DNF @ 12%/ 3 chapters

This is such a difficult book to DNF because I've read the first book twice and enjoyed it both times and yet getting around to reading the sequel never happens. Finally forced myself to pick it up and... I'm just not feeling it. I'm still kinda confused about how certain things work and I'm a bit irked to see that the romance will have problems because of secrets -- which they promised to work through in the last book-- so it is time I give up on this series.

I'm really excited to read this one, however it was archived right after my request was approved so I was unable to download. I have a paperback copy so I still will be reading and reviewing but on my time now.

The Frozen Prince is the second installment in author Maxym Martineau's The Beast Charmer trilogy. The first thing you should know is that this series was originally released as an adult fantasy romance. It has been reworked and re-released as a teen fantasy, retaining the same title, plot, and characters, while also aging them down and removing the explicit sexual content. This story revolves around a group of 5 individuals; Noc Feyreigner, Calem, Kost, Ozias, and of course, Leena Edenfrell who survived a contract that was put out on her life by an unknown person for reasons that haven't been fully explained yet.

Leena is what's known as a charmer. A Charmer is a person who possesses the rare ability to summon magical beasts which is why the series is being compared to the book Fantastic Beasts. Charmers are only as strong as the beasts they keep, and Leena is one of the strongest around. The story actually opens with the introduction of Prince Aleksander aka The Frozen Prince who we know as Noc. Noc is the leader of the assassins of Cruor which had something of a slimming down when a group decided to follow someone else.

The Cruor are undead. They have been raised by Cruor Masters who are able to restore the dead to life. They are not easily defeated or swayed. When an assassin takes a job, they are highly successful at completing their mission. Noc has found himself in quite a quandary after accepting a contract that is magically enforced to kill Leena. Although he's broken the curse that haunted him for 50 years, if he fails to kill Leena—the girl he can't live without—his own life will be at stake. With the dark magic of Curor's Oath testing his control, Noc has to fight with everything he is to keep his friends and family safe.

Leena would do anything to help Noc overcome the oath including trusting people who end up betraying her. Leena, who has been pardoned for her past crimes, gets a visit from fellow beast Charmer Gaige who offers to help if he gains access to the famous Cruor library. When she hears of a beast rumored to have the power needed to save Noc's life, she embarks on a quest to the frozen north to collect key parts of the equation. But what starts as a hunt for a magical beast, quickly turns Leena, Noc, Kost & Ozias into prey. It seems as though neither Leena nor Noc have escaped their destinies just yet.

Trouble in the form of former assassins, traitorous beast charmers, and King Varek's Sentinels who have a capture and kill order on Lenna and Noc. With time is running out before Noc has to kill Leena, the group also has to figure out how to train Calem who has a tendency to shift into beast mode whenever he gets angry after he died and was brought back to life. On top of everything else, Noc seems to be keeping secrets from Leena, ones that pertain to his past and tie into the present. Secrets that all come out later in the story with a twisted cliffhanger ending.

Some questions & answers for those who read The Beast Charmer have been posted by the author:


Is The Beast Charmer different from the young adult (trade paperback) version?
Yes and no. The plot and characters are the same, though the cast has been aged up to align with an adult audience. This edition focuses more on the romance between Noc and Leena, and as such, there is some explicit content and it’s geared toward an adult romance readership.

Does this mean we won’t get the remainder of the Beast Charmer series in the adult version?
At this time, Leena and Noc’s story will be told in its entirety in the young adult version. Stay tuned for potential additional materials geared toward the adult, romance-reader audience.

I picked up the 1st installment on a whim and boy am I glad I did! I love these characters and this world. Learning about the different beasts introduced is awesome! I cant wait for more to see what happens next!

I loved Kingdom of Exiles where we were introduced to Leena and Noc. We know Noc is cursed and is now bound by his assassin’s curse to kill Leena to complete the bounty. This book delves into the curse and what lies ahead for Noc who is the rightful heir a throne he does not want. All that matter is the Crour and his pair mate. But some binds and oaths are stronger than others. The characters and beasts in this book are endearing, and the situations they are out in keep us coming back to see what happens. This is a great fantasy series for fans of Sarah J. Maas.

Despite breaking his curse, Noc hasn't broken the magical oath compelling him to kill Leena. Things are going sideways quickly and Noc is having hallucinations that make it hard to control his darker urges. Leena is trying to save him, but it's hard to help him when it's clear he's hiding something from her. The group sets out to find the cure for Noc, but no one can hide from their past forever. Alliances are tested, danger abounds, and the gods are meddling.

This was such a fun read - I really enjoyed the first book, so I was very excited for this release. I'm a little bummed that it's now YA instead of adult romance, but it was still a great story. I'm particularly drawn to the world-building and discovering what all the different beasts can do. The plot moved fairly quickly, and though I don't recall all of the first book, the plot involving who Noc really is wasn't hard to figure out (maybe that was by design? Again, I don't remember all of details of the first book). I enjoyed finding out who put the bounty on Leena in the first place - definitely didn't see that coming. I eagerly anticipate the third book!

I was so excited to dive into this sequel and let me tell you, it didn't disappoint one bit! The The Frozen Prince was so hard for me to put down. No, seriously, so much freaking happened in this book that it. Especially when I was getting closer to the ending of it. Boy, I was on the edge of my seat.

The Frozen Prince is the sequel to a very underrated fantasy series called The Beast Charmers. It is set in a magical world, where charmers can tame different beasts that also has different abilities. Leena is one of these charmers, but has been exiled from the charmer’s city and lives by selling beasts. One day assassin’s are sent after her, she fights her assassin and demands to see their leader. That is when she meets Noc, they go into a deal: she will provide the assassin’s guild with four beasts and they will not kill her. This all happens in the first book, Kingdom of Exiles.

Book two advances several storylines and introduces us to new characters that brings additional intrigue. The progression of the romance was really good and so, too, was the world building and even the secondary characters. So far, it is a wild ride and I'm anxiously waiting for more!