Review: Taming Demons For Beginners by Annette Marie

From the author of The Guild Codex: Spellbound comes a new series that will plunge an unprepared young woman into the darkest magic of the mythic world.

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.

*eARC provided in exchange of an honest review*

ebook

~ 296 pages

First person, single pov.

No.
This IS a sister series to the Guild Codex: Spellbound series and they do/will intersect but you don't need to know a single thing about the other series to read and enjoy this one.

Nope!
It's a series so lots of things are let hanging for future books but the ending doesn't leave you hanging, just excited for more!

Not really applicable but Robin is left happy for now!

N/A
Not a romance.

N/A
Not a romance.

Yes... It's nothing too over the top but there are bad guys who do horrible things and a demon who, well, kills them.
*shrugs*

Anyone who pays any kind of attention to my blog will know how much I love the Guild Codex Spellbound series so when I found out there was going to be a sister series I was both crazy nutso excited but also trepidatious.
It may be the same world and it may tie into the original series but what if I didn't like the main character? What if I hated the direction the story took? What if it infected my love for the original series?
What if, what if, what if...
All the what ifs were blurring together with excitement and practically choking me!
So it took me a whole day to work up the courage to dive into the book once I got my hands on an arc and then I. Was. Gone.
Holy crap!
I LOVED it!

Robin is amazing.
A mythic (a magic user/magical individual) who has studied magic but never learned to use it.
Due to tragedy she's living with her uncle and has been sucked into the illegal side of the mythic world. She's quiet and timid. She's bookish, likes to bake and not a fan of confrontation.
Basically, she's the complete opposite of Tori from the Spellbound series, lol.
But she's also painfully curious so she naturally can't resist speaking to the demon in the library when she's been told explicitly not to.

Demons are supposed to be brutal, evil, wicked... All the synonyms for all the bad things and there is no doubt that Zylas is capable of being a very very bad but there is obviously so much more to him because actions speak louder than words and by the end of the book his relationship with Robin (non-romantic but I have hope! lol) is quite possibly my favourite thing about any of the books in the Guild Codex series - both Demonized and Spellbound - and may become one of my favourite bookish relationships ever, depending on how things evolve throughout the series.
(Yep, I loved the crazy duo that much!)

Annette Marie has worked magic with this book.
It was fast-paced without being a whirlwind, you get all the information you need if you're new to the world but for those of us who are familiar, it isn't a tedious overload.
The humour is effortless, the characters feel real and the tension keeps you turning the pages desperate for more without ever feeling overwhelmed or anxious and needing to skip ahead just to check that things work out ok!
(Or is it just me who sometimes does that?)

My poor brain is reeling with all the possible directions this series could go and how the revelations here will impact upon the characters in the Guild Codex: Spellbound series.

Needless to say, Taming Demons For Beginners was a massive hit with me and I want more!
If you love UF you NEED the Guild Codex (both series, imo) in your life!

I adore the cover! Absolutely love it! All of Annette Marie's Guild Codex books have amazing covers! I love how the main colour palate of the Demonized books is red like demon magic and the Spellbound covers are predominantly purple...