When a Beast Charmer and an Assassin Charm Each Other
The Buzz
BEAST CHARMER!! That is totally a major selling point for me. I also really loved the idea that this was urban fantasy... Which upon reading I found to be totally not true. Well the best designation of genre would be fantasy romance. Yes, its totally romance set in a fantasy world. It has the feel of an urban fantasy and lots of animal action to back that up but the plot it wholly romance.
The title is pretty good. We do have a few exiles of a sort and the world building is centered on them. The cover though... why a tiger?! I don't remember any of her beasts looking like it and its just odd. It does give you a feel of a urban fantasy or fantasy romance so I'll go with it but original art would have really made this a must buy novel!
The Premise
The deal made between our beast tamer and assassin is quite thin. There were things I didn't buy, but once we got onto the road trip I really fell in love with the characters. And I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the beasts (or supernatural creatures) in Kingdom of Exiles. I admit that Leena's menagerie made me forgive her blindness with Noc. I loved how she treated her beasts. I loved what we learned about beast charmers. I loved all the capturing of beasts that went on in the story. I loved how Martineau made every effort to introduce beasts even if through other means. The beasts were a major part of the world building and I totally adored it.
And Noc's assassins made me fall in love too! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED his boys in Kingdom of Exiles. I loved the whole idea of the Cruor and their brotherhood. How the four men stuck together. Like Leena I fell for Ozias first and then easily Calem. I loved how Leena kept a respectful span between her and Kost until she could get a bead on the real guy. It made for a fascinating relationship instead of just plain antagonists and rivals to each other. Noc and Leena had the best secondary characters and it made the world for me.
Like the beginning, the end of Kingdom of Exiles was a little too easy and a bit overwrought and convenient. For a debut attempt it was a fun read. I think with some more experience Martineau will get her next plot smoother and more natural. As it stands if you love plenty of angst with your romance then this will entertain you.
My Experience
Once you learn this is fantasy romance it kind of perfectly sets you up to know what the story will be about... Noc and Leena falling in love. And we go with that premise wholesale!
I think Kingdom of Exiles was supposed to be a hate to love romance but it doesn't really fly. There is something soft and squishy about Leena that I loved even if it didn't fit her back history to me. She should be suspicious, doubtful and wary of Noc every step of the way. But she just isn't. Her history says she should have been a hard sell and yet an easily breakable deal satisfies her. I really struggled with this. I didn't buy it at all.
So I put this aside and kept reading.
TBH Noc had to earn me appreciation. I just didn't like him at first and so the hate to love was really with me the reader which was kind of a neat reading experience. I totally saw the resolution to his situation a mile a way though. It was a little heavy handed, but I did enjoy it predictable though it was.
What will you fall in love with in Kingdom of Exiles?
-The Beasts!
These aren't just tiger knock offs here... they are unique with a hint of fae about them that makes each appearance fun and personal.
-The Assassins!
Get a bunch of boys together and the hot blood gets pumping! I love though how they got to know Leena and let go of their preconceived notions.
-The Romance!
These two totally deserve one another... They've had horrible past relationships that no one ought to have to experience. You will root for Noc and Leena.
-The Dark Magic!
With cool abilities and magic come those who want to abuse its use... We have that in spades and it takes us on some neat twists and turns.
-The Mega-Battle!
Get some beasts that will defend their charmer and some assassins with a cause together and there is bound to be a war... or at least a mega-battle worthy of them.
Kingdom of Exiles is a flawed but totally fun debut fantasy romance. It centers on a beast charmer and an assassin who connect even though their situation says they absolutely can't. Despite the angst and the torture Leena and Noc are able to endure! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book of The Beast Charmer series!
BEAST CHARMER!! That is totally a major selling point for me. I also really loved the idea that this was urban fantasy... Which upon reading I found to be totally not true. Well the best designation of genre would be fantasy romance. Yes, its totally romance set in a fantasy world. It has the feel of an urban fantasy and lots of animal action to back that up but the plot it wholly romance.
The title is pretty good. We do have a few exiles of a sort and the world building is centered on them. The cover though... why a tiger?! I don't remember any of her beasts looking like it and its just odd. It does give you a feel of a urban fantasy or fantasy romance so I'll go with it but original art would have really made this a must buy novel!
The Premise
The deal made between our beast tamer and assassin is quite thin. There were things I didn't buy, but once we got onto the road trip I really fell in love with the characters. And I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the beasts (or supernatural creatures) in Kingdom of Exiles. I admit that Leena's menagerie made me forgive her blindness with Noc. I loved how she treated her beasts. I loved what we learned about beast charmers. I loved all the capturing of beasts that went on in the story. I loved how Martineau made every effort to introduce beasts even if through other means. The beasts were a major part of the world building and I totally adored it.
And Noc's assassins made me fall in love too! I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED his boys in Kingdom of Exiles. I loved the whole idea of the Cruor and their brotherhood. How the four men stuck together. Like Leena I fell for Ozias first and then easily Calem. I loved how Leena kept a respectful span between her and Kost until she could get a bead on the real guy. It made for a fascinating relationship instead of just plain antagonists and rivals to each other. Noc and Leena had the best secondary characters and it made the world for me.
Like the beginning, the end of Kingdom of Exiles was a little too easy and a bit overwrought and convenient. For a debut attempt it was a fun read. I think with some more experience Martineau will get her next plot smoother and more natural. As it stands if you love plenty of angst with your romance then this will entertain you.
My Experience
Once you learn this is fantasy romance it kind of perfectly sets you up to know what the story will be about... Noc and Leena falling in love. And we go with that premise wholesale!
I think Kingdom of Exiles was supposed to be a hate to love romance but it doesn't really fly. There is something soft and squishy about Leena that I loved even if it didn't fit her back history to me. She should be suspicious, doubtful and wary of Noc every step of the way. But she just isn't. Her history says she should have been a hard sell and yet an easily breakable deal satisfies her. I really struggled with this. I didn't buy it at all.
So I put this aside and kept reading.
TBH Noc had to earn me appreciation. I just didn't like him at first and so the hate to love was really with me the reader which was kind of a neat reading experience. I totally saw the resolution to his situation a mile a way though. It was a little heavy handed, but I did enjoy it predictable though it was.
What will you fall in love with in Kingdom of Exiles?
-The Beasts!
These aren't just tiger knock offs here... they are unique with a hint of fae about them that makes each appearance fun and personal.
-The Assassins!
Get a bunch of boys together and the hot blood gets pumping! I love though how they got to know Leena and let go of their preconceived notions.
-The Romance!
These two totally deserve one another... They've had horrible past relationships that no one ought to have to experience. You will root for Noc and Leena.
-The Dark Magic!
With cool abilities and magic come those who want to abuse its use... We have that in spades and it takes us on some neat twists and turns.
-The Mega-Battle!
Get some beasts that will defend their charmer and some assassins with a cause together and there is bound to be a war... or at least a mega-battle worthy of them.
Kingdom of Exiles is a flawed but totally fun debut fantasy romance. It centers on a beast charmer and an assassin who connect even though their situation says they absolutely can't. Despite the angst and the torture Leena and Noc are able to endure! I can't wait to see what happens in the next book of The Beast Charmer series!