Martineau has joined the ranks of authors to watch. Kingdom of Exiles is a well-written debut and a powerful start to a new series. No doubt, this book will attract a lot of attention from fellow bookworms. I enjoyed Leena at the beginning. Forced to become streetwise and fend for herself, I was pumped when she squared off with the first assassin sent her way. I found though, as the story evolved away from the initial tough girl to her obsession with Noc, I found her chapters tough to get through until the last quarter of the book.

A rounded, brooding character, I found Noc and his guild to be one of the highlights of the book. The lore behind the guild was interesting and his diverse group of the fellow assassins really grabbed my attention.
If you are expecting Assassin’s Creed, then you will probably be let down. This book spends more time building up the Charmer side of the world. I’m expecting Martineau to spend more time with the assassin guild in future books, as she did a fabulous job shaping the side characters (assassins) that travel with Leena and Noc.

I would have preferred less romance and more beast charming action and assassin-y moments but the current trajectory of the story is exciting and the set up for the rest of the series is solid. Conspiracies abound! This is a strong debut, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

** Review will be posted on Dream Come Review closer to publication date.

Leena Edenfrell has a bounty on her head. As an exiled Charmer, she has committed seemingly unpardonable offenses- she’s sold her magical beasts. Noc accepted the bounty for his guild, never expecting that Leena would offer him a trade that could provide him with the very cure he’s been seeking. There’s just one catch… once a member of Cruor accepts a bounty, the only option is death. Can Noc find a way to save Leena despite the bounty? Or will his growing love for her mean her death regardless?

KINGDOM OF EXILES is the first book in <i>The Beast Charmer</i> and wow, what an intriguing world Maxym M. Martineau has crafted for us! I love the idea of a magical bestiary and the range of creatures we get to meet. I have to admit that despite the power of beasts like Mistari, my favorite magical beast is Poof.
Leena and Noc are fascinating main characters. Maxym M. Martineau does a marvelous job at showing us their darker histories while still making both of them likable, heck even heroic at times. They both have somewhat dubious histories and yet they struggle to do the right thing, even when the odds are stacked against them. I’m excited about what the future holds for both Leena and Noc!

KINGDOM OF EXILES is a great start to a new fantasy series, set in a dark but captivating new world. Maxym M. Martineau gives us a spectacular glimpse at some of the creatures that populate this world and oh, I hope there are even more in store for us (although I can’t imagine any cuter and cuddlier than Poof!). If you love fantasy novels with multidimensional characters, creative world building, and a plot that is literally to die for then KINGDOM OF EXILES should be on your must-read list!

*review is in the editing queue- I'm including a link to the article already posted that features this book*

Omg. But really though. Omg.

I just finished Kingdom of Exiles and, quite frankly, Maxym M. Martineau's incredible imagination makes me proud to be a human being.

This book is is Throne of Glass meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets...Pokémon? And it's AMAZING. It's thick, throbbing, wretched angst. It's palpable sexual tension for days and days. And it's an intricate, vivid fantasy world that will suck you in so deep that you will forget to come up for air.

If you're a fan of Amanda Bouchet's The Kingmaker Chronicles then buckle the eff up because you are going to love Kingdom of Exiles. And if you're someone who says ...Oh, I don't know. I'm not really into Fantasy Romance...let me just stop you. Allow me, if you will, to place a gentle finger against your lips. Shhh. Give this book a chance. I finished Kingdom of Exiles in a 48 hour period and in Mom Time...that's like...12 hours? Let me put it this way... In my pre-kid days I would have knocked this out in one sitting. It's delicious.

Kingdom of Exiles is set to release in June of this year. Pre-order it pleeeease. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Gawd, this is a good one.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and would probably continue to read more in the series. It reminded me a lot of the anime/manga Fairy Tail, whose main character holds keys to celestial spirits. The story seemed to move a little fast and I would have liked to know a little more about the characters before the romance began.

I really enjoyed the story line of this book - the author's imagination in the beasts and their charmers, the assassins and their abilities and the makeup of the land was complex and fascinating. This wasn't the type of a book that I would normally read so it took me a little bit to get into the meat of the story but once I got there I really enjoyed it and it moved faster.

