Slaying Monsters for the Feeble by Annette Marie – That’s What I’m Talking About…
Audiobook review: Slaying Monsters for the Feeble by Annette Marie
Slaying Monsters is the ninth book in the Guild Codex universe. For the read-along, we are following the author’s recommended reading order, found HERE.
The story opens roughly six weeks since we first met Robin and runs concurrent to The Alchemist and an Amaretto (The Guild Codex: Spellbound #5; Guild Codex Universe #8). Robin has been ill and hasn’t had much luck researching a way to send Zylas back to the demon realm or locating her mom’s grimoire. When a rogue vampire is discovered on the property adjacent to her Uncle Jack’s abandoned home, Robin teams up with guild mate Zora to take down a local vampire nest.
Slaying Monsters for the Feeble is full of action and excitement. I think there are more dangerous battles in this one than in any of the books to date. Often I wasn’t certain Robin, Zylas, or Amalia would make it out alive. We learn about a new paranormal threat, Vampires, which are humans who have been infected with bloodthirsty fae. Normally, hunger and bloodlust drive a vampire; however, these vamps appear to be organized and working together to accomplish covert tasks. The author has put an interesting twist on standard paranormal creature and then tosses in a few surprises. I loved learning what makes the vampires different.
The first half of the book spends a lot of time with Robin learning the ropes of being an active member of a Guild. I love her budding friendship with Zora, which has been compromised in a very interesting way. Additionally, Robin spends a lot of time testing her bond with Zylas, exploring how he thinks. Robin feels a growing bond/friendship with her demon, but when she tests him to see if he is “human enough“ or an “evil demon,” he always seems to fail. What Robin is learning is that Zylas thinks about life very differently from her, but that doesn’t mean he is evil, rather that he has no understanding of human relationships or interactions.
There is a lot of forward progress surrounding the search for Uncle Jack and the grimoire, along with gaining knowledge of demon-kind. It’s great that Robin learns more about her heritage and parents. I also like that she and Amalia are growing closer.
Narration: the story is shared via the first person POV of Robin. Dukehart captures the timid and unsure personality of Robin. 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 the Guild Codex Universe, which should be read in order. I love how the author is setting up a (potential) collision between Robin and Tori in order to save their demon friends. The series has an interesting, intricate magic system with engaging characters whom I’ve come to care about as the books add up.
My Ratings
Story: B/B+
Narration: B+
Jen
About the Book:
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.
Author: Annette Marie
Narrator: Cris Dukehart
Series: The Guild Codex: Demonized #2; Guild Codex Universe #9
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Audiobook Release Date: February 4, 2020
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Length: 8 hours and 27 minutes
Source: Library
Audio Speed: 1.25x
