Kingdom of Exiles is a unique, action-packed fantasy romance. The strong start to this series promises that great things will follow.

Leena Edenfrell is a Charmer, a person who can tame magical beasts of varying classes. "Taming" sounds simpler than it is, too -- sometimes the act requires self-sacrifice or willingness to endanger oneself. An unfortunate circumstance led to Leena being exiled from her homeland and she seeks a way to return home.

(My only sadness was that my brain decided to think "Pokemon?" the first time that Leena commented about taming beasts, and I couldn't shake the thought the remainder of the book. *shake first at brain*)

Noc is an "undead" assassin with a catastrophic curse (the reason I docked a star was because it took 15 chapters before it was explained how/why the assassins are "undead," which was info that didn't need to be withheld so long). Someone has put in a contract to kill Leena, and as the guild master, Noc takes on the responsibility to fulfill that contract after his first assassin fails. But first, Leena needs to meet the terms of a deal they strike, and Noc needs to get rid of a curse and avoid falling in love.

Both Leena and Noc are strong characters with their own motivations. They're each the stars of their own tales, and I enjoyed reading both points of view. The magic system is unique, and the world and the beasts that inhabit it are vivid and fun to read about. Each beast has its own terms and provide different benefits (or drawbacks), and it was fun to discover them alongside the members of the Assassin's guild.

The fantasy story was strong enough that I nearly forgot this was also a romance book until I hit the first sex scene. The sex that is in it is graphic but non-gratuitous, and if that's not your thing, you can easily skip it. I enjoyed it all, but when there's a powerful fantasy plot, I'd rather it be the star, and the plot shines in Kingdom of Exiles.

Over the years, I've given fewer and fewer books 4+ star ratings. Kingdom of Exiles is a strong example of excellent writing. If you love adventurous fantasy, I highly recommend checking this book out.

In the meantime, I'll be impatiently awaiting book two.

So, this book wasn't as good as I think it could have been. The characters aren't really introduced in a way that made it easy for me to get invested in them, or what they were doing. The worldbuilding was also somewhat weak.

Wow. Love, love, loved this book. Think Pokemon meets fantastic beasts meets assassins creed. From start to finish you are propelled into this magnificent, one of a kind story. The flow and chemistry to this romance is written so naturally that you feel yourself caught up in the beautiful moments the characters share together. Even though there is unfinished business at the end, it's wrapped up perfectly and cements the storyline for the next book well. I cannot wait to pick up the next book.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym Martineau from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin's Creed indeed! I'm a huge fan of both of those things so this book was completely in my wheelhouse and I am happy to report that Maxym Martineau did not disappoint! I had never read anything by the author before this and had no expectations either way so to be so engrossed from the first page was a welcome surprise.

First, the main female character, Leena, is a strong and intelligent, but still likeable and sympathetic. She is a Charmer-someone who can bond with magical beasts-who is wrongly exiled from her homeland and forced to break the law (selling her beasts to others) to survive. When a price is put on her head, she meets Noc, the head of a league of assassins and kind of a bad ass in the very best way, who is cursed that anyone he loves dies. Both characters are wonderfully crafted with tons of layers-while still being relateable and I was glued to my e-reader to see what antics they would get up to next or how their romance developed.

This is definitely worth a read and Maxym Martineau is for certain an author to follow for future novels!

A charmer is only as strong as the beasts she keeps...
Just, WOW!

When Leena strikes a deal––four of her beasts in exchange for her life––she didn't expect her heart would enter into the equation. But the handsome assassin hired to kill her is stealing the God's damned organ in her chest piece by piece.

Assassin, Noc, may have cut a deal with Leena, but he had no plans to hold up his end. Until the smart, beautiful beast charmer becomes more than a mark. Then again, he IS going to kill her...one way or another. Unless he can get his hands on the one beast Leena refuses to give him.

Martineau's debut is a stunning experiment in lush world-building, a careful curation of characters, and slow-burn romance at it's finest. Lendria and it's inhabitants jump off the page and make you long to make their acquaintance. The beasts, from small to large, steal the show in every scene they're in, and the secondary characters are a beautiful accouterment to Leena and Noc's central love story and their fantastical web of suspense.

