This being the first book I read by the author exceed my expectations. The book was filled with magical beast and beast charming along with magical assassin. Leena is a beast charmer who is in exile and Noc is the magical assassin in charge with killing her. There is romance and does not end on a cliffhanger. I felt connected to them and enjoyed learning about the characters. I look forward to the next book in the story.

A very good YA Fanasty magical story.
Lena is a Beast Charmer and her friend accused her of a crime and a bounty is placed on her.
Noc accepts the bounty and goes after Lena.
Lena and Noc arrived at an agreement that's where all the action,drama,twists, suspense begins.
Very compelling story.
Really like all the characters and magical beasts.
Looking forward to the next.
Voluntarily reviewed.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. I loved this book! If you are a fan of Ilona Andrews and Anne Bishop, you should like this story very much (rare praise to compare to those amazing authors!). Strong characters; excellent word-building. This is a great start to a new series. The ending resolves enough that, even though it obviously sets up for a sequel, the ending status quo is satisfying as a stand-alone. In a world with magic, there are Charmers who live in a closed society and can symbiotically bond with other world creatures. An exiled Charmer, falsely accused, Leena is on her own and scraping by. She learns, the hard way, that there is a bounty on her head and the assassins guild has accepted the contract. This precipitates an unheard of agreement between Noc, the head of the guild (all of whom have died and been reborn, by the way) and Leena, the exiled Charmer. Their agreement takes them into dangerous situations, accompanied by three other members of the guild. Noc has reasons for wanting to use the agreement, of course. There is romance, deception, a fairly unpleasant section with a horrible Charmer who tortures Leena, and reconciliation. I look forward to reading more from this author and can't wait for the next adventure.

Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in The Beast Charmer series. When I read the blurb I was intrigued and I'm happy to say the book didn't disappoint at all. It was unique and funny and once the plot grabbed me I wasn't able to put it down untill I finished it. The start was a bit slow and it took me some time to get sucked into the story but once it did.. Oh boy, what a ride it was. The author creates a fantasy world full of beasts and magic, but she doesn't feel the need to spend time laying out that world for you. Instead, you discover it as you're reading the book. It feels much more natural that way. The plot was really great - every important scene led to another, the fighting scenes were amazing, the magic and mythology were interesting... The book was different, entertaining, and kept my attention. And the characters were well developed and very interesting.
My only complaint is that I didn't really understand why Leena and Noc were atracted to eachother, let alone why (or how) they fell in love. I didn't feel the chemistry between them right up to the end.
But overall I enjoyed the book very much and I'm really looking forward to the next in this series. I really hope it will get even better because I did kind of get attached to the characters and I'm looking forward to reading more about them. This book was really great. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this new series. Lots on offer in the book and really looking forward to more from this author.

tw mentions of abusive relationships/rape

First off, thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for this honest review!

The blurb describes this as Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin's Creed, but truth be told, I know nothing of either of those franchises. If anything, Leena's world reminds me more of Pokemon, albeit like....a dark, sexy version of that world? Trust me, it works a lot better than that sentence makes it sound. I went back and forth on 3-4 stars on this one, and ultimately decided on four - because I genuinely did enjoy this one that much, even if it's not my usual read.

I tend to be in love with the idea of paranormal romance, but I rarely (if ever) actually ENJOY reading them. They're often too dramatic for my taste, or the characters are two dimensional, or worst of all, the 'love' story just reeks of consent issues and weirdness. I say all this not to dissuade anyone from Kingdom of Exiles, but to highlight all the ways it steers clear of those common pitfalls. This is a lush, exciting paranormal romance, and I had a blast reading it.

Fair warning to future readers, there IS an abusive relationship (and near the end, something that seems like a rape parallel to me) but none of that occurs between our MC and her LI. Martineau treats those darker storylines with respect and care, and the end result was intense but cathartic, making me genuinely ache for Leena even in the midst of her swashbuckling adventure.

It helps that Martineau hits so many of my fav things throughout this novel too. Enemies to lovers? Check. Doomed, tragic antiheroes? Check. Interesting, unique worldbuilding? Check. LGBT rep???? Check check check. This is by no means a perfect book (the chemistry between the leads is rushed, the writing isn't exactly subtle, and then there's the tired trope of the gay side char being in tragic/unrequited love with his best friend) but it was such an enjoyable read that I was more than happy to overlook those things.

