Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer Book 1)

Synopsis:
Exiled Charmer Leena Edenfrell is running out of time. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts—an offense punishable by death—and now there’s a price on her head. With the realm’s most talented murderer-for-hire nipping at her heels, Leena makes Noc an offer he can’t refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life.

Plagued by a curse that kills everyone he loves, Noc agrees to Leena’s terms in hopes of finding a cure. Never mind that the dark magic binding the assassin’s oath will eventually force him to choose between Leena’s continued survival…and his own.

The main characters, Leena and Noc were amazing. Leena placed her trust in the wrong person, and paid for it, but, oddly enough, the family she finds with the assassins healed her. Her beasts are nothing short of phenomenal!

My heart went out to Noc, having to live a sad life, not being able to love or feel deep emotions. He goes back-and-forth between an assassin and lovable guy, which made him even more interesting.

What drew me to Kingdom of Exiles was the blurb. As soon as I caught sight of the words Fantastic Beasts and Assassin’s Creed. I knew that I needed to read this book. I am a huge Harry Potter and Assassin’s Creed fan, and I was interested in seeing how the author was going to combine those them together. I wasn’t let down. I do want to add in that I also caught glimpses of Pokemon in this novel too. Not in how the beasts were caught but in the battle scenes.

There are three major and several secondary plotlines in Kingdom of Exiles. The first plotline focuses on Leena, her beasts and the reason why she was exiled from the Charmers. The second plot line focuses on Noc, the Cruors, and Leena’s contract. The third plotline focuses on Leena, Noc, and their relationship.

I liked all the main storylines. They were all well written. When the author did chose to bring them together, she was able to do it without interrupting any of the storylines. There were also no dropped storylines.

The secondary storylines were well written. I did think that there was a dropped storyline towards the end of the book. It made me a little aggravated because I wanted to know what happened to a particular character. But, it was brought back up at the end of the book. Which makes me wonder if that is going to be the main storyline for the next book.

Like the plotlines, I thought that the main characters were well written. Now, I will say that both characters a little off put me at the beginning of the book. They both came off as cold people. But as the book went on and I got to know both characters, my opinion of them changed. Their character development featured in my change of opinion.

Like I mentioned above, I didn’t like Leena when I started reading Kingdom of Exiles. She came across as aloof and uncaring. The scene with the buyer of the Gyss is an excellent example. But, then something remarkable happened. That first impression got turned around. My disinterest and disdain for her got turned around into me being invested and admiring her. I can count on one hand how many times that has happened.

Leena was also one of the strongest female characters that I have read to date. She went through a lot in the book, and she didn’t let it beat her down. She learned from those experiences. I loved it!!

Again, as I mentioned above, I didn’t like Noc when I started reading the book. He was cold and aloof. Take any of his scenes at the beginning of the book. Then, as the book went on, the explanations began. By the middle of the book, I understood why Noc had those walls up. He was afraid of his curse. He couldn’t show emotion or his curse would start up. But, like Leena, my first impression got turned around. By the end of the book, I loved him.

Speaking of Noc’s curse, I would have loved to know why the high priestess cursed him. Also, I would have loved to have known who he was before he was resurrected. There were hints but nothing confirmed. Drove me nuts because I have a few ideas of who he was, but nothing confirmed it.

The secondary characters were as well written as the main characters. I loved it. I felt that I got to know Kost, Ozias, and Calem as well as Noc and Leena. I can’t wait to see what book two holds for the secondary characters. I am hoping that the book focuses on either Calem or Oz. They were my two favorites in the book.

The bad guys in the book had my attention from the get-go. Wynn gave me chills. He believed what he was doing was the right, and that was frightening to me. What he subjected Leena to when he held her captive was heartbreaking. Ravenwas an enigma. I had questions that weren’t answered in this book. The most important issue was why? Why did she set those events in motion? I was frustrated by the lack of answers, but I have a feeling that they will be answered in the next book.

Kingdom of Exiles was a great fit in the fantasy genre. Leena’s Charmer abilities alone could have fueled a book. As well as Noc’s curse and his powers. I did find it creepy that he could make daggers out of the shadows.

