I'm not sure what I was expecting from Kingdom of Exiles but it definitely exceeded my expectations!  

This book had it all:
Slow burn romance
Action
Great world building
Mythical creatures
And steamy scenes
I mean what more could you ask for?!

Leena is an exiled beast charmer who does what she can to survive.  It sucks she can't return to the safety of her homeland, but she's adapting.  Noc is the leader of Cruor, a guild of raised dead, who are killers for hire.  Noc's guild is tasked with ending the life of the exiled charmer, who has been branded as a criminal.  However, Leena thwarts the Cruor's first attempt on her life, and comes knocking on Cruor's door to confront Noc.  Leena and Noc strike up a deal - she wants the hit removed, and he wants something else. 

Leena, Noc, and a few other colorful Cruor characters find themselves on an adventure through the realm to fulfill Leena's bargain with Noc.  With a hidden past and dark curse attached to him, Noc finds his pull to Leena irresistible even with its deadly possibilities.  And as Noc and Leena become closer, they find themselves entwined in a larger story neither expected - one where secrets come to life, love can kill, and not all is what it seems. 

I found this story to have a well-built narrative, fantastic world-building, and likable characters.  If Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin Creed meets Pokemon is of interest to you, I suggest you pick up a copy of this one ASAP!

Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1) by Maxym M. Martineau is fabulous! This fantasy debut novel blew me away and it is definitely one I will read again and again. The world this author created reminded me of a Percy Jackson and Fantastic Beasts mash-up. Full of action, adventure and a slow burning romance. I am looking forward to the second book in this trilogy and definitely more from this author.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆☆☆
Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau absolutely blew me away! I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this totally exceeded my expectations.

Leena is an exiled Beast Charmer. They are a rare breed of people (?) that have the unique ability to charm and keep various magical beasts, which range from fluffy and sweet cuddle bugs to dangerously violent war-mongers. I enjoyed learning about the beasts just as much as the character development! Did I mention that I love Leena? She's brave, strong, sassy, and smart but she's also compassionate and passionate. She doesn't back down from a fight but knows when to step back. The more I read, the more I wanted to meet her.

The adventure that Leena ends up on is partially her own plan, with some wrenches throw in. Specifically, the bounty placed upon her life and being carried out by Cruor, or the Shadow Assassins. We are trying to figure out WHO placed the bounty, why they're after her, and how to remove it.

The assassins are another interesting lot of people, just as intriguing as Leena. They each have their own history, and I hope that we'll get a book per character. I fell in love with Os's sweetness, and Callum is the constant flirt, Kost is a dark unknown, and then there's Noc. I'm not giving anything away, but Noc's story is something I need more of. We get bits and pieces, but I want to know his backstory.

All in all, this was an excellent fantasy story with the depth and world building you'd come to expect. The characters were well developed, and the plot was solid. I am adding the rest of this series to my to-be-read shelf ASAP!

Heart pounding action, fun witty banter, emotionally thrilling highs and lows not to mention danger around every twist and turn this magical adventure has all this and so much more.... was a exciting and highly entertaining read from beginning to end and I look forward to more to come.

First of all, Kingdom of Exiles didn't remind me of Fantastic Beasts or Assassin's Creed, even though that's what the synopsis claims. It was more like a Pokémon adult romance. Ash has to work for his Pokémon, Leena does the same for her beasts, and the relationships were similar. She also chooses beasts for her companions, and I couldn't help thinking, "I choose you!" whenever she did. Regardless, I really enjoyed the book and its characters.

The beasts were my favorite part of Kingdom of Exiles! I wanted to know more about their abilities, the beast realm, and why they would willingly choose to work with humans (other than companionship). Most of them are crazy powerful and intelligent, but they seemed to easily bond with Charmers, even those that are supposed to be difficult to tame. I wish we had seen more failed attempts, or at least given examples of people who had been unsuccessful. Additionally, they seemed to be able to converse with Leena on some level, and when she gave her beasts to the members of Cruor, they were able to communicate despite the obvious language barrier. I wish that had been elaborated on, as well as their abilities and what they entailed. I feel like we were shown very little of their powers and capabilities.