This is definitely a creative book, and I'd say that for anyone who's looking for some absurd, escapist fantasy with plenty of tension/romance, then this is the book for you. The ending was satisfying enough, but clearly setting things up for a sequel, and the most interesting storyline (for me) has yet to be resolved. I know it may be a long way off, but still, after this one I definitely look forward to seeing what comes next for Leena and Noc!

I ADORED this book and finished it very quickly. I was SNAGGED by the description mentioning Fantastic Beasts but was worried it was going to end up too much like it. I worried for nothing! This book was completely it's own and enthralled me from page one. The world building, creatures and character growth was perfect and I can't wait for more!

What an exciting new world full of beasts, magic and amazing characters! I fell in love with Lenna and Noc, and can’t wait for the next book.

When we meet Leena she comes across as a badass, rather cold woman. She is a Charmer, exiled from her home and she sells beast on the black market to survive. When she is attacked by an assassin from Cruor, she wins and she decides to take him to Cruor to find who put a price on her head.

And there we meet Noc, lead of the Cruor assassins. He makes a deal with Leena to acquire 4 beasts and in return none of his men will kill her. Of course there is a catch - he doesn't include himself - plus there is no way to stop a hit as it would mean for the assassin to die him/herself. And Noc has taken over the job from his friend Kost after Leena bested him.
Both Leena and Noc have ulterior motives. Leena needs a special beast (a Myad) to be able to make her way home and Noc is cursed so everyone he loves dies a slow death. He hopes to find a beast that can help him to counter the curse.
Noc fully intends to kill Leena after procuring the promised 4 beasts and getting rid of his curse.

Noc, Leena and some of his men travel to Ortega Key and during the journey you get to know everyone a lot better and feelings change. Noc fights his feelings for Leena due to his curse (and the fact he has to kill her). In the meantime the people that want Leena dead do not sit still and danger is everywhere. We soon see Leena can be very vulnerable and she has feelings for Noc as well.

The story was a very enjoyable ride. Maxym Martineau has an amazing imagination. I loved so many of the beasts. I looked at her website when book 2 is due, but there is no information at all. I do hope the next book will not have us waiting too long.

Fantastic book filled with edge of your seat adventure! It was fast paced and action packed! I couldn’t put it down!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

While I don't normally read YA the plot of this book sounded interesting. It had several plot twists and I really enjoyed reading about all the different creatures. This is a really good teen read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read!

***I received this ARC courtesy of Netgallery in exchange for an honest review***

Pretty good read

4.5 stars

Leena is a charmer, she charms magical beasts and and each of the beasts have certain powers that can be called upon when needed. She has been living in exile due to a crime she did not commit. To make ends meet she sells some of her beasts on the black market which is a punishable offense.

She soon discovers there is a bounty on her head, a bounty carried out by a assassin's guild with a 100% completion rate. She tries to make a deal with the head assassin and lucky for her he needs some beasts and since charmers are rare she is just the person to find them. When she does she goes scot free (view spoiler)

The story was engaging. I liked Leena and the love she displayed for her beasts. I also liked that we had Noc's POV, he was also an interesting character. The secondary characters too balanced the whole story out. It seems like a long book but it went by pretty fast.

I am excited I got to discover this author and I can't wait to read book 2. I already have an idea about Noc and I want to see how that plays out.

God, this book! It's so freaking amaziiiiiing! It's been a long time since I've read a YA fantasy book that is as epic as this one. I love the romance, the plot, the beasts, the unlikely friendships, the adventure - I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. I knew right from the start that it's going to be awesome.

I highly recommend it and I definitely can't wait for the second book!

Not the best beginning but still a great book

I would like to thank Maxym M. Martineau, Sourcebooks, Inc., and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SPOILERS

This book was a fun adventure with high stakes, an intriguing premise, and a fascinating use of magic. It was generally well-written, with multifaceted characters and creativity that knew no bounds.

