It drives me more than a little bit crazy that fantasy novels tend to drop you in a completely different world in the middle of action and you seem to spend the first fifty pages or so floundering your way through to catch up. Kingdom of Exiles follows this recipe to the letter. It was tempting to stop but I kept going and enjoyed reading the interplay between Leena who manages beasts, and Noc, the assassin with a hit out for her. It still isn't enough for me to say whether I think it will be good or not, but it has promise.