I went back and forth trying to find my stance when it comes to this story, so as not to confuse anyone with my scramble thoughts I will cut to the chase. I like this story. I really did. I enjoyed the storytelling and the world design of people living with and charming beasts. It is one straight out of the box. But there were parts that made me pause and run my hand across my face multiple times, sometimes in annoyance and sometimes in frustration.

The world set up is a place where beasts, which are like exotic animals or Pokemons, live among humans. And, there are humans who have the ability to collect or "charm" the beasts to do their bidding, they are known as Charmers. And, some people sell the beasts they capture even though it is illegal to do so.

Drama and romance where more apparent than what I had expected ot hope for. The plot did not have the depth I was expecting. Instead of the usual romance/drama/angst that can be found in almost every young adult, there should have been more action, more beast charming, more je ne sais quoi.

Simple and smart was the writing that made the reading quick and fast. There was some moment where the writing got a little strong and cringe. The pacing was very fast which I am not complaining about because it helped me get through the story faster without having to drop it.

Leena: The fist time I met her, I thought she was a smart and badass who had brains, but chapter two proved me so wrong. Literally, in the like the second chapter she does something foolish that made me cringe so far back into my chair. I get that what Leena did was a way to move the story along but it made her look dumb and awkward.

Noc: He is a charming and very soft person which are attributes that are not very convincing for someone who is supposed to be a lethal assassin. Not only is he the farthest thing from an assassin but he is a one-dimensional character. He did not have the complexities one would expect in an antihero. There was no struggle between his black and white side.

This book was pretty great! It started out with action and continued with action throughout the story. You have suspense, a strong female heroine who happens to be an outcast fighting for her life against a force of evil, then using that evil force for her agenda.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars.

Maxym Martineau creates a highly imaginative reality in Kingdom of Exiles. The characters are well developed and perfectly suited to their roles in the story. I love Leena. She's lived a hard life since her exile. Been forced to do things she never should have, or would have otherwise, just to survive. She loves each and every beast, especially those she's tamed. When forced to work with the very men sent to kill her, she can't stop her natural kindness and sweetness from ruling her personality when many would have given in to the darkness of her situation. It's not long into their journey to the coast in search of the beast she's promised each of her four assassins in exchange for her life, that she's got one them all over. Even Kost whom she sicced a violent beast on in an act of self-preservation and who has another reason to loathe her, is eventually won over. But it's never like she's consciously trying to influence them in her favor. It's just a natural by-product of her personality.

Noc has never failed to fulfill a contract to kill but in his desperation for a release from his lifelong curse, he sees and seizes an opportunity with Leena. She can gift him the one beast capable of breaking the curse. He never expected to start falling for his target and falling for her is a death sentence to the last person he wants to see die.

In the midst of this sweet but impossible love story, is a lot of paranormal intrigue. The world is a very dangerous place, beast taming can be life-threatening and there's still the matter of Wynn who wants Leena dead or worse and the woman who hired Noc and his team to kill her.

Martineau creates a story with the perfect blend of character-driven scenes and thrilling, unique action to keep the reader turning pages, anxious to find out what comes next. She also left us with just the right amount of curiosity in what comes next to ensure we'll read the second book in the installment but not to leave us with an unsatisfying cliff hanger.

reviewed by Jem

I don't know about you but personally, I don't like it when books, especially debut books, are marketed as This meets that and this and that are usually famous books or movies. I just lose interest in that kind of marketing because it makes me expect higher than I should only to be disappointed. You know what I mean? So anyway, when I saw this book on Netgalley, I was a little hesitant because of "Fantastic Beasts". Never mind the Assassin Creed but Fantastic Beast is one of my favorite books. I love Newt and his beasts.

But this book made me very, very happy because even though it has its own flaws in my eyes, it delivered. Fantastic Beasts indeed.

Leena is an exiled charmer that was forced to sell her beasts for provision. Unfortunately that was illegal but Leena is determined not to be caught. Enter Noc, leader of Crour, some kind of guild of assassins who are previously dead. He was hired to kill Leena but ended up bargaining with her.