Kingdom of Exiles was also a great fit in the romance genre. Noc and Leena’s instant attraction had my pulse racing. The back and forth dance that they did was hot. By the time they had sex, it was earth-shattering. I had to put my Kindle down and fan myself; it was that hot. My only complaint about the sex scenes was the use of crease of Leena’s vagina. Once, yes. But every single time, no. It got to the point where I started laughing when Noc was fingerbanging/eating her out, and crease was used.

There was also the point of the Kost/Noc/Leena semi-love triangle. I use semi because Noc didn’t reciprocate Kost’s feelings. But it was set up that way. I loved that the author had an LGBT representation in the book. I do wish that Kost’s sexual preference was made more clear towards the beginning. Because up until that scene with Leena, he came across as kind of a douche canoe. I also loved how Noc handled finding out about Kost’s feelings for him. It was done in such a classy way that I couldn’t help but say to myself “This is how it should be done in real life!!!” I am also eager to see Kost find love. There was a hint of something at the end of the book. Something that I can’t wait to see if the author explores or not.

The end of Kingdom of Exiles was excellent. I also had so many questions about what was going to happen and no answers. The epilogue held the most questions for me. Because of what happened to Noc at the end. What will that mean for him and Leena? I can’t wait to find out.

I was intrigued by the premise of Kingdom of Exiles and was so excited to read it but I struggled with it. I found the concept interesting and liked certain aspects about the characters and their journey but there were some things that became tiresome after a while like the issue the hero had that he kept harping about. I liked the action and adventure element but not sure if I’ll read the rest of the series despite how intrigued I am by the cliffhanger.

Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley

It’s been a while since I’ve read something in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre, and this book brings me back to everything that I miss about it. It has the added bonus of have a romantic twist to the plot. It’s well written, and in the first person pov, which is my preference. The world building and character development is great. There were times when I laughed out loud, and other times that just made me want to cry. The expanded group of characters were well fleshed out, and you could definitely get a sense of who they are and their personalities. It didn’t take much to get hooked into the page turner. I kept on thinking throughout the book, “this would make an awesome movie!” But then again, like real life – a movie probably wouldn’t be as near as great as the book.

Kingdom of Exiles was such a fun read. I enjoy fantasy romance and this book was exactly what I love about the genre. The worldbuilding in Kingdom of Exiles is unique and interesting, the characters are compelling, and the chemistry between the main couple is sizzling. Noc and Leena have a slow burn, will-they-won’t-they romance with a lot of circumstances stacked against them and it makes for a captivating story. This is the type of romance I love the most.

Intricate worldbuilding is another aspect that made me enjoy Kingdom of Exiles so much. The descriptions of beasts in Leena’s menagerie are so interesting and the political intrigue and conflicts are so gripping, I found it very hard to put this book down. There was not a lot I didn’t like about Kingdom fo Exiles. I cannot wait to read more about this fantasy world and follow Leena and Noc’s adventures.

Kingdom of Exiles

Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc., and Netgalley for this ARC.

I absolutely enjoyed this book. It was exactly like the blurb advertises. Alot of fantastic beasts, a kick-ass protagonist, and a bunch of bad boy assassins (that have big hearts) fill this exciting story.

First off, the cover is suberbly crafted. I love how the beast hovers in the background. It was the main reason I requested the book. Tank and I love reading about creatures, real and magical. Not only that, but Leena is exactly how I pictured her.

Next, the story is told in dual POV from Leena and Noc. It is fun to read both viewpoints. The author did an excellent job writing from both of their prespectives. I fell in love with both characters and rooted for them as they faced their trials. Plus, they were flawed characters with deep backstories.

The writing was engaging and I couldn’t put this book down. I hope she writes a sequel quickly!

I just finished Kingdom of Exiles and, quite frankly, Maxym M. Martineau’s imagination makes me proud to be a human being.
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This book is is Throne of Glass meets Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them meets…Pokémon? And it’s AMAZING. It’s thick, throbbing, wretched angst. It’s palpable sexual tension for days and days. And it’s an intricate, vivid fantasy world that will suck you in so deep that you will forget to come up for air.
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If you’re a fan of Amanda Bouchet’s The Kingmaker Chronicles then buckle the eff up because you are going to love Kingdom of Exiles. And if you’re someone who says …Oh, I don’t know. I’m not really into Fantasy Romance…let me just stop you. Allow me, if you will, to place a gentle finger against your lips. Shhh. Give this book a chance…It’s delicious.

