Kingdom of Exiles ~ By Maxym Martineau

Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

ISBN: 9781492689386

416 pages

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Phew! Ok, this was a wild one, y’all.

It’s been a long time since I read something this creative. I had a little struggle in the beginning, trying to figure out what on earth was going on but it ultimately turned into a really cool and complex story.

The books follows Leena, a beast charmer in a world half Wild West and half Strict Rules. She’s managed to step in it big time and is running from the law, after a serious infraction: selling her beloved beast to make ends meet. In a world where magical beasts and ruthlessness are the law and money is hard to come by, Leena has no other choice than to make some risky decisions, potentially ending up in even more hot water.

What I found confusing in the beginning turned out to be the start of some serious and intense world building. It’s such an interesting and unique concept. Though there were elements of How to Train Your Dragon, and the book blurb itself describes the story as a mashup of Assassins Creed and Fantastic Beasts, Kingdom of Exiles has a magic all its own and I loved it.