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My Review:Title: Taming Demons for Beginners
Author: Annette Marie
Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #1, Guild Codex Universe #5
Published by: Tantor Audio
Release Date: December 31, 2019
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Length: 7 hours and 52 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Hoopla
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2020 Audiobook Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iTunes ✩ Libro.FM
My rating:
Blurb: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.
4.5 stars — Somehow I just knew I was going to love Robin. A meek book nerd who perseveres? YES PLEASE! Honestly, the whole book was fascinating to me, and I loved seeing a different side of this universe. I also kind of love that our main heroines in both these series are fairly uninformed about the world, and without any inherent great power…it’s who they are inside that makes a difference.
Let’s talk about Cris Dukehart for a second. I could tell from the first sentence that I was listening to someone else and not Tori. It was the slightest change, barely noticeable, but it was all Robin. I don’t understand how she does that! She was awesome as always. It was so cool to hear the demon language from her. My only complaint is that occasionally I didn’t know it was Zylas speaking and not one of the other men (like Darius). Not often though.
Like I said above, Robin is my kind of girl. I felt for her with her grief, and the uncomfortable circumstances of her living with her Uncle trying to get her inheritance. I know not everyone will get it, but I TOTALLY felt her need to bolster herself to confront him…I was proud of the times she was able to put herself out there, because it’s so anathema to her. I adored her “bleeding heart”, and the way her uninformed view on demonica really showcased how awful contracts could be. She was just cute, and determined, and kind, and brave.
Zylas was FASCINATING to me. Because he was SOOOOO alien, and he really is a blood thirsty murderer. I loved that Ms. Marie didn’t tone that down, didn’t make him super different from other demons. He was still scary as shit. You could really tell that the little differences he started showing was because of the relationship he ended up developing with Robin. It was a one of a kind circumstance. And he’s not just all fuzzy rainbows because of her — it’s very subtle, with lots of room for growth. The two of them, and their hilarious bickering at times, made this book for me. I was just freaking delighted by the strange relationship they developed.
I can’t wait to see how this is going to change things in this universe — both in this series and in Spellbound. And can I just say that I’m loving Darius more and more? LOVED getting to see more of him, Girard, and Alistair — especially in action!!
Yeah. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel jumping into a different head, but I’m just as in love. I think Ms. Marie has made a fan for life.
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