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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Originally posted at Vampire Book Club
Leena Edenfrell thought exile from the Charmer home of Hireath was the worst thing that could happen to her. I mean, because of her exile, she was forced to sell her precious beasts on the black market just to survive—which itself is an offense punishable by death.
When she learns there’s been a bounty put on her head, she’s both surprised and not. For years, she’s been cultivating a plan to get back to Hireath and clear her name, and when she confronts the bounty hunter who holds her contract, she thinks her plan may have a chance to come to fruition.
Since being named leader of Cruor, Noc has tried to do right by his brother and sister assassins, but a curse he carries keeps him from getting too close or emotionally involved due to the resulting death of anyone he loves that loves him in turn. When a bargain with Leena demands that she provide his people with four beasts in exchange for the cancellation of her contract, he sees the opportunity to finally get the curse lifted.
Soon, however, the lines between their individual objectives begin to blur as they get caught up in an attraction neither saw coming. What Leena doesn’t know, however, is that the Cruor are bound by their oaths to carry out their jobs, no matter what, or face death.
Kingdom of Exiles reminded me of the first time I read the Night Huntress series or the Kate Daniels series or Mercy Thompson, and the list goes on. It is what I look for every time I open a new book by a new author. The feeling of every aspect of a story fitting together in just the right way. The world building, the romance, the action, the mythology, the pacing.
It was interesting seeing how Leena and Noc play off one another because they are both people who feel loneliness and vulnerabilities, but their strength lies in being able to continue on despite the loneliness and vulnerability. To continue fighting even when there seems to be no end in sight. They complement one another in that way. I found it so interesting that Maxym Martineau decided to show such blatant yearning on Noc’s part in regards to how much he’s closed himself off from feeling, and how much he wants to be able to feel. It’s probably one of the big things that separates their experiences because, if nothing else, Leena does have her connection to her beasts.
And boy, do those beasts really take center stage. Maxym Martineau has brought some truly visualized creatures to life in this book. I love their powers and I enjoyed seeing Leena pair the different beasts to the Cruor who travel with her as she searches for her own Myad-Beast whose taming will show the Charmer Council Leena’s worthiness. Having the group slowly build from enemies to family was a joy to behold.
Maxym Martineau knows how to perfectly plot out the story. While we get some closure as far as Leena’s issues with the Charmers, by the end a completely new can of worms has been opened. Noc still holds some secrets close to the chest, and while the pieces are slowly coming together, the puzzle isn’t yet complete, nor are the implications for the future realized.
I cannot wait to find out where we go next. I’m excited to meet and learn about more Beasts and I’m eagerly waiting to spend more time with this group of characters. It’s official, Maxym Martineau is an author to watch. Highly recommended.
Leena Edenfrell thought exile from the Charmer home of Hireath was the worst thing that could happen to her. I mean, because of her exile, she was forced to sell her precious beasts on the black market just to survive—which itself is an offense punishable by death.
When she learns there’s been a bounty put on her head, she’s both surprised and not. For years, she’s been cultivating a plan to get back to Hireath and clear her name, and when she confronts the bounty hunter who holds her contract, she thinks her plan may have a chance to come to fruition.
Since being named leader of Cruor, Noc has tried to do right by his brother and sister assassins, but a curse he carries keeps him from getting too close or emotionally involved due to the resulting death of anyone he loves that loves him in turn. When a bargain with Leena demands that she provide his people with four beasts in exchange for the cancellation of her contract, he sees the opportunity to finally get the curse lifted.
Soon, however, the lines between their individual objectives begin to blur as they get caught up in an attraction neither saw coming. What Leena doesn’t know, however, is that the Cruor are bound by their oaths to carry out their jobs, no matter what, or face death.
Kingdom of Exiles reminded me of the first time I read the Night Huntress series or the Kate Daniels series or Mercy Thompson, and the list goes on. It is what I look for every time I open a new book by a new author. The feeling of every aspect of a story fitting together in just the right way. The world building, the romance, the action, the mythology, the pacing.
