Title: The Unbreakable Bladesong Druid (The Guild Codex: Unveiled #4)
Author: Annette Marie
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Release Date: September 23rd, 2022
Standalone/Series: Series
Genre: New Adult – Urban Fantasy
My rating in stars:
My rating in words:
Satisfying finale
WHAT IT’S ABOUT:
The heartrending conclusion to Saber and Zak’s story…
Ten years ago, everything that mattered to me was torn away—and I let it happen. But this time, I’m not a scared teen or a helpless witch. I’ll claw back everything and everyone I love, no matter the cost.
I am the Bladesong Druid, and I won’t stop. I won’t relent. I won’t break.
—
The Guild Codex: Unveiled
The One and Only Crystal Druid (#1)
The Long-Forgotten Winter King (#2)
The Twice-Scorned Lady of Shadow (#3)
More series in the Guild Codex world:
The Guild Codex: Spellbound
The Guild Codex: Demonized
The Guild Codex: Warped
MY THOUGHTS (spoiler-free):
Note: I received an Advanced Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“I just lost everything that mattered to me. I can’t lose you too. I don’t care about jobs or guilds or my parole. I don’t need any of that. I just need you.”
I can’t quite believe it’s over yet. I fell in love with Zak, damn druid, a few years ago when I first got to know him in the Guild Codex: Spellbound books. I was so excited when I found out he would be getting his own series. I fell even more in love with him and Saber, the female main character from this series, with every book. And now, here we are. Four books later and Zak and Saber’s story is over. But while I’m very sad to see them go, I’m also quite satisfied with their ending.
I have to say though, this final installment did NOT go at all how I was expecting it. At all… But while I was reeling while reading, and maybe even muttering nonononono to myself at several occasions, I also think it was a very suitable ending for all characters. Yes, even Lallakai had a suitable ending *maniacal laugh*
I’m not quite sure how best to review this installment without any spoilers, so let me break it down into a list of everything non-spoilery I loved about The Unbreakable Bladesong Druid:
The character development. Every single one of the four main characters in this series (Saber, Zak, Ríkr and Lallakai) went through these amazing character journeys. These characters were put through the ringer and had to deal with so much, and yet they learned and grew so much. I love them all (well, maybe not Lallakai), but special shout-out to the bond between Saber and Ríkr – they’ve always had a complex, but tight bond and it was really put to the test in this finale. Talking of which…
The fae world. While every Guild Codex installment focuses a little more on a different aspect of the Guild Codex world, Unveiled was definitely heavily influenced by all things fae. And how fascinating these fae are! We learned so much about them in these four books and yet I still feel like I could learn more.
The romance. Zak and Saber’s romance has definitely been a rocky road, and there may have been a few stabbing incidents along the way, but whoa, the slow burn has been so worth it. This romance is unlike any other Guild Codex romance, but there’s no denying the scorching chemistry between the two. And boy, did this get steamy!
The pace and action scenes. As with any Annette Marie book, the pace was once again unputdownable and the action scenes were sooo well done. The story moves at such a fast pace, but always has time for the emotional moments as well and I love this delicate balance. And the action scenes always feel like I’m watching a movie in my head, they’re so cinematic and will keep you hooked and on edge throughout the pages.
The cameos. I’m not gonna lie, I LOVE every single cameo of other Guild Codex characters I can get, and this installment was the best of them all when it came to cameos. Can we even call them cameos or should we just call it an epic teamup? Because that was what happened here.
Overall, I can only repeat every single Guild Codex review I wrote before this: this series is amazing and I highly recommend it. Annette Marie is a genius storyteller who manages to hit all the crucial elements with every single book: intricate worldbuilding, very nuanced and loveable characters, slow-burn romance and an unputdownable pace. You’ll fall in love with the world and the characters and you’ll feel all the emotions on this amazing Guild Codex rollercoaster ride. I’m sad to see the end of this installment, but I’m happy to know we have more Warped (and Kit) on the way!
Tell Me:
Have you read The Guild Codex? What did you think about it?
I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet since I have a few review copies I need to get through first but I am SO excited now!
I hope you’ll get to read it soon, can’t wait to hear your thoughts 🙂
The character development and the glimpses of the fae world… sounds awesome. Pacing too. I’m reading a book right now where I’m just… struggling, and it reminds me how important pacing is! Glad this was awesome 🙂
Pacing is indeed so important! Too slow is not good, but too fast isn’t good either. So important, and Annette Marie definitely excels at pacing 🙂
It’s always sad when a favorite series ends, but I’m glad it ended in such a satisfying way for you!
It is! And better to end in a really good way, then to keep going and ending up being disappointed…
I am in *love* with that cover.
Ash @ Essentially Ash
It is such a gorgeous cover indeed!
Damn I really really need to get back to her stories!
They do keep getting better and better 😉