I love the premise of this book. This is definitely worth reading and I'm so glad I requested it. I love the idea of the undying assassins and beast charmers and the beasts themselves. Some of them really stole the show ones or twice. I love the layers of the story that it just didn't end with asssassins and beast charmers. There's more to the plot than I was expecting and made me add another star in my rating. There was a lot of action, intrigueand twists that I can call this a page-turner. There was also, surprisingly some steam. Yep, I was surprised but I loved it. And my favorite is Noc's being a tortured, angsty, distant hero who couldn't help himself but fall in love with his job. I always love that kind of element in the story. The worldbuilding is also properly done. I think the author did a good job at making s believable world where beast charmers and Undying exist.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book more than I thought I would. My only issue is that the villain seems a little bit one dimensional. No depths and personally aside from being the villain. Aside from that, I enjoy every element of this book.

Great read! Loved Leena’s personality, the other original characters, and the interesting storyline. Would highly recommend!

This was my first time reading a fantasy romance. Martineau built a world of mystical beasts with different powers. There were also some nice surprises to the characters that I enjoyed. The book left me on somewhat of a cliffhanger, but it is the first in a series and I'm game for reading the next one.

If you're looking for something different in your fantasy (i.e. steamy scenes), this would definitely be something worth checking out.

Fantastic Beasts meets Assasin's Creed? Yes, please!

Kingdom of Exiles is the first of The Beast Charmer's trilogy and if Kingdom of Exiles is any indication of how the series will play out, then I am here for it! There's so much that this book brings to the table. There's a fiery female MC, a magical world, a bevy of beasts, and a slow burn romance.

Leena is a Charmer, possessing a rare magical talent of being able to "charm" the beasts living in her world. Accused of committing a crime that she did not, she's forced to sell her beasts on the black market to survive. She soon discovers that she has been tagged by the merciless assassin's guild of Cruor. She makes a deal to exchange beasts for her life, but what she doesn't know is that the assassins are magically bound to their contracts, or they forfeit their own lives.

Diving straight into the action, K of E is unrelenting. In spite of that, or maybe because of it, the characters and world are introduced to you as you go. There's no telling and all show, which I appreciate. I loved the characters, Leena and Noc, and all the secondary characters too. And the beasts? Beautiful, imaginative, and diverse!

A charming tale, well told. I savored every single word and can't wait for the next one. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend this one.

*ARC via netgalley*

Leena is a Charmer who has been exiled from her home for doing a serious experiment. Did she do it or was she unjustly accused? Regardless, Leena leaves with her magical beasts. A Charmer is a person gifted with the ability to mentally communicate with the beasts that can love or fight for her. Being forced to leave she sells the beasts that she has trained even though it is illegal. Kost is an assassin to kill Leena but fails. He goes to his boss Noc the leader of the group of assassins for hire as Leena demands him to do it. She hopes to trade beasts for her life rather than death. They must travel to get the beasts. Leena has a secret agenda on finding a very special beast so she go back home and be exonerated from a crime she didn’t commit. Will Noc agree to Leena’s Agenda or not? Will she get to live or die in her quest?

A fantastic tale of a land that has mystery and many adventures for Leena and the characters in it. I totally enjoyed the novel — I could not stop reading it. It introduce me to beasts that were totally fascinating to me. I thought the author has a very good imagination. I can’t wait to read the next story!

This surprised me. I liked it more than expected. I would have loved to have seen less romance and more action or world building. The world is what is most intriguing.

I will definitely be watching for the next book in this series, more from this author. This has potential to be amazing as the story builds. I so hope this becomes all it can be as a series, I am impatient to find out what is to come.

Digital review copy provided through Netgalley.

Such an interesting new world with an awesome romance. I wasn't sure about this when reading the first chapter but as soon as the pov started to alternate I was hooked. Amazing characters I just couldn't help but love.

