Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Taming Demons for Beginners (The Guild Codex: Demonized #1) by Annette Marie

Title: Taming Demons for Beginners 

Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #1

Author: Annette Marie 

Published by: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.

Publication date: September 13, 2019

Genres: New Adult, 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.
—

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.

Goodreads / Amazon

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy at no cost from the publisher/author. All opinions in my review are my own. 

If anyone is looking for me, I am safely tucked away inside the mythic world. Learning all about illegal demon summoning, escaping from rogue mythics trying to kill me, oh, and befriending a demon. Maybe. Sorta. No, wait. That would be Robin, the main character in Taming Demons for Beginners. 

In all seriousness though, I do feel like I am right there with Robin in the mythic world. The one thing that I have always been passionate about where it concerns Annette Marie's books is how she is able to fold the reader into the worlds that she creates. She does this flawlessly. Her worlds are so immersive and the mythic world inside this book and her other series set in this same world, The Guild Codex: Spellbound, is no exception. I have read all of her books countless times simply because her world-building is so phenomenal that these worlds feel like home to me. They are full of rich details, complex magic systems, and elaborate history. 

When Annette Marie announced that she was going to publish a sister series set in the same world as The Guild Codex: Spellbound, well, let's just say that I was floored. The Spellbound series has already captured my heart and I couldn't even fathom walking deeper into this magical world that has already captured so much of my heart. I knew that it was going to be incredible, and I was right. 

We do get to delve into this world a little deeper and see a side of magic that we haven't seen too much of yet in the Spellbound series. As the title of this books suggests, we get an introductory course in demon summoning. I rather liked that Annette Marie chose to show us this side of the mythic world through a brand new series with brand new characters. We have seen a tiny bit of Demonica while reading about Tori and her mages in the Spellbound series, but this book goes so much deeper. I truly love how seamlessly this series is syncing up with the Spellbound series and where the last book left off. Annette Marie is so skilled in details and bringing everything together in her stories. I expect that the final books of both this series and the Spellbound series will be so very epic. 

I immediately loved the characters in this book. It's like Robin and I have been friends our entire lives. She truly spoke to me and I connected with her instantly. Annette Marie's writing is so full of emotion that it is easy to place yourself in the characters' shoes. I really felt for Robin and all the struggles and sadness that she was facing as the story begins. Zylas is truly an interesting character. He is very mysterious and I can't wait to see more of him develop throughout the series. I don't want to give anything away so I will keep it brief. 

While there wasn't a romantic angle in this book, there was some definite chemistry. I was cracking up at the end of the book when Darius is listening to Robin and Zylas argue and snap at each other like an old married couple. It was delightful! The two of them have formed an alliance of sorts and I can't wait to see where it leads them. I know that many people will be speculating if there will be a demon love interest in this series, and part of me wonders the same thing. It is hard to tell at this point if I'm being honest. There is something there, but I can't yet speculate on exactly what form it will take. Though if there will be a demon love interest then I am so on board for that! Just saying. 

The plot of this book is excellent. It is executed flawlessly and I loved every moment. The story certainly pulls the reader in and captures their attention. I couldn't pull myself away, which isn't anything new for an Annette Marie book. I am always at her mercy. ;) Though I wouldn't have it any other way. There are twists in the story that I definitely didn't see coming, which I always appreciate in a good book. The pacing and flow were perfect and I loved the way that everything matches up perfectly with the Spellbound series at the end of the book. 

Overall, this is another jaw-dropping slam-dunk story from Annette Marie. I am so thrilled for the remaining books in this series and I can't wait to read the next installment in the Spellbound series to see both series coming together to create one epic tale. I've said it before in my reviews for her books, but Annette Marie's books are so magical. No other author's books consume my mind like hers do. I am such a fangirl and Annette Marie's fairy-dusted stories are my kryptonite. I highly recommend this fast-paced urban fantasy story as well as all of her previous books. Her recipe for urban fantasy is my absolute favorite and her stories always hit the spot. I need book two in this series, like yesterday. 

Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, and romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced adventures and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She lives in the frozen winter wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it's not quite that bad) with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.

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