Martineau has joined the ranks of authors to watch. Kingdom of Exiles is a well-written debut and a powerful start to a new series. No doubt, this book will attract a lot of attention from fellow bookworms. I enjoyed Leena at the beginning. Forced to become streetwise and fend for herself, I was pumped when she squared off with the first assassin sent her way. I found though, as the story evolved away from the initial tough girl to her obsession with Noc, I found her chapters tough to get through until the last quarter of the book.

A rounded, brooding character, I found Noc and his guild to be one of the highlights of the book. The lore behind the guild was interesting and his diverse group of the fellow assassins really grabbed my attention.
If you are expecting Assassin’s Creed, then you will probably be let down. This book spends more time building up the Charmer side of the world. I’m expecting Martineau to spend more time with the assassin guild in future books, as she did a fabulous job shaping the side characters (assassins) that travel with Leena and Noc.

I would have preferred less romance and more beast charming action and assassin-y moments but the current trajectory of the story is exciting and the set up for the rest of the series is solid. Conspiracies abound! This is a strong debut, and I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

**I received an advanced copy of this book for review; all opinions are my own.

I have long believed that there is nothing new under the sun, and the only way to achieve originality in writing was to give a different, fresh viewpoint on an old, established idea. Even if it required being traced back to pre biblical times. I was wrong.

This book has opened my eyes to wonder and almost childlike amazement by creating a world where monsters are the ones we give our most love and care to, and people are the ones we most need to look out for. Charmers show cruelty unparallelled while Assassins show mind altering love.

Throughout this book I find myself reminded of the greats in the genre; Frank Herbert, Anne McCaffrey, Melanie Rawn, Raymond E Feist and Mercedes Lackey, to name a few. The world building is so captivating that by the end of this first of the trilogy I felt I knew this world as intimately as my own.. Such world building is difficult, to say the least, and worthy of awe when so in depth that I find myself lost within it for hours, unable to come up for air without feeling a loss of balance. Maxym Martineau, in her debut novel, created a world so detailed, so descriptive that it wouldn’t be far fetched to find myself living in it in my dreams. This is so difficult a thing to do and yet she seems to do it with such ease.

The character building , I also found, was no less amazing. Creating a heroine, a hero and a villian, a family of miscreants and a lost family of supposed do-gooders, is no less difficult as creating a cast of creatures that each have their own personality, their own gifts, their own histories, even their own detailed descriptions. This cast of monsters (though you will find yourself not thinking of them as monsters by the time you’re done) has such depth that they capture your hearts, your minds and your souls. You find yourself wanting to bring them home with you to raise, to nurture, to take comfort from and offer comfort to. They become your children just as your pets would in this supposed real world in which we now live. The diversity of characteristics is so vast that you could spend months just picking one to “charm” into your family. Such imagination is not just rare but extraordinary in the way it captures you so thoroughly. Such talent!

Meeting Leena and Noc and all the people that make up this corner of this amazing universe is a treat. Learning their likes and dislikes, their talents and their failings, their friendships and their enemies is a full time job, just as choosing friends in the real world would be. I found myself walking away with a brand new family to love and cherish, to welcome into my own imagination where they can reside with all the other characters I’ve come to love in all the other novels in my fantasy universe. By the time I had finished Book One of the Beast Charmers trilogy I found myself more than ready for Book Two. Following this amazing story is certain to land them on your Must Read group of books yet to come.

If I have gotten nothing else across with this review, I hope I have at least sparked your interest in who these people are, who their creatures are and where they call home. There is new, raw talent encompassed within this wonderful author’s mind and everyone who loves fantasy will find themselves a new, undeniably captivating, epic series in Beast Charmers, Kingdom of Exiles. And for a debut, novel, she has surprised and delighted me in ways it usually takes at least 2 books into a new series to do.

So, for some of the finest writing, most detailed editing, and most imaginative world and character building, allow me to say, Excellent Work! So Very Very Very well done, Maxym Martineau, so Very Very well done in-very-deed!

I received this book from NetGalley as an ARC and give this review in my own words and of my own volition.