I love the concept of this series. Whomever described it as “Assassin’s Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” was spot on. The heroine is an exiled Beast Charmer and the hero is an assassin who is hired to kill her. They team up instead, (or do they?) when Leena barters four of her beasts in exchange for her life.

This was a good, solid fantasy romance. There were times that I felt like the story and pacing could have been tighter, and I will admit to a few pages skimmed during the hunt for mystical animals to charm, there were 400+ pages after all, but all in all I enjoyed myself. The characters are engaging and interesting and I enjoyed their banter. The worldbuilding hints at interesting backstories for the main cast and some of the lands they visited.

I know this is just book one of a trilogy and I’m hoping this author focuses more on the world building and fleshing out of both the main and secondary cast in the next two releases. I didn’t expect the romance so solidify so quickly, but now that it has I’m hoping we get more focus on the beasts and character backstories and facts about the world they reside within.

Kingdom of Exiles was a wonderful debut in the fantasy romance genre. I’m looking forward to getting to know the Leena, Noc, and their friends better. Looking forward to The Frozen Prince, which releases next year.
Final Grade- B-

Kingdom of Exiles drew me in for the ride from the first page. This book was un-put-down-able! This magical world was atmospheric and intriguing, filled with shadow assassins brought back from the dead and charmers of magical beasts. I loved the main characters Leena and Noc, such a good mix of romance, danger, and intrigue. The charming of magical beasts aspect reminded me of Pokémon, which I enjoyed very much, also the friendship between Noc and his crew of assassins was woven into the story brilliantly! I can’t wait to read more about these characters when the sequel comes out.

Author Maxym M. Martineau delivers THE must-read fantasy romance of the summer with her darkly seductive and uniquely magical tale, Kingdom of Exiles.

Leena Edenfrell is a beast charmer, a person with the ability to enthrall legendary creatures with extraordinary abilities. These creatures dwell in a magical realm and are cataloged in a small, charm-like book until called upon by their charmers. After being betrayed by the man she loved and cast out of the charmer community, Leena must do anything that she can to survive. Even if that means selling her precious beasts for coin. But there is one beast that she can capture that might be able to clear her name and allow her to return home. Just when she's on it's trail though, Leena is set upon by assassins and makes a bargain she may very well come to regret for her freedom. Find beast's for the assassins master's top men and himself. However, she must also find out who put a price on her head. Because an assassins oath can only be broken by death, his or hers...

The one and only problem with reading an ARC of a series book is that you have a longer wait then most between releases. This is the case with Kingdom of Exiles, I am so ready for the next book in the series and this one hasn't even been released yet! With alternating point-of-views readers are introduced to Leena; a tough-talking, independent, and determined young woman with a wall around her heart. Leena trusted the wrong man once before, is she willing to chance repeating that mistake again? I simply adored Leena's spirit and her fight to carry on - no matter what. She come's across at the beginning as a bit corrupt, but as we delve more into her past, and the quest she is on, we learn that she has many layers to her character. And then Noc. Noc is the head of the assassins guild and a complete enigma, even at the end of the book there was still so much to figure out about him. What secrets is he hiding? How can he get out of the oath that he made to end Leena's life? The anticipation for answers is killing me! But Noc and Leena are only two characters in this vibrant world that Martineau has created, and even the side-characters jump out of the pages at you with their larger-then-life personalities and intriguing tones. Each character is wonderfully fleshed out and captivating.

A readers imagination can take flight with the delightful world of magic and creatures that the author has spun to life with each new page. While your mind will spin, unraveling the many secrets and betrayals woven into the plot. But don't worry, there is also redemption... for some... With a complex story-line filled with action and balanced beautifuly with romance, you won't want to put Kingdom of Exiles down. Leena and Noc's chemistry was potent, and my heart twists with the trials these two have navigated...and those yet to come. I am very much looking forward to the next book in The Beast Charmer series, it can't come soon enough, so that I can delve more into this fantastical world and it's alluring characters.

What a unique and creative story this was!

Leena is a Charmer and she charms all sorts of exotic beasts. Noc is a Cruor Assassin. He’s a not so dead-dead guy, and he has a guild of Cruors that he runs. Team these two up and there’s PLENTY to write a story about.