I can only hope that Noc's band of assassins each get their own stories. Especially, Ozias. Hands off, Ladies. I've got dibs on Oz.

Kingdom of Exiles is a brilliant debut. Way to enter the publishing world with a ROAR, Ms. Martineau. BRAVO!

Fun adventure that I would recommend to those who love Sarah J Maas. Leena and Noc have heat fillled relationship that they must fight against to save lives. I especially loved the creatures and wished there was even more with them. Good thing this book looks like it will have a sequel.

A fantasy novel that has a wonderful complex world that is fully crafted. The characters are a spontaneous love or hate. The love story is remarkable and I can't wait to read the next book.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Definitely charmed!! I was fashinated by the plot and waited months to be able to read this book and I can say that it was worthy. It takes a while to warm up but after the firts few chapter is impossible to not love the story and the characters. I loved the way their lifes change and merge. Beyond romance the book is full of adventure, magic and love..

This book is full of magic, action, fantastical beasts, curses and more, even a love story that may cause the death of one or the other parties involved. Can’t wait to read the second book in this series to continue this amazing story of intrigue.

Charmer Leena Edenfrell lives on the fringes of society since being wrongly exiled by her people. After trusting the wrong man, Leena vows never to give her heart to anyone else. Leena survives by selling her magical beasts, an act considered an anathema in her society, risking her life every day to do it. Now, someone has put a bounty on Leena that will end with her death. The Cruor guild of not quite human assassins targets Leena; however, they are rather surprised when she proves to be much more of a challenge than expected. Their leader, Noc, takes on the responsibility for the oath his guild agreed on to fulfill the execution order. Noc has his own major issues including living with a curse which causes everyone he loves to fall ill and die. Leena bargains with Noc to acquire the magical beasts that only a Charmer can call and gift to Noc and his men. Each beast has a special talent from simple comfort level abilities to monster size ones who make their owners a force to be reckoned with as they are quite deadly.

Leena, Noc, and three of his men set out on a journey to capture the agreed upon beasts. Leena has a hidden agenda to find the one beast who can help redeem and prove her innocence. Many adventures ensue for the group during their quest while Leena and Noc are irresistibly drawn to each other despite seemingly insurmountable odds. Noc will have to make difficult choices about who will be sacrificed.

There is definitely a Harry Potter vibe with the magical creatures who are bound to the Charmers. Told in first person with alternating POV’s between Leena and Noc, readers can expect much action, adventure, and fantastical creatures as well as romance. This is the first book in The Beast Charmer trilogy; clearly much more of this tale is yet to unfold including Noc’s history and the pursuit by enemies he and Leena have. This series is off to a promising start; fans of Amanda Bouchet’s The Kingmaker Chronicles which has a strong heroine, very appealing hero, and excellent world building will likely will enjoy this fantasy tale.

Hands down a phenomenal read from beginning to end! There just any enough words to express how immensely I've enjoyed this. The freshing concept that was filled with action-packed supernatural and paranormal elements almost left me to my knees with the author great writing style and should we also mention the characters? Needless to say that it became more than difficult to choose who was my favorite. Was it Noc, Calem, Kost, Leena or the other characters that left a good impression on me? I'm pretty sure there wasn't a character I didn't like and that includes Wynn and Winnow. Moreso each character, rather big or small, brought something to the story and that ultimately lead to the spectacular cliffhanger, if you want to call it that. This was definitely a series where Assassin’s Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and it's worth the long read. During the course of this read, I seriously couldn't put this down and before I knew it I have made it to the epilogue but fortunately enough there is still much more to the story and I can't wait for the release of the of remainder parts of “The Beast Charmer Series”. Let's just say 2020 couldn't come fast enough!

Adventure on every page,, fantastical creatures, and slow burning romance. Highly recommend this book.

I loved this book! It took me away to another world. Fully of magic, adventure, action, romance, curses and so much going on. Looking forward to the 2nd book that will come. The characters are likable and you get a little glimpse into their past. There are teasers that keep you wanting more.

Leena Edenfrell is an exiled beast charmer who wants to get her way back home. Noc a cursed assassin who can't be loved or love because it will cause the death of that person. Fate brings them together when a hit is put on Leena, Trying to find a way to get the assassin's to end the hit she promises to give them 4 beasts in exchange for her life. Yet don't be fooled Leena also needs something from them.