One of the best books I've read this year.

I have to admit that I wasn't sure at first. The back-and-forth first person was confusing for me until I got to know Noc and Leena and the others. Then it was easy. Fell in love with some of the secondary characters, too. I really need to know more about Kost, Calem, and Oz and...all of them, thank you very much.

The worldbuilding is very unique. I can't compare this book to any other that I've read. It is very unique. Leena's backstory unfolds in perfect bits and pieces, while we are left to puzzle out Noc's--although a huge clue is dropped at the end.

This was a spicy read, too. No closed doors but not so much sex that you got bored. It was very well written. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Can't wait to read what happens next.

I was quite taken in by this book. It was a little hard to get into at first, but once I got a few chapters in it became imperative that I finish it as quickly as possible. I loved Leena and couldn't help but root for her. She got dealt a lot of bad hands, but still managed to pull herself through. Noc was such a fascinating character and seeing him trying to distance himself while being magnetically pulled to Leena was fabulous. The idea of beasts and the charmers that can tame them was fascinating and I can't wait for more from the series. I hope that we see more of the secondary characters since they all seemed to have their own stories to tell.

This was a debut that really felt like one. I did enjoy it at times but at others it just wasn't doing it for me. The story could have been a little more polished but overall, I think this was a good first try at a full length story. I will say that this felt like the fantasy version of Pokemon. This one ended very well it felt like a full and complete story.

Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau is the first book in a new paranormal romance series called The Beast Charmer. Billed as a cross between Fantastic Beasts and Assassin’s Creed it lives up to the hype. I found myself fully immersed in Leena’s world and fascinated with her creatures. Personally I can’t wait for more from the world!

Leena Edenfrell is an exiled beast charmer with a price on her head. She is bitter about the events that led to her exile, and she is cunning. She has to be with the people she now deals with. To live outside her community she must trade in beasts. Raised to love them and cherish her beasts, this is agony for her to hand over a beast in exchange for gold. This alone made me like her. Her conscience gets the best of her time and again, but she will do anything to protect her creatures.

Noc is the leader of the undead assassins…yep they are like vampires. At least that’s how I pictured them. He is cursed though. Anyone he loves falls ill and dies. So Noc keeps himself separate from his clan and keeps a firm (imaginary) line in the sand that he will not cross. He will not allow himself to feel for anyone. Then he meets Leena, and despite his hard and fast rules, he finds himself falling.

Noc’s assassin failed to kill Leena and instead gets himself captured by her. To bargain for her own life, she exchanges the assassin with Noc and promises to deliver four beasts in exchange. This leads Leena, Noc and three of his skilled assassins on a trip across the continent looking for a beast that will allow Leena back into her community and the beasts she promised him.

I love the world-building more than anything else in the book! Each beast mentioned is unique with its own abilities and talents. I found myself visualizing them as Leena describes them. Leena’s exile is also at the forefront of the story, along with Noc’s curse. Noc wants a cure, Leena wants to go home. Together they might just get what they want.

Overall I really enjoyed Kingdom of Exiles. I struggled a little at the beginning of the story. The author fully immerses the reader in the world and it took a bit for me to catch up. Once I did though, I fell in love with the beasts, their world, and of course Leena and Noc. I can’t wait for more

I finished this on June 3rd so I'm quite late reviewing it but I loved this book so much it was hard to get my thoughts in order. It's been a LONG while since I've finished a book and then immediately wanted to read it again (in fact, I did just that when I received my pre-ordered copy)! This book was just that good.
Not only do I love the cover but the second I saw the description of Fantastic Beasts meets Assassins Creed, I knew I had to read it and I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed.
Kingdom of Exiles is beautifully written and has everything I look for in a fantasy/romance novel.
Assassins ✓
Exotic beasts ✓
Exquisite world-building ✓
Action-packed with a dash of romance ✓
Strong heroine and a tortured but swoon-worthy love interest ✓
Entertaining/lovable cast of characters ✓

It was a magical read. And the beasts? Thanks to the descriptive writing, they're very easy to picture - especially the beast realm. I was hooked the second I started reading this and the release of the next book can't come fast enough. I NEED to know what happens next!