Maxym M. Martineau did a wonderful job creating the bestiary for this novel. I can’t wait to see what beasts Maxym comes up with in future novels.

A book is only as good as it’s writer, and Maxym M. Martineau is a wonderful, visual writer. I can’t wait till book 2.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book, so I could give an honest review.

I finished this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to review it! I received an ARC copy from NetGallery and the publisher. I requested to read this book because the synopsis and cover pulled me in.

This book is set in a steam punk meets fantasy land where "charmers" can tame magical beasts and keep them in their own world. They can visit this other world, or have the beast come into their world. Leena is on the run from her own people and land. She learns that there is a bounty on her head so she is determined to end it and is willing to go to great lengths to end it... even confronting the assassins of death herself.

I loved the world and all of the characters. There was good depth and details.

I would have given it five stars, but deducted a star for language and a couple of sex scenes. Because of those reasons alone, I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

**There is on-page sex, binary gender language, sexual/suggestive remarks, and a few bad words.

This book was brilliant, an amazing start for a new fantasy series.
I loved how it mixes romance and fantasy making the work in an engrossing and entertaining plot, the world building and the well written and fleshed out cast of characters.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book was such an unexpected joy to read. Though labeled as sci-fi it did remind me more of steampunk fantasy, and you'll hear no complaints out of me because that's the aspect I loved best! Honestly, the beasts were so interesting and I love the way Martineau describes them, she's got a talent for descriptive writing without overwhelming with details. Leena is a great character and the whole cast is except and somewhat diverse in LGBTQ rep which was really nice. It's not often we get a bisexual male main character like Noc, another great character that is a delighted balance to Leena. The side characters are fleshed out well and I might have enjoyed them more than even Leena and Noc! And don't get me started on the plot, it was great and I cannot wait to see what happens in book 2. I'm off to preorder a physical copy now because I plan on rereading and lending this book out quite a bit.

It is a slow burn romance and never loses sight of the plot and really it made it such a great read for me, the pacing was wonderful both in action and romance and the world is lush and creative. Martineau has impressed me and I wish I would have read this sooner!

I got the chance to read an ARC of this book and I finished it a while ago, but completely forgot to review it. Great of me, right? Well, I'm getting to it now, okay?

Kingdom of Exiles were all I hoped it would be. A completely new story, with new creatures and characters. I've read of animal mages and watched Pokémon, but the way Charmers work is for me unique. The guild of again risen assassins isn't something I read about every day, either.

In this book, there's a lot of descriptions of the environment, but the story also goes deep inside the characters' feelings and thoughts. Leena and Noc are two people with very different backgrounds of abuse and defeat, but still have a heart that longs for closeness and love. None of them trusts that longing, though.

The overall intrigue, of someone wanting to kill Leena, a Charmer who's been falsely accused of a hideous crime and exiled from her beloved home country and who's now selling her beasts to survive, is slowly weaving between the growing attraction and friendship between her and the assassins. I love a good story that focuses on the characters and Martineau is splendid at writing the different characters that grace us with their presence - I loved all the assassins and Leena and their personalities more than shone through. Noc is a total softie even if he tries to deny it and Leena is caring, thoughtful and kick-ass in all the right ways.

It's fun, it's sweet, it's dark, it's dangerous. And the sexual tension, which is there for a good reason even though it's a bit insta-lovey, lets us all sigh happily in frustration.

I loved this one.

4 of 5 charms


/ Denise

I haven't seen this type of protagonist, a Beast Charmer, in a novel before to I really enjoyed the originality. I think fans of the Harry Potter series and the Fantastic Beasts movies will enjoy this series.

Kingdom of Exiles is book 1 in The Beast Charmer series. This cover is stunning and the blurb really caught my interest at first glance. I'm so glad I tried this novel because it was a unique Fantasy that I didn't want to put down.

Our leading lady, Leena Edenfrell is a beast charmer that's been exiled from her fellow beast charmers. To be able to survive she's doing something against their beliefs, selling some of the beasts she captures. Someone has it out for Leena, they hire the Cruor a brotherhood of assassins to find and kill her. What they didn't count on was that the leader, Noc would strike a bargain with Leena for him and his team to get beasts. Along their journey we learn more about the abilities of a beast charmer and little glimpses of what the Cruor stand for. It's a really interesting and unique world to say the least. I'm utterly charmed by some of the beasts that Leena captures and cannot wait to see what the next installment brings us.