Cruor was probably my second favorite thing about this book. People die and are raised from the dead to become assassins, which is pretty cool. However, once they die a second time, they cannot be reborn. Again, I wish we were told more about this and Cruor's existence in general, but the history was vague. I thought their ability to command shadows was interesting, and liked the dark vibe it gave the story. Noc is their leader and crazy powerful, but we never see him going all out. It's hinted at a few times, but he never fully gives in. What is he truly capable of? I also disliked that his history remained hidden throughout the story, even though I'm sure it'll be a focus in the second book. It was alluded to many times, and we have a pretty good idea what it is, but nothing was actually confirmed. Whenever Noc would approach the topic, or Leena would ask a question, something would happen that prevented their conversation.

I liked Leena as a main character, although I didn't always understand her actions. She was banished from her home, and thought her only way back in was with a legendary beast. However, she sold beasts to scumbags in order to make some money, and I hated that she would trade the lives of her friends (beasts that she personally made a connection with) for money. She could have easily worked at the tavern or whatever, and still searched for the Myad. She didn't have to trade lives for profit. When she explained her reasons, they were flimsy and not entirely believable. She was also quick to trust the people that had recently tried to kill her, and she did little to protect herself. She has a beast that can camouflage itself, Inky, and she doesn't use him to gather information about the members of Cruor. Her beast could have learned so much, if she'd just thought to use him.

Speaking of trust, Leena was way too comfortable with Noc, especially since he nearly choked her death when they first met. I believe that alone should have been a good reason for her to keep her distance. However, she's drawn to him, even when he's icy and aloof. I'm sorry, but if someone tried to kill me, and then was wishy-washy with their feelings (whether they had a good reason or not), I wouldn't have been as forgiving. I definitely wouldn't want to start a relationship (physical or emotional) with them. Noc had his reasons for being cruel and standoffish, but Leena didn't know that. She stuck around without knowing what he was struggling with, and I couldn't get behind that.

Ozias was my favorite character. He was sweet and didn't necessarily want to kill as a solution for everything. Kost wanted to do whatever would keep Noc and Cruor safe, and Calem was simply trouble. All three of these characters have secrets, and the author chose to keep their past lives hidden as well. Everything was a secret. Why Leena's death and bones were needed, who placed the original hit on her life, what Noc's life was like before he died, etc. The author doesn't really reveal anything of importance, which was disappointing. I don't like leaving a story feeling like I still don't know anything about the characters, or what they're trying to accomplish. The major plot was addressed and mostly resolved, but I was still irked by how little information was shared.

I went into this one thinking it was YA, but it's most definitely an adult fantasy. Some of the terminology that was used during the sex scenes was weird, but not overly distracting. The author just used odd words to describe different body parts and what they were doing. It's always frustrating when characters don't call things by their name, but try to come up with creative substitutions. Example: mountain. It's not something these specific characters said, but you get the idea. Also, can someone get Noc a pair of hiking boots...

Wynn was a bastard, and not someone I can easily elaborate on. Also, there are quite a few plot holes, which is unfortunate in a fantasy. If an author creates something new, they need to follow the rules they've set for their story. For example, Leena was able to break a beast's bond with someone else, but doesn't think to do it when it would potentially save her life. There's a beast making a noise that prevents her from sleeping, and another that brings her food, but she doesn't attempt to override their bond in order to escape. Even if there was a reason why she couldn't, she should have at least had the thought.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I did have some minor issues with it. I feel like it had the potential to be more than it was, if a few things had been changed or elaborated on. I'm also not a fan of stories that hold on to their secrets until the next book. I feel like we should get to know something after reading 400 pages.

Kingdom of Exiles was fun to read that I never wanted to put down. Despite my issues with this one, it's a series I plan to continue in the future. Hopefully, there will be more information revealed in the next book!

Originally posted at Do You Dog-ear? on July 5, 2019.

this was an awesome adventure. the characters were fully fleshed out and I loved the world building.

This book screams Fantastic Beasts, Assassin’s Creed.... and Pokémon!!
Sounds intriguing to you? The only thing I can encourage you to do is pick this book up asap.

