Book Review: Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped by Annette Marie

By Jennifer Hancock | Central Library

Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped (The Guild Codex: Demonized, Book 3)
Annette Marie
Available in audiobook on Hoopla

Because Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped is the latest in a quickly growing series (or two), I need to start out with an overview of the entire series, The Guild Codex. This amazing fantasy series The Guild Codex: Spellbound by Annette Marie started out with Tori, a pure, grade-A vanilla mortal, finding out that there is a "hidden world" of magic, monsters, and fantasy right outside her door. The magic community interacts with "normal" people every day without most people being any the wiser. But red-haired, temperamental Tori isn't afraid to dive right in with both feet, working as a bartender at a magic guild. I fell in love with Tori's story from book one, Three Mages and a Margarita, and with the release this past spring of Druid Vices and a Vodka, my love for these characters has continued to grow. And then came Robin. Right in the middle of the Spellbound series, the author introduces a new character, Robin Page, who with her contracted demon, Zylas, takes up a new place in our hearts. The second series, The Guild Codex: Demonized, runs side by side with Spellbound. In fact, there are several interactions between Tori and Robin that the reader gets to see from Tori's side in one series and from Robin's side in the other. And it is a lot of fun to watch these two very different women start to become friends.

For those who have already been reading the Guild Codex, we have been desperately waiting for Tori and her mages to befriend Robin and her demon so they can work together to fix the problems plaguing both groups of our favorite people. Good news! In Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped, it has finally started to happen! Tori and Robin are becoming friends, and, even better, Ezra has taken it on himself to befriend Robin and her demon too! They don't yet trust each other enough to share their deepest secrets, but friendship is blossoming!

This series is officially adult fiction, but as the mother of a 13-year-old, I can tell you with certain confidence that it is perfectly acceptable for teen readers. My daughter and I (and my husband too, amazingly) have bonded over our love for the Guild Codex, and we all wait very impatiently together for the release of the next one. But the BEST news is that you can borrow almost all of these books from our library without spending a dime! (That's how I was introduced, but I loved them so much I had to go buy them all anyway.) Some of the newest books may still be waiting for release to Hoopla, but by the time you read through the earlier books, they should be ready and waiting for you! So if you love the urban fantasy genre, read the Guild Codex books as soon as you can.

The following titles are available in audiobook on Hoopla.

Suggested reading order:

Three Mages and a Margarita (Spellbound)
Dark Arts and a Daiquiri (Spellbound)
Two Witches and a Whiskey (Spellbound)
Demon Magic and a Martini (Spellbound)
Taming Demons for Beginners (Demonized)
The Alchemist and an Amaretto (Spellbound)
Slaying Monsters for the Feeble (Demonized)
Druid Vices and a Vodka (Spellbound)
Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped (Demonized)
Lost Talismans and a Tequila (Spellbound) – due for release July 10, 2020
Delivering Evil for Experts (Demonized) – due for release September 18, 2020
Damned Souls and a Sangria (Spellbound) – due for release October 3, 2020