Review – Rogue Ghosts and Other Miscreants (Guild Codex: Warped, Book 3) by Annette Marie, Rob Jacobsen (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 332 pages
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Release Date: August 6, 2021
ASIN: B095NX27GP
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Guild Codex: Warped series
Source: Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“As a former con-artist, I love a convoluted, mind-bending scheme as much as the next guy. But as a recently promoted MagiPol agent, I love it significantly less than that guy.
Especially when the life of a kidnapped teen hangs in the balance.
Between confusing orders and conflicting evidence, this whole investigation has me and my partner, Lienna, spinning in circles. Why is our boss keeping this case off the books? Why is our top suspect, the most notorious rogue in Vancouver, mired in contradictions? And why am I the only one who cares more about the victim than their own ulterior motives?
Everyone wants me to shut up and follow orders, but that’s not my style. I’ll do whatever it takes to save this kid—even if that means returning to my roguish roots.”
Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Guild Codex: Warped series. This series takes place mostly after Guild Codex: Spellbound and Guild Codex: Demonized; but runs concurrently with Guild Codex: Unveiled. There are five books planned for this series. I borrowed a copy of this book through Kindle Unlimited.
Thoughts: I haven’t been a huge fan of the Guild Codex: Warped books, they just aren’t written in the same engaging, readable style as the other series in the Guild Codex world. However, this was probably my favorite of the series so far. I felt like the plot was a bit more cohesive and both Lienna and Kit actually gained depth as characters. Of course, I also really enjoyed that Ghost/Zak was in the story so much.
The book starts with Lienna and Kit trying to hunt down a missing teen. Then, suddenly, they are given a secret mission to hunt down the Ghost himself and are given access to a bunch of past evidence from other kidnapping cases. All of this ends up tying back to the evil sorceress, Zak, and his past.
I enjoyed that there was more action in this book and that Kit is exploring his warping powers more. I also greatly enjoyed having Zak in this book as well. Additionally, I thought both Lienna and Kit finally showed some growth as characters and started to learn how to truly work together…although they have a ways to go.
I love this world and the magic in it and I feel like this book stayed more true to this world than previous books have. I like knowing what is happening in all parts of the Guild Codex world but I am still looking forward to this series being done and hope that other spin-off series aren’t co-written like this.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was the best book in the Guild Codex: Warped series yet; I felt like it had a lot more character development and action and stayed more true to the tone of the Guild Codex world overall. While this is my least favorite series in the Guild Codex world, I do plan on continuing to read it because I enjoy seeing how all the subseries in the Guild Codex world tie together. The Guild Codex series are all very well done light-hearted urban fantasy series that are action packed and full of magic and I really enjoy the world overall.