This novel just ticks all the right boxes for me:
Slow burn romance ✔️
Fantastic action ✔️
Magical creatures ✔️
Merry band of assassins ✔️
Steamy scenes ✔️
Great world-building ✔️✔️

I enjoyed the heck out of this and I can’t thank Netgalley enough for bringing this to my attention. Can’t wait to read the sequel!

Kingdom of Exiles has been one of my most intriguing, fun and magical reads this year so far. I loved every second of it! The characters were amazing, the plot and its twists had me at the edge of my seat and everything that had to deal with beasts, Charmers and the assassin's of Cruor was amazingly captivating and just so well done and interesting. Now I can't wait for to see what's going to happen when the next book comes out!
Full review to come soon.

KoE really surprised me in it’s complexities and depth and world building.
It was on par with the whole Throne of Glass series.
Yeah.
Maxym Martineau does such a good job making her characters have intricate backstories that are revealed bit by bit, letting the secrets come to light naturally. KoE was more about finding oneself in the midst of emotional turmoil than it was about the relationship between Leena and Noc. The relationship between Leena and herself, Leena and her beasts and Leena and her past took center stage in KoE. The character development in Leena was amazing. From the beginning of the book, the Charmer was wary of men and people in general, having been burned too badly before. Because of that, the connection between her and Noc is especially extraordinary. Noc is willing to work with her, willing to tell her some secrets and willing to protect her from the beginning.
Her past burns weren’t.
The simple act of listening to her and not betraying her shot Noc up so many levels, it was ridiculous.
Noc, on the other hand, wasn’t “truly” burned. At least not in the traditional sense. He was cursed. And it was a terrible curse. I cried.
Noc suffered quite a bit in this book and I sincerely hope that he doesn’t suffer so much in the next book. Like, ease off. He needs a happy ending.
The genre should read: Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Romance. There was more fantasy and magic than romance. I mean, plenty of that too. But still. I repeat: The magic of relationships (in general) was the main focus.
The diversity was off the charts for this book; gay, bisexual, straight, lesbian, black, white, I’m not entirely sure what race you are sir…, pretty sure there were some Arab adjacent there…
Point being, it was an amazing book. There were some triggers: harm, scars and torture as well as some violence but it wasn’t that bad and it wasn’t graphic. That’s like the best part about the book.
None of it was graphic. Not the sex, not the fighting, not the deaths. Everything was exactly right. I couldn’t put it down.

Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau

First book in the Beast Charmer series

3 stars

Leena is an exiled beast charmer. She makes a living catching low-grade beasts to stay alive and has made many enemies of Charmers and humans alike. Her latest enemy has put a hit on her and this assassin is like no other. The Cruor are assassins that have been raised from the dead and can control the shadows. After Leena defeats a Cruor and nearly kills him, the leader—Noc—decides to use this hit for his advantage and get some beasts. Will Noc carry through with assassinating Leena? Will Leena be able to prove that she isn’t evil by taming the Myad and proving herself as a worthy innocent to the beast? Who has the hit on Leena and why do they want her to be apart of a ritual sacrifice? I usually don’t pose questions in writing a synopsis, but I figured if these questions pique your interest then this will probably be a book for you. Kingdom of Exiles has a fun plot. The plot follows the vein of most paranormal fantasy novels, but this novel is heavy fantasy (which was an aspect I liked). Martineau has some interesting world-building and I found the concepts of both the Charmers and the Cruor to be interesting and complex. The writing, itself however, lacked in complexity and stank of swoon-worthy cringe. Some of these lines were so unnecessary and completely took out of the story. Here are some examples:
“The confident jerk of her chink threw me, and some of the anger stoking in my core snuffed out. I couldn’t help but admire the way she carried herself. Like an assassin unafraid of death.” (Not too bad, but my eyes still glanced at the back of my head briefly.)
“Please cut yourself. Cut yourself, and let me pretend to fuss over you. Let me get a napkin and wipe away the blood so I can save it for the taming. Please.” (This one was SO WEIRD. It’s even weirder out of context. I can’t believe I read this in a book.)
“Jealousy was a beast, and I feared Leena was the only Charmer skilled enough to tame it.”(Puns and cringe all at the same time.)
“The Myad wasn’t the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Noc would always win that contest.(You could be killed this is not the best time to judge beauty, Leena.)
“He’d absolved me of my transgressions. Clean. I was clean. And worthy of being his.” (Thought she was talking about her love interest. No, it’s her beast who seems to be Jesus.)
“You don’t have to worry about me… I don’t have feelings for you. It’s safe.” (One of those I’m lying about my feelings tropes. How YA.)
Don’t even get me started on the part when the Charmers mentioned Noc being Leena’s mate. I had Sarah J. Maas flashbacks so hard that I swear I thought I was in ACOTAR for a second. Obviously, the writing is this book’s weakest feature. This can be both a hindrance for the reader who reads a lot or a blessing for a reader just looking for a quick and easy read. It’s all those boxes. I’m still laughing about these quotes even as I wrote them.



