Leena, the titular exile, who's been thrown out of her home city for a crime she didn't commit and forced to do things she finds abominable in order to survive. Leena is a Charmer, who, not unlike a Pokemon trainer, has the ability to find and catch magical beasts, whose powers aid her and whose companionship she loves. She wants to clear her name and return to her mystical home of Hireath, where Charmers and their creatures exist in a seeming utopia, but first she has to capture a creature capable of proving her worth. Enter Nox, whose guild of assassins has been hired to take Leena out, but who finds her intriguing and useful enough to strike a bargain: his assassins won't kill her if she'll find useful magical creatures for them. This kicks off a journey through gorgeously imagined settings, featuring a number of wonderful-sounding magical creatures, a healthy dose of banter, strong friendships, and plenty of action.

Fantasy worldbuilding, and placing your reader directly inside scenes that may be taking place in, say, an evil and magical forest, or a city inhabited by magical beasts and their Charmers, can be really difficult, but I think that's something Kingdom of Exiles really excels at. As a character-focused reader, sometimes I'll find myself having to force myself to re-read descriptions of scenery in books to try to imagine where exactly these characters are spending their time, and sometimes it can be a struggle. I never felt that way during this book, even though its setting is wholly unique. The variety of magical creatures in this book is another huge strength; every time we were introduced to a new one, I was fascinated by their uniquely imagined abilities, and the powers and world of the Charmers was a great concept.

What I liked less about this book was, unfortunately, the romance. I liked both Leena and Noc quite a bit, and I very much like the idea of them together, but I did feel that the chemistry was a bit lacking for me. I also found myself struggling with certain plot points towards the end of the story, which felt rushed and/or jarred slightly with the pacing that had been established earlier in the book.

Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable fantasy read, and I'm quite interested to hear more about what happens to Noc, Leena, and friends in the second book. I'm also very much hoping for even more magical creatures. 3.75 stars.

"Kingdom of Exiles” by Maxym M. Martineau is a captivating fantasy with interesting characters, good world-building , magic, and a brooding romance that heats up over time. Leena is a Charmer, with the rare magical gift to enchant magical animals and monsters. She is in exile from the Charmer homeland of Hireath. A victim of an unscrupulous member of the Charmer Council. She is forced by circumstances to sell her captured monsters, a crime in Hireath. She is in the midst of such a sale, when she is accosted by a member of the Cruor, a group of undead assassins, hired to kill her by someone from Hirearth.

Used to bartering in the world outside of Hirearth, Leena barters with Noc, the male guild master of the Cruor; she will give four assassins a magical beast in exchange for their termination of the assassin contract. It’s a good bargain, but as with any bargain, it’s the unwritten rules that get you, and Noc holds back a major catch, that unless Leena dies, he will die.

The story alternates between Noc chapters and Leena chapters so we get two perspectives of the action. Leena’s charms as a Charmer and a woman soon come to captivate Noc and the other members of the assassin group, and Noc is soon entranced. Leena is running from her demons, an evil Charmer, who used one of Leena’s monsters against her, but Noc is running from death, his death and the death of countless others, caused by a curse that he bears, that even dying and being reborn as a Cruor has not vanquished.

Martineau’s depiction of the magical forces in the novel shines. The Cruor have magic, the guild leader can revive dead people and once a member of the guild, the assassins can become shadows, vanish and reappear, and move incredibly fast. Noc, has his own powers as well. However, Martineau powers up the appeal of the novel with her magical creatures, who come alive on the page. Form the amorphous Iky, a short timer from the beast realm, but an invisible creature able to grow limbs and become solid to the Gyss, a magical creature, who grants wishes but claims a powerful penalty for each.

But the story is not limited to Leena’s creatures. There are some cool battle scenes. Leena ability to discern which creature will suit each of the assassins on the quest and gifting of them. There is also the budding romance between Noc and Leena.

Noc, however is looking for his own beast, because he wants the curse lifted. But Noc does not want to love Leena because of his curse, but he cannot kill her because of his attraction to her and hope that he can lift the curse.


For a book about a quest with assassins, they come off as honorable and likeable. It is Leena’s past that catches up with them and Leena and Noc will have to join together to defeat the evil Charmer bent on torturing Leena into submission.

This charming novel should be on your short list for the summer.

The blurb for Kingdom of Exiles was appealing, and I wasn’t disappointed. If you are looking for an action-packed story with an original concept, a strong female lead character, incredible beasties, an imaginatively and well-developed world, interesting and likable characters (even if you don’t want to like them), this book is for you. The writing is smart, and although it is a long book, the pacing was quick (for the most part).

Both the cover, the description, and the writing had the feel of a well-executed YA book, but this is definitely an adult fantasy romance. I think it would appeal to YA readers but there are a few racy bits that give pause.

The characters are well developed, but I particularly enjoyed the author’s development of the Cruor. One would expect them to be hard and soulless, but the author has taken an interesting approach with their characters. As they were all once regular people (before being raised from death to be Cruor) they retain their original personalities.

Noc has secrets from his past life, one of them tied to a curse he has been given. It causes him to go from hot to cold where his draw to Leena is concerned and definitely adds to the tension. Who he was before he was raised was hinted at and will hopefully be revealed in the sequel.

One of the underlying themes of the book is trust. Noc makes a deal with Leena, but he has ulterior motives – but can she trust him? Leena has her own motive for taking the deal but doesn’t know of the Cruor oath. Leena’s trust was broken once already when she was exiled, so trust does not come easily.