Kingdom of Exiles, The Beast Charmer
By: Macym M. Martineau

I am completely charmed by this book. Macym M. Martineau has created an exciting fantasy world full of magic, adventure, and mystery. I love how we explore relationships between people and the beasts in this world, especially the concept of family and trust building throughout the novel. In this book we follow Leena, an exiled charmer who is forced to sell beasts, animals she bonds with, in order to survive and Noc an assassin who is contracted to kill her by any means necessary because failure means his own death. Both have dark pasts and secret agendas, together along with a couple more assassins embark on a mission throughout the realm. I don’t want to give much away because I think that going into a fantasy adventure with little information is the best way to enjoy the story. There was no dull moment, I thought that the storyline kept pace, the only thing I wish that was more present was the moments with a charmer and their beast. Nevertheless I really enjoyed myself reading this book and I am looking forward to the next installment.
Thank You to NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel for an honest review

An impossible love story. He is the leader of a group of ruthless assassins. He has secrets and he is cursed. She is a Charmer with magic skills. She doesn’t trust anyone and she’s been exiled by her own people. Also, he’s promised to kill her… There are also magical beasts and engaging and likable characters. And yet, I couldn’t completely get into the novel. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the story and how it evolves and I couldn’t wait to see how it ended, but it felt a bit strained and I wasn’t completely engrossed.
All in all, it’s an intriguing and enjoyable novel and I look forward to see what happens next.

This book was just not for me. I didn't like it at all. I felt that the characters were forced upon one another and it just dragged on and on. I had to DNF this book. For me it didn't work. I thought the plot sounded good, but I felt that there was no connected for me with the two main characters.

Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in Maxym Martineau's Beast Charmers series and I though it was a great debut novel. The hook in the blurb for this book is "Assassin's Creed meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them" and it was that reference to Fantastic Beasts that totally made this a must read book (I have to confess to never having played Assassin's Creed but I am a HUGE fan of anything in the Wizarding World).

Leena is a Charmer with a collection of weird and wonderful magical beasts. She was exiled by her people after being betrayed by the man she loved and now she's surviving by slowly selling her beloved creatures even though that is something completely forbidden in her homeland. The punishment for her actions is death and now there is a price on her head, Leena's only choice for survival is to make a deal with the leader of the Assassins. Noc jumps at the chance of obtaining magical beasts for him and his closest allies but he is keeping huge secrets from Leena, one about a curse on his family and another about the nature of an assassin's oath. Both of these have huge potential to hurt Leena in the future so Noc has some big decisions to make.

There was a lot to love about this debut, firstly I have to talk about the different magical beasts we encountered and how much fun it was to learn about their abilities. If anything I'd have actually liked more of this side of the story, particularly about the bond between Charmers and beast and the magical realm that the beasts lived in after being captured. I have a few questions about how that all works that I'm sure will become clearer as the series continues but I could still have read about the bests all day long.

The story reminded me a little of Amanda Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles, it has a similar set up with a young woman with certain abilities and a group of men who are accompanying her on a journey because she can give them something no-one else can. I really liked the camaraderie of Noc and his closest team but I think it would have been nice if there had been at least one more girl included in the top tier of the assassin's guild, especially since there are so many further down the ladder. I liked both Leena and Noc but I do think the romance between them develops a little too quickly, it starts slow which was great and I thought we were going to get a slow build that develops across the entire series but by the end of the book it had taken things a little too far in my opinion, especially since they've only known each other a few days at that point.

I think we could have had slightly less of the romance and more of the world building and this would have felt like a more satisfying and well rounded read but don't let that put you off because it was still a really enjoyable story that left me eager to carry on with the series. It's definitely going to be fun to see where the story goes from here and I've already got books 2 and 3 at the top of my 2020 wish list.