It was interesting seeing how Leena and Noc play off one another because they are both people who feel loneliness and vulnerabilities, but their strength lies in being able to continue on despite the loneliness and vulnerability. To continue fighting even when there seems to be no end in sight. They complement one another in that way. I found it so interesting that Maxym Martineau decided to show such blatant yearning on Noc’s part in regards to how much he’s closed himself off from feeling, and how much he wants to be able to feel. It’s probably one of the big things that separates their experiences because, if nothing else, Leena does have her connection to her beasts.
And boy, do those beasts really take center stage. Maxym Martineau has brought some truly visualized creatures to life in this book. I love their powers and I enjoyed seeing Leena pair the different beasts to the Cruor who travel with her as she searches for her own Myad-Beast whose taming will show the Charmer Council Leena’s worthiness. Having the group slowly build from enemies to family was a joy to behold.
Maxym Martineau knows how to perfectly plot out the story. While we get some closure as far as Leena’s issues with the Charmers, by the end a completely new can of worms has been opened. Noc still holds some secrets close to the chest, and while the pieces are slowly coming together, the puzzle isn’t yet complete, nor are the implications for the future realized.
I cannot wait to find out where we go next. I’m excited to meet and learn about more Beasts and I’m eagerly waiting to spend more time with this group of characters. It’s official, Maxym Martineau is an author to watch. Highly recommended.
I read a preview (only a few chapters) and I found Leena to be a strong character that I want to meet and read about some more! I like how the author wrote this book and made the paranormal seem “real”. It isn’t Over the top, but a great descriptive journey into a world we do not know. I usually have to be in the mood for this type of book, but found the characters to be so believable, that I wasn’t bothered at all. I felt like I was taken into their world.
“I never imagined a life where I’d sell the very things that made my existence bearable. And yet here I was, doing exactly that. All because I’d trusted Wynn. Years of devotion and love, and for what? To become a scapegoat? My exile was his fault, and yet I had been the one to lose everything” I can’t wait to see what she does with Noc!
“I never imagined a life where I’d sell the very things that made my existence bearable. And yet here I was, doing exactly that. All because I’d trusted Wynn. Years of devotion and love, and for what? To become a scapegoat? My exile was his fault, and yet I had been the one to lose everything” I can’t wait to see what she does with Noc!
First off...there are 2 different prints of this book. There is a YA and an Adult one. I own both but read the adult version first. But it will probably read the YA one when it gets close to the second book being released.
This was a little slow in the beginning but after getting past the slow part I really enjoyed it and wanted to know more of the story. I was getting a bit frustrated with the relationship between Noc and Leena....I just wanted it to happen(I'm inpatient) But once you find out about his curse I let go of some of the frustration towards Noc for the way he would react towards Leena.
When Wynn took Leena because Noc didnt think through his wish...I was hoping that Leena would forgive Noc and see that he wouldn't purposefully hurt her or return her to Wynn(who was the cause of her banishment and bounty). The ending was a little bit of cliff hanger and I cant wait to continue on the adventure with these characters.
This was a little slow in the beginning but after getting past the slow part I really enjoyed it and wanted to know more of the story. I was getting a bit frustrated with the relationship between Noc and Leena....I just wanted it to happen(I'm inpatient) But once you find out about his curse I let go of some of the frustration towards Noc for the way he would react towards Leena.
When Wynn took Leena because Noc didnt think through his wish...I was hoping that Leena would forgive Noc and see that he wouldn't purposefully hurt her or return her to Wynn(who was the cause of her banishment and bounty). The ending was a little bit of cliff hanger and I cant wait to continue on the adventure with these characters.
Kingdom of Exiles is the first book in a fantasy romance series that has a lot going for it. One thing to know here is that while book 1 was originally published as an adult novel, the series is pivoting to the YA market and this has been re-released in a YA edition. I had an interesting experience with reading because I listened to the audiobook of the original AND read along with a physical copy of the YA edition (thank you Sourcebooks Fire!) so I can tell you what has changed.
