The Alchemist and an Amaretto

The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, Book 5

By: Annette Marie

Narrated by: Cris Dukehart

Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Make sure to check out the companion series, The Guild Codex: Demonized, available now, and The Guild Codex: Warped, coauthored by Rob Jacobsen.

©2019 Annette Marie (P)2020 Tantor

Holy magic hands!

Whoa! I knew this was going to be an awesomely chaotic book. I did but e level of crazy had me on the edge of my seat. I love the bonds that Aaron, Ky, Ezra and Tori have. I love the friendship that Tori and Cyn have. Throw them all together in an action packed, and at times intense, whirlwind of magic, animal attacks and a whole mess of snobby alumni jerkface a and you have one helluva story.

This book gave us an open door I to Aaron’s previous life. Where he came from, what’s expected of him by his parents and let’s just say... the boy has it rough. He wants his own life and yet he has to battle his parents constantly for that. They’re parents, they want the best for him but they’re just missing the mark a little.

But when trouble comes to their door they’ll put the inner battles aside and join their son and his guild members to stop it in its tracks. It’s a battle that could go either way. Each person has to fight like they’ve never fought before in order to stay alive and protect the ones around them.

I can’t freaking wait for more!!

Great!

Another great installment in this already awesome series! Annette Marie is a wonderful story teller buy Chris Dukehart is amazing at giving the characters life.

One of my favorite stories in the series

This was such a great story. We got to know so much more about the characters and it made you care about them even more.

If you have not started this series, you need to and you need to start with book 1.

How long until the next book.

Love this series. I sure hope we don’t have to wait to long for the next book.

Nothing to write home about

This is the underwhelming action packed Christmas special in an otherwise very good series. It's not awful but it's ability to stand alone story wise is pretty below par when compared to much of the rest of this otherwise interesting series.

Werewolves, mages, and more!

The Alchemist and an Amaretto
The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, Book 5
By: Annette Marie
Narrated by: Cris Dukehart
This continues the story with the gang all going to Aaron's family's home for the Christmas season. There had been trouble with animal attacks and it happens at the private school for gifted teens. ( Paranormal gifts.) Not only do they have to fight the strong werewolves but find who made these. They are Not natural. Tory also may have found a way to help Ezra with the demon his body is forced to host.
Excellent narration!!!

Loved it!

Fun and fresh, plus the narrator did a fantastic job. The voice definitely fits the character 😁👍

Meet the parents!

A solid 4 stars

This was a Christmas story (perfect for when I read it), but it was anything but celebratory. Tori travels with many of her guildmates to the Academy where Aaron grew up, which means she'll be meeting his parents who teach at and own the Academy. From what she has gleaned, Aaron's family is beyond wealthy, but he has a rocky relationship with them and is always reluctant to return for a visit. Naturally he, Ezra, and Kai decide that Tori should come with them rather than stay home and celebrate Christmas on her own. What could go wrong?

Everything of course.

Generally, I love the dynamic between Tori and the three mages but while I understand her tendency to keep things secret from them stems from her past and being let down over and over by people who should have been there for her (first her parents, then her brother), I wish she would trust these guys more, as they have shown their loyalty to each other is beyond anything she's ever experienced, and they have chosen to include her in their inner circle. The good news is that I read more and more of these books, she's coming to the realization that yes, she SHOULD be trusting these guys, not only with her own concerns, but she should trust that they can make the right decisions for themselves and keeping things (very serious things) means that she is doing them a major disservice. She does realize that at the end of this book, but yeah, she's a work in progress.

I really enjoyed this story and was left hanging at the end, so much so that I started the next book immediately, Slaying Monsters for the Feeble. I love Robin Page's character, and I love how the author is weaving these different series together with just enough overlap so that you can figure out how these characters fit in with each other.

So much fun!

A bigger glimpse - great book

Edge of seat, funny sweet. We get a bigger glimpse in to the mythic world. This school deserves its own thread if she can pull it off and not seem like she is trying for Harry Potter.

Great, but...

Greatly anticipated “next chapter” in the series.

My only hesitation for a solid 5 stars is that I felt the cliff hanger(s) were a bit unsatisfying. We could have gotten “something” resolved, be it parental recognition, or what about the note from “X”, or who/what was the alpha male, or something about the alchemist beyond a “card” reference...just a lot of loose ends.

Throw the reader a bone. It’s not like we’re getting off this wonderful ride!