Whimsical Writing Scale: 2.25

Leena isn’t a bad heroine. She has some depth. There are added layers with her secret past, banishment, and lover gone wrong. It’s a fun time, typical to the genre, but fun nonetheless. I also really liked her scenes with taming the beasts for the Cruor assassins. Those scenes made this book for me. The Charmer aspect of this novel is really strong and it was fun.


Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 3

Noc has some good features, but I wasn’t ever really swooning over him. He didn’t steal the show for me. In fact, out of all the Cruor characters I liked him the least which isn’t really winning this dead guy many points in the romance department. He is also a very grey villain for a while which was fun and I kind of wish he hadn’t fell in love with Leena because I lowkey wanted to see them dual and one of them die. I am writing a fanfiction for this novel in my review. Time for me to talk about something else.


Swoon Worthy Scale: 2

The Villain- Boring. Typical and you don’t even get to find who put the hit on her at the end of the book. The sequel is, I’m expecting, going to be all about hunting down this mystery woman. Lowkey wish Noc was the villain because it would’ve added so many layers to this plot.


Villain Scale: 2

The Cruor are my favorite thing. Seriously, if you love friendship and brotherhood dynamics (which are apparently I trope I’m a sucker for) then this is for you. Think ACOTAR with the Night Court or The League from the League series. Be still my beating fangirl reader heart. Calem is the playboy with a heart of charm and he is a goofball. I adored him and he was so funny. Ozias is my absolute FAVORITE of all the characters in this book. He’s awkward, but sweet and full of awkward charm. Kost was dark and brooding and the most annoying of the characters, but his layered background was kind of fascinating. (Also, if Kost is in love with Noc and Noc refused to let himself fall in love or Kost would die, does this mean that Noc isn’t straight? I will admit that does make Noc more layered than most paranormal romance heroes.)


Character Scale: 4

Overall, this novel is fun. It’s not incredibly complex and I didn’t like the ending. I probably won’t be continuing with the series because I didn’t like the direction shift (unless we follow a different POV other than Leena and Noc then sign me up). This is perfect for fans of the paranormal romance genre and fantasy readers who like some lighter high-fantasy.


Plotastic Scale: 3.5

Cover Thoughts: This cover is gorgeous and even though she looks awkward I like it a lot.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

***contains spoilers***

First of all, the texture in this book is absolutely gorgeous. It felt like every page was glowing, or dripping, or scaly, or furry. The creatures were great fun, and the action scenes were top-notch.

That said, I had a hard time connecting to the romance. Having a queer hero whose love literally kills the people he cares for, and who is then cured so the straight heroine can be safe just feels ... a little hinky to me. I have a very high standard for magical metaphors for AIDS, and this did not really live up to my requirement that magical STIs be treated thoughtfully. I am certain the author did not intend this metaphor to have this resonance, but it made the reading experience considerably less pleasant for me.

This book was an engaging start to a new fantasy series filled with sympathetic characters and lots of fantastic beasts ala J.K. Rowling. The main female lead is Leena, a beast Charmer, raised in a hidden city filled with Charmers, but exiled after being accused and framed by her boyfriend of a forbidden crime (the "charming" of a human) that he actually committed. The main male lead is Noc, an assassin and head of a special guild filled with people who were raised from the dead and given new life as assassins. He's got his own problems, as he's laboring under a curse that condemns anyone he loves to death. As the book opens, Noc's guild is hired by an unknown Charmer to assassinate Leena, but she bargains for her life by agreeing to gift him and a few of his men with their own beasts to help protect them. They set off on a trip to obtain the beasts as well as a legendary one that Leena has been searching for that she hopes will prove her innocence to her Council.

