Review – The Alchemist and an Amaretto (The Guild Codex: Spellbound, Book 5) by Annette Marie (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 342 pages
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy Inc.
Release Date: October 11, 2019
ASIN: B07Q4QJVRZ
Stand Alone or Series: 5th volume in The Guild Codex: Spellbound series
Source: Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“As a guild bartender, I can handle pretty much anything–mages, sorcerers, witches, the occasional demon. But show me anything family-related and I’d rather run for the hills. It doesn’t even have to be my family.

So I have no idea why I thought spending the holidays with Aaron’s mom and pop was a good idea.

Meeting his famous parents is already terrifying enough, but I’ve got a bigger problem. Students of his family’s renowned mage academy are being attacked on the grounds–and somehow no one has seen a single assailant? Unexplained tracks litter the nearby woods, rumors of forbidden alchemy are circulating the campus…and Ezra has been acting strangely since we arrived.

Something deadly is brewing in the shadow of Sinclair Academy, and the longer we take to uncover it, the more dangerous it becomes. But no matter the risk, we’ll protect the students.

And Aaron’s parents too, I suppose. If we have to.”

Series Info/Source: This is the fifth book in the Guild Codex: Spellbound series. I borrowed this through Kindle Unlimited. There are going to be seven books total in this series. There is also a sister series to this called Guild Codex: Demonized that weaves in and out of the Spellbound timeline but features different characters. Previous to reading this I have read and enjoyed all of Annette Marie’s other series.

Story (4/5): Tori gets invited to Aaron’s parents’ estate for Christmas along with Ezra, Kai, and Sin. Ezra is acting a bit weird and students are getting kidnapped and dragged into the woods. It ends up being up to the team to hunt down the culprit in the woods and figure out how to save the students. While I still really enjoyed the story, I didn’t think it was quite as good as previous books. It was a bit predictable and just didn’t have as many interesting new elements. Still it was fast-paced and action packed, and I liked learning more about Aaron. I also liked that some of the things that happened in this book are starting to tie back to earlier storylines.

Characters (5/5): I really enjoyed that Sin was in the story more and also enjoyed learning Aaron’s background in more detail. Tori and Ezra are developing a “thing” for each other and it was interesting to see them navigate that relationship. I really enjoyed the characters and how they are progressing, but again missed our favorite mysterious druid. Marie is a master at creating interesting and engaging characters that you really care about.

Setting (4/5): The setting at the school where Aaron’s parents live was okay. Really nothing special but it was nice to see where Aaron grew up. I didn’t love the setting here but it was fine.

Writing/Drawing Style (5/5): I continue to love Marie’s writing, it’s just absolutely engrossing and so easy to read. I always whip right through her books. She does a wonderful job with characterization, action scenes, and interesting magic. I continue to really enjoy this series.

My Summary (4.5/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book, even if it wasn’t my favorite book of the series. I would definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy light-hearted urban fantasy with a lot of action, magic, and humor. I am also enjoying her Guild Codex: Demonized series, maybe even more than this series.