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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This is the first book in The Beast Charmer series by Maxym M. Martineau. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, so it’s best if you go into it planning to read the entire trilogy.
The story is interesting and exciting from the first sentence. I enjoyed the world-building and loved the characters. This author does a great job with characterization and establishing meaningful relationships, romantic and otherwise. All of the characters have strengths, flaws, fun quirks, and interesting backstories that are mostly only hinted at, and I can’t wait to get to know them better in future books!
The beast charming reminded me a bit of Pokémon as well as Fantastic Beasts. I enjoyed the interesting new creatures the author described, and her descriptions of the charming process and beasts bonding with their masters were so beautiful and heartwarming I felt like I was glowing after reading those scenes. It’s really worth reading the book just for those moments.
This isn’t a perfect book. The characters sometimes make very foolish choices, although you can understand why they would make the choices they do. And there’s probably a bit too much romantic angst for some readers. Nevertheless, I think the book is beautifully written, inventive, fun, exciting, and very emotional, so I recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic fantasy.
Note that the book contains violence, torture, foul language, and sexual content.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
The story is interesting and exciting from the first sentence. I enjoyed the world-building and loved the characters. This author does a great job with characterization and establishing meaningful relationships, romantic and otherwise. All of the characters have strengths, flaws, fun quirks, and interesting backstories that are mostly only hinted at, and I can’t wait to get to know them better in future books!
The beast charming reminded me a bit of Pokémon as well as Fantastic Beasts. I enjoyed the interesting new creatures the author described, and her descriptions of the charming process and beasts bonding with their masters were so beautiful and heartwarming I felt like I was glowing after reading those scenes. It’s really worth reading the book just for those moments.
This isn’t a perfect book. The characters sometimes make very foolish choices, although you can understand why they would make the choices they do. And there’s probably a bit too much romantic angst for some readers. Nevertheless, I think the book is beautifully written, inventive, fun, exciting, and very emotional, so I recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic fantasy.
Note that the book contains violence, torture, foul language, and sexual content.
Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.
Most of the time reviewing a book is easy, but with this one it is hard because i'm sad. The reason I'm sad is because of how long it's going to be before the next book comes out! In all honesty this was a great book. The world building was excellent, the characters were well developed and the story gripping. I enjoyed this book immensely and found a new author i love and will add to the list of authors I wait longingly for the next book to come out.
I had to DNF this one. I just wasn’t feeling it at all. I did get about 2/3 of the way through though. I thought the beasts were cool and really imaginative but it was as if the plot had been shoe-horned in around this idea without much development of the relationships between characters.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.
This was a pretty good read! I sometimes have a hard time getting into fantasy and dealing with world building, but this title did it well. There were stretches where it got a bit long--it's almost 500 pages!--but I mostly enjoyed it and got through it quickly.
This was a pretty good read! I sometimes have a hard time getting into fantasy and dealing with world building, but this title did it well. There were stretches where it got a bit long--it's almost 500 pages!--but I mostly enjoyed it and got through it quickly.
When we meet Leena she comes across as a badass, rather cold woman. She is a Charmer, exiled from her home and she sells beast on the black market to survive. When she is attacked by an assassin from Cruor, she wins and she decides to take him to Cruor to find who put a price on her head.
And there we meet Noc, lead of the Cruor assassins. He makes a deal with Leena to acquire 4 beasts and in return none of his men will kill her. Of course there is a catch - he doesn't include himself - plus there is no way to stop a hit as it would mean for the assassin to die him/herself. And Noc has taken over the job from his friend Kost after Leena bested him.
Both Leena and Noc have ulterior motives. Leena needs a special beast (a Myad) to be able to make her way home and Noc is cursed so everyone he loves dies a slow death. He hopes to find a beast that can help him to counter the curse.
Noc fully intends to kill Leena after procuring the promised 4 beasts and getting rid of his curse.
Noc, Leena and some of his men travel to Ortega Key and during the journey you get to know everyone a lot better and feelings change. Noc fights his feelings for Leena due to his curse (and the fact he has to kill her). In the meantime the people that want Leena dead do not sit still and danger is everywhere. We soon see Leena can be very vulnerable and she has feelings for Noc as well.
The story was a very enjoyable ride. Maxym Martineau has an amazing imagination. I loved so many of the beasts. I looked at her website when book 2 is due, but there is no information at all. I do hope the next book will not have us waiting too long.
*** I requested and received an ARC via Netgalley and this is my honest review. ***
And there we meet Noc, lead of the Cruor assassins. He makes a deal with Leena to acquire 4 beasts and in return none of his men will kill her. Of course there is a catch - he doesn't include himself - plus there is no way to stop a hit as it would mean for the assassin to die him/herself. And Noc has taken over the job from his friend Kost after Leena bested him.
