Kingdom of Exiles (The Beast Charmer, #1) by Maxym M. Martineau

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Fantastic Beasts meets Assassin's Creed in this epic, gripping fantasy romance from debut author Maxym M. Martineau.

Exiled beast charmer Leena Edenfrell is in deep trouble. Empty pockets forced her to sell her beloved magical beasts on the black market—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 him an offer he can't refuse: powerful mythical creatures in exchange for her life.

If only it were that simple. Unbeknownst to Leena, the undying ones are bound by magic to complete their contracts, and Noc cannot risk his brotherhood of assassins...not even to save the woman he can no longer live without.

"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 Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.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!