Title: Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (The Guild Codex: Demonized #2)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: November 1st, 2019
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy
My rating in stars: 5 stars
My rating in words: NEW ALL-TIME FAVORITE
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
I’m bound to a demon.
For my entire life, I avoided magic at all costs. Now, I’m responsible for a demon who wields magic more powerful than the toughest mage or sorcerer.
Demons are evil.
That’s what my textbooks say. That’s what I see. He’s ruthless, he’s temperamental, he’s cold. But he protects me without fail. I wonder if he’s hiding a heart behind his hostility.
My demon is a monster.
Whether he’s heartless or not, my contract with him is illegal and beyond dangerous. Together, we must find a way to return him to his own world before anyone discovers our secret. If that wasn’t bad enough, I’ve come to realize something else:
My demon isn’t the only monster I should be worried about.
—
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.
—
THE GUILD CODEX: DEMONIZED
Taming Demons for Beginners (#1)
Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (#2)
MY THOUGHTS (contains minor spoilers):
Note: I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Let me start this review with the bad stuff. The negative points. What I didn’t like about it. And here’s what I think: this book could have used more cookies.
That’s it. That’s all I could think off.
Seriously, I know I rave about every single Annette Marie book, but honestly they’re just that good. I have to dig deep into my cookie-obsessed brain to find any negative points. So now that we’ve got that over with, shall we just dive into allll the good stuff?
Taming Demons for Beginners had me falling in love with Robin, our introverted and bookish (#relatable) demon contractor, and Zylas, the ruthless and evil (or isn’t he?) demon she got to protect her in exchange for cookies. I was in love with these two from the very first banter-filled exchange and that love only got stronger with book two. Because to me, Slaying Monsters for the Feeble, seemed to really focus on their bond and explored the trust issues both partners have toward eachother. These two underdogs are both locked in a contract together and they’re trying to make the best of it. But it’s not easy when humans and demons have such a deeply ingrained distrust of the other. Robin wants to trust Zylas, but she’s not sure demons are even capable of empathy. And Zylas is a demon who’s used to seeing humans summon, control and use his kind, so why would he trust Robin to treat him fairly?
I guess now is the time to admit that I’m one of those people who shipped Robin and Zylas pretty much from the very first glimpse we ever got of them back in Demon Magic and a Martini. One’s a human and one’s a demon? I SHIP IT! But that doesn’t mean I want this bond just thrown into my lap. I want to work for it. I want to explore the relationship between these two, I want to see the hardships and the issues and I want to see them work through it. I want a slower-than-slow burn. Even though I already ship it, I still want to be convinced that this ship is meant-to-be. And I love that we first have to go through some frustration and trust issues, because that is how this ship can be made real. And that is exactly what Annette Marie delivers with this book. Robin and Zylas are both complex, multi-dimensional characters and their relationship should not be easy. And you know what? As much as I ship it, I know I’ll be okay even if this ship does not become romantic, because I trust Annette Marie completely and however this turns out, I just know it’ll be EPIC! Because romance or no romance, just the combination of these two characters is absolutely genius.
As much as I could go on and on about Robin and Zylas and their bond, the fun doesn’t even stop there. Slaying Monsters has so many good things going for it. How about a new and refreshing take on vampires? Oww yeah, I love a good vampire story, but especially if it’s an original spin on the classic tale. And the fae-parasite spin is definitely a fun spin and provided for a suspenseful, action-filled adventure. Also, how about Robin mingling with some other guild members? We already ‘met’ some of these guild members through Tori’s eyes, but it’s surprising to see how much I enjoyed Robin entering the mix and getting to know these characters through a new lens. Or how about the amazing female friendship between Robin and Amalia? Or how about all the humor and laugh-out-loud scenes mixed in perfectly with the more heavy, emotional or suspenseful scenes? Or how about that ending that promised that the Demonized and Spellbound series are about to overlap more and more? (And seriously, I can’t wait to see Robin and Zylas interact more with Tori and the mages. The thought of all those amazing convos already makes me both giddy and anxious).
I can go on and one about this book and this series. But to get to the point: I highly recommend this series. It’s got a relatable heroine, a cunning and smart-ass demon, fast-paced adventure, a refreshing take on classic mythology creatures, a world filled with well-written characters, a perfect balance between action and emotion, fun banter and sizzling chemistry. Oh, and let’s not forget the cookies 😉
Author bio:
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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Wow Lindsey it seems indeed a fantastic read!!!