Both Leena and Noc have ulterior motives. Leena needs a special beast (a Myad) to be able to make her way home and Noc is cursed so everyone he loves dies a slow death. He hopes to find a beast that can help him to counter the curse.
Noc fully intends to kill Leena after procuring the promised 4 beasts and getting rid of his curse.
Noc, Leena and some of his men travel to Ortega Key and during the journey you get to know everyone a lot better and feelings change. Noc fights his feelings for Leena due to his curse (and the fact he has to kill her). In the meantime the people that want Leena dead do not sit still and danger is everywhere. We soon see Leena can be very vulnerable and she has feelings for Noc as well.
The story was a very enjoyable ride. Maxym Martineau has an amazing imagination. I loved so many of the beasts. I looked at her website when book 2 is due, but there is no information at all. I do hope the next book will not have us waiting too long.
*** I requested and received an ARC via Netgalley and this is my honest review. ***
I thought I would like this, the world is quite fun but everything is so predictable throughout, I did not get into it and DNF at 60%
TITLE: KINGDOM OF EXILES
AUTHOR: Maxym Martineau
SERIES: The Beast Charmer
RELEASE DATE: June 25 2019
GENRE: Fantasy
THEMES & TROPES: Enemies to lovers
RATING: 4.5 Star
CLIFFHANGER: Yes
READ MY REVIEW ON THE BLOG
Kingdom of Exiles is the first in the Beast Charmer series and I'm so happy I took a chance to read this debut. As per usual, the first in a new fantasy series is a little on the slower side, at least the first half - building a vast, detailed world like this one takes a lot of descriptive writing and doesn't help the story move forward. But make no mistake - this world is absolutely stunning, creative and imaginative. I love every single colorful aspect of it and I didn't mind one bit to read about its complexity.
Charmers are coveted and admired in this realm. They tame beasts that come with a multitude of different abilities, from healing over granting wishes to offensive and defensive magic. Leena is a charmer but she has been exiled from the charmers' world due to transgressions of a former lover which she has been accused of. Our hero, Noc, is the leader of the Assassin's Guild, tasked with the assassination of Leena. Their first meeting is more than awkward and problematic as you can imagine. Leena offers a counter deal: a beast for Noc and his closest friends in exchange for the guild to drop the order. Together they journey to places far away and form an unusual friendship. Unbeknownst to her is there no way out of the killing contract, so while Leena dutifully delivers the beasts, Noc struggles with the knowledge what he will have to do in the near future.
She treated each creature with the devoted love and attention of a mother. E-Class to B-Class, they were the same to her. She stroked chins, ruffled feathers, cooed words of pure happiness, and placed gentle kisses with her flushed lips. Why anyone wanted to kill this woman was beyond me.
Noc is a troubled man, cursed by a priestess to bestow illness on everyone he shows love. My heart ached for him, he was lonely in a way no one should be. His craving for a deep connection was desperate and sad. He kept pushing away the people he cared most about, so I was really glad to get his point of view, otherwise I would have gotten whiplash from his changing emotions. Emotions that ran incredibly deep. This man's love for the people he considered family was endless.
She was the ache in my heart. The breath in my lungs. This was Leena. This was my life.
Leena was lonely in her own way. She lost everything after being exiled and had to make a living selling her beasts, a punishable offense, often by death. Her longing for a real family and friends was just as desperate but trust didn't come easy. I loved Leena's inert sweetness, her capacity for love, her tenacity and will to survive. She was a kickass heroine.
When it came to us, there were just too many thorns. But damn if I didn’t want to cut them all down and see what grew.
I loved Noc and Leena's connection, especially after every obstacle in the way of their relationship was removed it turned into a selfless, tender love that touched me deeply. Leena's passion and love for her beasts was another of my favorite things in this new series. Noc's friends, Calem, Ozias and Kost complete the couple with their loyalty and very well fleshed-out characters.
Kingdom of Exiles is a treat for every fantasy lover who enjoys a complex magical world with a heavy dose of romance and a surprising amount of steam. I loved the creativity, the beasts, who all had their own personality, and the characters that brought this world to life. The writing is the kind I adore - almost poetic in parts. This story picks up in intensity and action in the second half and ends on a cliffy. I'm looking forward to continuing my adventures in this realm with this group of people.
Never again would I lose her. Never again would she endure the horrors still lingering in her teary gaze. Never. She was mine to protect and love. And I would follow her anywhere.
I love long romance focused fantasy novels. But, this unfortunately did not keep my attention. My mind kept wondering while reading on how did Leena and Noc fall is love? This book is almost 500 pages long, I feel like there’s more to the story yet their love felt too insta for me. I love slow building romances. I also, wish I had gotten to know the beasts more.
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.
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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.
He leveled me with one look. “One who fills my soul.”
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.
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"When it came to us, there were just too many thorns. But damn if I didn’t want to cut them all down and see what grew."
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
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.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.
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.