I liked the way the story developed and will enjoy reading the next book in the series. At this point I'm invested in the characters and would love to see where their story goes. Leena and Noc are complex characters and their interactions, as well as those involving their beasts and friends and background is interesting.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my review but I can easily say that I will purchase the book and the subsequent books in the series to read.

Oh my gods this book! LOVE. 5/5 stars!

When I got this, I was SUPER excited to read it. A Charmer on the run from being framed for a crime she didn't commit, assassains fulfilling a bounty on her head, and a curse that forbids any chance of developing relationships. Kinda reminds me as a more adult Pokemon mixed with some undead assassains.

My goodness. This was so amazing and I was hooked from the beginning.

Leena sells off beasts in order to provide for herself and to survive. After being exiled from her home because of an act that her ex-lover made, she was pinned with the crime and forced on the run. After an encounter with an assassain, she storms to Cruor, where the shadow assassains guild lies, in order to remove her bounty on her head. Noc, the leader of the guild, makes a deal with Leena: 4 beasts in exchange for none of his men to come after her head. After the deal is set, they go on to travel to collect this beasts, but Leena is also hoping to find a legendary one in order to hekp clear her name. As you can guess, lots of trouble happens along the way.

I had so much fun reading this! I loved the cheerful banter of Oz and Calum, the seriousness of Kost, and the darkness of Noc. There is so much going on with these characters, but Noc was my favorite of the bunch. Even more than Leena, and that's saying something because I love her! Noc just has so much surrounding him, so many secrets, his curse, and just his fight to want something but not repeat the past. His development is honestly amazing, and I loved hery second of it. Even though I can guess some things that may be revealed in the next book, I have no doubt I will still love him.

We really get to know a lot about Leena, and especially how she ended up in the situation she's in. She was fragile and strong at the same time. She had this light air around her, but can easily make everything tense at a moment's notice. She's so much more powerful than she lets on, but she always tries to ignore her emotions in fear of betrayal. Seeing her being able to open up to the group she was in, and then by the end come to the decisions she's made, it just made me pretty happy. I can't wait to read more of her.

Honestly, just check this one out. Doesn't come out for a few months, but it's definitely worth the wait! I know I'll be picking up a physical copy for myself for sure. I can't wait for the next book, which hopefully isn't too far away.

ARC provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I thought overall the book was good. The writing style wasn’t my favorite and it sounded like every other young fantasy book. If you’re a big young adult fantasy lover I would recommend this book.

"Kingdom of Exiles" is an engaging fantasy/romance with a whole new world. Leena is a charmer, which means she can find and tame beasts of the magical variety. She has learned of a bounty on her head from a group of assassins who always get their target. Leena decides to bargain with the leader of the group, Noc, to lift the bounty in exchange for beasts. Noc is haunted by a curse that affects him and everyone he cares about, and he is hopeful of finding a cure.

While the romance is actually a smaller part of the book than I expected, the world is really fascinating here. We slowly learn bits and pieces about the way it functions and the creatures and people within it. The beginning was a little hard to follow, as we are introduced to a lot of new concepts and partial information (it is all revealed more organically without knowledge dumps), but once the book took off, it really captured my attention. Much of it reads like YA fantasy, and I use that comparison as high praise.

Overall, it's an engaging fantasy with a whole new world to explore. I would have liked some more speed in learning about the world, more information about the beasts, and a little more on the romance side of things. However, I would definitely be interested in reading more! Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

A tale of friendship, love for animals, and simmering attraction set in a fantastical world as exotic and vibrant as Lord of the Rings.

I melted over and over again at the animal taming scenes, and how much Leena cared for her beasts! The obstacles between her and Noc were unimaginably high and nail biting, and I was really won over by the extended cast and the group of assassins that became like family to her. This whole world is beautifully described and detailed, from each fantastically creative beast to the landscapes that are just a bit more colorful and magical than those of our world. It was truly immersive and I could see this series growing to be a huge, beloved fantasy world one day with a loyal following of fans who know every beast and can map the whole world from memory. A+ fantasy!