I can definitely see why they used Fantastic Beasts to pitch it; I was fascinated by the beasts and their unique characteristics and abilities. Some of them were difficult to imagine, but creatures I know from other IPs helped me to picture them. For instance, I imagined the Graveltots were small Graveler Pokemon, and the Myad was an ornamented Bagheera from Disney’s live-action Jungle Book. In my mind, the Gyss were Tinkerbell fairies crossed with Genies from the Spyro 2 Playstation game.

I found other shades of Harry Potter here, but it had nothing to do with the beasts, lore, or society; rather, I saw the Marauders, aka Harry Potter’s father and his friends, in the five prominent characters. Noc was James, Ozias was Remus, Calem was Sirius, and Kost was Peter. Leena, then, was Lily. They weren’t by any means exact matches, I just saw similar elements in their personalities and group dynamic. It helped endear me to them, because Lily and the Marauders are my favorite part of Harry Potter lore.

But unfortunately, the story and characters weren’t set up well.

I had such a hard time getting into the story. Not because it was poorly written prose-wise or uninteresting, but because, I think, it was a bit overwhelming. After getting further into the book, you can make sense of those first few chapters, but when you’re first reading them, you might find it difficult to grasp what’s going on. The first chapter was pretty much all action; all show and no tell. There was very little inner monologue and even less exposition, meaning we’re introduced to the world, the scene, as if we should already have some background knowledge of it, and because I didn’t, most of it just went right over my head.

I understand why Martineau (henceforth dubbed 3M) started out with the matter of the Gyss, foreshadowing and demonstrating what Leena’d been reduced to, but it wasn’t a great way to introduce us to Leena. Later, after we understood her situation, we were able to sympathize with her and the choices she had to make to survive. But as we didn’t know anything about her yet, she merely came off as a cold, callous, and selfish criminal who regularly dealt in the black market, selling off living creatures who loved her and trusted her to take care of them. She also declared she didn’t “do” love to a guy who clearly cared about her and wanted a relationship with her. She kind of lived with him and would use him to get off, never mind that by doing so she was stringing him along and encouraging hopes she didn’t want him to have. We learned she was on the outs with her people, then we watched her ruthlessly use Iky as a weapon, as a means of torture, which did nothing to contradict the impression we’d gotten already. I honestly didn’t like her much through the first several chapters, and that initial dislike cast a shadow over her character for the remainder of the novel, though I did come to appreciate her in some ways.

Noc, Cruor, and the assassins were introduced in a similarly abrupt manner, also as if we should have already known them, particularly with Noc. Watching him inwardly fret over a bloody Kost helped to endear him to us, but not overmuch because at that point all we knew about the assassins was that they made a living by killing without compunction or discrimination. It goes against the grain to sympathize with a character who, in most other stories, would be the villain. (This book is rather subversive in that way.) We watched Noc hurt Leena, toy with her to demonstrate his power and authority, then smoothly lie through his teeth to make a false deal with her, fully intending to betray her and kill her after he’d gotten what he wanted. And we were supposed to consider him a swoon-worthy hero? As with Leena, he gave a bad impression and it cast a shadow over his character even after I decided he was an okay guy.

So because I wasn’t overly fond of either of them, their romance fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the chemistry between them despite solid efforts and skillful writing on 3M’s part.

Side note: She needs to dial back on the hero staring intensely at the heroine for an extended amount of time. It got kinda creepy.

Overall, the poor beginning made connecting to the narrative difficult, but it eventually got better as the characters and beasts grew on me. Once I was able to grasp what was going on and saw that the characters had good in them, I quite enjoyed the story.

This is supposed to be a trilogy, so I would assume we’ll be seeing books 2 and 3 within the next couple of years. 3M doesn’t have any information on her website about the rest of the series (as of writing this review), but since they presumably refer to Leena in the name of the series, I expect we’ll continue in her POV and pick up the threads left dangling at the end of this book: Leena and Noc working out the kinks in their relationship; Leena potentially joining the Council; finding whoever ordered the hit on her and killing them so neither Leena nor Noc has to die; discovering more of Noc’s past life and what that has to do with everything; adjusting Cruor to Noc’s new ways; preventing or fighting the coming war; dealing with the consequences of Calem’s revival; getting both Kost and Oz laid. (Yeah, there was a lot going on, but 3M juggled it all pretty darn well, I think.)

