Taming Demons for Beginners is the first in an exciting new series by Annette Marie. Robin is stuck staying at her uncle’s house, waiting on him to relinquish her inheritance after her parents mysteriously perish. More than any monetary gain, Robin wants her mum’s prized grimoire, one always passed from mother to daughter. One, unbeknownst to Robin, containing secrets people would kill for. And her uncle’s up to shady business himself, doing illegal summoning work. When she’s attacked by people in her uncle’s house, Robin finds herself bound to a demon trapped in the basement. Can she stay alive and ahead of her attackers?

I devoured this book! Read it in less than a day, honestly. This is the first Guild Codex book I’ve read, though I do have others in the original series. Now I want to read them even more, to learn about the other branches of magic in this urban fantasy world. Demonica is the branch most explored here, and I enjoyed how it was portrayed. The demon contracts made me think of Crowley in Supernatural. Different kind of contracts, but just as thorough! Here, demons are basically enslaved, serving a contractor until death frees them. Unbound or improperly bound demons are not tolerated, putting Robin in serious danger. Following more along the lines of our ghost hunting shows, the demons in this world need energy to thrive. Sunlight works best, but they can take heat and energy from anything that has it, including other living beings. Be neat to see if Zylas can short electronics or drain batteries for energy. 

I also enjoyed getting to better understand demonic culture through Zylas. Fully enslaved demons cannot speak. They can’t even move of their own volition, so ya know, I can see why unbound ones might be pissy with humans. Not knowing much about demons, Robin treats Zylas as a living (albeit dangerous) being. She sees him as a person, not a tool. Because he ‘trusts’ her, and is improperly bound, he can talk and interact, revealing things that other contractors seem to never have bothered finding out. Like that demons have infrared vision, females are more dangerous, and some can use healing magic. The anthropologist in me is always interested in learning about new cultures. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series!!

***Many thanks to the author/ publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for XPresso Tours.