OH MY GOD one of the best fantasy books I've read for this year, I loved reading this and for a fantasy book it has a really original and unique plot I can't wait to find out what happens next. WOo Can't wait for it to be released and show the public HOW GOOD IT IS.

I'm glad NetGalley gave me a copy of this book to review - I really enjoyed it.

Leena is a renegade beast charmer, and when she discovers she has a contract out on her, she makes a pact with the assassin's guild. Both the group of assassins and Leena herself are interesting, and I liked seeing them interact. The thing I liked best about Leena is how she cared for her beasts. And I REALLY liked the variety of unique beasts we saw in this book - that was probably my favorite part of the story. The assassins - Noc, Oz, and several others, were all enjoyable, and I liked their personalities - Oz was a favorite of mine at first, and Calum really grew on me.

I'd certainly recommend this book to fantasy fans, especially those who enjoy magical creatures. Although the major story came to a good resolution - there are some big worries on the horizon, and I'll be watching for book 2.

Thank you to source books for the arc of this book.
I knew from the very first sentence I was going to love this book, and have trouble putting it down, and I wasn’t wrong.
This had me heartbroken, to hopeful, crying like a baby.
Leena and Noc, and the rest of the gang made for a fantastic first book!
I will be on the lookout for the second, I highly recommend this book, such a different and refreshing take on fantasy.

Kingdom of Exiles was a solid fantasy debut novel. After reading the blurb I was intrigued by the premise and plot. And as expected the storyline was unique, and at times gave me a Pokemon vibe which I really enjoyed.

The writing was smart, and I can see the author’s potential. Even though it felt like a debut novel at times, which it is – the plot and writing sounded more like a YA novel. The story was a bit stilted at times, and didn’t flow as it could have. Nevertheless I read it in short order, maybe in a couple days, since I had to squeeze in reading time at work etc.

The element of charming animals that were as exotic as Pokemon creatures, and matching said animals to humans was very well done.

I would have liked more of the animal charming, since that’s a HUGE draw of the story, and less of the drama and romance that took over the book. Again it felt like a YA novel with its angst and relationship drama and less like an adventure novel. The comparison to Assassin’s Creed is a bit misleading, because there wasn’t that much action throughout the novel. Compared to a Kate Daniels novel, this one was TAME!!

Nevertheless the book ended satisfyingly, with a bit of foreboding of what might be coming – which has me intrigued to say the least.

There might have been a couple of times I started skimming towards the end, with 448 pages it wasn’t exactly a short novel. But overall it was an enjoyable read, not wowing but enjoyable. I can see that the author has a promising future in front of her and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

This was surprisingly awesome. A great fantasy novel with lots of cool characters and even cooler beasts on a roller coaster of action.
Exiled Charmer Leena has a bounty on her head. To get rid of it she makes a deal with the assassins who have their own agenda.
For having such a complex world with so many creatures the story was exceptional believable, rounded, and easy to follow, not a dull moment.
Only two things that I, personally, found a bit annoying: the relationship problems were overly dramatized (which, no offense, would be typical for a YA novel, which this here is not meant to be); and while there is no real cliff hanger at the end, there is one important story line that is not finished. But that is not a problem, I am already signed up for the next book in the series anyway.

I!!!! Loved!!!!! This!!!! Book!!!!! Magical creatures? Check! Angsty romance? Check! Hot assassins? Check! I’m seriously excited for the rest of the series - this book had great chemistry between the whole cast of characters and the most swoon-worthy romance between our leads. All the characters have great back stories and are really well fleshed out. The world building is lush and vibrant and the writing style is immersive. I definitely recommend this book

Overall an enchanting and fun world, full of creatures and monsters I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know.

While I enjoyed all four of the main ‘assassins’ they definitley didn’t read as such in any way, leaving a bit of a disconnect between a realistic character development/psyche/mannerisms with people who kill for a living.

The two MC POV, Leena and Noc we’re distinct enough, though I preferred Leena more so. This book set up for more works in the series, and while I can see the breadcrumbs and can guess the outcome of the future, I look forward to meeting new beasts for Leena to charm.

