Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie

I haven’t been reading a lot of urban fantasy lately, which is why LE has been so quiet, but I saw a cover last night that caught my eye and I had to share. Taming Demons for Beginners is the first title in Annette Marie’s Guild Codex: Demonized series, and I seriously read it in one setting. I couldn’t put it down.

I will admit to being a sucker for a demon based urban fantasy, especially ones that tend to stay away from being too dark or intense. I love the quirky series where you can become invested in characters instead of cringing whenver they open their mouths. Even better, when all of the possibilities are laid out, but there’s no obvious path, that is one of the best hooks for me and Taming Demons for Beginners does all of this. Yes there are a few cringy moments, but you’re going to get that when you have a heroine who is bumbling her way into a world she’s not familiar with.

Our girl Robin may come from magic, but she’s never been properly trained in it and now she has this  badass demon, Zylas, she has no idea how to deal with. Their relationship cracks me up. There are times where I think a romance might be blooming, but I’m not totally convinced there will be one between these two. She can be naive, but she’s not stupid. When she messes up, she realizes it and will admit to it. There’s flaws and strengths, but there’s plenty of room for growth and I can’t wait to see how both of them do.

Taming Demons for Beginners starts off a little slow; it’s not due to too much info-dumping, but there’s some character set-up that wouldn’t work as well if done with action playig out. Once a couple of the relationships are confirmed, than the action becomes much quicker and lots of little hints of whats to come start to pop up.

I definitely feel rusty writing a review right now, so my apologies if this seems a bit choppy, but if you’re looking for something reminicent of Dakota Cassidy, Molly Harper, or MaryJanice Davidson, I would check out Taming Demons for Beginners. I have a feeling I’ll be playing in this world a bit too. Once I finished, I wanted more of Robin and Zylas, and I found that the Demonized storyline is the second one set in the Guild Codex world. The first storyline, Spellbound, already has several books out and there’s a third coming as well.

Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette MarieRule 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.

Guild Codex: Demonized:

  1. Taming Demons for Beginners
  2. Slaying Monsters for the Feeble
  3. Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped
  4. Delivering Evil for Experts

More Guild Codex:

About Jackie 3282 Articles
I am a 30-something SAHM with two adorable boys and a supportive husband who is very tolerant of my reading addiction. I love to read and easily go through about a dozen books a month – well I did before I had kids. Now, not so much. After my first son was born, I began to take my hobby of reviewing a little more serious and started Literary Escapism to help with my sanity. I love to discuss the fabulous novels I’ve read and meeting all the wonderful people in the book blogging community has been amazing.