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Four and a half for this amazing beginning of what I think might be a trilogy. Leena is a Charmer and can tame magical wild Beasts but she was cruelly betrayed by someone she trusted and is now banished from her homeland. She makes her living however she can but someone has a plan that involves Leena and it means she's in grave danger.
Noc leads a band of assassin's and the newest assignment goes horribly wrong when their target Leena gets the jump on her supposed killer ! She's brazen and brave but Noc has secrets of his own and if he can get the Charmer to cooperate and gift him with Beasts of his own he can offer her safety from his Guild but Leena really should pay attention to his terms !
I really enjoyed this as it had magic, strong characters and of course the varied and amazing Beasts. The world building felt very organic and not pushed on the reader with chunks of useless information. The Beasts are very interesting and I'd love to know more. As for the romance it's a slow build which made it much more satisfying. All this meant the plot and what happens leaves me believing you should read this book yourself. I very much look forward to more in this series and happily recommend it.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

Kingdom of Exiles, first in the Beast Charmer series, was a very good story!! It had fantasy, adventure and romance. It was beautifully written and was very hard to put down. The author did a great job to kick off this series in which we meet an array of characters. Characters that are not perfect and have extraordinary powers. Leena is a beast charmer who had been exiled and a bounty is placed on her. Noc is the leader of Cruor, who are responsible for fulfilling these bounties. It is his job to take care of her bounty, but in exchange for her freedom she offers him four beasts. He agrees and along the way in searching for these beasts they get to know each other and learn that some secrets are worth sharing.
I really liked the beasts and how they play an important role in their lives. The whole concept of the story was very new and refreshing for me. I really enjoyed reading it and I highly recommend it!! The only bad part of it is that we'll have to wait for the second part to come out for a while.

I love love loooove strong independent female leads. They always make me dig deeper into a book and clap with excitement. I have a daughter and I am always looking for books/characters to one day read to her to explain how important it is to be a strong female.
I loved the twists and turns in this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat while holding my breath . It has that dark slow burning romance that feels like eating melted chocolate and strawberries. Rich and perfect.

This is definitely a book to check out.

Never having read anything by this author before I was immediately drawn in by the story. There was excitement, suspense, intrigue and romance with hot steamy sex. It kept my attention and I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the next one.

I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this new fantasy world with different types of creatures and factions of people like exiled Charmer Leena and Guild Master of the Assassins and Leader of Cruor, Noc. Leena has a bounty on her head and the assassins of Cruor have been hired to kill her. However, Noc is intrigued by her and what she can do so he makes a deal with her. He still intends to kill her but as he finds out more about her he realizes that he is developing feelings for her. Lots of action, romance, and imaginative fantasy elements, make this a great read! This is book one in a trilogy.

Fantastic beasts meets Assassins Creed is an excellent description for Kingdom of Exiles.

Leena is a Charmer who can charm beasts and bond with them. They can protect her. She is exiled from her people for reasons you learn as the story progresses, and she’s forced to sell her beloved beasts on the black market. This is the number one law for her people to never break, and she thwarts an assassin hired to kill her. Leena takes him hostage to find out who was trying to kill her, and she makes a truce with Noc, leader of the assassins. He won’t kill her, and she will gift him and his assassins beasts.

This was a wonderful start to a fantasy series. I loved the beasts, they were my favorite part of the story. They were each so unique, and I loved how many there were. I need some fan art of them. The world building was also remarkable, and woven nicely throughout the plot. No info dumps here.

Leena is a strong heroine. She’s in a hard place, doing what she can to survive. But she’s kind to animals, and she’s a softy beneath her tough exterior. Noc is mysterious. He has hints of a tragic past, and I hope that book two will explore his story.

I kept thinking about Amanda Bouchet’s Promise of Fire while reading this book. Both have strong heroines, alpha male heroes, well developed supporting characters, and unique world building. I think fans of fantasy romance will enjoy Kingdom of Exiles, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting the second book in the series.

I received this ARC in exchange for a honest review.