Druid Vices and a Vodka by Annette Marie – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: Druid Vices and a Vodka by Annette Marie
Druid Vices and a Vodka is the tenth book in the Guild Codex universe. For the read-along, we are following the author’s recommended reading order, found HERE.
The story opens with Oden‘s Eye guild members at the Crow and Hammer discussing the recent lack of rogues and crimes in the area since the downfall of Red Rum. The situation devolves quickly when renowned bounty hunter Shane shows up looking for The Ghost, who has been captured in Los Angles. Zach’s familiar asks Tori to save him from the LA MPD, and Kai agrees to help. However, this leads to even more issues when Kai’s mafia family discovers he’s in town.
The stakes are extremely high in Druid Vices and a Vodka. Tori is juggling so many secrets, while the majority of her friends are in dangerous situations. She teams up with Robin to find out more about her demon artifact so she can save Ezra from his demon; however she doesn’t quite trust Robin and keeps much from her. She’s avoiding Shane who has evidence tying her Zach aka The Ghost. Kai is being pulled back into his family’s clutches with little freedom. But worst of all, Zach is showing Tori his true nature and she realizes she may have misplaced her faith in their friendship.
Druid Vices and a Vodka is non-stop action with huge consequences over a very short period. At times, the story was overwhelming and I got frustrated that Tori is keeping so many secrets. I wanted her to confide in at least one other person. I loved how Tori was willing and did make some big sacrifices to help her friends. By the end of the book, one of the storylines appears to be wrapped up, but the others are even more urgent. I continue to enjoy the series, but I need some of these threads to be resolved sooner than later and before more start.
Narration: the story is shared via the first person POV of Tori Dawson. Dukehart uses a perky, upbeat feminine voice for Tori. She captures the whip smart, takes-no-crap attitude of the twenty-something. Dukehart alters character dialogue based on gender and age with moderate success, making each character fairly distinguishable. Dukehart keeps the story moving forward in a lively manner.
In the end, I continue to enjoy this exciting series and look forward to finding out how Tori and Robin will save the day.
My Ratings
Story: B+
Narration: B+
Jen
About the Book:
I’ve said it before, but sometimes I’m a bad person. I cheated on my twelfth grade math final, I’ve run countless yellow lights, and I gossip about how hot my kickass best friends are. (Good thing my job as a guild bartender doesn’t require moral perfection.)
But there’s bad, and then there’s bad. And I’m not sure which applies to a certain dark druid/wanted criminal/reluctant friend of mine. His transgressions include black-magic dealings, kidnapping, and murder, and he’s about to add “revenge-fueled killing spree” to his resume—if I don’t stop him.
Should I stop him?
He and his nemesis are gearing up to tear each other apart, rogues and vultures are converging with their sights on the spoils, and the guilds that would normally stomp them into the ground are under attack. We’re on the brink of an all-out criminal turf war, and my time to decide is almost up.
Who’s the real bad guy … and do I dare stand in his way?
Author: Annette Marie
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound #6; Guild Codex Universe #10
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: March 17, 2020
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 9 hours and 15 minutes
Source: Library
Audio Speed: 1.25x