The story follows Leena, a Beastcharmer (she can tame magical beasts, it's a cool magic system) who has been exiled from her people and now a dangerous guild of assassins is after her. But she makes a deal with their (kinda sexy) leader Noc in hopes of saving her own life and finding a way to return to her people. Noc has his own secret agenda, and behind the scenes they are affected by political machinations as well! It's an intriguing narrative with interesting characters, a cool world, a strong romantic element, and plenty of room to continue the series. And if some of the twists here and in the forthcoming book are pretty obvious, you still have a good time with it.
So what has changed in the YA edition? A lot of little stuff, but a few primary things I'll address. In the original, Leena is 29 (an age that probably makes more sense given everything that has happened) but here she's aged down to probably 18 or 19, though I don't think it's specified. Also, the steamier bits are significantly toned down. In the original, there is sexy dialogue peppered throughout (very little of that in the YA version), and two explicitly described sex scenes and a lot of leadup. In the YA edition, there is mostly just some kissing and one very vaguely described sex scene later in the book (on the order of "and then they moved together and became one" type of thing). The other change is there are a few added chapters from side character perspectives that flesh them out, and a chapter where Leena trains characters on how to care for their magical beasts. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same.
Do know that this gets quite dark at times and includes content warnings for torture that feels borderline like sexual assault, kidnapping, drugging, emotional abuse, death, and violence.
In general I had a good time with this and look forward to continuing with the series! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
The story follows Leena, a Beastcharmer (she can tame magical beasts, it's a cool magic system) who has been exiled from her people and now a dangerous guild of assassins is after her. But she makes a deal with their (kinda sexy) leader Noc in hopes of saving her own life and finding a way to return to her people. Noc has his own secret agenda, and behind the scenes they are affected by political machinations as well! It's an intriguing narrative with interesting characters, a cool world, a strong romantic element, and plenty of room to continue the series. And if some of the twists here and in the forthcoming book are pretty obvious, you still have a good time with it.
So what has changed in the YA edition? A lot of little stuff, but a few primary things I'll address. In the original, Leena is 29 (an age that probably makes more sense given everything that has happened) but here she's aged down to probably 18 or 19, though I don't think it's specified. Also, the steamier bits are significantly toned down. In the original, there is sexy dialogue peppered throughout (very little of that in the YA version), and two explicitly described sex scenes and a lot of leadup. In the YA edition, there is mostly just some kissing and one very vaguely described sex scene later in the book (on the order of "and then they moved together and became one" type of thing). The other change is there are a few added chapters from side character perspectives that flesh them out, and a chapter where Leena trains characters on how to care for their magical beasts. Otherwise, they are pretty much the same.
Do know that this gets quite dark at times and includes content warnings for torture that feels borderline like sexual assault, kidnapping, drugging, emotional abuse, death, and violence.
In general I had a good time with this and look forward to continuing with the series! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Read my full review here
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Kingdom of Exiles 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. Kingdom of Exiles 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 Kingdom of Exiles. 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.
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Kingdom of Exiles 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. Kingdom of Exiles 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 Kingdom of Exiles. 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.
I read this for my book club, and I loved it! I instantly was attracted to the premise, and the world building was well done! The beast charmer magic is so interesting! Also, I really want some of the beasts! I loved how well developed they were. I loved Leena. Her storyline was interesting, and she felt so real. She was a total badass, but still so soft and loving with her beasts! I love that she was so protective of them. Also loved Loc. At first he kind of annoyed me, but he grew on me quickly! And I am always a sucker for a good enemies to lovers story! Also really loved the other assassins, and hope we get more from them in the next books.
Loved this book. I tried to read it slow to enjoy it. I loved learning about all the different beasts. Leena was great and such a strong female character. I loved her story and could feel her heartbreak and hurt. Noc was great as well. I loved their story and because it’s technically a romance, I knew it would turn out well. I’m excited to read the next book!
*4.5 this was fun!
The world building was interesting.
The romance was not insta but overall I love it
The world building was interesting.
The romance was not insta but overall I love it
Badass heroine, dreamy bisexual hero and a wonderful Pokemon/Fantastic Beasts fantasy romance mash-up.
Started off super interesting, but quickly begins to feel too insta-lovey. Wasn’t invested enough to continue reading. Stopped at 278/386. Hate stopping so close to the end, but I wasn’t enjoying it anymore.