Kingdom of Exiles is a breath of fresh air in the genre with vivid imagination. The pacing was a tiny bit off in a few spots for my taste but overall the novel was great. I loved the characters and the plot and am left intrigued and wanting the next book. If you're a fan of fantasy books you're going to love this new series.

3.5 stars

Kingdom of Exiles is a really good debut, especially for a fantasy romance. The fantasy archetypes are there and it's fairly easy for me to plot out the next two books in the trilogy, but the characters and the story are interesting enough for me to continue reading the series. I know this book has been described as a mesh of Assassin's Creed and Fantastic Beasts. Having no experience with either of them, Kingdom of Exiles mostly reminded me of Pokemon on LSD.

Leena is a beast Charmer who was wrongfully exiled by the Charmer Council. Left to her own devices, Leena is forced to sell beasts to survive. When a hit is placed on her, Leena survives and comes to an agreement with the assassin house assigned to killing her. In exchange for sparing her life, she will gift a group of assassins, including their leader, Noc, with beasts. The group of assassins accompany Leena to hunt for their beasts. Unbeknownst to Leena though, an assassin's word is bound by magic, so despite their agreement, the assassin will have to eventually kill her or he will have to die himself.

The story is interesting and I enjoyed everything that had to do with taming and bonding with beasts. I also really like the plot and the difficult situations that Leena and Noc found themselves tangled in. Both have a past — Leena's past is pretty much revealed, but Noc's past is still kind of a mystery, though I do have my suspicions. The relationships between the characters are great, but...the relationship and trust building left much to be desired. My main issue with this book has to do with how Leena trusted the assassins at an unbelievably fast pace. The assassins too trusted her so quickly. It felt very inauthentic, especially since Leena has a lot of trust issues. Leena and Noc fell for each other so quickly I got whiplash. Leena trusted Noc so quickly and spilled all her feelings to him so easily. I felt like they barely knew each other and yet Leena was not hesitant to spill all of her secrets. In other words, the relationship development didn't feel genuine enough to me.

I was also so tired of Noc's repetitive admonishments to himself for having feelings for her. He started off as this sexy and aloof assassin, but ended up being so pitiable in the end. I was also not impressed with his skills — he's supposed to be so much more powerful than the other assassins, but we only got a few glimpses into his supposed powers.

As such, it took me a while to be fully invested into this fantastical world. I think I only felt truly immersed in the world at the 60% mark. But once I was immersed, the book was pretty much unputdownable.

The ending left me with a lot of questions, which I'll put in my private notes because I'll probably forget everything by the time the second book rolls in lol. I also really like two of the supporting characters and I'm intrigued about their own story. Not sure how far the author will take it though since this series is about Noc and Leena.

P.S. I hope that Noc and Leena don't become insufferable with the whole Mate business like Feysand 😒

I thought this was great! I hope this is successful and kicks off a new golden era in fantasy romance. This is a sub genre of romance that doesn’t get enough respect and hopefully that will change with this amazing story. Definitely recommend.

This was such a fascinating and fun fantasy romance debut! The story centers around Charmers, who care for powerful beasts, and shadow assassins from Cruor. Leena is a Charmer down on her luck when a Cruor assassin tries to take her out. She uses one of her beasts to save her life and strike a deal with Noc, the head of Cruor. He’ll spare her life in exchange for a beast; only if he doesn’t kill her, his life is forfeit. Talk about high stakes!

Leena and Noc are on journeys both literal and figurative. Leena was exiled from her home and has had to scrabble hard to survive. All she wants is to find a way on to Charmers Council, never mind whoever is trying to have her killed. Noc, on the other hand, was cursed long ago, which causes the death of anyone he cares for. He holds himself separate from Cruor, not willing to risk the death of his brothers and sisters but also desperately alone and lonely. He and Leena have valid reasons for staying apart and yet they can’t help themselves. They each have a way of seeing the other person.

It was such an angsty and delicious slow burn of a romance. They take one step forward and then three back, not sure if they can trust the other person but wanting to. Watching Noc, in particular, decide to try something with Leena was beautiful. He cannot stay away from her and something about her begs him to risk it all for love. Gah, it was so good!

