Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie
(The Guild Codex: Demonized #1)
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rule one: Don't look at the demon.
When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me—outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else.
Rule two: Don't listen to the demon.
My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is.
Rule three: Don't talk to the demon.
All I had to do was keep my nose out of it. Pretend I didn't find the summoning circle in the basement. Pretend I didn't notice the shadowy being trapped inside it. Pretend I didn't break the rules.
But I did, and now it's too late.
I love this book so much! Robin is my imaginary best friend and Zylas is my spirit animal!
I absolutely freaking adore the world that Marie has created! I love this even more than the Spellbound series, because I relate to Robin so well! The shy bookworm who loathes confrontation, and gets forced into a contract with a lethal demon. I can’t even, it’s just too good! These two are breaking all the rules and I love every minute of it. The crossover with the Spellbound series is subtle in this book, but you just know it’s gonna get so good as the series continues!
What I liked: EVERYTHING
Robin:
Our MC, 20-year old history student and non-practising sorceress, Robin has just moved into her uncle Jack’s house. Six months after her parents died, she still hasn’t seen a cent of her inheritance, and Jack is the executor of their will. Trying to get her inheritance so that she can get away from this place and her uncle’s - probably illegal - demon summoning activities, all she really wants is to find her mother’s priceless grimoire. However this bookworm just can’t keep away from the forbidden library, even if there is an unseen demon hiding within it’s summoning circle, probably plotting to kill her. But this shy, timid bookworm has a fatal flaw - curiosity. She knows nothing about demons or summoning, so when the demon asks her a question, she can’t help but ask her own, in exchange for cookies. There’s nothing wrong with feeding cookies to a murderous demon, right? What could go wrong?
Zylas:
The unknown demon. A newly discovered lineage. Is it weak or powerful? If only it would reveal itself to the summoners so they could sell it to a contractor for millions of dollars. But this proud demon would rather die than give up his will to a human. Perhaps there’s another way.
Compared to other demons, Zylas looks small and weak, but he’s smart. He’s fast and he waits for the perfect moment to strike. He also has no concept of personal space, and his hilarious interactions with Robin are priceless! They are complete opposites and they insult each other all the time, and Robin is never quite sure if Zylas wants to kill her or not. I love these two so much! Please please please have a romance in future books!
The bitchy cousin Amalia, summoner apprentice, and fashionista. She is initially really mean to Robin, due to some misinformation, and even after finding out the truth she’s not that great. I still like her as a character though, she’s strong, independent, and smart and she does redeem herself well.
I love getting to see Darius in this too! He just keeps getting better every time he appears in the series! If you’re interested in the crossover series, check out Three Mages and a Margarita.
The World:
As I said, this is a sister series to Spellbound, with some crossover. Demonology has been mentioned in the other series, always with an air of fear and danger, but this one is focused on it. Sorcerers make a contract: full control of the demon, with their strength and fighting prowess, in exchange for their human soul. Too bad Robin didn’t get the memo.
The world is populated with other types of mythic - mages, psychics, witches and more - who form Guilds. The Guilds’ focus is on keeping humans ignorant of magic, and following Magipols rules, or at least, not getting caught. I would happily live in this world, learn magic and join a guild - if only!
The Plot:
Robin set out to collect her inheritance, but got more than she bargained for, and ends up in a world of trouble. Sinister players abound, and with a powerful demon on the loose, this shy bookworm will risk it all, with the help of her not-so-friendly demon. Like every good Urban Fantasy this book is full of action and magic, betrayal and unlikely allies, and of course, brilliant dialogue.
This is actually one of my favourite books, and I have a feeling that every book by Annette Marie will be a five-star read for me. If you haven’t discovered her yet, then what are you waiting for? Dive into this amazing world and see for yourself the awesomeness that is Guild Codex!
Happy reading!
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