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4.15 AVERAGE


a perfect quarantine read.

Loved it! Robin was a bit too timid and naive in the beginning but I'm hoping to see a lot of character growth throughout the series! It took a while for the action to really get going but once it did it was great! Solid 3.5 rounded to 4.

Summary: Robin's parents died and now she's waiting for her inheritance in her uncle's house. Her uncle is summoning demons illegally in the basement and she starts talking to the demon and then things go to shit and they form an unconventional contract. A partnership slowly ensues.

eryniel's review

5.0

#SoMuchAmazingness!!!

Not even kidding, once I picked up this book I didn’t put it down. I even read through a party going on around me. It’s THAT good!!

see_sadie_read's review

4.0

This wasn't exactly what I expected, but I found that I enjoyed what it turned out to be. I liked Robin. She was mousey when faced with confrontation, but a dragon when left to her own devices to do the right thing. Her demon (I'm not even gonna try and spell his name since I
listened to the audio) was marvelously sarcastic. But what I really liked was that he wasn't The Biggest and The Baddest. He's plenty tough, but not brutish and more interested in being sneaky and smart than physically strongest.

As I said, I've come to understand this is part of a bigger world, containing several series. I didn't know this when I picked the book up. But I also didn't feel I was missing anything for having not read them. I understood the world, magic systems, etc. Though I will admit that a couple side characters have that cameo feel and I wonder if they are from other series.

All in all, I think dive right into book two.

4 stars!

*

“Protect me.”


Taming Demons for Beginners can be read as a first installment in a new standalone series (so if you haven’t read The Guild Codex: Spellbound, you’ll be fine) and it’s pretty engaging! Robin is a tiny bit way too naive for me, but her POV is really compelling and the situation she finds herself in with Zylas, a demon, hooks you in right from the beginning. The world-building is also really cool and well developed, especially as its delivered with a bit of humor along the way.

Annette Marie is back with another series in The Guild Codex world and I have to say that I like this one better than Spellbound. The characters are complex, if not as mysterious, and the narrative is fast paced and compelling. The plot isn’t all that complicated, but it’s still filled with a lot of tension, action, and danger. I especially like Zylas and his reactions to learning about the human world and its humans. There are some familiar faces from Spellbound, but nothing that’ll be confusing.

This was fun! Robin’s a really nice POV character, as she’s new to the world of summoning and demons, so it’s interesting to learn about those things right along with her. She is a bit way too naive at times, which can be really frustrating especially when that puts her in danger. Zylas is also an amazing character and probably my favorite in the book. He’s the source of most of the (accidental) humor and I’m really interested about what’s going to happen to him.

There’s a lot of action throughout the novel, so there’s never a boring chapter. It makes this a pretty fast read as well. The plot isn’t something overly complicated and convoluted, which I really like? You can pretty easily follow it along as it’s straightforward and to the point. I’m sure some of that will change in the next book, considering how this one ended, though.

Overall, Taming Demons for Beginners is a solid first installment in a new series and a pretty quick and fun read. The characters are great, there’s some humor to balance out the danger and tension, and the plot is well done. The ending does leave you hanging a tiny bit, but promises great things for the upcoming second installment. Definitely recommend this to all Urban Fantasy fans!

*

Series: #1 in The Guild Codex: Demonized series.
POV: Told from Robin’s POV.
Content Warnings:
SpoilerNone.

Instalove:
SpoilerNope.

Steam: No steam!
Love Triangle:
SpoilerNo.

Cliffhanger: Eh.
HEA:
SpoilerNot yet!

Up Next: Slaying Monsters for the Feeble.
adventurous funny fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This was also fun!

4.5

This book was a whole lot of fun! I really enjoyed the characters, the magic system, and the mystery of demon summoning.


RTC

Such a great story. I love the style of writing. I give it a 4.5. The only reason its not a 5 is because I thought there might be a little bit of forbidden romance however it looks like that still might be a possibility in the next book.

I enjoyed both characters I was a little put off by Robin just because I like more female characters to have more backbone and stronger and she was mostly the same though the whole book. When it counted though she seemed to be brave although she was still a bit too trusting.

Anyway such good dialogue and world building im definitely curious to see were this goes and how it ends.

I really really love the dynamic between Robin and Zylas.