The side characters are wonderful. I adored Kost, Calem, and Ozias and look forward to learning more about them in the coming books. They had such distinctive personalities and the way they related to Noc and then to Leena spoke volumes about who they were and what they were about.

I don’t want to spoil the plot because part of the delight of this book is meeting the mythical creatures Leena charms and watching the crew face various difficulties. Well, that latter part isn’t as delightful because my heart was in my throat for a few of their scrapes but you know what I mean. The twists were satisfying and there’s still a lot to be explored as the series continues. Also satisfying: Leena’s vile ex Wynn gets what he deserves.

CW: violence, murder, attempted assassination, kidnapping, torture, imprisonment of a human, references to death of loved ones, grief, character forced to take an abortifacient

Check out my full video review: https://youtu.be/f_Par8gy3Ck

Kingdom of Exiles is set in a magical world, where charmers can tame different beasts that also has different abilities. Leena is one of these charmers, but has been exiled from the charmer’s city and lives by selling beasts. One day assassin’s are sent after her, she fights her assassin and demands to see their leader. That is when she meets Noc, they go into a deal: she will provide the assassin’s guild with four beasts and they will not kill her.

This is a book that a wonderful world, I enjoyed every worldbuilding I got. It was just too bad that it was overshadowed by all the romance. I don’t hate romance or anything, but this was way too insta-lovey for my tastes. I wish the book had more of a plot focus, and much more of the world the author has created. There was also way too many predictable storylines, where nothing ended up surprising me. However, the book was still entertaining and I had some fun with it! 2.25/5 stars.

Really fun YA fantasy. It had plenty of action, intrigue and romance. Leena was a great female character, strong and honerable. All of the characters were well developed and showed growth and,change. Both the story and,the romance were well paced and kept me invested. I really enjoyed Kingdom of Exiles and can't wait for the next book of the series!

WOW. From my very mediocre reactions to the cover to the fact that I entered it during a miniature personal reading slump, Kingdom of Exiles blew me away with its readability, world building, and overall pure reading enjoyment.

Writing: ★★★★
Concept: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★
Plot: ★★★ 1/2
Pacing: ★★★★

It's been a long time since I've loved a new paranormal romance. I think as I've shifted to more adult mystery/thrillers and YA novels, it's hard to revert back to the often formulaic nature of the average paranormal romance. Kingdom of Exiles is no ordinary romance. In fact, it's one of those books that I often feel is on the wrong side of the shelf between romance and fantasy—it has the action and world-building of many adult fantasy novels, just with more sex.

I mean, who can complain?

Leena is a Charmer, a class of magic-bearing human that can tame the magical beasts found in the world and keep them in her "beast realm," which for the sake of this review can best be described as a similar concept to Newt Scamander's suitcase full of beasts in J.K. Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Leena has been exiled from the Charmer's haven and finds herself eeking a meager existence as an illegal beast trader in the slums. That is, before she finds herself as the target of an assassin's hit.

Noc is the leader of the Cruor, a guild of reborn (not vampiric, but definitely previously dead) assassins that are killers for hire. His guild is tasked with ending the life of an exiled Charmer who the Charmer Council has branded a criminal, but she thwarts the Cruor's first hit attempt and comes knocking on Noc's door, battered assassin in tow. Leena wants the hit removed, and Noc wants her for something else. With a hidden past and dark curse attached to him, Noc finds his pull to Leena irresistible even with its deadly possibilities. He strikes a deal with his mark.

Leena, Noc, and a few other colorful Cruor characters find themselves on an adventure through the realm to a) fulfill Leena's bargain with Noc and provide his Cruor brethren with beasts of their own—think animal familiars—and b) for Noc's mission of killing Leena once she's exhausted her usefulness.

But is Leena really the criminal that the Charmer Council proclaims?

As Noc and Leena dance closer and closer, they find themselves entwined in a larger story than either of them expected, where secrets come to life, love can kill, and not all is what it seems.

I found this story to be surprising at points, emotional at others, and altogether a humor-filled, well-built narrative. Kingdom of Exiles brings new life into a tired genre with its unique focus on magical beasts and assassins—I loved every moment.

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.