Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Set in the same Guild Codex universe I really loved how different Robin is from Tori. A socially awkward self-professed book nerd, Robin has been sheltered and is very non-confrontational. But she is also smart and stubborn and kind with a well-developed sense of moral responsibility. And I loved her deal with Zylas. Loved it. She is dying after basically being sacrificed to him by the bad guys, but does her offer her soul for a deal - heck no. She needs that sucker so she offers cookies instead. Hilarious.
adventurous
fast-paced
Great urban fantasy, light on the paranormal romance. I found the 'blushing virgin' type main character at 20 years of age a little annoying at times, but otherwise compelling and strong.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Annette Marie can do no wrong. I read this book in a single day, and honestly I can't give a much better review than that.
The small and weak can kill the strong. I never lose.
That's the premise of the relationship between Robin and her contracted demon, both being smaller and weaker than the people around them. I enjoyed that concept and their partnership a lot. Marie does a great job of making Robin seem relatably vulnerable, but not whiny, passive, or useless. It's a difficult balancing act that she pulls off successfully. I also like Robin's budding friendship with her cousin Amalia, though Amalia is in danger of falling into that "useless" category. Hopefully future books will develop her role more. There is some attempt at making Amalia Robin's champion, but she refuses to actually protect Robin. Then she supposedly becomes an apprentice sorcerer, but she doesn't do anything in that role either. She sits there helplessly when they are attacked at the end of book 2, her magic sweaters do nothing, and I'm pretty sure Robin is supporting them both financially.
Let's talk about money for a minute. Robin's uncle and his family are portrayed as rich jerks, going out of their way to bully newly orphaned Robin because of some imagined dispute with her estranged mother. This includes Amalia who, after Robin saves her life, is only furious because she believes Robin stole a financial advantage from her family. We are told that Robin's mother is a good person because she doesn't care about money, and was never tempted to sell spells from the family grimoire for tens of millions of dollars. I have to call BS on this, especially since Robin comes across as a sheltered rich girl as much as any of the other characters. Robin has never worked, and she never seriously thinks about getting a job or finishing college. Her uncle stole her entire inheritance, and yet she never thinks about money when buying anything. She earns 200k for killing a demon, but never concerns herself with collecting the money, and doesn't seem to care when her guild master tries to steal it from her. She doesn't seem to notice that her cousin isn't paying rent. Where does Amalia get HER spending money? Her entire house burns down and her family disappears, and she is not the least bit worried about who is paying her credit card bill.
Then there are the "bad neighborhoods." The moment Amalia and Robin enter a poor neighborhood, they are attacked by a pack of rapists. They are standing outside of a strip club, so of course they are rapists! I actually live next to a strip club, and I have never seen anyone hanging around the entrance. They take down all the signs during the day so people don't know it's there.
I just don't like the black-and-white morality that seems oblivious to the fact that money can buy more than pointless luxuries-- things like food and shelter. Even after Robin resolves the issues with her Uncle (don't want to spoil what happens), she doesn't pursue her inheritance.
All together, it was worth the read, if a bit immature, and I want to read more from this author.
That's the premise of the relationship between Robin and her contracted demon, both being smaller and weaker than the people around them. I enjoyed that concept and their partnership a lot. Marie does a great job of making Robin seem relatably vulnerable, but not whiny, passive, or useless. It's a difficult balancing act that she pulls off successfully. I also like Robin's budding friendship with her cousin Amalia, though Amalia is in danger of falling into that "useless" category. Hopefully future books will develop her role more. There is some attempt at making Amalia Robin's champion, but she refuses to actually protect Robin. Then she supposedly becomes an apprentice sorcerer, but she doesn't do anything in that role either. She sits there helplessly when they are attacked at the end of book 2, her magic sweaters do nothing, and I'm pretty sure Robin is supporting them both financially.
Let's talk about money for a minute. Robin's uncle and his family are portrayed as rich jerks, going out of their way to bully newly orphaned Robin because of some imagined dispute with her estranged mother. This includes Amalia who, after Robin saves her life, is only furious because she believes Robin stole a financial advantage from her family. We are told that Robin's mother is a good person because she doesn't care about money, and was never tempted to sell spells from the family grimoire for tens of millions of dollars. I have to call BS on this, especially since Robin comes across as a sheltered rich girl as much as any of the other characters. Robin has never worked, and she never seriously thinks about getting a job or finishing college. Her uncle stole her entire inheritance, and yet she never thinks about money when buying anything. She earns 200k for killing a demon, but never concerns herself with collecting the money, and doesn't seem to care when her guild master tries to steal it from her. She doesn't seem to notice that her cousin isn't paying rent. Where does Amalia get HER spending money? Her entire house burns down and her family disappears, and she is not the least bit worried about who is paying her credit card bill.
Then there are the "bad neighborhoods." The moment Amalia and Robin enter a poor neighborhood, they are attacked by a pack of rapists. They are standing outside of a strip club, so of course they are rapists! I actually live next to a strip club, and I have never seen anyone hanging around the entrance. They take down all the signs during the day so people don't know it's there.
I just don't like the black-and-white morality that seems oblivious to the fact that money can buy more than pointless luxuries-- things like food and shelter. Even after Robin resolves the issues with her Uncle (don't want to spoil what happens), she doesn't pursue her inheritance.
All together, it was worth the read, if a bit immature, and I want to read more from this author.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nostalgic read, brought me back to my teenage reads. Upbeat, funny, engaging. Sometimes the main character is more dense than she should be.
It's not often I listen to an 8 hour long book within 24 hours, so that should say something on my thoughts of this story. This book was a lot of fun!
This isn't my first book by the author, as I've heard all the books in this series that are out on audible already. I have avoided the authors other works, however, as I've been told they were rather YA, which isn't quite my cup of tea. But I liked what I read, so when I saw she was publishing a spin-off series, I was all for it!
And, so far, I'm liking the spin-off better than the original!
The writing is fast and flowing, the story interesting - if a slow burn - and the characters diverse and good. I found the traits of both Robin and her demon - can't spell his name - to be fun and intriguing, and I really liked how they interacted with each other. I also like how this book plays with what is good and what is evil, and I'm really looking forward to diving deeper into this.
This isn't my first book by the author, as I've heard all the books in this series that are out on audible already. I have avoided the authors other works, however, as I've been told they were rather YA, which isn't quite my cup of tea. But I liked what I read, so when I saw she was publishing a spin-off series, I was all for it!
And, so far, I'm liking the spin-off better than the original!
The writing is fast and flowing, the story interesting - if a slow burn - and the characters diverse and good. I found the traits of both Robin and her demon - can't spell his name - to be fun and intriguing, and I really liked how they interacted with each other. I also like how this book plays with what is good and what is evil, and I'm really looking forward to diving deeper into this.