Leena is a beast charmer who's exiled from her community. Noc is one of the assassins hired to kill her. She makes a separate deal with him and his group - she'll charm beasts for each of them to command in exchange for her life. Noc, who lives with a curse on his head, wants a beast that will grant wishes at often terrible cost, but it's a price he's willing to negotiate. He certainly never expected to fall in love with Leena.

This one didn't pull me in as quickly as I expected it to, but once it came together for me, it was a fun fantasy read. The first half of the book tended to lag at chapters, but it picks up as the relationship between Noc and Leena progresses, and Leena develops relationships with the other assassins. It's a good pick for fantasy fans who enjoy some sexy times.

From the first little blurb before the book began, I was excited and full of anticipation. This book did not disappoint.

Compelling, addictive, page-turning with heart pounding excitement, I couldn’t get enough. It had the perfect blend of action, love, angst and friendship.

This book is really in a class of its own! Assassins and beasts have never been this exciting or sexy. Maxym M. Martineau has created a masterpiece with this world. It is beyond compare. From all types of beasts to sexy-as-sin alpha male assassins and a kickass heroine, to a story line that will keep you enthralled, there is never a dull moment.

Leena was amazing. She was strong and resilient as well as sassy and smart. I can’t wait to see more of her.

Noc. Gorgeous, strong and cursed, Noc. I loved the way he lead his team and his people. Even though he had restrictions due to his curse, he gave as much as he could and always put them first.

Leena and Noc together? Smokin’. These two definitely make you feel their angst and attraction. They are perfect together.

As for the secondary characters in this book, the author made me care for them as much as the leads. I am praying and hoping that each get their own story told.

Oz is like a big, giant, teddy bear. You instantly love him and want to hug him.

Calem is flirty and fun. He made me smirk several times. If his story is written, I cannot wait to see what becomes of him.

Kost is rigid and serious. But, there is more to him then that. He is quite the enigma right now. He will definitely surprise you.

I need more of this world and these characters. As I turned the last page, I was so disappointed it was over. However, there is so much more to this story that is yet to come.

Kingdom of Exiles was simply spectacular and I cannot wait for the next installment so that I may immerse myself in this world with these characters once again.

I received an ARC via NetGalley of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kingdom of Exiles is the most fun I've had reading in a long time! I can 100% say that I loved literally everything about this: the characters, plot, romance, friendships, and the beasts. I cannot wait for the next book in this fantastic new YA fantasy series!

This is a well crafted adult Pokeman(like) romp through lush backdrops with characters that you can't help but love... you just can't... go on, read it, you'll love them too. There is sexual tension to the umpteenth degree. An extremely sloooooooooooooow burn that builds to a crescendo. The creatures are beautifully imagined and undeniably unique. The characters are all loveable and relatable, I want to adopt them all...except Noc, he I will greedily keep for my own nefarious purposes.


I love Noc & Leena... big fan, BUT I especially love Noc. He is incredibly tormented yet compassionate. He shoulders the weight of a powerfully evil curse that makes life torturous when it comes to loving someone...in any capacity. He is unable to express amorous emotions for anyone... ever... or his loved ones, if the feelings are reciprocated, pay the ultimate price.


Leena, on the other hand, is a kick ass heroine and one of the commanding voices of the dueling 2 MCs. She is strong, yet tender towards her beasts and her "family" (which is all sorts of endearing), she is beautiful, deadly and unabashedly, unappologetic when it comes to her lustful appetite.


The writing is solid. I may or may not have shed a few tears (the torment is positively dripping off the pages)...ok, just between us, there was some serious sniffling going on but that's it. The crying is in no way a reflection of the caliber of writing. The world development and character development are both extremely well done. The variety of creatures is exemplary. The characters are so robust (and loveable) you can't help but root for them, cheering for them to succeed and to find their happiness.


There were a slew of blush worthy sexy- time passages which is something I usually shy away from in my choice of reads BUT it was tactful and not overly protracted which made me enjoy the book even more.


Overall: If you're into an adult Pokemon(like) fantasy world with heart racing explicit scenes and damn good World and Character development... then this page turner should be on your radar!!

~Enjoy!

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***