As you can see, this book has a lot going on. There's quite a bit of plot and world building, although some details were still sketchy and presumably will be revealed in later books. The book definitely had some elements in common with Fantastic Beasts, but at the same time, I thought that the author did a good job in creating her own story and grounding it firmly in a fantasy world that is clearly not just some alternate Earth. The story bogged down a few times for me due to the world building, but the author tells a good story, has a clear vision of what she wants her world to look like, and has the skill to convey that world to the reader.

As for Leena, Noc, his group of lieutenants, and especially, those amazing beasts, I definitely want more of all of them. I think anyone who likes Fantastic Beasts, or who just likes stories with animals in them will love this. Leena's bond with her beasts is strong and loving. Noc is a sympathetic hero, laboring under a curse that prevents him from forming strong, close bonds with others, but clearly wanting badly to do so. I loved Noc's group of assassins (especially Oz) and hope to see more of them in later books. All in all, a very promising start to a new series, especially for a debut author.

This was so good! The world building was amazing and if any book gets the Netflix treatment this year-it needs to be this one. I would love to see all of the beautiful, colorful beasts brought to life.

Leena is a beast charmer, gifted with the magical talent to tame wild beasts and bond them to her. Betrayed by her first love and ostracized by her people, Leena is on the run trying to curate a collection of beasts that will give her enough power to finally clear her name. After surviving a murderous attack, Leena is forced to join Noc and his clan of formally dead assassins known as Cruor.

Leena has two choices, die or supply the group with beasts.

Leena chooses to live.

Surrounded by people who would love to see her dead, Leena must find the assassins their beasts, discover who put a hit out on her, and survive falling for the deadly leader of Cruor.

This one is so much fun! I love all the descriptions of the beasts and their special gifts. Not only can Leena bond with them and make them appear, but they live in a magical beast realm that sounds amazing. A little like Fantastic Beasts but way deadlier and infinitely sexier.

Leena is incredibly strong and intelligent. She has a lot going on-death threats, being exiled from her people, dangerous beasts, a man that can kill her if he falls in love with her-it's a lot to process. Because yep, not only is Noc a formerly dead assassin tasked with killing her, he's also cursed.

I love a good curse.

Magical worlds, beautiful beasts, intense fight scenes, found family, super steamy love scenes-this checks all the boxes.

And, it's the first book in a series…

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The assassins' lot is not a happy one!

This brings together all those things I love in a fantasy saga. The woman wronged yet fighting to continue her life her way. Charmer Leena Edenfrell is compassionate, feisty and all woman. The assassin leader Noc takes on a hit that's not only a paying job but one that might exorcise a curse that has followed him throughout his life and beyond. Noc has a history that is hinted at throughout. We know that this is only the beginning for him.
Of course the target is Leena! A Charmer of magical beasts who was wrongly exiled form her fellows for exploiting her gifts. Only it wasn't Leena, and the proving of that becomes a fight for survival, and for love.
Noc cannot love. The curse falls on those he loves. They die. He wants to break the curse, and using a powerful magical creature might help him. Be careful what you wish for. There will be a cost!
And now there's a shadowy figure or figures amongst his employers wanting to take Leena out. But that becomes harder than it seems.
Noc's fellow assassins who join him are an interesting team whom Leena comes to appreciate as their journey together brings surprises and revelations.
I'm looking forward to the next stages of this saga, and more about the mysterious Noc.

A NetGalley ARC

In between requesting this book, being approved for it and starting to read this, I lost complete interest in it. This never happens to me; losing interest in something like that I decided to give it a chance anyway and read up to page 40. Correction, I read 32 pages and started skimming the rest and, at 40, the new chapter, i decided that enough was enough.

I'm sorry, it's probably a great story but if my heart isn't in it. There is no use for me to try and read it.