The beasts in this book are fantastic, imaginative and amazing, and come in all shapes and forms. (I would love to know the process that Martineau used in creating them.) There are different classes of beasts (which sounds a bit like Pokemon, to be honest). I look forward to discovering more beasts in future books in this series!

This book has plenty of action, and it all involves the use of beasts. (This surprised me as Charmers are protective of their creatures.)

The ending was action-packed and set up the next book nicely. In all honesty, I’m not a fan of cliffhangers. This book had a bit of a cliffhanger, with plenty of questions left to be resolved. I’m looking forward to seeing more beasts, more questions answered and more of all the players in the sequel.

This book is being described as Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin’s Creed, which, admittedly, is marketing genius, but not necessarily a fair comparison. There ARE beasts aplenty, it’s true (and they are fantastical) and yes, there are assassins, but for me, that’s where the resemblance ends. My other issue was the sex scenes, which ARE steamy (yay) but also graphic. In fairness, I genuinely thought this was YA until I reached the first sex scene, so it clearly caught me off guard. Neither of these would be enough to deter me from this book, though (and if it’s not your thing, you’re forewarned and you can skim).

This was a highly entertaining tale and an excellent start to a trilogy.

I tend to indulge on my geeky side with movies, but the premise of this book piqued my interest. I am so glad it did! SO.GOOD!. I mean, romance, adventure, and magic all rolled up in one pretty awesome package! You can't go wrong with this one!

Kingdom of Exiles has all of the elements of a great romantic fantasy adventure. I loved the newness of the world Maxym M. Martineau developed. I don’t think I’ve read a fantasy novel that had an advanced level of Beast Charmer characters and the little that was revealed in this novel only makes me want more to read. There were elements of magic and a mysteriousness to the Order of Cruor assassins, the way they used shadows to move quickly or jump from place to place was a little bit reminiscent of Christine Feehan’s Shadow Rider series, although this setting is completely different. I liked that the assassins were revived after death but could still get someone pregnant? I definitely wanted to learn how that would be possible!

Kingdom of Exiles also used my favorite romantic trope of enemies to lovers. I L-O-V-E when two adversaries come to admire traits in the other that makes them fall in love, yet, they are resistant to it happening. This novel portrayed that tension really well and kept me reading that “just one more” chapter.

The only negative for me about this novel was that it started so strong but somewhere around 2/3’s of the way through the pace slowed just enough for me to get impatient. I’ll admit to rushing through a couple of chapters until that pace picked back up again towards the end of the book. The ending was great, leaving the reader with a little hint about what direction the next book may take. I just wish this author had the next book coming out soon! ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I was given a free ARC of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!

This is one of the most highly anticipated debut novels I’ve been hearing about this year so I was thrilled to receive the chance to read it early via Netgalley. I don’t read as much sci-fi/fantasy novels as I used to (I was a Star Trek/Star Wars nerd growing up!) and now when I do they have to have a romance element. There was also something about the description that reminded me of the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews which made it a lock. I will admit that it started out a little slow for me, but it didn’t get take long for the story to suck me in completely.

Leena has been falsely accused of the ultimate crime for her people-taming a human-and exiled from life in Hireath by the Charmer Council. In order to survive, she has committed another crime, selling her precious beasts on the black market. When the story begins she is closing a deal for one of the most sought after beasts, a Gyss that can fulfill one wish every 6 months for their owner (at a price) when she realizes she is being watched. Leena decides to draw the stalker out and with the assistance of one of her beasts, is able to capture the man following her. She is shocked to discover that he is a member of the Cruor, a group of assassins that are known for their persistence in fulfililng the contracts they take on. Leena knows then that she is in real trouble and must determine who wants her dead, so she forces the assassin (Kost) to take her back to his home to try and get the information she needs in an attempt to have the contract drops.

Once in Cruor she meets Noc, the guild master and leader of the band of assassins. He is furious at first, however when Leena offers to give him a beast in exchange to have the bounty taken off of her, Noc jumps at the chance. He bargains her into giving the Cruors four B-class beasts, assuring her that if she complies, none of his men will fulfill the contract. This is of course misleading, as he does not include himself in the guarantee which Leena does not realize. Both sides however need certain beasts for their own reasons; Leena wants a Myad, a beast that no other charmer has been able to tame in hopes that it would force the Charmer Council into allowing her to return home. Noc wants a Gyss to remove a curse that was placed on him a long time ago preventing him from showing love or affection to anyone as that would mean their death. Neither one knows what the other’s true intention though, but they set on a journey with 3 of Noc’s men including Kost, Ozias and Calem to obtain the needed beasts.

The story quickly picked up steam for me once Leena and the Cruors met and started out on the mission, as I loved the interactions between the men. Calem in particular was hilarious in his perpetual horniness, but they all had their (dare I say it?) charms! I also enjoyed the various beasts that are described throughout the story and thought that they brought a special element to it that I haven’t seen before in previous books I have read. As much as I enjoyed the book there were some minor issues for me. At times Leena seemed overly naive when you would think her years in exile would have driven that out of her. But in his own way Noc was as well; there is one part in particular I’m thinking of, but I don’t want to spoil it for you! (Let’s just say I knew what was going to happen after his wish.) I also thought the storyline could have been tightened up to bring the length down as it was a pretty long read.

However as I said, these were minor issues for me and I still really enjoyed this first adventure into this world! I’m awaiting the next adventure as the answer to the question of who placed the contract on Leena was not answered in this one. I don’t know if the next book will remain focused on Leena and Noc specifically but I’m really hoping for more about the others-especially if Calem ever settles down! I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who reads high or urban fantasy romance novels!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the chance to read this early!