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It is wonderful and I want to pick it up and read it again. This would make a great movie!

I succumbed again to the lure of a paranormal/fantasy romance for a light read whilst on a sightseeing holiday and fully expected it to be as trashy and bad as they usually are. This one was actually one of the better ones I've read, I enjoyed it more than Maria V. Snyder's books (well, apart from 'Poison Study', I loved that first one, although I'm not sure it'd retain my opinion after a re-read...) and this didn't irritate me anywhere near as much as 'A Promise of Fire' by Amanda Bouchet. I did still find myself scan reading a little and rolling my eyes on occasion, some scenes get rather repetitive, but the characters and world building (whilst not great) were fine and better than most I've read in the romance genre.

If you normally enjoy fantasy romance I'd definitely recommend 'Kingdom of Exiles' and I'd read the next one, in fact I'd possibly save it to read after a really nasty grimdark fantasy..!

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Kingdom of Exiles is an extraordinary story that skillfully combines adventure, thriller, and romance into a gripping read. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets Assassins Creed is an excellent description for Kingdom of Exiles.

We’re introduced to a fantastic realm where Leena is a charmer. This means that she can tame and bound with beasts (magical creatures with different supernatural abilities). Leena can summon them at will, and her beasts can protect her.

Blamed for a crime she didn’t commit, Leena is exiled by the Charmers Council and forced to make do by selling her beasts. Things go from bad to worse when an assassin tries to kill her, and she finds out there’s a bounty on her head. Her only chance to survive is to make a deal with the devil. Little does she know about the magic of Cruor’s Oath – assassins are bound by magic to complete their contracts. And thus the adventure begins.

“You’re a long way from home, Charmer. I will neither remove the bounty nor permit you to leave here safely.”

[…]

She was so fragile. Breakable. Hard to believe she’d somehow managed to trap my second-in-command. What made her so dangerous that she warranted a bounty?"

She strikes a bargain with Noc, the leader of the Assassins’ Guild by offering him beasts in exchange for her freedom. Since she’s unaware of the Cruor’s Oath, he can easily deceive her to get the promised beasts. He plans to kill her as soon as she delivers her end of the bargain. As you can expect, that doesn’t happen. Slowly but surely enemies turn into lovers, but they both have secrets and trust issues, so they fight their feelings. That part of the story was well developed and didn’t fall into the fake insta-romance trap.
He was an assassin. I was his bounty. There were so many things that could possibly go wrong— for both of us. And yet, no matter how hard I tried to fight it, I found myself drawn to him. Pulled to him like the ocean waves were guided by the moon.
Read the full review here: https://www.summonfantasy.com/book-reviews/kingdom-of-exiles-by-maxym-martineau

Be sure to read through to chapter 5. It may seem so hard and not great but if you make it that far you will fall into and read the entire book in one sitting. The characters are strong and wonderful. I absolutely love the creatures in the book. They were probably the greatest part of the book. Fantastic beasts would be proud to be known along with this one. I am excited to see what will happen in the next books.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. I wanted to know what would come next and read most the book in one go. However, I felt that the first 3 chapters tried too hard to sound ominous and used too many stereotypes to signal who was good/trustworthy or bad. Also, given the level of intelligence/moral rectitude attributed to the most mythical beast, it defied comprehension that it would be so easy to fool it into harming people it's master holds dear. Anyway, enough is left unresolved that I'd be interested in reading the next book in the series.

I have tried so hard to get through this. I almost quit at the way beginning but then I read reviews about how great this was. I’ll admit, when I got further into it I became more interested but im at 60% and I have yet to see anything exciting happen. The concept behind this is intruiging but the execution just doesn’t do it for me. The relationships don’t mesh well except for Leena and Oz. Noc is the main man here but I just don’t feel his emotions the way they’ve come out.
This was a DNF fr me. I just couldn’t go on.

Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym Martineau, a great fun read. I really enjoyed this book, it pulled me in from the first chapter and didn't let go, Leena is a charmer of mythical beasts and someone has hired assassins to kill her, assassins who never miss...

I really enjoyed this book. Sexy with unique concepts, but a bit predictable at times. All in all still a great book as long as you don't mind sexy bits.