This was an enjoyable story and I liked the world the author has created. The idea of this story felt original, especially the charming of beasts. I loved how the beasts all had their own personalities and would've loved more interactions with them. The love story was well developed and did not feel rushed (I can't stand insta-love) and I liked how Leena developed relationships with Noc's brethren as well. I did like both Noc and Leena. Neither was perfect but that's what made them real and original.

My issues were with some of the writing style. At times (for me) imagery used just didn't make any sense and I found myself wondering what the heck I was supposed to be picturing. There were also some editing issues that left plot holes or assumptions that should have been spelled out better. At a few points I wasn't even sure who was speaking due to things jumping around and lack of clarity in parts of the writing. It did have a YA feel towards the end with a lot of inner dialogue for the lead characters. I like YA so I didn't mind too much, but a little more doing a little less internal thinking would've been nice towards the end.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and did feel connected to the characters and events. I look forward to the next book and seeing what happens next.

Originally Posted at Ramblings From This Chick
http://ramblingsfromthischick.blogspot.com/2019/06/arc-review-kingdom-of-exiles-by-maxym-martineau.html

Kingdom of Exiles is a debut for new author Maxym M. Martineau. It was advertised on Goodreads as, "Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin's Creed." I LOVED Fantastic Beasts so it grabbed my attention, and I read the synopsis. Don't really know anything about Assassin's Creed but that's ok.

Leena Edenfrell has been exiled from her kind, Beast Charmers, though she keeps the skills she learned before her exile. In order to survive, she sells beasts that she charms for people, which is against everything she learned from the Charmers. She does the best she can, and it is all to go towards finding redemption for her false crimes. Unfortunately for her, she gets targeted by an assassin, one who though she defeats, means there is a bounty on her head that the entire organization will go after her to fulfill.

Noc is the leader of an undying people in a place called Cruor. They are assassins for hire. When Leena walks into their home with one of his brothers hostage, she immediately has his attention. They strike a deal; she will acquire four beasts for him and his people will spare her life. Noc hopes there is a possibility a beast can stop a curse put upon him. He is also clever though to create a loophole in their bargain so he can still keep his contract.

Leena, Noc, and three other Cruor members set out to find the beasts. All the while, the assassins do what they've learned they shouldn't do to get their job done. They get to know Leena and start to believe in her innocence. All the while, she sneaks into Noc's thoughts and heart, which could be fatal for them both.

Within this emotional struggle and new world was a great starting point for a fantasy romance. I loved learning about some of the beasts described, but I was disappointed that as the book progressed, we learned less about new creatures. The love interest between Leena and Noc wasn't as convincing to me, though it wasn't horrible. I found myself more interested in the three other members of the group.

For me this book had a great build up and idea, and then around the halfway mark, it began to lose my interest. Despite that, I did enjoy the tale overall and I hope to have the opportunity to continue reading the series. Definitely a great debut!

Despite being put off a little by the Assassin’s Creed comp (I know *nothing* about that game), I really enjoyed this! There was just the right mix of romance and action, and enough pining to keep me happy (also dual POV!). I do wish the romance had been wrapped up in book one, so as to leave the next book for another couple, but re: fantasy romance, beggars can’t be choosers. Nonetheless I’ll still be reading.

This was a fun idea for a book; I really enjoyed the premise. It definitely reminded me of Pokemon more than Fantastic Beasts. Sometimes I felt the execution was a little lacking - I was impatient when it seemed like the plot was dragging, and I had a hard time connecting with the main character. I didn't buy fully into the romance, either.

That being said, I did enjoy the book. I especially enjoyed the back half, where it seemed like the author found the right pace and understood the characters a bit better.

The ending was satisfying and not a cliffhanger, which I appreciated. There will obviously be future books in the series, but I can't say I'm intrigued enough to read them.

This review was for an advance copy of Kingdom of Exiles via Goodreads; all opinions are my own.

I liked this book. The beasts i think are the best part of this book. Though both Noc and Leena are both fascinating to read about. I really liked the whole beast, shadows and other things that mentioned in this book. Leena is trying to get her life back and Noc has another mission. Together along with three other friends they find a way to accomplish one mission. You will find a great adventure, a love story, friendship and interesting magic in this book. I can't wait for the next book.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*